During a recent catch-up with a fellow business owner, they asked me a pretty simple question: "What's keeping you up at night with the peony farm?" I gave them the quick, surface-level answer, but later that day, as I was walking the rows, the question really dug its hooks in.
It got me thinking: If we want to grow a genuinely successful peony business, we need to "worry" about the right issues. Or, to put it more formally, we need to make sure the main thing remains the main thing. It's easy to get distracted by the noise—the latest social media trend, a tiny bit of drama, or a minor equipment glitch—but focusing your energy on the truly needle-moving challenges is what separates thriving from merely surviving.
So, for us, what are the things that I believe are the absolute main thing? What are the big rocks we’re focused on moving? Let me walk you through my current worry list.
🌾 Being a Commodity: The Wheat Farmer Problem
I'm definitely no economist—my biggest lesson from Econ 101 was probably just to show up—but I did grasp one key insight: wheat farmers operating in a competitive market make very little money. Why? Because wheat is, well, wheat. It’s a commodity.
The thing is, flower growing can have many features in common with wheat farming. You have lots of growers producing an identical product and selling it through large, impersonal commodity brokers and markets. If a florist just needs "a pink peony," why should they pick mine over yours?
We absolutely cannot afford to be just another generic flower farm. Our blooms need to mean something more than just their colour and stem length.
To combat this, we're actively:
- Building Direct Relationships: We’re seeking to create value-adding, direct relationships with our customers. (You can buy your Peonies directly from us here, if you're curious!) It’s about being a partner, not just a supplier.
- Creating Value-Adding Products: We’re looking beyond the beautiful flower head to the whole plant, specifically utilizing the many medicinal benefits of peonies. (See here for an example of what we're exploring). It takes the product out of the commodity bucket and into the specialist area.
Isn't it amazing how a subtle shift in focus can completely change your business model?
🌱 Implementing Excellence in Farming Practices: The Ceiling Setter
Jo and I have spent our adult lives living in big cities. Let me tell you, that is not in any way relevant for becoming great growers! We’ve had to, and continue to, learn how to be truly great at growing peonies.
And honestly, we’ve learned that being great growers is critical. Why? Because the number and quality of flowers we produce sets the absolute ceiling for our business. You can have the best marketing, the best customer service, and the snazziest packaging, but if your product is second-rate, you’re always fighting an uphill battle. If we don’t get the basics right, nothing else matters. The health of the plant equals the health of the business.
⏱️ Transition Time / Wait Time: The Cashflow Cliff
If you’ve ever planted peonies, you know that this is a long-term crop. It takes a loooong time—7 to 10 years—for peony tubers to mature and produce a significant volume of flowers.
Navigating this wait time and the resulting cashflow implications is a real issue, particularly when you plant a large volume like we did. It’s like putting money in an investment with an amazing eventual return, but you can’t touch a cent of it for a decade. It tests your patience, your planning, and your discipline. How do you keep the engine running smoothly when your main product is still just an idea for several years? It forces you to get creative with other income streams and incredibly disciplined with expenditure.
🧑🌾 Cost of Labour: Our Biggest Line Item
If I had to single out the biggest ongoing operational cost, it would be labour. It’s not even close. Labour is about 70% of our on-farm costs.
In a previous post (which you can find here), I talked about our commitment to paying the Living Wage because I believe it's the right thing to do and ultimately attracts a more committed and productive team. But that decision only reinforces the need to be ruthlessly effective in how we use that expensive, valuable labour.
We are continually looking for ways to be more effective in managing our team's time and the resulting cost. We’ve already invested in an on-farm robot (see here for an example) for some tasks and continue to monitor advances in robotics. It’s not just about replacing people; we're trying to leverage technology to handle the boring, back-breaking, or repetitive tasks so our team can focus on the value-adding work only a human can do.
Wrapping Up
So, there you have it: the list of things I’m deliberately focusing my energy on. It's a mix of strategic big-picture thinking (like avoiding the commodity trap) and deeply practical, on-the-ground challenges (like excellent farming and managing labour). What I’ve learned is that the 'worry' isn't negative; it's a compass pointing toward the areas that will generate the most long-term success.
What about you?
- What issues are you worrying about and why?
- What other issues do you reckon I should be worrying about that I’m missing?
I'd love to hear your thoughts and maybe add a few more high-quality worries to my list!