Emerge Victorious! Run It Like It's New!

Sarah Martinez is the talented managing editor of Garden Center Magazine and the happiest garden retailing writer you've ever met! Check out the Garden Center Magazine blog for more from Sarah.

On Monday, I had the pleasant job of tossing almost 40 names in the proverbial hat and selecting one retailer to win a scholarship to Garden Center University. Quite frankly, I was surprised that my random selection turned out to be a start-up garden center: the Garden Market in Wake Forest, N.C.

Yep. You heard me right. The economy isn't stopping owners Mark Hildebrandt and Rita Davis from pursuing their dream. Over the past few days, I've had several e-mail exchanges with them where they've shared details of their business plan. It's obvious they're invigorated and excited to be a part of the green industry. I'd like to bottle up their enthusiasm and share it with all the garden retailers reading this.

But, since I can't, I'm going to suggest the next best thing: Start the New Year off right by writing a business plan. It doesn't matter if you're not looking for capital or planning an expansion. Do it anyway. It'll be a great exercise. I'm sure you'll come away with a better idea of what your business is really about, and what you'd like to accomplish in the coming years.

How many times have you thought to yourself, "If I could start all over again, I would (fill in the blank)"? Well, here you go! 2010 is around the corner--what's stopping you from running the place like it's new? Who cares if the economy has hit the bottom? There's nowhere to go but up!