We recently connected with Tishana Richards and have shared our conversation below.

Tishana, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

I feel like I started my business right on time as timing is everything, but if I could choose I wish I started earlier. There was a time when I had started another business idea that eventually led to the one I have today. It took a series of events and connecting the dots to finally get my current business started. It was like a lightbulb moment.

I essentially started my journey into entrepreneurship in 2009. It was right after I graduated college and the economy wasn’t much different than it is today. Finding work was very difficult so I had to get creative with the ways to survive and soon pay off those looming student loans.

It would take a handful of years to connect a t-shirt company in 2009 to a plant business in 2013. I wish that connection didn’t take as long, but I am a firm believer that everything works in due time.

Tishana, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I got into the home and garden space by happenstance. As I realized something from my original business idea was missing, and I was attempting to garden as a hobby, the two somehow came together and it clicked.

I couldn’t keep a plant alive to save my life, I had no idea what I was doing wrong! After watching a documentary at a local film festival about transforming a pool into a garden space, I thought to use a mason jar, a much smaller container of water, into a garden. This idea would eliminate the common over-watering/under-watering culprit that seemed to plague many beginner gardeners, myself included. Through different experiments, I tested out what plants seemed to work the best and how.

I came up with the Hydroponic Mason Jar Garden Kit as well as a soil version Mason Jar Garden Supplies Kit. Both are made for indoor gardening, no matter the space, no matter the time of year, using sustainable materials, and made right here in Arizona.

After my tested experiments, I formed my business, went to farmer’s markets, and established an online storefront. It would take from 2013 to 2020 until I hit more widespread recognition after appearing on The Today Show’s She Made It segment then Oprah Magazine’s Favorite Things list.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

In 2016 I was at a point where I was wondering if I needed a break and to return to corporate America, where there was relative safety and stability. I worked for about 2 years in an environment that tested a lot, my patience, my drive, but what I didn’t feel was creative, properly utilized, or driven that I was doing what I was meant to do. While the mission of the company was important, my energy at the end of the day was left depleted, so much that I didn’t have the motivation to do my favorite hobbies. It was at the end of that second year that I decided to return to what fueled me, my garden business. And once I decided that everything changed for the better.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

I find it important to diversify. I started on Etsy, and still have it to this day! I love the customers that have ordered from me from Etsy and I feel like together it’s been a journey for all of us. Their positive reviews and feedback have been instrumental in getting my business to where it is. There are certainly downsides though as once they have ordered from you they are no longer like your community, which is unfortunate. Having other platforms like Shopify really helps you keep your supporters yours, but also getting reviews is much harder. There are certainly pros and cons to both. I think anyway it’s easier for people to find your business the better, especially when you’re trying to establish yourself in your field.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://cocoandseed.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coco_and_seed
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cocoandseed
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/CocoandSeed

Image Credits
Tishana Richards