I have often admired the diligent work of the honeybee. Just stand in any garden for a few minutes and very soon you will see one or two honeybees foraging for food within the flowers. These insects never seem to get tired of working, so it’s obvious why an industrious person is said to be as ‘busy as a bee’.

On deeper reflection, I have come to realise that there are many insights that this tiny insect can give us about being successful in business. I did a little research on the practices of the honeybee and I was quite impressed with the systematic way that it goes about achieving its life’s work.

Here are some of the business lessons that I have learnt from studying the honeybee:

Create products that are highly valued

The honeybee is the only insect that makes food that can be eaten by humans. Honey is also the only natural food that contains all the vital ingredients for life — vitamins, minerals, enzymes, fatty acids and water.

Bees also produce other things that are of great nutritional, medicinal and economic value to people, such as bee pollen, beeswax, bee venom and royal jelly. These insects are also self-sufficient as they create everything needed to sustain the entire bee colony.

Are you customer-focused when creating the products or services that are provided by your business? Do your offerings bring excellent value to many people?

Design efficient business systems

The honey-manufacturing process is a perfect example of how an efficient production line can create consistent, predictable results. Worker bees collect nectar from flowers; store it in special stomachs; deliver it to other bees in the hive.

The home-based bees chew on the nectar to break it down; drop it into combs in the hive; beat their wings on the combs to thicken the honey for long-term storage; then cap each comb with wax to preserve the food, and start the process again.

Have you created proper systems for all your business processes such as product development, manufacturing, sales, marketing, accounting, and human resource development?

Be persistent in your work effort

A honeybee will work diligently to fill its stomach with nectar; it may have to visit over 100 flowers before its task is complete. To produce one pound of honey, about 500 honeybees have to fly more than 35,000 miles finding nectar and taking it back to the hive.

This distance would be the same as travelling over three times around the world! In fact, the phrase ‘working to death’ is a reality for these bees as many pay the ultimate sacrifice to get the job done.

How committed are you to developing your enterprise? Are you prepared to give up leisure time and do whatever it takes until you have created a successful business system?

Focus on teamwork

Honeybees exist in communities in which each member has specific tasks to accomplish, and each job is important to the survival of the entire colony. The queen bee is the visionary leader and reproductive agent.

The female worker bees take care of the queen and her babies, build the comb, collect nectar, produce honey, and defend the colony; and the male drones’ only purpose is to mate, as they neither have stingers to defend nor stomachs to collect nectar.

Does your business have precise job descriptions that indicate the importance of each person to the success of the entire team?

Use effective communication skills

Another common saying that’s attributed to bees is ‘to make a beeline for it’. This comes from the actions of a foraging worker bee after it discovers a source of nectar.

The insect returns to the hive and performs a sophisticated ‘waggle dance’ that indicates the exact location of the nectar. Using these directions, the other bees are able to fly straight to the place described by the forager bee.

In your business, have you effectively communicated your vision, mission and business objectives to your team? Are all your employees working towards a shared goal?

Expand your customer base

Foraging honeybees adopt a global outlook when seeking nectar — they don’t only stick to their immediate neighbourhood. They can travel over four miles and cover some 50,000 acres in their search.

Bees can remember the locations of profitable sources of nectar and regularly revisit these areas to obtain more. They will avoid wasting time with flowers with double petals that make it difficult to extract nectar.

Have you done research to determine your best target market? Do you market repeatedly to existing customers? Are you looking globally in an effort to develop a larger customer base?

Finally, have you ever considered why these insects create a store of honey in the first place? Bees use this complex production system to ensure that they have enough food for the winter months when nectar is unavailable.

Are you retaining some of your business profits for the lean times?

Copyright © 2011 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, May 26, 2011

Read other articles about Animals and Money:

Money Lessons from the Animal Kingdom More Money Lessons from the Animal Kingdom

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Cherryl is a financial consultant and coach, founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.financiallyfreenetwork.com and www.financiallysmartonline.com. Contact Cherryl