The other day, I was out walking the dog when I stopped to snap a picture of my neighbor’s cornfield. What caught my eye wasn’t just the golden, harvest-ready corn. It was the big round bale sitting next to it. At first glance, it looked ordinary. But then I realized it held a bigger lesson.
That bale wasn’t bought. It wasn’t shipped in. My neighbor harvested it from the margins.
The grass and straw that grow naturally along the edges of his field, the spaces between the planted crops, became valuable winter bedding for livestock. What most people would overlook or ignore, he turned into something useful and profitable.
Smart farmers know that the margins matter.
And the same is true in business.
Too often, we focus all our attention on the main crop, the core operations, the big initiatives, the headline numbers. But real improvements in profitability often come from the overlooked edges. The small inefficiencies. The underutilized resources you are already paying for. The opportunities hiding in plain sight.
I have learned that harvesting your margins in business does not usually require a massive overhaul. It starts with noticing what is already there and using it more effectively.
So, I will leave you with this question:
What margins in your business are you leaving unharvested?
