- It feels really, really good to have found my calling
during a pandemic.
(sign claps) (Kat laughs)
I'm Kat Hernandez, and I am the founder/owner
of Juanita's Plants.
(upbeat music)
The pandemic happened, I was super broke,
and I was just kinda like, "Hey, I'm gonna take this time
to reflect what's next for my life."
I've always been a plant lover, and things like that,
so I started selling plants on Facebook.
I love doing this, so why not now?
Juanita's Plants is a plant delivery service,
here in New York City. We deliver to all five boroughs.
We also do plant decor for offices
and people's apartments.
Offering the delivery service, especially during a pandemic,
that was definitely super helpful for my business.
People were now working from home.
You care about the environment that you're in.
Maybe you're like, "My apartment is kinda crap,
I need to make something happen here,
so let me bring in some plants."
Okay, and I'm not saying this so people can buy my plants,
but one of the largest comments is that people say
that my plants look so healthy that they look fake.
And that's because I feel like the bread
and butter of my business is the fact
that I make sure and pick out the best plants,
the most healthier plants, potentially do some trimming,
maybe some repotting, just to make sure
that the plant is in the best soil possible
so that it can grow nicely in your home.
I would kind of wrap it up, put my little logo on it,
and you would get it delivered to your door.
My mom and my partner helps me run the business,
so it's kind of us three grinding it out.
Sasha, my partner, is my manpower.
Some of these plants are super heavy,
but he also helps me at pop ups,
because I can be a little timid and a little shy,
and he's very extroverted, so he definitely helps me
talk to people, and just kind of get myself out there.
My mom, she's a hustler.
Ever since I was a young girl, she'll buy something,
she's always tryin' to flip it.
I've gotten the hustle from my mama,
and she's just my support system
and always to just encourage me to keep going.
You need emotional support when you're starting a business,
and these people have definitely helped me.
(upbeat music)
I started selling plants on Facebook,
and it was kind of difficult to keep track of orders
and inventory, and I was just winging it
as to what was available at nurseries.
(upbeat music)
Creating my website on GoDaddy definitely impacted
my business in the sense that I was able to monitor
the orders, the sales, what was selling, what was not,
how much inventory I had, and sort of really
just organize myself in that way.
Now I have something a little more structured and organized
to really run a business successfully,
as well as a presence.
I needed an online presence to show people,
"Hey, we're a legit business, and we got it goin' on."
Getting the first sale on my website
was really, really exciting.
It was a $200 order, which I personally delivered
to her house and she posted it on social media,
and I got 30 orders and a bunch of followers
that same night.
It just took off, and it was a really, really,
really good feeling, and I just felt like I was definitely
doing something right.
My first order kind of led to this thread
of more orders, and more attention on social media.
Getting sales is definitely one of the challenges,
'cause ultimately, you need more people
to know about your business, your brand.
So, I'm always thinking about that.
I'm trying to be creative because I don't have
a large budget. Because once people know
your business exists, you have a good product,
it kind of just flourishes from there.
But it's getting over that hurdle.
At the end of the day, I don't know if this business
is sustainable, but all I'm doing is I'm just
gonna keep going. I'm gonna keep going with it.
And I feel like if I keep going with it,
it will be sustainable, because I'm giving it my energy.
I'm giving it my time. I'm giving it my creativity.
And believe in yourself. It's a lot of just
believing in yourself.
Keep going, keep believing, it doesn't matter
if anyone gets it, because it's ultimately that.
You have to believe in it, and just keep doing it.
(upbeat music)