5 Phases of Growth
Have you ever wondered or feared what may be next for your small business? I’ve worked with growers through custom mentoring sessions the last few years and there are some trends that I saw in my own experiences and in the stages of growth of others. This is a sort of brain dumb of reflections and thoughts I’ve gleaned from helping growers work through the early phases of their businesses towards the point where they’re confident in their own unique contributions to the industry.
Of course- everyone comes to flower farming for different reasons and in different ways. These “trends” are generalizations, so maybe they won’t resonate with you at all. But I think they do ring true for many growers. They’re certainly a part of my lived experience.
Phase 1: Dabbling
Dabblers are hobbyists. They’ve gotten a hint of flower farming from somewhere- another grower, a social media account, etc. They purchase some retail seed packets and plant them and treasure every single seed. When some don’t work out, its OK because dabblers don’t have much financial stake in their glimpse into flower farming. Many “first year flower farmers” fall into this category.
Phase 2: Collection
Collectors have made it through “dabbling” feeling successful. And now they’ve been bitten by the flower farming bug and must consume all available materials and purchase all available seeds, plants, etc. They see the collection of all things flower farming as a right of passage, a point of pride. Collectors are vulnerable to social media influencers pedaling this, that, and the other thing. They become obsessed with showing and telling the world that they are doing everything that seems popular in the industry. When something fails- they are quick to blame others (because they aren’t “dabblers” anymore!). So it’s unviable seed, or bad soil, or a bad season, or a customer that doesn’t know what they’re talking about when there’s a problem. Collectors overwork themselves, overspend, and haven’t quite figured out what the purpose or end game of their businesses is. They may view growth in a purely physical form: if they grow more plants, they feel they are growing their businesses - even if they don’t have customers or sales outlets to receive those extra products.
Phase 3: Consolidation
Consolidators are the survivors of the “collector” phase. They are generally about 4-7 years into flower farming and they are beginning to realize that they can’t do everything and certainly can’t do everything well. They’re starting to see which things are easier and more enjoyable to grow and sell in their own marketplaces. They’re getting comfortable saying “no” to requests made to them that aren’t quite their cup of tea. They’ve established a customer base that they prefer to serve, and can make decisions that support that base and that ease their work flow and the expenses for their businesses. Consolidators cut out plants that are needy and unproductive for their operations. They explore ways to fill the gaps in their production. They’re tightening up and focusing in on what they want to do.
Phase 4: Refinement
The refiners have decided that they are going to be in it for the long game. They are digging deeper into the particular plants and processes that they’ve identified to be integral to the efficient management of their businesses. They are working to identify the the products and services that give their businesses a unique identity. They grow less and less concerned with what others are doing and more and more invested in how their own skills, climate, land, and available resources can help them present something different to the world. The refiners have clear product offerings that are reliable year after year in the eyes of the customer.
Phase 5: Specialization
The specialists have refined their business down to a core set of products or services and they dig deeper into those offerings and seek mastery in them. Specialists recognize that others are uniquely suited to other products and services, and they are happy and comfortable in the areas they occupy in the industry. They develop routines across the seasons that are manageable and teachable. When considering growth or expansion, they look not necessarily to adding new products, but instead to marketing or communicating their products and services in new/creative ways or to different groups of people.