We recently connected with Kayla Lamb and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Kayla, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
My parents. Both sets of parents (I’m a product of divorce), are the epitome of ‘workaholics’. My step father still works for the same company he applied for when he was 17, my mother always has 2-3 jobs and my biological father is just the same. I grew up rarely seeing my parents due to their addiction to working and hustling; and learning that if you don’t work hard, you can’t have nice things. I began working when I was 14, and haven’t stopped a day since. I skipped the college route, because I’d rather be working and making money, than digging myself into debt. Plus — who really know what they want to be when they’re just 18?! As I got into my late 20s, I discovered there can be a better work-life balance than my parents had practiced, so I worked hard to make that happen. I’d rather work to live, than live to work. Settling into my landscaping company was the perfect way to do that. I work hard from April to October, so I can hit the road and travel from November to March. Giving me a lovely balance of working and living my best life!
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I grew up on the East Coast in New Hampshire and moved out when I was 17 to the Midwest. My beloved grandparents live on a 3 acre garden in Wisconsin and I spent my summers here growing up. I fell in love with gardening through them pretty quickly. As I moved around in my young adulthood, I often offered my experience and expertise in gardening to my friends and neighbors. When I finally settled down in Des Moines, Iowa, I quickly noticed that there was a need for Garden and Landscape help within my community. So I quit my job in corporate America, hired some of my closest friends to help out, and hit the ground running, offering garden maintenance and landscape help to anybody who needed it. We specialize in weekly and monthly maintenance as well as completely redesigning existing gardens. I put a lot of effort into caring for my staff as I know it’s not easy work, but it can be really fun! Who doesn’t love to play with Flowers all day? I hire folks who have their own passions within the gardening world, so if you love houseplants, or if you love garden design, or if you just love to get your hands dirty… This is the perfect place for you. I’ve been in business for seven years now, and I would say my favorite part of the job is when the clients come home at the end of their workday and just can’t believe the transformation of their property! It means a lot to a lot of folks to have their gardens taken care of so they can ‘keep up with the Joneses’ without having to lift a finger. We recently launched a house plant nannying service, which helps our clients take care of their beloved indoor plants all season long. We are super excited about this service, and we can’t wait to make every home in Des Moines an Instagram worthy indoor jungle! We also do a lot for our community, offering our services to our local schools, businesses and low income neighborhoods. Our ultimate goal is to beautify every Des Moines neighborhood one day and one flower at a time.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three qualities, skills or areas of knowledge that were most impactful on my journey would have to be patience, perseverance, and curiosity! The landscape industry is a male heavy industry in our area, and I was pretty insecure about injecting myself in this industry knowing full well I was one of the only female owned businesses. But I stayed positive and persevered. I stayed positive with my staff and my clients, always striving to provide the best experience for everyone. I want my clients to have the garden of their dreams, and I want my staff to enjoy their jobs! I’ve stayed curious about the gardening trends in our area as well as business practices other small businesses are doing. I am always changing and updating the way I do things, and I think that’s the best key to success! If you’re not growing, what are you doing? I discovered early on that I can literally do anything I set my mind to, it may just be one step at a time and one planted flower at a time. But after enough days and planted flowers… You have a beautiful garden to be proud of!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I feel overwhelmed most of the time during our busy season. I find myself strapped to my laptop, doing the backend/HR work that comes with owning a business for 10 to 12 hours a day. But I just have to remind myself why I started this business in the first place. I enjoy strolling through greenhouses, selecting specific flowers for folks, watching my clients children play and smell the flowers in the garden I installed for them. So, when I get myself in a rut and feel extremely overwhelmed, I take a break from what I’m doing, I stroll through a greenhouse, I buy myself a flower or drive by clients houses whom I’ve installed gardens for for the last several years. One of the most rewarding moments was when I drove by a garden that I installed years ago, with a tree that is now strong enough to hold a child’s swing for the family. The biggest piece of advice I can give to new business owners is to learn to delegate tasks early. I struggled with this, and I felt like I needed to carry the whole world on my shoulders. But that’s just not how it should work. Early on, find the trusted people who can help take tasks off your plate so you can get back to enjoying why you started your business in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thegardengroomer.com
- Instagram: @the_garden_groomer
- Facebook: The Garden Groomer DSM
