Pipe Dreams and the Land of the Giants!

Some Cool Flowers  bunches on their way to a supermarket customer. I never dreamed my little urban farm could serve supermarkets. Stepping outside of my comfort zone was  tough, but my business benefited!

Do you have an idea sitting in the back of your mind that just won’t go away? Whenever you have a moment to sit and think… it just keeps coming back?

The idea seems so impossible. Others may call it a pipe dream (something unattainable) and that may be so! Unless you decide: where there’s a will, there’s a way! Just like I did.

If we want the milk and honey, we must go into the land of the giants! My secret, those giants aren’t so big when we are equipped to face them.

While I would not call myself a dreamer, I think other folks would have done so years ago if they had heard my dreams in light of my life circumstances.

I’d like to share two “pipe dream” stories that I’ve made come true. I hope they will inspire and encourage you!

My first big dream was becoming a flower farmer. This may not seem so far fetched today, but when I began my business 20 years ago, I was a novice gardener with absolutely no farming experience. I hadn’t even visited a farm!

Our home was on 1.17 acres in the middle of a city. I had just discovered my love of gardening and was learning about flower farming. I started dreaming. I have to tell you many a person laughed at me and just shook their heads.

I won’t bore you with all the ups and downs of actually finding my way to where I am today—the owner of a flourishing city flower farm and online business. (Watch my story here.)

My success was built on starting small, running with the successes, continually reaching out to learn more, dumping the fails, and keeping at it day in and day out. It is work, but I have found my way to building a business keeps me eager to do it everyday–even 20 years in!

My second big dream was to write a book. As I began farming in 1998 and learning to apply my newly-found farming knowledge to my little farm,  I naturally began teaching others. It became apparent that while I love farming, one of my strongest gifts is delivering that message through public speaking. After years of speaking, the next step seemed to be to pursue a book deal.

But, I had a big secret.

I am severely dyslexic. Writing a book seemed impossible. I can remember when a book was first suggested to me, my stomach flipped. It was terrifying to even consider jumping into the professional world of writing. (Read more about my dyslexia and book award.)

It became obvious that in order to grow my business, I would need to write that book. But how? The obstacle seemed insurmountable. I had to find a way! And then that way presented itself.

A friend who is a professional writer offered to proofread my work. Impossible became possible. Knowing that Susan Yoder Ackerman would be reviewing my words gave me the courage to pursue a book deal.

Today I am where I never expected to find myself–the author of 3 books. Dreams do come true when we step outside our comfort zone, take a risk, and/or just ask for help!

My latest dream has come true as well. Not only have I developed the online course Flower Farming School Online: The Basics, Annual Crops, Marketing, and More! that is a huge success, I am now producing courses for other cut-flower industry leaders! We are helping people to build flower-based businesses all over the world! View our Farming and Business Courses.

I am so excited to share what I have learned and how I apply it to my little family farm. Growing a business is so rewarding.

If you have a dream that seems impossible, remember: If we want the milk and honey– we must go into the land of the giants!

Lisa Z

Founder of TheGardenersWorkshop.com

Lisa Mason Ziegler is the founder of  The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online and the award-winning author of Vegetables Love Flowers, Cool Flowers, and The Easy Cut-Flower Garden  Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram!