Recently I was asked by a client ‘Why did I decided to start a Plant Hire Industry?’ I thought at the time what an odd question! But it appears to be a question I am constantly asked lately ‘What is my WHY?’

What inspired me to do what I have been doing over so many years? For me, it is for many reasons but for you, it might be:

• It just a job that came up when you needed work
• Your love of plants
• You have a strong desire to be self-employed and make lots of money
• Or maybe you grew up in the business and inherited it from a family member

It doesn’t really matter what ‘your why’ reflects, if you are the proud owner of a business, you now have all the responsibilities of managing it.

You are the driving force behind your business and your staff are looking to you for leadership and direction. Does your business reflect your character, moral and ethical standards? As business owners and managers, we all need to be aware of our actions and our personality, and how that reflects throughout our business.

If we can display genuine care and concern for our employees, they will, in turn, replicate that in their work and the way they communicate with our clients. It is your job as the CEO/Manager to get to know your staff’s personality and indeed understand ‘their why’. After all, they are the face of your business!

Have you noticed when going into your client’s offices to service plants, the different vibes? Some offices seem relaxed, while others have a very tense feel. Supplying indoor plants is only one part of the solution to having relaxed, productive staff and office space, the other part I believe comes from senior management. However, we cannot solve the senior management problem for our clients but we can treat our own staff with compassion and encourage them at all times to communicate their concerns.

Being an effective business owner has a lot of challenges, but managed well can produce excellent rewards. Open your mind to new possibilities; hire great people, train them to fulfil your vision, communicate effectively, get out of their way, and finally, say thank you for a job well done!

That’s all for another month

Arthur Stacey -2018 President