Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kathy Phan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kathy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

I invested a lot of time and money to obtain two graduate degrees from Columbia University to pursue a career in public health. I quit that career; I quit my cushy, benefitted, salaried job to pursue a dream. It was a huge risk and still is because I don’t know if this business will take off. I’m still in the very early stages of building it. I have no idea if it will work out, if I’ll ever have paying customers. I’m very scared that I’ll be investing even more time, effort, and money into something that ultimately fails.

But I don’t want to live a life of regret. If anything, I want to be able to tell my children that I tried my best and faced my fears to pursue something that I love and that will bring value to this world.

I’m currently writing my business plan, talking to other business owners to better understand the industry, and building out my social media presence. I am currently in contact with a commercial realtor to find a space for my coffee shop/plant nursery. My goal is to find a space by the end of the year.

In terms of funding, my husband and I have some savings to pay for the initial investment in the company. I plan on pursuing a business loan once I finalize my plan/proposal.

Kathy, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hi, my name is Kathy. I’m a mama of two, aspiring entrepreneur, gardener, and caffeineaholic. I have two lovely, very expensive, graduate degrees from Columbia University–that are a teeny bit, kind of tangentially related to gardening and coffee. I’ve also been helping my parents run their landscaping business for decades.

My dream is to open a plant nursery with a Vietnamese inspired coffee shop inside. We will offer traditional coffee and espresso drinks, but it will also feature Vietnamese coffee and food such as caphe sua da (ice coffee with condensed milk), banh mi (sandwiches), and banh bot loc (dumplings) to honor my heritage. The nursery will specialize in cut flowers–i.e. roses, peonies, and dahlias. I want people to come to “Poppy and Mango” to enjoy the food and coffee but also be inspired by the beautiful garden.

My children are my inspiration for “Poppy and Mango.” I started affectionately calling my daughter, Poppy, when she was just a little poppy seed in my belly. Little Mango came along soon thereafter. They’re both wild like the poppy flower, sweet in the best possible ways, and unpredictably sour like mangos (as their toddler/young kid brains are still learning how to regulate their big feelings.)

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

Long before I had my own garden, I was killing succulents and cacti left and right. I don’t know how many orchids I shocked to death with ice cubes or air plants I slowly desiccated because I thought they got fed through the air. For many years, I thought I had a brown thumb, yet for some unfathomable reason I persisted. I continued buying new plants and caring for them as best as I could. Later, I discovered this thing called, “Google” and realized that I could easily read about how to care for each individual plant. Seriously, I think that was my big ‘aha’ moment. I realized that each plant has its own sun, watering, and soil requirements; and that was the key to helping them thrive.

Gardening has taught me a lot about patience and resilience. It has taught me to persist despite unexpected challenges, such as changes in weather patterns, pest infestations, or plant diseases. I’ve made many mistakes. I’ve trialed and errored. But with each failure came with a learning opportunity for me.

These lessons have been invaluable in my pursuit towards building a business. I’ve been able to push through the rejections, doubts, and criticisms; because now I understand building a business takes time. It’ll grow if you continue to tend to it. And if I make mistakes or run into problems, I can always just go back to my reliable Google to problem-solve.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I’m still working on building my audience, but I would say start with your family and friends. Don’t be afraid to tell them about what you’re doing and asking them for help. The second thing is be consistent. I try to post a story every day and a new reel or post every couple of days. Lastly, be authentic. There’s a lot of noise on social media. If you stay true to who you are and your brand, you’ll attract the right folx.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.poppymango.com
• Instagram: @poppymangoco
• Facebook: Poppy & Mango Company
• Threads: @poppymangoco