Small Business Organization: The Many Hats (Part 1)

This is the first of two posts about how I organize myself in the wintertime, to ensure seamless operations in the summertime.  

The depths of winter may seem like a slow time in the flower farming world, but truth be told, this is a crucial moment in our year.  While it’s true that the wintertime rhythm is slower, the work is just as important– if not more.  This is when I can finally let all my organization genes shine and lay the foundation for the months to come. A hot cup of coffee and an empty house are the catalysts for effective planning . . . and a successful flower season.

As any small business owner knows (especially those with zero or few employees), YOU have to be prepared to be everything, all the time.  Marketing, accounting, sales, operations . . . it’s all you. Have you ever read the children’s book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? If you have, you know that it's all about cause and effect, and how one thing inevitably leads to another, and another, and another. On many days, I feel like I'm living out the plot of that series of books! Here's what my version would look like:

If you head outside to harvest, someone will call with a flower order (yay!) 

If someone calls with a flower order, you’ll need to go inside to get all the details on paper. 

As you write up the flower order, you remember that you’re running low on bouquet wraps and need to order more asap!  

To place the order, you get on the computer, and there you see an email reminding you that your sales and use tax is due TOMORROW.  

Oh, and you haven’t posted on social media in five days. 

For me, it’s hard to not feel overwhelmed when my brain is stretching in eight different directions.  A few years ago, I decided that this was ridiculous.  I started the day with a plan, and felt like I got nothing accomplished.  There HAD to be a way to keep my tasks somewhat organized. 

So I sat down and said to myself, “Let’s pretend that I’m hiring for every position available at Schell Farm Gardens.  How many would there be?  How many different people do I actually have to be in a day?”

It was a deep-dive brainstorming session, but when I surfaced I had divided my business tasks into eight categories.  In summary, here they are with a brief description of each: 

• Seed Starter– in charge of all INDOOR seed starting and forcing

• Field/High Tunnel Manager– in charge of all OUTDOOR planting, weeding, bed prep, etc.

• Harvest Crew– cuts flowers for orders and markets

• Production– makes bouquets, arranges flowers, creates dried flower decor, etc.

• Sales/Customer Service– the contact person with customers, at markets, events, and on deliveries, and doing customer service via email/phone.

• Accountant/Business Administrator– keeps track of expenses, gross/net income, taxes, etc.

• Marketing– website, email marketing, blogging, social media, hard copy inserts/bouquet tags, etc.

• CEO– big picture decisions, creates event schedule, product expansion, professional development, education, etc.

Then I took it one step further.  I sat down and actually created a detailed job description for each of these employees.  I included what specific tasks they were responsible for, what they needed to budget for and order, and any reports they needed to complete.  I spent A LOT of time thinking through “who” was responsible for each and every task.

This may seem like a waste of time– I mean, in the end, who was going to do it anyway?  Me, myself, and I.  But for me, it was important to know which “hat” I was wearing for each and every moment of my day.

I assigned a color to each of these eight categories, and got a matching folder for each one, so that all papers and forms are in the correct place.  Instead of a pile of papers on my desk, now I know that any receipts go in the purple “Accounting” folder, and my field plan is in the orange “Field/High Tunnel Manager” folder.  All folders are in an organizer on my desk.

This framework was the starting point for me in getting all my tasks for the year down on paper, and making sure that nothing got overlooked.  When I finished, I let it sit for a week or two, knowing that inevitably, new tasks would come to mind and I’d have to figure out where they fit and add them in.  

I printed a copy of all my job descriptions, stapled them together and placed them in the black “CEO” folder. I thought about interviewing myself for each position, and decided that maybe that was taking it a little too far. Ha!

Before I finish, I MUST mention the amazing people who help me out here at SFG.  From my husband (who is on every project I think of!), to my mom (who wraps every bouquet every week), to the girls (when they are not busy with their activities!), I couldn’t do it without them.  Last, but not least, Julia has been an incredible blessing.  She pours love into every task that is asked of her and thoughtfully shares ideas on how to improve the business! And I can’t forget to mention past employees, who were each WONDERFUL and have now moved on to other things:  Zaida, Yuki, and Joey.  Being able to delegate some tasks to these incredible people makes it all possible!

This color-coded system was a GAME CHANGER for me. But, it was just the beginning. Stay tuned for the second post which will explain how I actually carry out this “many hats” idea in all its color-coded glory.