An Active Way to Turn Your Passions Into Profits

In my last post, I talked about the great results I’ve had with Lynn Terry’s private brainstorming group.  Every time I log in, I come away with at least two or three great ideas on how to improve my business. In addition, I’ve made wonderful connections with like-minded entrepreneurs and have uncovered several opportunities to work with really talented people.  I’m really glad I found this forum when it happened to be open to accepting new members!

In that post, I also referred to a second group I really believe in and enjoy: Mike McGroarty’s Backyard Growers Group. Through his website FreePlants.com, Mike offers a free weekly one minute gardening newsletter.  In addition, he has created a program to teach gardening enthusiasts how to propagate plants and establish their own Backyard Nursery.

He also offers a wonderful members-only message board where members can ask questions, share best practices and offer up success stories to one another.  One of the best things about this members-only forum is the Plants for Sale section where members can buy and sell rooted cuttings, liners and other plant-related items.  I once purchased 70+ one and two-year-old Japanese Maples from another member for approximately $100.  I could have resold them immediately for $350 – $400, but chose to grow them out for a few years so I could increase my asking price significantly – if I can manage not to kill them all in the meantime!

Kidding aside – if gardening is your thing, growing and selling plants really can be a fun and profitable business. Mike McGroarty taught me that.  Although Mike often refers to himself as “an old dirt farmer” – don’t let him fool you.  He is a very talented marketer and shares a lot of what he knows on the board in relation to growing a Backyard Nursery into a viable business.  So, not only do I learn about one of my passions from my involvement with this group – by reading between the lines, I have been able to gather a lot of valuable insights about both Internet and real world marketing.

I’ve belonged to this group since September 2005 and have met Mike and other members in person since then – and really can’t recommend this group strongly enough to anyone interested in turning their love of gardening into a real business.  Although this group is unrelated to my primary business efforts, it fits with my long-term vision of running a profitable small hobby farm alongside my other business ventures.  The Backyard Growers Group will play a large part in making that a reality.  It provides a wealth of information on one of my favorite topics (gardening) AND lets me connect with other enthusiasts who are already running their own successful plant-related businesses.  I love to log on to the private message board and hear about Backyard Growers from across the country who are earning serious full or part-time incomes by propagating and selling landscape plants.

As a die-hard entrepreneur, I get a real kick out of anyone turning what they love to do into what they do for a living.  Its fun and its exciting!

Now, my challenge for you is to find one thing you are passionate about and find a legitimate Mastermind Group related to that topic.  Then, join and get involved. You will be amazed at how much further you will travel when you aren’t alone on the journey.

Til Next Time,

P.S. If you like plants or gardening even a little, be sure to check out Mike’s website, FreePlants.com and sign up for his free weekly one minute gardening sessions.  Your gardens will thank you for it!

Tagged as: Mastermind Groups