Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in plants but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Savannah Toal, Founder of Plant Savvy, located in Nashville, TN, USA.

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

We are an inters caping company that services residential and commercial clients! We help bring your plant's dreams to life, whether that's installing plants or just helping you learn more about the ones you already own.

Tell us about yourself

My name is Savannah, and I am originally from Charlotte, NC, but I moved to Nashville about 7 years ago for college and just stayed after I graduated. I originally started Plant Savvy as a blog, which I still post on from time to time. I was working in the corporate/marketing world, and then the pandemic hit, and I needed an outlet. So I started PS as a way to talk about one of my hobbies and passions. My friend told me I should post on Tiktok and Instagram, and so I did! The crazy thing is some of my videos started blowing up, and I started getting a little plant following. I realized that this is what I want to do. I launched Plant Savvy as I knew it now on May 14, 2021, and I haven't looked back. The excitement and plant love I get to bring to people every day keep me going. Getting to design and bring to life space is a wonderful feeling.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

My biggest accomplishment would probably have to be when I was featured in a campaign for HP! I was on their homepage with all my plants. That was a very real experience for me. I think it was the first time where I realized that I was doing it and that I could do it. I was being recognized for my work, and they wanted to showcase that. 10/10 would do again, lol!

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

Owning a business can be lonely, especially if you are a small business or have a small team. You need to surround yourself with other people in your community that you trust, or you will start to alienate yourself. You need people in your life you can bounce ideas around. Owning a business can be lonely, but it doesn't have to be.

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

My top 3 tips would be:

  1. Don't expect to be killing it right from the start. Things take time, and great things take even longer. Suppose you are starting off small. You don't need to expand on massive levels to know you are doing well. You can stay small and work your way up. It will take time to grow something you are proud of.
  2. You need to be comfortable changing routes or changing how you do things. Change is hard; we all know that, but you need to be able to move with the punches, or you will be left in the dust. You need to be able to move with the times not only in your own industry but in society as a whole. You can't get stuck with a mindset of "this is how it's always been done." Wouldn't you want to be at the forefront of change within your own industry?
  3. Create a team that allows for input and ideas to flow. As a business owner who is currently hiring and bringing new team members on for the first time, this is a big one for me. This company is my baby, and I have grown it from the ground up, but in order for it to continue to grow, I need to be okay with handing stuff off to others. And one of the ways that I do that is by slowly acclimating my team to bring up ideas and thoughts that I wouldn't have had on my own. Bring them into your world bit and bit and allow them to get comfortable with a new community/industry, and then just watch them grow. Not only will you build trust in them they will have higher work satisfaction.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.plantsavvy.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/plantsavvy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/plantsavvyco/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/plant-savvy/

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.

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