The Cost of Doing Business.

However ironic it may be, the tree itself is a wonderful business model and maybe a good thing to turn to when considering how efficient you operate. In Shigo's Modern Arboriculture, his philosophy of energy requirements is a common theme throughout much of the writing. Many times paragraphs are reiterated with the idea that there is a cost for every action. That cost is energy, and trees at different points in there life will utilize and store energy in different ways (potential and kinetic). Think of the business you run, and consider the energy requirements of that operation.

Consider this illustration by the Dr.:

You could take Shigo's illustration in this instance and almost directly apply it to how businesses grow! It really is amazing to find this connection in the trees we care for. Trees, like businesses, are made up of many different systems that are in perpetual motion. Each system requires energy, and if that demand is not met, the system will shut down. Trees are extremely efficient at collecting energy and allocating it, even in poor environments. Parts are shed in order to protect the structure that the tree has created for itself. Maybe you've experimented with different areas of arboriculture in the past, spent money on certain investments that didn't play out, and as a business owner had to shed those aspects of business that weren't producing the sugars needed for survival. It is a beautiful learning curve that we and the trees experience daily.

What is even more fascinating to consider is success or survival based on size rather than efficiency. I'll quote the book again from a few more pages in: 

"There are two ways to survive; grow so fast that your crown is above others, or grow very slowly and keep your mass so small that you can survive on a very small budget. There are many dwarf trees in the natural forest. They do not reproduce and they receive very few wounds because they are so small. The trees that die are those that 'make a rush' for the top and increase their mass beyond the limits of available energy" (Shigo 266).

This can be interpreted on many different levels. But to consider it at face value, small growth is good growth, and even no growth doesn't necessarily mean unhealthy living. Growing large requires heavy amounts of energy and space. There is more surface area for wounding and pest invasion, and the battle field increases thus on many fronts.

But don't let staying small seem so magical and convenient either. Small dwarfs don't reproduce, there's no legacy, just simple living and then they melt away in the shade of the giants. But what about the artistic bonsai tree that's 150 years old and not even 3 feet tall in it's container? It's almost micro- groomed. I believe business can be micro-groomed in the same manner. In this case there is a high level of maintenance required. But the space and mass remain tiny, so maybe there is a trade off.

I could probably get lost in this metaphor for the remainder of the day, but my energy reserves are running low and I need to go harvest some photons.