We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Erin Leonard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Erin below.

Erin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you manage your own social media?

Becca Coleman, my business partner, and I started out managing our own, and we definitely established an aesthetic and personal feel that we felt lent itself to organic growth. Authenticity and transparency as well as visual appeal has always been really important to us, and we were hesitant to hand our accounts over to someone who specialized in social media because we were worried about losing that genuine connection with our audience. It was actually quite serendipitous – Ashley Barker, our Social Media and PR Director took a leap and reached out to us about a potential opening in that area before we even advertised it. Becca and I were finally coming to terms with the social media burnout we were experiencing so it was perfect timing. She’s such a perfect fit and we could not be more thankful for the way she has implemented marketing trends in a way that still feels so approachable and fun.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Becca and I met and started working together on her farm in 2018, pre-pandemic. We spent the first couple of years building covered hoop houses for extended growing periods and transforming the farm one project at a time into what it is today. The Blumenwagen and the Little Blume, Chattanooga’s first flower trucks, were introduced during that time, and we started our business popping up weekly at local restaurants and coffee shops where we were able to establish an incredibly loyal following.

We were fortunate enough to quickly build a business unique to our area before the world shut down. We relied on flower delivered, a contact-free road side stand, and eventually truck pop-ups and markets, and were able to continue to grow and open a brick and mortar store as the economy began to repair itself when our little city started moving at a more normal pace again.

We started with our farm-fresh flowers and have since expanded into self care, jewelry, houseplants, art, books, gifts, etc. Our store is very much a reflection of who we are, and as our team grows the product and experience in our shop becomes even richer.

The Blumenwagen is undergoing repairs, but the Little Blume has recently been resurrected and is available for pop-ups, markets, and private events all around the city and has even made trips as far as Atlanta.

We love what we do from the farm, to the shop, to weddings, workshops, and special design requests. We truly believe that we’ve been able to succeed because we’re up for any challenge thrown our way, and I think it shows in our work.

We’d love to hear about you met your business partner.

Becca had just had her 3rd child and she and her husband were looking for help with the workload that comes with running a farm and raising a family. I was fresh out of a corporate retail job that was draining my creativity and was looking to get back into childcare, because let’s be honest, who is more creative and interesting than young children? The farm, homeschool art lessons, and floral design work was a perfect outlet for me, and she had the extra support she needed to be able to focus on some of her interests as well, and from there we were able to work out what we wanted our business to look like.

All that to say business connections can hide in really weird places, don’t be afraid to embrace the “it takes a village” attitude.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

We have been heavily inspired by Floret Farms. Growing practices, establishing a style, dedicating the time and energy to the mission even when it feels impossible… the slow flower movement has started to garner attention, and new information and resources come up all the time. We’re also active in Facebook groups focused on micro farming, sustainable farming practices, small business, etc. On a more local level, we have an incredible network of female-lead businesses to both brainstorm and unwind with, and that has been so valuable. Again, it takes a village.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.jolijardin.co
• Instagram: @jolijardinfarm, @blumenwagen

Image Credits
Erin Leonard, Becca Coleman, Ashley Barker