My
father’s into the plant business, and for many, many years, he persistently
tried to convince me to do the same. But even though I appreciate how you can
make money selling plants, I never saw myself as a person venturing into the
plant business. However, as I steadily grew interested in business in general,
I came to realize that in a way, money grows like plants. I didn’t get hooked
to the idea of selling plants, but just the idea of how a plant grows is
analogous to how money works.
How
did I come up with the idea that money grows like plants? Well, here are some
of my observations and realizations:
1.
Starting
a business is just like planting a seed. Generally, plants don’t grow from
a seed/bud into a full-grown vegetative and reproductive state in a short span
of time. Fertilizers can speed up the growth process, but cannot do it in an
instant. The fact is that plant tissue takes time to propagate; a seed, bud,
cutting or any other reproducing portion must be able to adapt in a certain
environment, and it must withstand all obstacles for growth. And just like
them, money grows steadily. While there are some strategies or methods that can
result in a surge of revenue, I believe that you should allow a longer period
of time to allow the steady growth of your business. There’s such a thing as
the “time value” of money, and I believe that you should allow money to work
for a longer period to truly make it sustainable and self-sufficient.
2.
Profits are just like fruits. Plants
generate fruits, and money generates money. And the way I see it, this thought
contributes to the idea that money grows like plants. It takes time for plants
to bear fruits, and just the same, it takes time for a business to have its
returns. If you pick a fruit that is not yet ripe, you wouldn’t be surprised if
it won’t taste the same. The same thought applies to a business: if you don’t
allow sufficient time for money to work, how would you expect your business to
bear fruit? If you’re not properly monitoring your business’s cash flow, you
might be taking out not just profit, but your equity as well, and this would
consequently cripple your operations. It’s funny that we’re able to put it like
this: what you originally intended as a sweet business turns sour.
3.
Branching
is just like compounding. If you allow enough time for a typical plant to
propagate, one branch turns to two; and two turns to four; four turns to eight.
Money seems to work that way, right? Assuming that events turn favorable, a
financial instrument can potentially generate compounded interest, and the more
time you’re willing to invest your money, the greater is the potential for your
money to compound.
And
even with these observations, there are other angles that are still to be
explored to establish that money grows like plants. Just like plants and money,
I guess you should also allow more time to think about these thoughts. Time is
essential, time is the key factor; and if you want to be successful in farming
or gardening or business, it’s definitely true that you’ve got to take time to
understand time.
