We were lucky to catch up with Ashley Green Gomez recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Looking back on my life, I realize that I have always been a risk-taker. Not in the rowdy way; diving headfirst off a bridge into a lake below, or climbing trees. I have always done what I wanted to do, and done it with confidence. I wore what I wanted, joined sports that I had no background in. What I have always seen as decision making, or confidence, was actually taking risks and not listening to the chatter. In my business journey, I have done the same. I was going to school to be a teacher, and after a few years of that, started to feel like my soul wasn’t satisfied. I was going through the motions in my life, and on the inside, I felt like I was stuck in a box. One very regular day, I was sitting on my couch, watching a very regular movie, and something inspired me. The movie was set in a flower shop, and I was hit with a thought: I can do that. I want that to be my life. So, the next day I talked to other florists in the area, was pointed in a direction, and embarked on my new journey that fall, going to school to be a floral designer. About a year later, I was shopping online for a cute chair to match my new side table. I couldn’t find anything I liked, so I switched gears and started looking for old chairs that I could redo myself. I thought, “Yeah, I can do that.” and that was it, I started acquiring old furniture and my side business in upholstery began. I had that same, uncomfortable feeling when I was getting ready to leave my full time floral job. I wasn’t happy working for someone else, so one night while I was fantasizing about a career change, I thought, “I can run a store.” So I shifted into brainstorming what that would look like: where would I set up shop? Can I combine flowers, furniture, AND giftware? and the more I thought about it, the more I loved the idea. It was thrilling, it felt like it was exactly what I needed to do with my life. Each step along the way, I was taking a risk. I didn’t know if I was going to regret throwing away 3 years of education towards a degree in teaching to receive a diploma in floral design. I didn’t know if anyone was going to pay me money to upholster their furniture. I didn’t know if I was making a huge mistake signing a lease for a storefront in the middle of a pandemic. Each risk has brought me to exactly the life I am living today, and I feel more at home in my store than I did in any job. I feel more connected to my community, and I feel like I am living my most authentic life. It has been a journey of taking risks that began over 14 years ago, and has evolved into the best things I have ever done.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I got into floral because I loved plants, and I wanted to find a career that brought me more nature in my life. After going to school for floral design and realizing I had a knack for it, I couldn’t imagine a life without stressful Valentine’s days, late nights working on weddings, or helping clients honor loved ones with sympathy arrangements. I got into upholstery because I wanted to bring more unique furniture into my life. I taught myself how to upholster in my two bedroom apartment while my kids were asleep, and I found myself with nothing much else to do other than watch tv. With idle hands in need of a hobby, I took to upholstery, and was delighted by the fun combinations and wild prints I was finding. I got into buying unique giftware because I love to shop, but I hate to spend money. Buying things for my store brings me joy, and then I can sell these things and bring joy to my customers. When I combined these things together in my store, I was nervous that it wouldn’t make sense to people. Why do you have crazy furniture in your store, sassy giftware, and you’re behind the counter working on wedding flowers? I imagined all the questions that would arise, and I doubted whether I could cross-promote like that. Once I did it, it was the best thing I could have done. I have a lot of crossover clients: people come in to shop for gifts and end up showing me pictures of the furniture they want reupholstered, or they come in to order flowers for a funeral and are temporarily removed from their grief as they laugh at all the fun product on my shelves. I have become a place in the community where people come in and share life moments; they take a break from themselves, or they just come in and spend time with the plants. I am a sort of a haven. Come exactly as you are. I’m not trying to be seen as unattainable. All are welcome here. Green Thumb Etc. isn’t pretentious, we are real. That is what sets this store apart from everyone else. We exist as a beacon for the weirdos, the misfits, the celebrators, the bored, and the passers by, and you leave a little happier, and glad you stopped in.

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

Central Minnesota, and specifically Saint Cloud, Mn, is the biggest small town. Or the smallest big town, however you choose to see it. It is easy to feel like a big fish in a small pond, and that can make first impressions feel even more important. The biggest reputation lesson I learned early on was out of a seemingly innocuous mistake I made: as I was leaving my full time job to pursue my own business, I was becoming more unreliable at work. I was building my brand, and I was getting more visibility by networking, so I was feeling invincible. It made me a little bit of a brat. It got to a point where I was strongly encouraged to step down, or they were going to begin the termination process. I was a little embarrassed, but I wasn’t going to see him again, so peace, homies, I’m out. Well, 6 months later, I was interviewing for a position in a prestigious leadership program put on through out local Chamber of Commerce, and who do I find myself sitting across the table from, but my old boss, performing the interview. That was the moment that changed how I felt about my reputation: I was going to try to be the best version of myself, admit my mistakes, and really define my core values. In doing so, I was able to show up in a way that honored myself and brand in any professional arena I was entering. By understanding what was important to me, what I wanted to stand for, and doing it with unwavering conviction, my community knew what to expect from me, and they grew to trust me.

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

Be authentic. I began building my brand on my personal pages, which may or may not be a faux pas, but it worked for me. My personal social media was a way for me to share the funny or the ridiculous things I was encountering in my life, that was how I used it. I locked myself out of my house in the middle of winter, so I told the story of me, mid 30s, popping out a bathroom window, pulling myself 6 feet up the side of my house, squeezing my body through and landing in the tub, only to brush myself off and feel my keys in my coat pocket. That was the type of story I was telling on my social media. people came to look forward to my lengthy posts because it usually meant there was a punch line at the end, and I was usually the joke. When I opened my store, I was posting product shots, store posts, and nothing was really getting the traction I was hoping for. I took a brand personality quiz on a whim one afternoon, and it was a light bulb moment for me. My brand personality, according to this quiz, was The Entertainer. My voice should be humorous, and my purpose is to entertain my audience. Of course. My personal social media had so much organic interaction and engagement when I was being myself, so it only made sense that my store, which is a extension of me, would garner more support and interaction when I stopped trying to be like every other successful shop I’ve seen, and I instead began engaging in my most natural of ways: a little humorous, a little self-deprecating, and overall lighthearted. I don’t take myself seriously, my brand doesn’t take itself seriously, so my social media should reflect that.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.greenthumbetc.com
• Instagram: @greenthumbetc
• Facebook: Green Thumb Etc.
• Other: email: [email protected]

Image Credits
Savvy photage, KW Photography, CK Photography