Green Concepts
If you've got a green thumb, you've got the makings of a plant maintenance business.
By Devlin Smith
Pamela Dorn has loved plants for years, ever since her mother,
an interior decorator, started arranging the leafy greens in their
backyard. "I just studied them and thought they were
pretty," she says, "and I always wanted to know [more]
about them."
At age 19, Dorn made her first move into the plant business. She
opened a plant shop in Reno, Nevada, and stumbled into the concept
of plant rentals. "All these casinos and hotels and
restaurants wanted me to [provide] plants to them," Dorn
explains. "Pretty soon, we had over 150 plant accounts,
employees coming and going, and it was a very profitable little
business."
Dorn later moved to San Diego and, in 1984, founded Green
Concepts, a plant rental and maintenance business. "I wanted
to figure out what made the most amount of money for the least
amount of my time," she says, "and it was definitely a
plant rental/maintenance business only, no more retail ever
again."
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With Dorn and her staff providing and caring for plants in
homes, offices, banks, beauty shops and other buildings throughout
San Diego County, the business (now based in San Luis Obispo,
California) quickly grew. And when people started inquiring about
how to start a small plant business, Dorn decided in 1993 to
license the concept.
Licensees meet with customers to determine what plants they
would like, how many, how they would like the plants arranged and
what types of containers they want. The licensee then orders and
installs the plants and provides weekly maintenance, watering and
cleaning to keep them looking beautiful.
Make the Call
Green Concepts, (805) 782-0128, fax: (805) 782-0127; also see the
Homebased BizOpp 400