Selig turned a hobby into a successful niche business |
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Written by Cherie Courtade |
Tuesday, June 11, 2019 04:00 AM |
Her professional career in the green industry was borne out of a lifelong hobby. She grew up in a family that kept a large garden and greenhouse, and it instilled in her a love of plants. After years as a stay-at-home parent, when her children started school, she decided to turn her hobby into a small business. That company, Patio Plants Unlimited, specialized in container gardening and small gardens. She also can create an outdoor room on a patio, deck or balcony. In 2006, she began with about five clients, though notes that “when you are just getting your business started, you are practically giving yourself away.” Many of her clients are older adults who want a beautiful garden but may no longer be able to do the physical labor required to maintain it. Happily for Selig, with experience she has learned her worth and grown her business. Selig now manages about three dozen recurring clients with maintenance services. Upgrade knowledge and skills using multiple resources Her horticulture degree, and the knowledge that came with it, enabled her to expand her service offerings to include landscape design. She provided designs for the DIY homeowner and called the new business Landscape Design by Stephanie Selig. In spring 2018, Selig rebranded and combined her two businesses into one company, Sundrops & Starflowers. The combined company offers container gardening, automatic drip irrigation design and installation, landscape design, garden maintenance, and small garden installation. Her experience with drip irrigation systems helps her clients keep beautiful plantings and save water. That specialized knowledge has come from multiple sources, including classes at area nurseries, an irrigation course at FRCC and plenty of experiential learning with her personal landscape projects. Learning the business of business “Unlike a friend giving advice, this person isn’t afraid to hurt your feelings and can speak frankly,” Selig explained with a laugh. Her consultant has given her advice on what she needs to do—or stop doing—in order to make her business successful. Another right hand With a combination of experiential learning, education and community resources, Stephanie Selig has succeeded in building a business out of her passion. Along the way, she’s learned to adapt her operations to fit her capacity and continue to offer services that reflect her passion. This article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Colorado Green magazine. Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW: |