Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Collin & Jen Grimes. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Collin & Jen thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s start big picture – what are some of biggest trends you are seeing in your industry?

Since the beginning of covid, there was a huge uptick in the needs and wants of house plants. Having the whole world on lock down, being stuck inside for hours, and having to adapt your home into a workspace really did a number on everyone. There was a lack of life and greenery. House plants began to make their way in people’s homes. Studies have shown that having plants inside the home increases productivity and helps with mental and emotional health. No matter what skill level you have, there are plants for everyone.

Collin & Jen, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

We are a husband-wife duo that like the rest of the world, was trying to adjust to the covid times. We have had houseplants for years and while a dream of owning a plant store was very much just a dream, we were about to give up on it. We decided to downsize our “hobby” of plants and sell what we had to focus on what we thought was more important at the time. When we saw that our entire collection sold under 24 hours, we thought maybe there was something to this. We got some more plants, did our own propagations and potting and sold out our second set in 24 hours again.

We do not have a background in horticulture. However, we have experience from trying things firsthand and researching. We want all those people who come to us and say “I kill every plant I have ever owned” to know that we also killed many plants. We have learned what works and what doesn’t, and we are here to teach that to anyone who wants to start on their houseplant journey.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

For us it really mattered to start small but well. It is easy to want to jump into things quickly and go big all at once. What we have seen is that experience leaves a bigger impact then the product itself. Yes, you want to have great quality product, but if you have great product but bad service, people won’t care that your product is good. Our idea was to give one-on-one attention to our customers as much as we possibly could. Help them with their specific questions and problems. Point out things that they would want to know even if it costs you a sale. I rather them build trust in us, knowing we are not just trying to sell a product, but want to genuinely help. If a person wants a plant but I know it is a very challenging plant, I will tell them it is challenging. I will give them what they can expect and let them make a decision from there. It usually leads them to being a repeat customer!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Building our social media platform was and still is an interesting challenge. A majority of our marketing is done via social media. Our idea when we started was to follow and message a bunch of other local small businesses. The small business community knows the struggles of starting on your own, they become your biggest advocates. Promote other businesses and they promote you. We had to think out of the box for ways to collaborate with others. Are you able to do joint giveaways? Are you able to set-up an event together? One way I found many other small businesses in my area was looking into hashtags on Instagram. Seeing what hashtag would relate to you or help you find other good people to work with #smallbusinessowner #smallbusiness(state) #popupshop etc.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.rootedplantsupply.com
• Instagram: @rooted_plantsupply
• Facebook: Rooted Plant Supply