Life’s a Garden, Dig It: What Pulling Weeds Taught Me About Business

Sierra ONeill

Jul 29

4 min read

I’ve been tirelessly working in my garden lately.

Back in March or April, I worked so hard on it—pulling weeds, planting new plants, and taking the time to make it a truly beautiful space. But as life happens, things got busy. It got hot outside, and I neglected to keep up with it. Before I knew it, weeds had completely overtaken the beds. Honestly, it felt like all my hard work had been totally wasted.

In life, the exact same thing happens.

Finishing up the 75 Hard challenge, I realized I was facing the exact same crossroads I did with my garden. I felt good, I looked good, and I was proud of what I’d accomplished. But then came the real question: Now what?

Do I go back to old habits and neglect what I nurtured for so long? Do I push harder, go farther, and grow something even better within myself? Or do I just stay at this pace without the strict rules of the challenge? It is so easy to accomplish a goal and then immediately get sucked back into the habits that hold us back.

The Two Types of Business "Weeds"

Something hit me while I was out there pulling weeds. (Now, full disclosure: I’m a beginner gardener. I have no idea what anything is called or honestly what I’m doing half the time, so bear with me!)

I noticed there were two distinct types of weeds in my yard:

The Single-Root Weeds: These were like tough grass with a single central root. You have to go to every single one and pull them individual by individual.
The Vine Weeds: These were wild and spread everywhere. But if you could get a solid grip on one main vine, you could yank up what felt like an entire bush full of weeds in a single pull.

When I first looked at the yard, I felt completely overwhelmed by the sheer density of those vine weeds. It’s the same way we look at problems in our life or business—we see the massive pile and assume the effort to fix it is going to be impossible.

But unless you get your hands dirty, you’ll never truly know the real state of things.

Those widespread vine weeds I thought would be my biggest nightmare were actually the easiest to clear. One good grip, one solid pull of effort, and a huge chunk of the problem was gone. In business, those are the systematic issues—the ones where fixing one core root solves a dozen annoying symptoms at once.

The other weeds? Those are the isolated daily fires. They aren't connected, they each have their own separate root cause, and they require step-by-step, individual effort to clear out.

From "Chameleon" to "Business Gardener"

When I start working with new clients, I’m often asked, "What exactly do you do?"

Because my title is Virtual Expert and I have so many different specialties, people aren't always sure what to expect—especially if they've never had an assistant before. I used to describe myself as a chameleon, telling people I’d just blend into their business wherever they needed me. Adaptability is crucial since every client, industry, and owner is unique, but that metaphor never quite hit right with potential clients.

After all this time spent in the dirt, I finally have the right way to explain it:

I am a Business Gardener.

I make sure your business is nurtured, watered, researched, and pruned where it needs to be. I get in there with you to pull those weeds—whether they are the tangled vine problems or the pesky cluster issues. Together, we look for the root causes of the hiccups in your business and build real solutions.

Because every business is unique, my approach changes. What I do for a blackberry bush, I’m not going to do for an apple tree or a houseplant. There are basics to how I support you, but the actual work is completely custom to what your specific business needs to thrive.

You Reap What You Sow

When I first started gardening, I foolishly assumed I could just put in a little effort at the beginning and the garden would just take it from there. I learned very quickly how wrong I was.

A garden requires commitment. It requires a willingness to endure the grueling heat, early mornings, constant research, and backbreaking labor. Nothing in life worth having comes easily—and your business and health are no different. If it’s easy, it’s probably not going to be sustainable or successful.

When I planted my garden, I wanted my own blackberry bushes and fruit I could pick directly from the branch—not just whatever was left sitting on a grocery store shelf. I wanted to learn, put in the work, and feel connected to the process.

In business, it’s easy to get so fixated on the revenue end-result that we completely forget about the journey and the necessary steps to get there. But while the journey takes real effort, you don't have to do it alone. You can have support. That is what I do.