We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Claudia Grimm a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Claudia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Getting that first client is always an exciting milestone. Can you talk to us about how you got your first customer who wasn’t a friend, family, or acquaintance?

It was a warm day in early October. I was working full-time as a Leasing Consultant but finishing the paperwork for my plant care business during lunches and after the work day. On this day specifically, I remember I had finally finished the background work for Zen Plant Care and had gone to pick up Pho on my lunch break. As I’m sitting there, waiting on the bench, my phone rings with an unknown caller.

Naturally, I pick up.

“Hi, this is Jan. You gave me your number a while ago. I need someone to take care of my plants and tell me what I’m doing wrong.”

A frenzy of excitement ran through my body. “Oh! Hi Jan thanks for calling.” I whip my backpack around to my front to pull out pen and paper and remember the woman I gave my number to! She was direct, we set a date for me to assess her plants, I got my pho, was too excited to eat it, and called my significant other to shout the news at him. I continue to jump with glee when a new client calls.

Jan has been my client ever since that day. The small efforts, like handing your phone number or business card out to that one person, make a difference. Not only are her plants thriving, but she keeps adding more to her collection. It’s wonderful to see and I enjoy the friendships I share with my clients because of Jan’s first approach.

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

My business is Zen Plant Care and I help preserve the health and beauty of houseplants in order to create a calm state of mind. I do this for residential and commercial locations and offer many reliable services: -General Maintenance (keeping plants healthy)
-Install/Design (interior plant makeover)
-Plant Sitting (enjoy that vacation!)
-Repotting (big or small plants)
-Treatments (bye bye, pests)

What sets me apart from other plant care services is that it’s not just about creating (or saving) a beautiful jungle in your home or office, it’s about de-stressing the mind by controlling your environment. You are what you surround yourself with.

I also donate to The Nature Conservancy to help conserve habitats and reforestation!

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn my beliefs about money. I thought making money was greedy so I priced my services extremely low when I started. I charged my second client $10 for an install and design fee…$10?! That was supposed to cover my trips to the nursery, drive time, and physical labor.

The lesson was learned once I started reading books on money and successful entrepreneurs who explained that money is only a means of exchange – it’s what you do with it that makes it positive or negative energy. Because of this notion, I also know that making a lot isn’t a bad thing. I’m grateful for the exchange of money because of the way it provides for my life and ultimately others.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

This is a fun question because I never had social media until this business. I never had a Facebook, Instagram, or MySpace growing up. Now that Zen Plant Care is progressing, I had my friend help me “start” an Instagram page and picked up snippets on how to implement strategy for my target audience. I’m happy to report that I’m (from what my audience tells me) doing very well on Instagram. They tell me they get excited when they see my posts during the daily scroll.

My advice is to be yourself on social media. You’re at your best when you’re creating content that you enjoy. Others will find you based on authentic content and appreciate your honesty.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zenplantcare.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenplantcare/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Zen-Plant-Care/100091689245966/
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/claudia-grimm
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/zen-plant-care-san-diego