This story is part of CNBC Make It’s Six-Figure Side Hustle series, where people with lucrative side hustles break down the routines and habits they’ve used to make money on top of their full-time jobs. Do you have a story to tell? Tell us! Email us at AskMakeIt@cnbc.com.
When Leena Pettigrew tells friends she makes over $100,000 a year selling plants online, they usually think she means cannabis.
In reality, the full-time IT analyst spends 20 hours a week sourcing, growing, packaging and selling houseplants from variegated micans and Anthurium luxurians to Philodendron Ring of Fires in her Houston garage.
With almost no prior gardening experience, Pettigrew began buying plants to renovate her house in 2022, she says. When her office, bedroom and living room were “overrun” with eight-foot-tall Monstera plants, she looked for ways to sell them.
Her search led her to Palmstreet, an online marketplace for plants, crystals and home decor. She joined the platform in June 2023 and brought in nearly $148,600 in revenue in one year, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
The 44-year-old is also a paid consultant on the platform now, and helps train new salespeople, she says.
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Most of her sales come from live streaming sessions. Twice a week, Pettigrew auctions off plants — bought from local nurseries or other online vendors — for four hours or more at a time on Palmstreet. Sometimes she is joined by her husband Marquise. They sell about 100 plants per stream, all of which are sent to the entire country, she says.
“When I first started, I was extremely anxious on camera and felt like I had to prepare a lot to be successful,” says Pettigrew, adding, “I still get nervous and sometimes take a shot of bourbon beforehand.”
Still, her business is profitable and earns enough for her husband to cut his hours significantly at a car dealership they co-own, she says. Marquise and five contract employees now assist Pettigrew with customer service, marketing and shipping.
Here, Pettigrew discusses how she honed her side hustle, the pros and cons of turning her hobby into a business, and how other people can copy her success.
CNBC Make It: Do you think your pageant is replicable? How much does it cost to get started?
Pettigrew: I think almost everyone can do it – but not everyone.
Palmstreet is competitive. It costs about $1,000 to build enough of an inventory for the platform to accept your application. There’s a commitment that goes into this, whether it’s selling on live streams, tending to your plants, or posting on social media.
You have to stand out. Good customer service and having unique plants can help, but I think personality makes the biggest difference. If you want people to watch your live streams, you need to have enthusiasm and joy for what you do and be yourself.
Does that level of enthusiasm and joy come naturally to you?
I am very introverted and shy. When I first started, my husband had to come out on live streams with me so I would feel more comfortable. We’re both goofy, so he helps me goof around, have fun and not take myself so seriously, which I think helps us connect with clients.
I also need some downtime after the live streams. Otherwise I’m irritable.
You and your husband own a car dealership together, and your husband still spends about six hours a week running it. What is the main difference between it and selling plants online?
Selling plants is much less stressful.
In the auto repair shop, the customers trusted us to come to work. Sometimes having their car broken down and having to pay for it was the worst day of their lives. Our workers also relied on us for their household income and it was hot and dirty.
When we sell plants, people spend their disposable income on things they want. Our contract workers are part-time, and while there is still some dirt involved, at least it is more concentrated.
Have you experienced any downsides to turning your hobby into a business?
The side hustle and my husband and I’s remote jobs are all out of our house. This can make it difficult to stop working.
Sometimes we feel that we do not have time for our spiritual needs. So we’ve started going on weekend trips, even just around Texas, to physically get out of the house, get away from work, and connect with each other.
Once you own your own business, you can’t turn it off. There is always something more to do.
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