South Australia is known for being a clean and green state, full of artists and creatives

There's the moniker of being called the Festival State, thanks to the world renown Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and WOMADelaide, not forgetting the Cabaret Festival, Adelaide Film Festival, the DreamBIG Children's Festival (formerly know as the Come Out Children's Festival), Adelaide Guitar Festival, Tasting Australia, Shimmer Festival of Photography, Tunarama as well as a bunch of lesser known and local ones. The list is pretty impressive and extensive, showing why we're a state that has gone from being designated as a bit wowserish, to one built on being welcoming, inclusive and sometimes a bit out there.

Alongside all that fun comes with it the venues, restaurants, pubs, cafes and eateries and produce that not only accompanies almost all the performances but also even end up as the main act in some instances

Adelaide is the home of the Central Market, numerous farmers markets and South Australia is the home of the Barossa and Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Coonawarra wine growing districts, which produce not only the lions share of Australia wines, but arguably some of its best wines

All this set in a verdant landscape that ranges from the wild coastlines of the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula, through to the rolling hills and sweeping vistas of the Northern Flinders Ranges, the vast horizons of the arid outback that surrounds towns like Coober Pedy or the stark minimalism of the Salt Lakes

South Australia is essentially a city state, with more than 90% of the population living the Greater Adelaide area and that brings with it a number of advantages and some challenges

In gardening there's this concept of companion planting; one plant grows best when grown in conjunction with one or more other species, making a better environment where thy all thrive

To start and maintain a business in South Australia requires a really good network

A network of potential collaborators as well as clients/customers. In a city state like South Australia its essential to be able to deliver solutions and to do so often means that you will need to be flexible and step up to provide services to your clients that are not normally your core services. Your clients don't care about what is the central plank to your service, they just want the job done, so that means that you will have to be connected with like minded businesses, that you can quickly and easily call

Some people are anxious or even fearful of this type of approach, but like your garden you do need to follow some basic ground rules;

- prepare the ground first - that means connecting with and link to businesses that you either know of or are recommended

- make sure that you're offering a value add component to - that means that you services may be part of a larger solution

- collaborate, don't compete - that means look at your offering is different and focus on making that strong and consistent

- flourish through making the most of your own and like minded businesses

- be solutions focus - that means working on delivering outcomes, not just chewing over the problems and challenges

A model of collaborative competitiveness is a characteristic of a lot of successful South Australian businesses and that's pretty much how a good garden grows