18. Credits All photographs are originals taken by myself, Jean Pesce, and used with subjects permission.
Editor's Notes
The following is an overview of the Grow Me the Money (GMTM) we site. Whether you operate from a rural or urban setting, the business world has often been compared to a jungle in a struggle for financial survival and success. This presentation will includedwhat can be found on the site – provisions for convenient, non-judgmental electronic access to informational packets about growing a business and securing guiding mentors for aspiring entrepreneurs as they tame the economicwilderness.
GMTM can be considered a trading post in the wilds of the business world. Every enterprising explorer needs information, things, and people to be successful. The new center of commerce need not have logs or mortar but may still provide these necessities.
Business is the art of trading what resources you have for your desires in life. This site will guide in mapping your own explorations through questions such as: Do you, like most people, want more in life than you have?What are your personal resources?What are the desired outcomes of your work?
As in the wilderness, the more resources you have, the more independence and economic survival you secure for your life.GMTM will help youuncover choices in occupationalpathways that can lead to the creation of your own productive garden.
Your business idea does not need to be complicated and make a million bucks immediately. Slow steady growth of a simple idea…
Will require less resources at the beginning and gradually develop…
Into a more demanding occupation as it also begins to produce more. This pace of growth will give you time to maintain and support your efforts in a more manageable manner.
Although the examples used to show the principles of providing a product or service for sale are explained with agriculture, one of the oldest trades, the information may be generally applied most occupations. Even though growing plants is fairly easy whether your resources include an urban lot, or patio containers, or perhaps access to a larger piece of property…
…it may not be the means by which you prefer to raise cash. Knowing what you enjoy or excel at doing will be the first step to having a business that will is rewarding for many reasons, as well as, bringing you wealth.
As a virtual trading post or general store, this web site will provide you with resources for getting your seedling business started. The Basement Level (below ground for rooting) is for planting, development of ideas with pre-production preparation. In other words choosing what, when, and where your work will be.
1st Floor – Production of the main plant to support the organized parts with nurturing and assistive resources, both human and non-human. This is where you’ll find those store clerks who are more than happy to find or explain what you need. As a matter of fact, they may even contact you to see how you’re doing with your projects or to let you know what’s new to help you!
The 2nd Floor is for Marketing Maintenance. This is for promoting growth through new contacts;weeding and pruning those parts that are not healthy for your plants; and recording growth and loss for future reference.
Finally you reach the Top Floor (with a great view no less!) At this point you may be seeking necessities for harvesting your Proceeds including: composting (giving back), reseeding (reinvesting in your ideas), and ways to enjoy the produce (the money!)
To begin you will go to file, My Office Space, to put your thoughts on file. There you will find a convenient document, titled Personal Contract, to organize your ideas. This may take some time to complete but it will help you identify several things before you begin investing in your money garden. First you will form concrete (written) accounts of: what you want to work at doing and why; identifythe resources you already have and those of which you may need more (knowledge, people, equipment?) Then you will set up a tentative timeframe for your growing season from now to harvest with packages from the Development on up to the Proceeds Department.
The second document you may want to file is Scheduled Plans. This will serve as your agenda and record of those useful activities, items and clerks you may find in the Trading Post departments, or elsewhere, and how you plan to use them. Notes may be added along the way regarding successes, failures (remember that not every seed earns a Blue Ribbon), and additional fertile fields to investigate. These will be your plans and your schedule so it is wise to be honest and realistic, as well as, ambitious when planning this adventure.
Of course the best part of the growing season is recognizing and enjoying the fruits of your labor. The financial and other rewards may be recorded in your Currency Cultivator Achievements list. This will serve as your country fair with snapshots of your projects growth from seed to produce for personal satisfaction and proof for future customers.Now that you know…
We will all be rooting for you as you get growing your own money!