Operational insights

As the owner or manager of a greenhouse, you know that things are about to get crazy. Before you know it, Mother’s Day will be here, crucial sales will need to be made and orders will need to be filled. Are you ready for the challenge?

At last month’s Garden Center Executive Summit, attendees were all in the same boat. They were getting ready for their Mother’s Day weekend rush, but before that hit, they took some time to learn, brainstorm and pick each other’s brains for ways to make their businesses better.

And let’s face it, whether you’re running a greenhouse, a garden center, a nursery or a combination of the three, spring is a tough time of year filled with many of the same challenges.

Many of the Executive Summit attendees were raring to go spend some time with other managers who all deal with the same problems, opportunities and challenges that come with running a business in the green industry. Gearing up for the spring season, the room was full of like-minded individuals who were all focused on the same goal.

The energy feeds off itself in those situations and it was inspiring to see people coming together to work ON their businesses instead of IN their businesses. Do you have a group of people either within your company or outside of it that makes you feel that way? Somewhere you can go to get inspired and focus on why you do what you do (and how you can do it better)?

When you’re so caught up in the day-to-day, it’s hard to find time to make things better. But when things get really hectic, it can be a great opportunity to pinpoint problems and zero in on inefficiencies.

And once this year’s busy season is over, take stock of what you’ve done well and what needs to be improved. Identify your big problem points or bottlenecks in production and write them down. If you don’t have time to address the issues now, at least you’ll remember them later in the year when you have a chance to reflect on the season.