We recently connected with Jen Perkins and have shared our conversation below.

Jen, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Parents play a huge role in our development as youngsters and sometimes that impact follows us into adulthood and into our lives and careers. Looking back, what’s something you think you parents did right?

My parents have definitely been my biggest inspiration my whole life. They have always put God and family first and been such positive role models and mentors. My parents own their own A/C and Heating business and have managed it together for the past 47 years. What did they do right? They taught me to take risks. They showed me to get up when I fall down and not to give up. They modeled advocating for myself when needed. They are both hard workers, creative and insightful. They complement each other well. When I first started my succulent business and shared my ideas with them, they were very encouraging and supportive. They even went on some errands with me as I got the minimal supplies to get started with all the ideas swirling around in my head. I appreciate their unconditional love and support. They don’t hesitate to tell me when they’re proud of me. They are willing to talk through ideas with me and hear me out on new marketing possibilities. When you start your own business, it is scary. You have doubts but you also have dreams. I have been dreaming big dreams for my business for years and will continue to do so. My parent’s support of my dreams is a constant motivator and I am forever grateful.

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 background and context?

I have always killed all the plants. But I love plants. I have just never had a green thumb. Years ago, succulents became popular and I was so drawn to them. People always told me they were easy to care for and hard to kill. I really wanted to try to purchase some succulents and see if they could survive my black thumb. Well, I learned quickly that succulents thrive on neglect. This was the perfect plant for me! I thought if I could do it, anyone could. So I began making succulent container gardens for friends and family. They encouraged me to make a Facebook and Instagram business page. After I did this and started attending Farmers Markets with my plants, things got really busy. It was such a fun job. Then, just as things were really taking off, Covid hit in 2020 and we had to decide how to proceed. We did grab-and-go gifts and porch pick-ups and it actually worked really well. In 2020, we also built our Succulent She Shed. This was a place where people could come shop for gifts and succulents. It is also a beautiful space to hold succulent workshops. We hold classes where we discuss succulent care and people build their own succulent arrangements. This has been my favorite part because people enjoy learning and creating.

I think what sets us apart is our customer service and our succulents. We choose our succulents one by one, hand-picked from a grower. We also order amazing succulents from all over. We strive to find the healthiest and most colorful plants. We answer the phone. We return calls. We problem-solve when needed. Our customers are so important to us. My favorite thing is when a customer learns how to care for succulents and is confident in getting more succulents and caring for them. That makes me happy! We also love seeing people at pop-ups and markets. We love answering succulent care questions and connecting with the community.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

When Covid hit in 2020, we had booked many weddings and markets. Everything was canceled. We were pretty discouraged at first but ended up deciding on porch pick up options for our succulent gifts. This worked out well and people enjoyed shopping outdoors on the porch. We also built our succulent she shed so we would have a better space than our front porch. People love visiting the Succulent She shed and spending time there. We host private succulent workshops for groups and also hold our own classes. It is a wonderful space!

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

People share when they find something they love. We have had people bring their mom, sister, neighbor, friend and family members to the Succulent shop. It has been so fun to meet everyone. We have people travel a couple of hours sometimes to spend time shopping and hanging out. That is always an honor. I think our customers have helped build our reputation and we appreciate them so much.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rootedtreasuressucculents.com/
• Instagram: Rooted Treasure Succulents
• Facebook: Rooted Treasure Succulents

Image Credits
Image credits to photographer, Kristen Hafner