Keeping Grounded as Your Business Starts to Bear Fruit

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One thing I always enjoyed helping Grandpa with was his tomato garden. He showed me how to ‘nip out’ the new shoots at the top of the plant to stop it growing upwards and explained how, by doing this, we would ensure the plant put all its energy into growing tasty fruit, rather than wasting it on growing ever taller. By nipping out the very top shoot, the plants’ energy would be directed at new shoots lower down, making the plant stronger, healthier and capable of producing more fruit.

Applying this principle to business means staying focused on your vision at all times – not allowing yourself to get distracted by shiny exciting new projects that don’t serve your vision, and learning to discern between what is an opportunity more database and what is a distraction. Entrepreneurs are often very creative people who have a magpie tendency towards shiny, sparkly new things. They can flit from one exciting new idea to the next, seduced by its newness, leaving behind a trail of abandoned projects that have lost their lustre simply because they are no longer new. Some of these new projects will be in alignment with their business vision, but a lot won’t. The trouble with this approach is that nothing gets finished. Even the most exciting visionary project will become old and therefore less interesting than the new project that comes along. The challenge such entrepreneurs face is sticking with the old and seeing it through to fruition.



Growing roots isn’t glamorous. They aren’t what’s visible to the world. However, strong roots keep your business grounded. Put too much energy into producing flowers too soon and your business will become top-heavy and unstable, just like those tomato plants, and yield less fruit.