Everything’s coming up pumpkin this month, so I thought it would be a good time to review a book I read that has truly changed things for my business. This book, The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz, was recommended to me by my numbers guru, Stephanie Robl at Ten Key, Inc. Bookkeeping and Accounting. Stephanie read the book and reviewed it on her blog, so I had to check it out!
The book is based on the way farmers grow HUGE, award-winning pumpkins, and it outlines a very simple process for success:
- Plant the right seeds by identifying the thing you do better than anyone else and focus all of your attention, money, and time on doing that to grow your company
- Weed out the plants (clients) who suck your time and energy and don’t provide much in return.
- Nurture the big ones: Once you figure out who your best customers are, develop those relationships!
The major takeaway I got from this book was to focus on what you do best and get really specific. In years past, I’ve tried to grow my company by being a “one stop shop” offering a wide range of services. We had great growth using this method, but there was a cost, and it wasn’t a cost I was willing to pay. This year, I decided to slim down my offerings so I could do what I truly do best: create great content for companies.
The result has been amazing–I’m working with professionals and bigger companies at a higher level, and I’m doing what I love. We are building sustainable growth. But most importantly, there is now space in my life–space to do my best work for my clients, space to be more creative, space to breathe. And in that space, big things happen, so watch out world! I’ll be speaking at WordCampRI again this year and expanding my teaching and my own writing.
In sum, I highly recommend this book if you’re a frustrated entrepreneur looking for a way to simplify your life and (and if, like me, you need more than a book to kick your butt and support your growth on a new path, check out LS Business Solutions for business consulting!) So add some pumpkin spice to your business and grab a copy of The Pumpkin Plan today!