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

Samantha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

At Bad Granny Botanicals, our mission is to empower new and emerging plant parents by demystifying plant care. Why? Because we weren’t always confident plant parents ourselves. In fact, we’ve killed more houseplants than we’d like to admit. Overwatering, underwatering, choosing plants that didn’t match our spaces or routines, pests, diseases, growing our collections too quickly—you name it, we’ve been there.

Through trial, error, and a whole lot of research, we finally figured out how to choose, nurture, and grow plants with confidence. While we were thrilled to crack the plant care code, one thing was clear: it shouldn’t have been so hard in the first place.

At the time, we were both stuck in careers that didn’t spark joy. Laura was wrapping up her PharmD, and I was climbing the corporate ladder, but neither of us felt fulfilled. One day, we decided that just because we were on the “right” path didn’t mean it was our path. So, we took a leap of faith and turned our shared love of plants into a business. And in late 2021, Bad Granny Botanicals was born.

We chose the plant and plant care business because helping people is in our DNA. Coming from people-centered fields, we’ve always had a passion for making things easier for others. After facing so many challenges in our own plant journeys, we realized it didn’t have to be that way. So, we got to work. We began creating the tools, resources, and guidance we wish we’d had—designed to help others experience the joy and rewards of growing plants without the stress.

At Bad Granny, we believe plant care should be approachable, fun, and empowering. Whether you’re starting fresh, rebounding from a few mishaps, or simply looking for a helping hand, we’re here to help you grow with confidence.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Bad Granny Botanicals was founded by Laura and Sam, two former professionals in people-centered careers who were searching for something more fulfilling. Laura, a PharmD graduate, and Sam, who was climbing the corporate ladder, decided to leave their traditional paths behind to pursue their shared passion for plants and helping others. Drawing from their own plant care struggles, they built Bad Granny to empower others to confidently grow their own collections and enjoy the rewards of plant parenthood.

At Bad Granny Botanicals, we’re on a mission to make plant care accessible, fun, and stress-free—especially for new and emerging plant parents. We know firsthand how intimidating plant care can feel because we’ve been there ourselves: overwatering, underwatering, struggling with pests, and even picking the wrong plants for our spaces. Instead of giving up, we took those challenges and turned them into an opportunity to create solutions.

We offer thoughtfully designed products, services, and resources that make plant care less overwhelming and more enjoyable. From our Plant First Aid Kit to our Plant Keeper’s Journal and plant care labels, we’ve developed tools to take the guesswork out of keeping houseplants happy and healthy. We also offer semi-hydroponic houseplants, which are easier to care for than traditional soil-based plants, and plant consultations to help our customers troubleshoot or build confidence.

What sets us apart is our focus on people over profit. We don’t just sell products; we provide education, support, and encouragement to help people connect with their plants and succeed. Our focus is on creating real value for our customers by making plant care approachable and fostering a supportive, judgment-free community for plant lovers.

We’re most proud of building a community of plant lovers who feel empowered, not defeated, by their plant care journeys. Whether you’re shopping in our store, attending one of our workshops, or reaching out with questions, we want every interaction with Bad Granny to leave you feeling confident and capable.

If you’re a new or struggling plant parent, or even someone looking to add a bit of green to their life, we’re here to help you grow with confidence.

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

Yes! Right now, we’re reading E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, and it’s been a game-changer for us. One of the biggest takeaways has been identifying what makes our business truly special—what is the feeling or experience we want our customers to walk away with? For us, it’s empowerment and confidence. We want every customer to feel like they can grow plants successfully, no matter their experience level.

This philosophy has shaped everything we do, from the bite-sized educational resources we share on social media, to the way we package and market our products, and even the design of our brick-and-mortar plant shop. The second big takeaway has been figuring out how to create systems that allow our business to thrive, even without us being physically present at every step. This mindset has pushed us to create streamlined, repeatable processes that consistently deliver a great experience for our customers.

Ultimately, E-Myth Revisited is helping us build a business that’s not just about selling plants and products—it’s about creating a sense of confidence and success for plant parents everywhere, while also giving us the tools to grow sustainably.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Although we don’t have a massive following yet, we’re proud to have grown from just 80 followers to over 350 in eight months. It’s been a steady, organic process, and the key has been focusing on providing value without asking for anything in return. We consistently post content that we believe is genuinely helpful to plant parents—whether that’s troubleshooting tips, plant care advice, or easy-to-follow resources.

Another big part of our growth has been actively engaging with the plant community. We’ve spent time finding and following plant lovers, other plant shops, and small businesses, and we make an effort to support their pages through likes, comments, and shares. More often than not, that support is reciprocated.

Lastly, we make sure to connect with customers we meet in person. Every time we have a face-to-face interaction, we let people know they can reach out to us on social media with any plant questions. We’re committed to being incredibly responsive, and we don’t charge for advice—our goal is to build trust and foster community.

Our advice: Stay consistent, provide value, and engage authentically. Building a presence takes time, but when you focus on relationships and helpful content, growth happens naturally.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.badgrannybotanicals.com
• Instagram: @badgrannybotanicals
• Other: TikTok: Badgrannybotanicals