17/01/2024
SWAG BAG STORY TIME
So, for the last couple of months I've been learning more about investing and reflecting on all the different ways in which one can invest: time, energy, money, languages, skills and in our personal and professional relationships.
I found the basic concepts of investing surprisingly simple to understand. On reflection, this is likely due to my experience flower farming and, more generally, growing plants. Many basic investment concepts were already a large part of my floral life: risk tolerance, portfolio diversification, compound interest, and such.
But you're all mainly here to hear about the flowers! So here goes: tulips are one of my three favourite flowers of all time. When I did my first 'serious' flower growing internship at , it was tulip season. At first, I was a little dismayed to find out that would be the main crop I'd learn about as, honestly, I'd always thought of them as dull and simple. How wrong I was. Growing tulips as a flower farmer is not a long-term investment; they are grown as annuals. Simply put, they need to be sold roughly within six months of having planted them for them to have any chance of making money. Last year, I didn't grow tulips, I reasoned that I didn't have the time and that maybe others felt the same as I naively had all those years ago. But the spring of 2023 came around, and something was lacking. So, I'm risking some largely last-minute planting of some of my favourite varieties. I'll let you know if it pays off.
Either way, I reason that (calculated) hope is an important part of investing. If you're interested in buying some locally-grown lovelies this spring, do drop me a message.
Hope you've all enjoyed today's tale. For my part, investment starts with paying yourself first, so I'm off to pour a warm mug of coffee on this grey day and plant some of these beauties on my Parisien balcony 😍🌱✌️🌷
