The Best Way To Sell Your Houseplants! #makemoney #buyingsellinghouseplants #ruralmoney #rural #money #ruralareas
If I told you that you could make money buying and selling houseplants, you would stop giving them away when you learn how easy it is.
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People who love houseplants and have a “green thumb” have a home crowded with succulents, cactus, flowers, spider plants and vines.
You keep growing to replant the cuttings and give away dozens of your plants to friends, neighbors, relatives and acquaintances just to get the new plants out of the house, every month.
I was a florist in the plant sale and floral industry; so I know that buying and selling houseplants is lucrative.
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The discoveries I made at Berryman’s Flowers & Gifts on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, GA indicate that there is a vast fortune to be made in this field without ever growing one plant.
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How To Start Buying And Selling Houseplants?
There are literally millions of women, like you, who delight in growing flowers in your homes.
You do it for the enjoyment of having living plants decorating your homes, but after some time your back yards, terraces or homes become overcrowded with potted plants.
By your sensitive “nature”, you are unable to destroy or discard any of your plants, so you give them away to anyone who will have them.
Does that sound like you?
Florists at the same time are often selling the very same plants for prices like $15 or more per potted plant.
Because of the of the florist business model, you can make yourself a small fortune by becoming a “Flower Broker.”
Here Is How To Do It
First, you must locate other people in your area who grow plants.
This is not difficult.
Just ask women you know, which of their friends also grow flowers in their homes.
You will be amazed at the number of people who do.
Look around you at the terraces like yours overcrowded with flowers and plants.
There are some men who do, too, but mostly women.
Go around to the various florist shops in your area to browse around.
Also, you can even do some competition spying on their websites.
Check out the types of potted plants they sell.
How much do they get for the various sizes of each plant?
What kinds of pots or planters are the plants sold in?
Which plants seem to be the best sellers?
You can tell the “movers” because florists will stock more of the plants they sell the most.
It is best to check out as many florist shops as you can.
Be sure to write down all of the information and details you have observed at each shop.
Start Your Homestead As A Business With Houseplants
Get Your Fillable Homestead As A Business Year Planner : Simplified Printable To Organize Your Homestead Business Off Or Online
Creating and running your homestead as a business doesn’t have to be challenging or difficult using the Fillable Homestead As A Business Year Planner. It can be a simple and fun process by deciding: (1) what is your niche or cottage industry; (2) what are your business goals; (3) how to fund your business without borrowing; (4) where to sell everywhere online; (5) what is your product and service inventory; (6) what is your marketing and advertising strategy; (7) how much did you earn in weekly sales. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when there is so much information out there to start and operate a homebased business both off and online. I am big on keeping things simple. Therefore, I want to help you strip away all the excess and find what is really important to YOU on your homestead that can earn you money. Once you figure this out, it will be much easier to create a Homestead As A Business Year Planner and stick to it. Just remember to always keep it simple!
[caption id="attachment_13461" align="alignleft" width="270"] Fillable Homestead As A Business Year Planner[/caption]
Simplified Printable To Organize Your Homestead Business Off Or Online
Creating and running your homestead as a business doesn’t have to be challenging or difficult using the Fillable Homestead As A Business Year Planner. It can be a simple and fun process by deciding: (1) what is your niche or cottage industry; (2) what are your business goals; (3) how to fund your business without borrowing; (4) where to sell everywhere online; (5) what is your product and service inventory; (6) what is your marketing and advertising strategy; (7) how much did you earn in weekly sales. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when there is so much information out there to start and operate a homebased business both off and online. I am big on keeping things simple. Therefore, I want to help you strip away all the excess and find what is really important to YOU on your homestead that can earn you money. Once you figure this out, it will be much easier to create a Homestead As A Business Year Planner and stick to it. Just remember to always keep it simple!
Once you have a pretty fair idea of the prices, etc., at local florist shops, get in touch with other ladies who grow those plants in their homes.
The contact with these ladies should be in person.
Tips From The Expert
The following expert tips tell you how to approach them:
TELL her or him that you heard from a mutual friend or acquaintance that, “You have a very green thumb,” and make admiring comments like, “Your plants are said to be the loveliest in the area.” Compliments never hurt.
ASK her or him if they have ever thought of making a few “extra dollars” from their hobby. Somewhere deep inside most of them would love to own a florist shop or green house.
TELL them that you are setting up a deal with houseplant lovers like them who grow plants in their homes, so they can make some extra money from their hobby. “You have the talent, enjoy doing it, and already have surplus plants, why not make a little money at it too?”
OFFER them this deal: If you are interested, I will supply you with a price list showing how much I will pay for various potted plants of specific size. They in turn will keep you updated with a list of plants they have available, how many and what type. You will sell those plants for them. You come by and pay for them when you pick them up. REMEMBER: These people are already growing plants; so you don’t have to convince them to grow a few more. They will increase their production after meeting you, especially since now they can make a few dollars selling what they used to give away for free.
Selling Houseplants
There are a number of ways to sell houseplants you will be getting from your “growers,” such as:
Run a classified ad online in Facebook Marketplace and your local newspaper.
Consider the free ad newspapers in the surrounding area.
This ad should read something like this.
POTTED PLANTS. Call me before you call a high-priced florist. Phone:
When someone calls, ask them what the occasion is, then give them a list of the flowers you have available.
These days you can offer photos and prices on Facebook Marketplace in addition to having your own website.
Also, tell them what kind of pots and planters you have available.
If you need new and attractive flower pots, get the ones on sale cheaply at semi-wholesale places like Ikea and Dollar Tree.
When customers order plants from you, pick them up from the growers (or pick them up ahead of time to play it safe), personally deliver them to the customers who ordered them and get the cash.
Or, with Facebook Marketplace, etc. you can schedule a home pick up time.
NOTE: Keep your “quality” standards high.
If you go to pick up a plant and that grower has only some rather dried out, sickly looking plants available, simply tell her you can’t sell them.
Always have a second source for every kind of plant, which is why you need to source the plants in advance.
By the way, this won’t happen very often because the people who grow plants in their homes love their plants too much to offer you the sick ones.
Besides, you are helping them to make money selling houseplants.
Place placards in all of the hospitals in your area, something like this:
LIVING PLANTS for your loved ones. Call me before you call a high-priced florist. Phone:
This same message can be placed in Facebook groups, on Instagram, your church, etc.
Wholesale
Sell plants in lots to florists.
Go around to plant nurseries that supply your local florists and find out how much they get for various plants.
Offer your products to local florists at a little better price.
Right before a special occasion, run a classified ad offering the flower of that occasion, such as carnations for Mother’s Day:
MOTHER’S DAY CARNATIONS, alive in planters, can’t wilt. Call me before you call a high-priced florist. Phone:…..
This kind of business usually snowballs once it gets going.
People who order from you once, reorder and tell their friends.
In no time at all, you can be making a few thousand dollars per month.
More Tips From The Expert
In locating your growers, it is not a good idea to advertise for them because you don’t want the local florist shops to know your source. Each grower you contact will probably put you in contact with two or three others like themselves.
Check with any “gardening clubs” in your area.
Unless you plan on growing some plants yourself, it is not necessary to learn about potting procedures, flowering cycles, growth time, etc. Your growers will know all of those things from experience. If you need to know anything about plants, ASK one of them.
In keeping with my philosophy of sharing the wealth and also letting other people make the money for you, find someone who can answer calls for you, pick up and deliver the plants, and keep your lists and photos of available stuff updated. Give this person a percentage of your profits or a weekly stipend. A good choice for this job is a retired woman or one with a new baby who has a phone and wants to make a few dollars to occupy her time or supplement her Social Security. There are zillions of competent retired people, sometimes former executives, who want to stay active. As they are not young and hungry like you are, they won’t usually hijack your business and go into competition with you. Treat them right and they will be very grateful for the opportunity and productive activity you offer.
If you want to cut out the “middle people” and you are a prolific houseplant grower, it would save you a lot of money.
And/or, in addition to sourcing houseplants from other growers, you can provide some of your own and still keep most of the profit.
Pricing
Your pricing—the amount you pay your growers and the price you sell the plants for—is determined by the current price structures of the florist shops in your area.
Don’t try to cut their prices too much, but do offer your customers prices maybe 25% lower than florists.
Pay your growers about 25% of the price for which you will be selling the plants.
Pay 25% of what you hope to get for your inventory.
If your margin is less than that you won’t cover your costs and overhead.
Planters
Add to your profits immensely by offering planters, boxes and pots of various styles.
These planters can be obtained from the “Mark Down,” or “On Sale” bins at Ikea , wholesale houses or Dollar Tree.
Maybe you can make even more money by offering handmade planters made by local potters and crafters, or your hubbie.
Just have your grower either change the plant over to the new planter when you go to pick it up for delivery.
Or, have the grower supply you with a disposable plastic pot.
You drop it into the more attractive ceramic pot.
Wholesaling
After you have found out the going wholesale prices of the plant nurseries for various plants, ask one of your growers how long it would take to start from clippings and have available 100 (whatever type) plants.
Go to the florists and offer to supply 100 of those plants by the available date at a price below the nursery price.
When the florist places an order, get your growers to make clippings and start the plants.
Pay your growers about 25% of what you will get from the florists.
100 plants can add up to a nice bit of money.
It’s up to you whether you can afford to make less on wholesale deals than on one-at-a-time sales.
Find a happy pricing medium where both you and your growers will be happy.
Also, poinsettias for Christmas, etc.
ASK your growers how long it takes to get these flowers ready from clippings to be ready on the right holiday.
Have each grower start a number of that flower in advance of the holiday so it will be ready for delivery on the holiday.
Always tell your customers that you do not sell “Cut Flowers” because they soon wilt, whereas, potted plants and especially Cactus can stay alive and lovely for a long time.
Tonza Borden is a former International Banking Professional, SunTrust International Services, Inc.; Public Affairs Officer, Public Affairs Specialist/Photo Journalist Intern, Department of Defense, Army. She is an avid rural homesteader and permaculture gardener. Her college degree is in Management.
Tonza doesn't just write about rural money and how to make money in rural areas, she has started two highly profitable and successful businesses: House Cleaning Service Atlanta and Atlanta Estate Sale Service. Her housecleaning business alone purchased her Rural Money Homestead in 2009.
She has also authored Secret Of Estate Sales Marketing Success among other books, eBooks, and provides digital income opportunity reports at the Rural Money 'Shop'.
Rural Money is a frugal personal finance blog that empower people living in rural areas to use these actionable rural income opportunities, ideas and strategies to solve their lack of money for a better life for their family.
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