I'm starting my own business!

[SheilaJ]

In case you've noticed, I haven't been around much on the board lately because (DRUM ROLL PLEASE), I'm starting my own plant business! Unfortunately, unless you live near Carroll County, MD, I probably can't take you on as a client.

I'd appreciate it if you'd check out my web site and give me any feedback:

http://hometown.aol.com/perfectplantsgro

Also, I'd be grateful for advice from people who've started their own businesses.

You can PM me or post here. THANKS!

[Esther]

I know nothing about starting a business or what you are doing with your business. But I hope you are successful and BECOME A MILLIONAIRE!!

[thedahlialama]

ok, i've owned my own business and i've sold/maintained indoor plants a couple of different times.

i'm not really sure to tell you about owning your own business - whole books have been written on the subject and none of them tell you everything you need to succeed. just getting out there and marketing yourself/product is the most crucial part of getting off the ground. from that standpoint i would strongly suggest you get your own domain name as soon as you can afford it. tagging onto an aol domain is not very professional in this day and age. not that the web is going to be your main source of revenue directly, but once you get going a bit and people have heard of you, many will want to find you on the web to get more info, directions, etc.

i used to sell houseplants by loading them in my van and going office to office. first time i worked for a guy that kept a small retail location and got people like myself to work on commission and go out and sell them. there were usually around 6-10 of us working for him at a time. made a lot of money some days and very little on others. but it was fun. from that i picked up a couple of side jobs maintaining the plants i sold to businesses. easy money is all i can really say about that. stopped in once a week to water them and prune them occasionally. guaranteed i would replace them if they died which i knew they wouldn't given as they had perfect diffuse light that was never too hot to dry the plants before i got to them again.

the second time i worked for a guy who simply had a warehouse and sent the crews out from there. it was harder since there was no established place of business. didn't seem as legit to people i think. poinsetta's at xmas were the best because no one really expected them to survive anyway.

bottom line about how i sold plants - people will impulsively buy nice big lush plants that are right in front of them. or will ask about plants they have been searching for and buy them if you can get them for them. businesses that buy them will buy big and want to protect their investment and that's where the maintenance comes in.

if any of my experience sounds vaguely similar to what you're doing (or would like to do), feel free to ask more specific questions. or pm me and we can set up a time to talk on the phone if you would like. 

[Jerry]

I have had several businesses, all were successful.
Just treat people well and go the extra step for them.  believe me they will recognize you as someone they WANT to deal with.
of course you must buy well too.

Just realized, treating people well is what we do here!

[LeeAnne151]

Congratulations!!!

Have enough money to get by on and don't expect to turn a profit right away.

A lot of my customers fail because they cannot afford to buy more inventory even though what I sold them, sold. They keep crap that didn't sell sitting around. I know you aren't going to be in retail but it goes to having enough money. You must be able to afford to buy the supplies and plants you will need.

[PondmaninAL]

Sheila, you can register a domain at Netfirms.com for $10. You could host it on their server but there is a lot of advertising. I registered mine there but the server that is hosting it is Awardspace.com. It's free but you will need to pay Netfirms $10/year for the domain. I've still got some work to do on mine but it's up and running if you want to have a look. It's Pondaholics.org.

Scott

[Mikey]

   Congratulations on starting your own business.  Be prepared to tell folks how to be rid of those pesky nats that sometimes are associated with house plants.  Just this week I was at a nursery and a businessman was there asking for advice as to what to do because the plants in his office had attracted and bred those nats.  The nurseryman suggested sticky fly tape but this guy wasn't too keen on that idea and seemed likely to switch to fake plants.....

[SheilaJ]

Thanks, everybody! I think I lined up my first job at a party this afternoon. Yippee!

Mikey, if I had a $1 for every time I've given the fungus gnat lecture, or posted it on a message board, I'd be buying that vacation home in Florida!  The best way is a heavy duty chemical that is hard to find; the second best way is mosquito dunks or Gnatrol.

[SheilaJ]

I think I've got everything rolling. I've been obsessed every waking minute with working on my new business stuff.

Scott, I'm up and running at www.perfectplants.biz for $4.95. THANK YOU! Took forever to figure out how to move my website but I did it!

I've learned powerpoint and made a presentation and a brochure. I'm about to order business cards and color photo brochures showing different types of indoor plants sorted by light requirements. I designed a logo to embroider on my shirts. I learned Excel and made up financial forecasts showing how much I need to charge per hour to make this work. I've read a couple of small business startup books from the library with more to go, as well as a bunch of small business startup web sites.. I'm in the process of applying for all the required licenses (there are a lot!). I'm about to sign up for the two online college classes I need to get my pesticide applicator license. I've got a list of prospects and am talking the business up with everyone I know, and I think I have three potential clients. I'm planning my ad campaign. I've selected affordable accounting software and the basic supplies and equipment I need. I'm lining up suppliers and wholesale/contractor discounts.

I'm tired!!!

I think I can get rolling for about $1000 this year. Luckily dh hasn't retired yet and I'm still working my regular job at 3 days a week.

[LeeAnne151]

Fungus gnat infestations are usually caused by overwatering and potting soil that doesn't drain well.

Sounds like you are doing all of your homework, good for you. Congratulations. 

[GAjen]

Congrats and good luck!

[sheepco]

Congrats and best of luck! Just from your photos in the past I think you've got plenty of talent for the job ahead!

[PondmaninAL]

Sheila, have you checked out AwardSpace.com yet?

Also, Vista Print have good prices on business cards. Check them out. www.vistaprint.com

Scott

[SheilaJ]

Scott, yep, I checked out awardspace. I found them confusing and decided I can live with the ads from Netfirms for now. (My non-computer-geek husband even thought the ads made me look MORE professional!) I think my brain will explode if I do much more web site tinkering right now!

I already found vistaprint and am planning to get business cards, labels and a tee-shirt from them. (I'll be wearing a nice embroidered polo shirt when I work, but the tee is for making me a mobile billboard when I'm out running errands in town, or to give to any temporary helpers I may hire, like if I need a strong-backed teenager for a few hours.) They are supposed to be sending me samples and I'm waiting until I see them to order, which is a good thing, because I've changed my mind several times about how I want things to be worded!

I'm now up to four leads for clients. Yippee! 

[LeeAnne151]

A friend of mine started her own interior plant maintenance company in the late 80's. She did really well with it. A larger company made her an offer she couldn't refuse to sell it and then she went back to college for computer programming.

She had magnets made with her company name and logo to put on her van for advertising as she drove around.

[SheilaJ]

Yes, I'm considering the magnetic signs for my van too. I'd love to do permanent lettering in white on the tinted windows, but I don't think my current boss (who will find out about this on a need-to-know basis) would appreciate that too much, since this is the only vehicle I use!