We recently connected with Shannon Schultheis and have shared our conversation below.

Shannon , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

About 12 years ago, I was a newly married wife with no children. At the time, I taught exceptional education but absolutely loved interior design. I quit my job as an educator and scoured over my favorite interior design books and blogs instead. While researching interior design, I stumbled across vegetable gardens, specifically formal potagers. I became less and less interested in the inside, and more interested in the natural beauty outside. I decided to start my own vegetable garden. I started out with two long, skinny gardens directly behind the shadow of our home. The garden was laden with pests and diseases. Next, I moved the garden away from the house to a much larger plot, but it was compacted and never really grew anything good. At this time, I remember asking my organic lawn care guy if he could help me with my vegetable garden. He was able to teach me the basics of healthy soil by using compost tea, but that was about it. The rest was completely up to me. I loved gardening too much to give up, but I still had little to no success. Through trial and error and avid reading, I had small wins and built upon them. It was at this time we moved to Michigan. I definitely had to have another garden even with a complete change in climate! I successfully grew beans, tomatoes, carrots, tomatillos, peppers, apples, berries, leafy greens and it was all colorful and lush. By this time, my garden was successful and healthy and I grew upon those skills with additional coursework. I challenged myself that year to grow my entire garden from seed rather than transplants. After meeting my own expectations, I took a course specific to starting a business AND growing food. I was extremely nervous to try something new, but so eager to help others avoid the mistakes I did earlier. My company’s goal, is to help those that struggle with gardening like I did all those years ago. I look forward to helping these gardeners and making the potager a part of daily living again in West Michigan.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I offer coaching, designs, and full kitchen garden installations. I also offer virtual or on-site maintenance and workshops. We focus on education so that our clients thrive from the start.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

I took a total risk and turned my consulting business into a tent sale. I never really sold products before! I grew a lot of indoor salad gardens, put them in beautiful pots, and sold them at the local Found Cottage Mercantile Market and Farm Girl Flea Market. It was a blast and so unexpected! I took my assistant with me and we handed out garden care cards with each purchase and talked to so many people about the business.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I offer a personalized approach to gardens. Customer service is my focus and clients love the quality of care they receive. Every single client matters.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dailypotager.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dailypotager/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailypotager