Pardon the extra use of the word special in the video 😊, I was simply super excited to be meeting and attending one of our club member’s workshop in the bonnie (Scottish word for beautiful) highlands of Scotland.

Annie is the founder of Flowers by Annie, based in Aviemore Scotland. She loves making flowers for every occasion and believes that flowers should be as unique as the person who receives them. Her work gives her great joy and sense of wonder.

When I first met Annie, she was juggling between a full-time job and building her flower business. It was clear that this side hustle was something she was incredibly talented at, gives her immense joy and it has the potential of growth.

After much deliberation, she quit her job to focus on this. What Annie discovered was that passion and energy alone isn’t enough. In order to make her business very successful, she also needed to have a strategy.

When she started to make time for planning, her business grew. Shortly after, she won the Best Florist Regional Winner 2024 at the Scotland’s Business Awards and was a regional finalist in the 2025 Wedding Industry Awards.

Like Annie, I followed my passion to do wondrous work that I enjoyed. Often telling myself to simply flow and trust in universal providence and grace. But that alone was not enough.

Let me share the story of the jackdaws to illustrate this.

One afternoon, I noticed that there were twigs falling down our chimney and lots of squawking of birds. Some birds were trying to build a nest. I contacted our chimney guy but he wasn’t able to get to us till a week later. He shared that it was probably jackdaws.

Now, I must give credit to the birds. They were persistent and smart. Over the next week, they brought more and more twigs. And larger and larger ones too.

But it was of no use. The problem was not the size of twigs or their dedication. It was the location.

I see this happening a lot on both the professional and business level. Clients ask us: ‘I have put so much effort into the presentations/work/solving the problems, why I am not achieving success?’

The reality is that persistence and passion alone are not enough for us to achieve our desired outcomes. We need to be willing to explore and equip ourselves with all the resources that can help us to succeed.

The client having issues with her presentations needed to learn how to present more effectively and confidently to influence her stakeholders.

The client putting blood, sweat and tears into his work will not get the recognition because his fixed-mindset superior tends to steal the credit.

The client who invested time and money into solving problems found that the solutions did not work because there was no clarity on the root cause(s).

When we are able to debunk the myth of persistence and passion, it gives us the freedom to approach challenges differently.

Like Annie and my clients, developing a business strategy was useful in helping my business to grow. Learning new skills and acquiring new certifications was critical for me to continue evolving the business. So that I can be both successful and happy at what I do.

What has grace got to do with strategy?

A business strategy isn’t just a tool for achieving goals, it’s a way of leading with intention and thoughtfulness. When we approach strategy with grace, we remind ourselves that every decision, plan, and action should reflect the values we hold close.

For example, Annie often leaves bunches of flowers around her town for people to find. Besides creating joy, it also promotes her business in a meaningful way.

In my case, creating initiatives such as the Dream Seed Fund and offering members special rate on my Flourish 1-1 sessions was intentionally included in my strategy because creating impact is an important value to me.

Grace allows us to face challenges with foresight. A strategy isn’t about avoiding obstacles but about navigating them with clarity, confidence, and a calm sense of purpose.

It’s also about how we handle setbacks. Grace shows in resilience, not just bouncing back, but doing so with dignity and care for the relationships we’ve worked so hard to build.

When we infuse our strategy with grace, it often allows us to make decisions that uplift people and also consideration for our community, not just chasing profits.

Grace brings a deeper sense of purpose to strategy and to the wondrous work that you do. It’s about balancing your bold vision with thoughtful action, ensuring your journey is as meaningful as the destination.