Business Book Review: The Pumpkin Plan

Could The Pumpkin Plan Revolutionize Your Business?

You’re probably thinking, “What do pumpkins have to do with business?” Actually, farming philosophies have long been noted to be highly transferable to the business world.

• You plant a seed in fertile soil: This might be your great idea for a new start-up.
• You water it: This is going to be all those late nights and that hard work you do right at first.
• Make sure it has plenty of sunlight: That’s the positive business connections you make—those key people that help you get your idea off the ground.
• You weed it: That’s where you work hard to prevent negative people and events from harming your business.

If you do everything just right and it was indeed a great idea, then you’ll see your business grow. Of course, it’s not as easy as it sounds. Of all the new start-ups each year, only about 20 percent survive to the five-year mark. And there are lots of reasons why your business might fail, including:

• Ineffective Marketing
• Bad location
• Poor management of resources
• Unable to meet customer demands
• Wasn’t a good idea to begin with
• Many others, including marital problems or issues with a business partner

Introducing Mike Michalowicz: The Pumpkin Plan

Mike Michalowicz has written a great book called “The Pumpkin Plan.” In it, he describes what happened when he was trying to build his first business. He was working 24 hours a day and doing everything people told him would make a successful business. And yet, still struggling to survive.

Then one day, Mike read an article about a local farmer who was dedicated to growing the largest pumpkins in his state. This farmer not only worked hard, but he had outlined some real tangible steps that would produce healthy, large pumpkins. As Mike studied this farmer’s plan, he realized that it could work for a business as well. He put together 7 steps to grow a successful business and his ideas were so effective that his friends wanted to learn how to do this as well.

That’s when he wrote the book, “The Pumpkin Plan.” It’s a great read and it outlines some very common sense things that anyone can do to ensure success in business. Take a look!

1. Plant the right seeds.
2. Water, water, water.
3. Remove all the diseased or damaged pumpkins from the vine.
4. Weed like crazy!
5. Remove all of the less promising pumpkins that are still on the vine. Focus all your attention on the best ones.
6. Nurture your one special pumpkin. Put all your attention on this pumpkin; stand guard over your “baby.”
7. Watch it grow.

As Mike followed these steps, his business began to grow. He didn’t have to work 24 hours a day anymore. Finally, he challenged his friends to try these 7 steps and see whether they would work for their business. Many reported good success. Though the strategies are fairly simple, they do actually work in many cases.

One thing Mike loved about the pumpkin plan was that he could actually watch everything unfolding just the way you can watch a pumpkin growing on the vine. Each day, it gets bigger and healthier. All you have to do is get the soil, water and sunlight conditions just right and plant healthy seeds.

Below is a brief outline of the 7 steps. To get the full effect, it’s best to get a copy of his book and read the whole thing.

• Plant the right seeds: Don’t waste time doing a bunch of different things just to please your customers. Instead, identify the things you do best and focus all of your attention, money, and time doing that.
• Weed out the losers: In a pumpkin patch small, rotten pumpkins stunt the growth of the robust, healthy ones. The same is true of customers. Figure out which customers add the most value and provide the best opportunities for sustained growth. Then ditch the ones who are costing you money.
• Nurture the winners: Once you figure out who your best customers are, give them excellent care and customer service. Learn about them. Discover their unfulfilled needs. Work hard to make sure you’re delivering on every single promise!
• Weed like crazy: Watch for issues that slow you down or cost you money and eliminate or remediate those.
• Get rid of the diseased pumpkins: In an effort to please everyone, you can develop some bad business processes. Recognize those and eradicate them as quickly as possible.
• Nurture your prize pumpkin: You’ll no doubt have business relationships that benefit you more. These are people including vendors and clients who improve the products and services you deliver. Work with these people and build up the most successful business relationships.
• Watch it grow: Make mental notes on what you’re doing right and why it’s working. As you recognize the things you’re doing that have brought about success, this behavior will become second nature to you.

Why not check out The Pumpkin Plan for yourself? This book could be just what you’re looking for to help you build a profitable company. The right technology can also help your business get where it needs to be. Colorado Computer Support can help you select the right applications, computers, and networking equipment to improve employee productivity and better serve your customers. Contact us to learn more.

If you liked this article, there are many other helpful business and IT tips on our Blog. Here are a few examples that should help you grow your business in Colorado Springs like a pumpkin!

The 2019 Guide To Securing Microsoft Office 365

The Hidden Costs of Your Next Data Breach

Will Cybercriminals Shutter Your Business In 2019?