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

Jill, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

During the summer of 2020, my 9-year-old son, Hayden, wanted a lemonade stand. When it wasn’t a viable business option due to Covid, is when Classy Cactus Farm was founded. Easy to ship succulent and cactus boxes and bound to create smiles. Little did we know this idea would turn into a family business.

The biggest risk I have taken in my life was leaving my corporate job of 10 years to begin to grow Classy Cactus Farm the summer of 2021. I was leaving a well-paid job for an opportunity to be a business owner and to create my own success.

It has been the best risk I have taken. Not only has it given me the opportunity to create my own success, but I now have more flexibility when it comes to raising my kids and the kids can learn beside me on how to run a business.

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?

I’m Jill Thornell, the CEO of Classy Cactus Farm. We are most famously known for our shippable plant boxes and succulent bar. Located just south of Nashville, TN in Murfreesboro, we specialize in succulents, cacti and houseplants.

I wasn’t always a plant person. Actually, plants came to my house to die. I was in the corporate world for over 10 years, I didn’t have time to care for some of those high maintenance plants, but I LOVE the look of having plants in my house. For this reason, here at Classy Cactus Farm we carry plants that are easy for that busy person who doesn’t have time to babysit a plant.

We aren’t just a cookie-cutter gift box company. We have worked with many corporations around the United States creating custom plant gift boxes to fit their needs. All companies are different – and so should our boxes! We enjoy working with clients to give a one-of-kind gift for their employees or customers.

Our main goal is for our business to create smiles and have a positive impact on the community. In the 2 short years, we have been in business, we have shipped out over 25,000 plants around the United States.

In the past year, we have started offering succulent workshops. Each month is a different theme – Fall Succulent Pumpkin Arrangements, Succulent Christmas Trees, Succulent Plant Arrangements and more! Most of these workshops are also available virtually, as well. We have done many teambuilding workshops for teams around the U.S. We ship out all materials the week before the workshop and meet via Zoom. We have one of our Plant Specialists to lead the workshop and give step-by-step directions and how to care for their plants for years to come.

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

The unique thing about Classy Cactus Farm is we started with $100 initial investment. We have yet to take out any loans to grow our business. Yes, we may have grown faster with a larger investment, but we don’t have much to lose. We grow as we make sales. This past year has been a lot of reinvesting in the company. We have purchased a custom-built greenhouse and a portable building to move some of our operations to.

I was blessed since my husband already owned his own company and had commercial space. So, when Classy Cactus Farm grew too much to continue operating out of our house – I already had commercial space to move into.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Starting a business with very little initial investment isn’t for the faint of heart – especially in retail industry. Our biggest challenge is commercial space. It is extremely expensive. The first year, most of our sales were online and we were able to operate out of our house, but as we have grown in our local community, we knew we needed a commercial space. My husband owned his own business, Tennessee Tool Works, and I was able to set up shop within his warehouse.

We initially had a small room within the warehouse where customers could come and shop, but as we were continuing to grow and bring in a custom-built greenhouse, we started setting operations up behind the Tennessee Tool Works building.

I was very nervous what people would think and their feedback. It wasn’t my initial vision of where I wanted the company. But one thing I learned, if you have something people want and like – they will find you and drive out of their way to get to you. So now where Classy Cactus Farm sits, is a little industrial and a little nature. There is wooded area behind the building and is now a charming little oasis.

Our greenhouse isn’t just your typical greenhouse. It is Instagram-worthy! We have a chandelier in the greenhouse and have worked on making it a unique experience for our parties. We have received extremely positive feedback from customers who have visited us and booked parties with us! We are continuing to grow our outside space to make it one-of-a-kind event venue.

Contact Info:

• Website: ClassyCactusFarm.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/classycactusfarm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/classycactusfarm
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/classycactusfarm
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9lJajoNEAg
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@classycactusfarm