STARTING INTO BUSINESS 29 



work some more at anything to get some money, and so get on his 

 feet. It can be done and is being done every day. Eight hours is 

 enough if you get paid for eight hours, but the man who starts in 

 business for himself, knows no hours he cannot if he wants to succeed. 

 He knows no discouragement and keeps on looking ahead. Ask 

 any man who is successful today and who started with nothing, if 

 this isn't so. 



THE WISDOM OF BRANCHING OUT 



With a proper organization there is no limit for the retail 

 grower in branching out; that is, for him who wants to branch out. 

 There are in the business today men who don't confine themselves 

 to the greenhouse and the store, but who do landscape work, road 

 building, have a nursery, do tree surgery and spray trees, carry a 

 complete line of garden furniture, sell phonographs, birds and gold- 

 fish, and always have a large display of fancy baskets and jar- 

 dinieres. The farther a town is located from a large city the more 

 all these side lines pay. There are cases where a local florist has 

 worked up a trade in flower, garden and field seeds and fertilizers, 

 and made it more profitable than anything else he does. Lawn 

 grass seed is another profitable line. Who in a town can carry all 

 these items better than the florist? They, and everything that is 

 used in connection with flowers or the home grounds, all go hand 

 in hand with his business. 



However, I don't think it best for a man who isn't well estab- 

 lished, to go into too many things. Let him stick to just one or two 

 lines to start with, and those the best lines. What they are also 

 differs in almost every locality. The more lines you get into the 

 better the organization must be, and the more system is required 

 to make a success of it. One man can for awhile do it all ; you can 

 get started and see to quite a lot, but as you grow and branch out, 

 you need help, and there is always one man or woman more fit to 

 do a certain thing than another. 



There are today in the country firms that are in the seed busi- 

 ness and carry everything in that line, as well as tools, bulbs, etc., 

 and that include, besides, large greenhouse establishments, selling 

 at both wholesale and retail, and a well-stocked extensive nursery 

 in addition. The florist in the smaller cities and towns can do the 

 same thing, on a smaller scale. There is no good reason why he 

 cannot, but to start out with all of those lines, is very apt to result 

 in failure, unless there is an unlimited amount of capital available. 

 A far better way is to start slowly and grow into it. I know of no 

 other line of business conducted in a town in which there is a greater 

 or better chance to branch out than in that of the retail grower, but 

 very few men have as yet taken advantage of the fact. They are 

 either too busy attending to the growing and selling of plants and 



