By 
Entrepreneurs do not need to be horticulturists to start a successful cultivation firm.
Owners may handle their grow operation like any other business if they recruit the correct individuals for the job.
Entrepreneurs want to know what’s going on in every part of their firm since they are held accountable to investors and stakeholders. It aids in their understanding of a new industry and can aid in their confidence while interacting with the media, stakeholders, or investors. When the owner, president, or CEO is seen working with their staff, it fosters team spirit.
However, knowing when to intervene might mean the difference between understanding your business and micromanaging it into oblivion.
When this involvement extends beyond the initial process orientation and into controlling day-to-day cultivation decisions, problems can occur. Entrepreneurs begin undertaking the grower’s work in order to assure the business’s success. This engagement may cause production issues and confusion within the cultivation team.
The most successful business owners strike a balance between recruiting for expertise and managing their company. To strike this balance, you must know when to intervene and when not to.
When should you become involved?
Owners of cultivation businesses should get involved if any of the following events occur:
1. Something does not appear to be correct.
You don’t need a horticultural degree to recognise when something isn’t right. “My plants just don’t look like photographs I’ve seen of other operations,” many business owners have told me. If you suspect something is amiss, you are most likely correct. Trust your instincts.
2. Your grower is evasive.
It’s no coincidence if your grower is unavailable when you’re on-site more than a few occasions. There’s a reason they won’t talk to you. Discover what it is.
3. Your grower requests assistance.
This is fantastic news! Whether your grower is overloaded or things aren’t going as planned, be grateful that they came to you early, rather than after an issue had led in a financial loss. They will continue to seek your assistance, support, and resources if they know they can rely on you.
When you’re not on the manufacturing floor, this will serve to put you at rest. You may safely focus on other elements of the business if you trust your grower to warn you to concerns.
When not to participate
If you have a query about a technical growing issue, it is best to leave it to the professionals. These decisions should be taken by someone who has years of commercial cultivation experience. Remember, this is why you hired a great grower in the first place.
On numerous occasions, I have witnessed senior management intervene in cultivation decisions that did not turn out well.
One operations manager chose to water plants at night to reduce the daily strain on the irrigation system. Plants do not require water at night and do not require fertiliser when the sun is not shining. Root disease is promoted by wet soil at night.
Another member of the same operations team had gone online to look up fertiliser recipes and decided to stop supplying iron to the plants. One week later, every plant in the facility displayed iron deficiency symptoms.
These issues arose as a result of unskilled individuals interjecting themselves into situations and making judgments that should have been made by the head grower. This is not only hazardous to the crop, but it can also jeopardise critical job relationships. True growers aren’t patient in these kinds of situations. The greatest of the best leave.
How to Strike a Balance
You don’t want to micromanage your company, but you also don’t want to employ and then walk away. You are ultimately responsible for your company’s profitability (or loss). So, what should a business owner do?
Approach it in the same way you would any other business. Hire slowly and just the best growers you can afford. Within a few weeks, you’ll know if this person is a good fit and if you can trust them to operate your cultivation programme.
It’s safe to be hands-off at this time, but with explicit milestones or check-ins.
All bets are off if milestones are missed or the grower becomes inattentive.
Set concern dates instead of worrying all the time about what might or might not be going on. Get involved if a specific milestone is not met by a certain date. However, you are not permitted to be concerned until that moment.
It is advantageous if the period between check-ins is short. Weekly production meetings are the most effective. It gives your grower enough leeway to run the show, but if the programme starts to wander off course, a week isn’t too lengthy to get things back on track.
Hiring a grower you can trust and letting them do their job is the key to successful management. Maintain vigilance over frequent check-ins, but relax between those dates. Your sanity and health will appreciate it.…