Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in home care but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alex O'Brien, Founder, and CEO of Marly Garden, located in New York, NY, USA.

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

Marly creates plant care products that inspire a better way to live and work. We work primarily with B2B clients by helping them cut down on month-to-month plant care costs. We also offer plant care products to DTC clients as well who are looking for a better way to grow plants at home.

Tell us about yourself

I'm an Iowan that ended up in New York City for art school. Before Marly, I'd spent five years in the branding and advertising world, working with agencies big and small. When the pandemic hit, like so many others, my family began growing some of the food we needed to eat, so when my mom wanted a garden, I attempted to step up to the plate. Everyone knows how hard it is to start a garden, but I thought there had to be an easier way. To my surprise, there wasn't. As we dove deeper into the industry, we noticed issues across the board with the current plant care solutions. Marly doesn't just want to help keep your plants alive; our goal is to inspire a more mindful way to live.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I take a lot of pride in the team I've been able to bring together over the last two years. We have partners in New York, Mobile, Buenos Aires, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Los Angeles. Each is working together to deliver the best plant care products on the market.

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

In the beginning, my biggest struggle was time management. Everything needed to get done all the time, and it became difficult to figure out where to give and where to take energy from. Now, one of the hardest for me is giving myself permission to slow down at times. I'm 100mph all the time, which can lead to burnout and premature decision-making, but I'm working on it!

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

  1. GO
  2. All
  3. In

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

Something else I really struggled with as an entrepreneur was the isolation at times and not knowing where to go for a sense of community. I'm always super down to connect with fellow founders, so please don't hesitate to get in touch!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.marlygarden.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexobrienh/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexobrienh/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

Turn your craft into recurring revenue with Subkit. Start your subscription offering in minutes and supercharge it with growth levers. Get early access here.