Cousins, growing the crop is only part of running a farm. There are orders to pack, bills to pay, records to keep, and customers with questions. Some days, all those jobs belong to the same person.
At Plant & Heal and Gardening Under Influence, I grow, teach, plan, and handle the work that keeps the business moving. Loving the work does not make the list shorter.
Name the jobs before you organize them
Write down what you actually do in a week. Include the small jobs: checking labels, answering a customer, ordering supplies, and recording a payment. If it takes your time, it belongs on the list.
- Growing: checking plants, watering, planting, and planning harvests.
- Orders: confirming details, packing, checking the finished order, and arranging delivery or shipping.
- Money: recording income, costs, bills, and the time the work takes.
- People: answering questions, teaching, and keeping customers informed.
Give one repeated job a routine
Choose the task that keeps getting delayed or needs the same explanation every time. Write down when it happens, who handles it, and what “finished” looks like.
For example, “pack an order” leaves room for guessing. A clearer routine says to match the items to the order, check the labels and quantities, and confirm the address before sealing the package. Adapt the steps to what you sell and how you fulfill orders.
Put the routine where the work happens
A checklist beside the packing area can be more useful than a perfect document nobody opens. Try the steps yourself. If someone else helps, watch where they need clarification and fix that part.
As a Black agrarian, I care about the knowledge we carry and the people we pass it to. Writing down a process is one way to make that knowledge easier to share.
Grow with what you got. Give yourself a system you can actually use.
— Erica Plants
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