We recently connected with Tracy Yang and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
In 2020, my eight year career in fitness ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I was devastated, but I wasn’t hopeless. I did, however, allow myself the time to grieve because I really loved my career then. My sister has a flower farm that the family has always pitched in to help with. Of course with all this time on my hands suddenly, my sister asked me to start helping out with her business. At the time, all the farmers markets were closed because of the pandemic so the only way we were able to sell flowers was to offer contactless delivery. My sister did not want to spend all of her time driving, so that was my job; I was her delivery driver. Around the same time I was doing all of this, I met my life partner, Nick. Mother’s Day is always the biggest weekend of the year for flowers so it’s always a whole family affair. That particular Mother’s Day, I decided to invite Nick to work alongside my family. It can be rather brutal so usually we’re all tired and stressed out, but Nick was having the time of his life. At the end of that weekend, he said, “you know, we should get into this.” Without any hesitation, I shot his idea down. Seeing the struggle that my sister and my mother went through as farmers, I did not want to deal with any of that. Of course, my mother heard what Nick said and went, “Yeah! You guys totally should!” She has never pressed me to be a part of the family flower business before, but I think because Nick expressed interest, she saw this as an opportunity to get me involved. After a month or so of nagging me, I agreed to give it a try. I told the both of them that I’d give the whole flower farming thing one season. If I did not like it, we drop it and move on with our lives. Nick and my mom agreed. Immediately, I became my mom’s apprentice, learning the ins and outs of flowers and farming. In the midst of learning, I started to grow a deep appreciation of more than just farming. As a first-generation Hmong-American, I grew up feeling embarrassed, or even ashamed, about certain aspects of my Hmong heritage so I think I spent a lot of my youth pushing away at that part of my identity. I realized that this farming apprenticeship was bringing me closer to my mom, my family. Through that, I was learning more about the history and culture of my people. Hearing my mom’s stories about her childhood and her struggles she dealt with as a Hmong immigrant post-Vietnam War, it opened my eyes to a lot of things and brought me closer to my roots. That apprenticeship made me realize that farming isn’t just something that Hmong people do. After centuries of practicing the craft, it’s become a part of who we are and has influenced a lot of aspects of our culture.
Although family and culture was the initial reason I began to appreciate farming, what solidified my decision to become a farmer was the emotions I would see people experience upon seeing our flowers and the memories or stories they have with flowers that they would share with me. That really humbled me and through those moments, I came out of that season being like, “Okay, we’re doing this.” I never knew that flowers could have such a powerful effect. From that summer on, I totally believe that flower power is a real thing. Collectively, all these experiences that summer gave me a newfound purpose in life. I like doing what I do because I get to, 1) carry on my family’s legacy, 2) represent BIPOC and other underrepresented populations within the floral industry, and 2) spread love and joy to those in my community.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a flower farmer. I grow flowers and make floral arrangements from the flowers that I grow. My dream is to make locally grown flowers accessible to as many people as possible. This season, I am working on acquiring contracts with local grocery stores. I would love fresh, organic, and locally grown flowers to be accessible to my community. They are more sustainable and, to be frank, more beautiful than imported flowers. Their beauty really just lifts spirits and brightens up any room. Aside from larger scale distribution, I am working on growing my community supported agriculture (CSA) programs. A CSA is pretty much a subscription. Subscribers support our farm in the off-season and in return, when flowers come in season again, we share our bounty with them. I grew to really love this model of business because it allows me to connect directly to customers. It’s less transactional and more intentional.
I also started a floral collective in 2023 called SnoCo. Flower Collective (SnoCoFloCo for short). Through this floral collective, I hope to unite farmers so we can work together to provide our community with fresh, locally grown flowers. Improving accessibility to our product also means that our businesses can grow and continue serving our communities. Through the collective, I also hope to provide educational opportunities and resources that will help farmers grow their business.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I would say practicing perseverance, humility, and compassion have been the most impactful on my journey. If I haven’t said it enough, I’ll say it again: farming is HARD. Not just in physical labor, but the mental, emotional, and financial stress of it all is a lot of deal with. Despite these challenges though, I’m not willing to say no, I know that what I’m doing is beyond me, and I genuinely care about my community. Some advice I can give to those early on in their journey of entrepreneurship is to step outside of yourself and see your craft from someone else’s point of view every once in a while. You can learn a lot. Also, don’t be arrogant and think you know everything already. There is a learning opportunity in everything. Last but not least, believe in yourself. Your dreams are not crazy! If your dreams scare you or make you nervous, that’s great! That means you’re aiming high. You’re aiming for what you deserve in life.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I’m open to partner or collaborate with retailers that value supporting farmers (especially underrepresented ones), want to make a positive impact on the local economy, value sustainability, and simply just love flowers. I need them to see the value of offering locally grown flowers as a product to their customers. If you are a retailer in the Seattle area and you align with what I’m looking for, please do not hesitate to reach out to me! DM me on Instagram (@jarncoflowers) on Facebook (fb.com/jarncoflowers) or send me an email (hello@jarncompany.com). I’d be delighted to chat with you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jarncompany.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jarncoflowers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jarncoflowers
