Today we’d like to introduce you to Jac Beasley.
Hi Jac, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
How far back can I go? I have always been an outdoor kid, peak-90’s youth, here! Back then, I had a neighbor who let me garden in a little patch of dirt in their side yard. From that point, as a teen saving for my first car, I mowed lawns every weekend. $10/mow, with an extra $5 if they wanted an edge. I was a RICH pre-teen, or at least I thought.
Fast forward 30 years and a whole career in hospitality later, I circled back to playing in the dirt as a side hustle. I had recently moved back to Richmond, after spending a few years in Washington, DC during Covid. I was completely burnt out and needed a change. I took a job working for an incredibly kind restauranteur working 40 hours a week, for the first time in my life. What did I do with all of my extra time? I started weeding for folks and helping ladies of a certain age with their gardens. Before I knew it, I started to get call after call for new clients looking for help in their gardens. I did not plan for the business to be a business, but I registered it anyway. Little Garden Girl was a nickname given to me years before and it just felt right.
I had a business name, clients, some tools and an outlet for a passion. I remember one client asking me if I could build them a little driveway parking area for their motorcycles. I told them, honestly, that I didn’t know how to do that. They insisted- said they trusted I could do it. So, I did. Months later, I quit my job as General Manager at the restaurant. I didn’t do so without a well outlined plan and plenty of sleepless nights, but I did do it.
It has been 4 years and for some reason, folks keep calling to have me work for them. The main difference is, now I get to choose whether I say yes or no.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The question on whether it has been a smooth road may be a matter of perspective. One can read all of the self-help, how-to-start-a-business books as possible and still not have the roadmap to success and smooth operations. There is something to be said about simply experiencing the thing, failing, getting it wrong and learning from it.
I have certainly done those things. I have lost clients, been fired from contracts, done work I look back on now that I am not proud of. However, I am still in business. My mortgage is paid from the proceeds of work I have done. I am supporting three other people by employing them full time. I have also done some incredible work for clients that I am so proud of!
It is difficult for me to not want to jump ahead and have things run smoothly, with all cogs and wheels in place. That is not what building a business is like.
My biggest struggle has been managing cash flow. I don’t have outside investors, business loans, or vehicle and equipment loans. I have purchased everything for this business at the speed in which I had the funds available. There are certainly tools we would love to have, upgrades to trucks, software but we have to exercise patience knowing that the business is stable and we don’t owe anyone anything.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
What started out as weeding in gardens had turned into a full service landscape operation. The business plan includes standard yearly landscape maintenance contracts, cleanups, mulching but we also do full design and build installations and florals. Where one client has us stop by every two weeks to weed their yard, another has us designing a whole new outdoor space from a blank slate.
We are known for having a more whimsical approach to our garden spaces. I am not afraid to incorporate unconventional or second-hand materials, or combining modern with classic styles.
I am most proud of overcoming my fear for being able to do just about anything. I remember the first time I built a small brick garden wall using mortar and 200 year old bricks. I had no experience, but I had watched a bunch of videos and my client believed I could do it. It turned out beautifully. Fear is not my enemy, something I know now. Fear is your friend telling you to exercise caution. Some of my best work has been fueled by fear of failure.
I believe what sets us apart is the application of my background in hospitality into our business model. My team knows to pick their heads up and say hello to passersby. They know to connect with the client before leaving the job, just to make sure they feel taken care of. Slowing down in this crazy, fast world we live in has its benefits, and I love being able to apply that to the business.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I wish I had known how to price my work. It really was just a guessing game until I had figured out a better system, involving real math instead of just napkin math.
If you are starting out, make sure you have at least 6 months of income saved up. It may take a while, but it will prevent you from operating scared. Clients can sense desperation and it stinks.
Also, recognize when to say NO. It is okay to say it. Say it often and unapologetically. NO.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.littlegardengirldesigns.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlegardengirl_rva
