Please read beyond the second paragraph...
Every summer, I am summoned to speak at gardening conferences and the like, a testament not so much to my vast knowledge of matters green as to the fact that I'm a cheap date. I just don't feel comfortable charging an exorbitant speaker's fee. To paraphrase the old Groucho Marx line: I'm not sure I would want to attend a gardening seminar that would have me as a speaker. That trepidation nothwithstanding, I do get invited to confab gab quite a bit, and one recurring question I am asked is: "If there's one bit of advice you would give the garden center operator, what is it? "
"That one is easy," I tell the querist. "Don't be a garden center operator."
Then I buckle my feet belts and take off running, hoping my aging legs will carry me to distances far out of tomato-launching range.
Actually, I follow up my response with an explanation, one that I believe makes sense to anyone who has fallen in love with plants and decided to spread the green gospel. The truth is, few business leaders have less control over their work environments than the independent garden center owner. See if this isn't you and what you face on any given set of Sundays:
"I can't believe it has been this hot this year."... "I can't believe it has been this cold this year."... "This might be the wettest Spring in the history of ever."... "This might be a drought of Biblical proportions."... "Great, our favorite supplier just called to tell us the price of garden gnomes went up a buck apiece because the rising gas prices make shipping at the old price cost-prohibitive."... "What do you mean the satellite feed is out? How am I going to know what Susie Coehlo is saying today?"... "Oh my gosh, could that groundbreaking across the street be what I think it is?"... "Oh my gosh, that foundation across the street is getting bigger by the minute!"... "Dear Lord, please let those girders that were just erected across the street become a Kohl's or a Sports Authority or even a Piggly Wiggly. Just please don't let them become a Wal-Mart."
Indeed, you face more obstacles in a season than the average Joe Businessman battles throughout a year. And here's the clincher: You probably enjoy facing them. That's the great thing about the people I've met in this industry. They appreciate healthy things that grow because they realize growing healthy things isn't easy. It's that "journey trumps destination" mantra that appeals to the soulful among us.
Of course, being soulful doesn't pay the bills, so you still would be well-served to do the Boy Scout thing and always be prepared — for whatever challenge awaits. When I really do get around to giving one bit of advice during my speeches to garden center operators, I suggest that they think like James Bond. He's always looking out for potential enemies and always thinking "if I get in a mess, how will I get out" — even before he gets in the mess.
For you, that could mean anticipating the drought and offering native plants that can weather "no storms." It could mean asking what your customer watches on television that makes her so smart. It could mean constantly looking for new and different as you peruse the various trade journals. It could mean discovering how other successful retailers in your town beat the competition. It could mean going online to find information and inspiration (for the latter, I strongly suggest "As the Garden Grows," the Green Thumb Sunday blog/news source full of good things about the garden that you can use and pass on to customers.)
Of course, it could mean that you attend a seminar during which the speaker will tell you that he would highly recommend that you reconsider your career choice. Here's something else he would suggest: You're right where you should be. In fact, the world would be a better place with more people like you.
