I have always been impressed by the hard work of honey bees. You can easily spot a honeybee in any garden if you just stand there for a while.
These insects don’t seem to stop working. It’s easy to see why an industrious person would be as busy as a bee.
After deep reflection, I realized that the tiny insect has many valuable insights about how to be successful in business. I did some research about the honey bee’s methods and was impressed by its systematic approach to completing its work.
These are some of my business lessons from studying honey bees:
Make products that are highly valuable.
Honey bees are the only insects that produce food that is edible for humans. Honey is the only food that can be eaten by humans. It contains all of the essential ingredients necessary for life, including vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids.
Bees also produce many other products that have extraordinary nutritional, medicinal, and economic value for people, such as bee wax and bee venom and royal jelly. They also provide everything necessary to sustain their entire colony.
Is your business customer-oriented when it comes to creating products and services? Are your products and services of great value for many?
Design efficient business systems
Honey manufacturing is an excellent example of how a reliable production line can produce predictable, consistent results.
Workers’ bees collect nectar and store it in special stomachs. They then deliver it to the other bees in their hive. These bees chew the nectar to break down the honey, drop it into combs, beat their wings to thicken it for long-term storage, and then cap each comb in wax to preserve the food.
Are you able to create systems that will streamline your business processes, such as product development and manufacturing, sales, accounting, and development of human resources?
Persist in your work effort
Honey bees will diligently work to get nectar into their stomachs. It may visit more than 100 flowers to complete its task. About 500 honey bees must fly over 35,000 miles to find nectar and return it to the hive to produce one pound.
This distance is equivalent to traveling three times around the globe. These bees are used to the expression “working to death” because they have to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to accomplish their tasks.
Are you committed to the development of your business? Do you feel ready to sacrifice your leisure time in order to build a company that is successful?
Focus on teamwork
Honey bees live in communities where each member performs a specific task. Each job is vital to the survival and growth of the colony.
The visionary leader and reproductive agent of the queen bee, the female worker bees care for the queen and her babies, build the honeycomb, collect nectar and defend the colony. Male drones are only there to mate as they don’t have stingers to defend or stomachs to gather nectar.
Are job descriptions specific in your company that clearly indicate the contribution of each individual to the success of the whole team?
Use practical communication skills.
Another saying that bees are known for is “to make a beeline to it.” This is a result of the actions of a worker bee who discovers a source for nectar.
The bee returns to the hive, where it performs a complex ‘waggle dance,’ which indicates the exact location for the nectar. These directions allow the bees to fly directly to the place indicated by the forager bee.
Have you communicated your vision, mission, and business goals to your employees in your business effectively? Do all of your employees work together towards a common goal?
Increase your customer base
When searching for nectar, honeybees are globalists. They don’t just stick to their immediate area. They can travel more than four miles and cover over 50,000 acres during their search.
The location of the most profitable sources of nectar can be remembered by bees, and they will return to these areas often to find more. They won’t waste time on flowers with double petals, which makes it more challenging to extract nectar.
Did you do research to identify your target market? Are you marketing to existing customers often? Do you look globally to build a more significant customer base?
Profits should be used wisely.
Have you ever wondered why honeybees keep so much honey? This complex production system is used by bees to ensure they have enough food for winter when nectar is not available.
