Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amalia Bussard, owner of East Pine Plant Shop, located in Portland. ME, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

My business is East Pine Plant Shop! I offer an array of plant care services, along with a collection of plant care products, potted plants, and home accents, all designed by yours truly! I absolutely love the work I do and couldn't be more grateful to live out my purpose of helping people grow through my business! A big part of the work I do is utilizing the power of social media to share snippets of my journey and my personal growth in a raw and vulnerable way. This came about very organically and first started with me sharing deep gratitude for the outpouring of community support East Pine has received from day 1. It then evolved into me sharing more about my life in general - both business & non-business: my healing/growth/evolution, business wins/losses, the ups/downs, the highs/lows, and ultimately - my silent struggle with mental health, which then led to me breaking up with my partner of 4 years (who was both my boyfriend & business partner at the time) this happened in June 2021, just a few days after East Pine had celebrated our first anniversary. My world got flipped upside down, and everything I had worked so hard to build suddenly crumbled before my eyes. As hard as it was to grow through this, I am deeply grateful for it all. This rock bottom moment was TRULY a blessing in disguise because it cleared space for me to start over and create my dream life & dream business all on my own from the ground up.

Tell us about yourself

Hi! I'm Amalia. I'm a multi-faceted creative with a super-charged zest for life. I am an artist, dreamer, visionary, plant healer, empath, risk-taker, and wavemaker. I am fearless when it comes to bringing my dreams to life (which can be both a curse and a blessing!). From a young age, I've always had a connection to the natural world. Me and plants, we just get each other! I have no formal training in botany. Rather, my intuition regarding plant care is stronger than anything I could ever learn in a formal setting. I like to say the plants taught me everything I know, and they continue to teach me every single day. I get so much joy out of sharing my love for plants with people - whether it be through plant education, plant design, plant care, or selling beautiful, healthy potted plants. What motivates me each day? What doesn't motivate me each day! When you create a business out of your passion, every day feels like a gift because you have the opportunity to make a living doing what you love!! Sure it's not easy, but whoever said it was supposed to be easy?! The hard days/moments teach us strength & resilience we didn't know we had. This builds character and makes us an even better & stronger business owner.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment as a business owner is my ability to show up authentically and reflect my heart's desires through my business. By this, I mean I am not afraid to change my whole business model if something doesn't feel good to me. I think sometimes we small business owners forget that we have complete freedom to make this thing whatever we want. Just because we committed to offering one thing doesn't mean we have to offer it forever. Ultimately, our businesses are a reflection of who we are. If we continue to offer something that doesn't feel good and aligned anymore, that will reflect our business. I encourage my fellow friends & small business owners to give themselves permission to change as often as feels right - leave the guilt behind!

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

I'd say the hardest thing that comes with being a business owner is having to carve out time to do the things that don't exactly light up your heart - taxes & financials: I'm looking at you! However, I am entering a new season with my business where I am beginning to reframe how I view these tasks. I am an artist & creative first and foremost, so math & numbers, we're not the best of friends. This was something I always tried to pawn off on other people so I could free myself up to work on my creative projects. What I didn't realize is that by pawning these things off on other people, I was giving my power away. Knowledge is power - and by taking time to learn a new task, we are gaining knowledge & power that allows us to run our business from a more empowered seat. The state offers great free resources to help small business owners in learning how to manage their finances along with file their taxes - we've just gotta put our head down, reach out, and do the work!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

  1. Figure out Your Why: Your Why (aka your business's mission or purpose) is the fuel that will keep you going, especially on the hard days. Let it come from the heart and not the ego. The ego will try to convince you that money is the motivation, but I encourage you to listen to your heart's reason for wanting to do this. Money will come as a byproduct from offering goods and services created from your heart. Trust me on this one. Get clear on your Why and allow that to be the filter you run all your creative ideas through. Ask yourself: "does this align with my Why?" if it's a yes, go for it!
  2. Take time off: I was so excited to start my business that I forgot to take time to rest. I burnt out so badly in year one and ended up having to take time away to find balance again. I truly believe I could have avoided this if I had rested more along the way.
  3. Trust your unique vision: simply put. This is your vision, no one else's. Don't feel like you have to waste time convincing people who don't get it. They don't get it because it's not their vision to bring to life - it's yours. And what a Goddamn gift that is. Trust it, and trust yourself!

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

2 of the best pieces of advice I've ever received are:

  1. Get out of your own way. As a small business owner, especially in the beginning stages, you will be flooded with huge waves of doubt and a million reasons for why you shouldn't pursue something. This fear-based thinking will keep you stagnant and stuck. If you want to keep growing your business and pursuing this magical vision of yours, you have to constantly remind yourself that you are the only one standing in your way. So get out of your way and keep growing!!
  2. There is no blueprint for this journey you are about to go on, so be sure to give yourself grace every step of the way. Simply put.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.eastpineplantshop.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eastpine.maine/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amalia-bussard/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.