Zig when they zag

There are two sides to every business coin, and owners need to decide which slot their company will fit in best. Today, it seems more often than not you hear everyone screaming, “specialize, specialize, specialize.” The thought seems to be that you need to be highly focused and create a specific niche to succeed; you can’t be all things to all people. Be a propagation specialist or concentrate on natives, for instance.

So, while diversification and having a broad focus can be viewed as risky, and something only the “big boys” do, it is a business strategy that Blue Heron Farm has embraced. Having a horizontal scope instead of a vertical one in not only its product type, but also plant range and size, has been a successful business blueprint and it sets them apart from their competition.

Blue Heron Farm produces more than 900 types, forms and sizes of plants. The nursery’s business plan is based on developing partnerships with its customers and creating a production plan together.

“We have never been seduced by how much volume we produce or by the size of our nursery. We feel that there is a trust between us and the customers in that we will try to grow what they ask for, and in turn they will make their best efforts to buy it,” says Carlos Oliveira, general manager of Blue Heron Farm.

Read the full article in our August digital edition.

Photos by Karl Maasdam