For Melinda Meservy, opening her own business was a reprieve from a 20-year corporate career. She wanted to make herself happy while making others happy and plants had always kept her sane.
So, Melinda opened her own plant shop called Thyme and Place. She had two decades of experience in business and process improvement which helped tremendously when starting her own shop. She knew about inventory and how to set up a team. Melinda didn’t have any retail experience going in, but she says, “life is about learning.”
Melinda starts her day checking emails and Instagram, where she posts 1-2 times a day. When she gets to the shop she pots and prices new plants, or she might go on an early morning install for a client. A lot of her time is spent talking to people as they come in the shop. It’s a very social job. After a day at the shop, she goes home and continues to work. She didn’t grasp how much work it takes to keep plants happy and healthy. People come to her shop to find plants they know have been taken care of. She guides people through the process of care before they leave her store.
The first year was all about learning the tricks of the trade. She learned to recognize signs of trouble like pests, how and when to fertilize. She doesn’t have a background in horticulture, which she sees as a strength because she doesn’t have to stick to hard and fast rules. She can get a bit more creative.
She finds support in many places. She stays in touch with old colleagues and looks to other local business owners for advice. Her parents come into the shop to work every Friday. She even gets help from her customers, who take the trash out on Mondays so she can steer clear on her one day off.
Her advice to women who want to start a business:
Trust your gut. Trust that you can do it. Women tend to feel like they need to earn it.
Be persistent and keep moving. Don’t let anything stick to you.
Find Melinda at Thyme and Place, 362 900 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 84111, or https://www.thymeandplaceslc.com/.