There is no doubt that we are now travelling through unchartered waters, I don’t remember the last recession and with analysts talking of depression and the economic down turn it is very easy to bury your head in the sand. The reality is many businesses will fail with projections of only one in five start-up companies surviving the present economic climate. Economic growth and decline have always had a cyclical pattern; we have had the boom, now we have the gloom. Thankfully it is not time to go foraging in the woods just yet, there is always opportunity and once you have opportunity, you have the chance to succeed.
I have been running a landscape design business for the past decade and I am now seizing that “elusive opportunity” and expanding this year. I am forging ahead with one simple rule “each team member will actively participate in all aspects of the garden making process”. Cynics out there may view this as a “jack of all trades” approach whereas I believe with careful selection of staff and multi-tasking it is possible to be proficient in many areas with of course natural affinity to some.
In any industry as diverse as horticulture one needs to experience and relate to all levels of the process. There is no task discrimination within my business, all team members are highly motivated and I expect designers to garden and gardeners to design. In my opinion one cannot design from a sterile environment such as an office surrounded by computer and auto-cad equipment, design has to be tempered with the physical implementation and after-care of the garden.
The Celtic tiger and the economic boom it created established a mind set of what I like to call an “I want it yesterday” mentality. Gone were the days of saving for what was wanted, patience went out the window and people expected the job done as quickly as possible. This is not how I work, I believe the creation of a unique garden space takes time and thought. Now with the economic down-turn people are less impulsive and more patient, they are willing to wait. Their expectations now centre on practicality, durability and investment rather than solely an aesthetic approach.
The current trends in garden design are encompassing the idea of sustainability through the growing of fruit, herbs and vegetables, I wrote an article for the current issue of “The Garden Design Journal” discussing this new development. Perhaps the definition of horticulture needs to be more thoroughly defined and treated on a par with agriculture and also acknowledgment of the service providers in horticulture and not just the growers needs to be more widely supported. Established businesses need to be consolidated and supported, I believe start-up incentives for new businesses in the present economic climate should also be offered to established businesses as this may help strengthen our economy.
Perhaps the time has now arrived to redefine and restructure business practises, regardless of whether the economy is in a down-turn or up-turn the common thread is always opportunity. Once you identify and seize this you are halfway there, during a recession it may take more time and thought to seek out opportunity but I believe with lateral thinking this can be achieved. In the words of Edward de Bono (a leading authority in the field of creative thinking) “Exploring multiple possibilities and approaches instead of pursuing a single approach” may be the way forward.
Depending on the Irish based market for any business including garden design needs to be re-analysed, I am actively pursuing contracts abroad, in simple terms increasing my client base should increase profitability and it also enhances my design portfolio.
The first step in the expansion of the business this year will be the opening of the first Damien Keane Garden Design practise in Mount Usher Gardens in Wicklow in late February. Although some business analysts may view this as a risky move, investing money at a time when even well established, multi-national companies are falling by the way side I view it differently, this may be the probortunity I have been waiting for.
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