The SPARK of Innovation

by Danny Summers

Where does the idea... that really changes things begin? We could say it begins with a spark. A single thought. It might be called "the lightbulb moment". A quick search at Merriam-Webster defines spark as...

Spark - as a noun

• a small particle [or idea] of a burning substance
• a luminous disruptive electrical discharge of very short duration
• something that sets off a sudden force
• a latent particle capable of growth or developing

or

Spark - as a verb

• to respond with enthusiasm
• to set off in a burst of activity

Garden Retailing has evolved a lot in the past few years. Typically, we would expect a business or industry to change gradually over time. But thinking back to Spring 2020, we can remember a radical disruption to everyday life that brought both great stress and the almost immediate challenge to change.

Referring back to my DayTimer (yes, I still use the paper version), I see my notes... it was Monday, March 16th, when our first Garden Center was forced to close due to lockdown restrictions. News quickly spread, and uncertainty of what spring business would be or not caused deep concerns across all of our Centers.

The Group opened up the WDR reports to all Group Centers, even those not yet open for spring. Within days, Group Centers were quickly seeing consumers' reactions at our southernmost Centers that were open as both transaction counts and average sales greatly increased. By the way, this experience changed The Group's approach to our WDR, so beginning in 2023, all Reporting Centers see every week's data, even if they are not yet open for spring. This can be an insightful view for northern Centers, watching peer Centers farther south.

In those weeks of late March and April of 2020, as new health and safety requirements were announced (that seemed to happen weekly), our Centers were quickly having to find new ways to satisfy their audiences and stay safely within rapidly changing guidelines. While this was both a dramatic and stressful time, it forced everyone to innovate... quickly.

No one wants that type of challenge again, but we should look at how we responded. How were we adapting so quickly? The amount of spark or new ideas that we developed over a few weeks time is amazing.

How can we benefit from the spark of creativity that led to so many new ideas during those weeks? Here's one thought...

Schedule Spark Time... It is easy to get into the workflow of normal business. We all should admit that most of our days, we are totally focused IN the business (and not ON the business). What if we set aside a particular slice of time each week as Spark Time? This could be a time that every team member can put away what they usually do and think about "what ifs" ... just a spark of an idea.

We have an engaging session that can help you as you consider this Spark Time. It was during The Fall Event 2023 that Eureka Ranch's Maggie Nichols presented "Keys' to Innovation Success." This session can help you create your Center's Spark Time!

Login to The Group WebSystem and navigate to the Clients-Only menu, then scroll down to: Training – Eureka! Ranch - Keys' to Innovation Success.

As you begin to schedule Spark Time... you might just experience The Spark of Innovation!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!