2 minute read
The unseen competitive advantage
The unseen competitive advantage for your business
f DOING it all by yourself is not a badge of honour but really a badge of limitation.
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BY BRYN EDWARDS BENCHMARK LEAD, VEGETABLESWA
Let me ask you a couple of simple questions — (be honest with yourself):
1 Have you ever put off going to the doctor or dentist because you know they’re going to tell something you already deep down know and don’t want to hear? 2 Have you ever shunned help or advice only to get an annoying ‘told you so’ later down the track? 3 Have you (or someone you know) ever been to the doctor and found out something you didn’t know before that has materially improved or saved your life?
The chances are, if you were honest with yourself, the answer is ‘Yes’ to all three.
So why do I ask these questions?
The reason sits at that no man/woman is an island, and we can’t do it all ourselves, particularly meeting all the demands of running a successful horticulture business. Doing it all by yourself is not a badge of honour but really a badge of limitation. Taking on board third party, independent expert point-of-view is an advantage in business — not a sign of weakness. This sits at the heart of the Building Horticulture Business Capacity program, which connects Horticulture business owners like yourself with farm management experts. As part of the process, they will take you through an analysis of your business financials and talk to you about where you can make improvements in relation to overall profitability and your financial management within the business.
We’re still in the early stages of the project, and there’s plenty of space for other growers to come on board, but already many participants are finding quick wins that relate to keeping more money in their pockets and taking the stress out of managing financial and production information in the business. The hard truths we all have to face is that: • We don’t know what we don’t know • Many of the base assumptions we work off can become out-of-date without us realising • There is always room for improvement and development. This is where, as a horticulture business owner, taking on board a fresh set of
eyes that is not emotionally attached to your business to look over your performance is a distinct advantage, not a weakness; an advantage that many other successful businesses across agriculture have already adopted. Just to be clear and dispel any misconceptions, the farm management support the Building Horticulture Business Capacity program is offering (at no cost to growers) is not there to take over your business or make the decisions for you — that firmly Taking on board third party, independent expert point-of-view is an advantage in business, not a sign of weakness. remains your responsibility as the business owner. They’re there to provide you with an objective perspective based on exposure across hundreds of other businesses across agriculture and seeing time and time again what works well and what does not.
MORE INFORMATION
If this article has sparked some interest or curiosity, and you would like to know more about connecting with farm management experts via the Building Horticulture Business Capacity program, then please get in touch and let’s talk about how you can capitalise on this freely-available advantage for your business. Contact Bryn Edwards on 0417 409 821 or
