"Plant Mama: Houston Couple Earnings €1.25 Crore Just One Year Into Online Plant Business"

A Houston-based IT professional, Leena Pettigrew, has turned her passion for indoor gardening into a lucrative business that is supporting not only her family but also changing the way she works.

In January 2022, Leena's journey as an Indoor Gardener began when a visit to a local store sparked an obsession. Soon, their home was filled with large plants, including Monsteras. She then started selling surplus plants on online marketplace Palmstreet through live-streamed auctions.

By July this year, the couple has been earning nearly 1.25 crore of rupees (around $148,600) in a single year from her plant business. Leena operates an extensive greenhouse in their garage where they manage to grow up to 1000 plants at any given time.

As Leena's online presence grew, she began to work as a consultant for Palmstreet, assisting new entrepreneurs with selling plants online. She has also convinced her husband Marquise to scale back his hours at the auto-repair shop he co-owns in order to focus on supporting their plant business and themselves financially.

Over the past year, Leena's IT Salary of around $90,000 per annum combined with  $1.25 crore earned so far from her side business has resulted in considerable savings. Their business can pay for Marquise's reduced income as well as provide support to other family members as well, thereby reducing some of the financial stress on the couple.

The turning point came when Leena and Marquise began working together in live-streamed auctions with their natural chemistry appearing through on the screen which resonated with numerous viewers who started buying more plants. Their Livestream results also saw high priced Monsteras fetched up to INR 9,500 ($115) per piece.

In an effort to reduce burnout and allow for work-life balance the couple is now prioritising their leisure activities like weekend trips across Texas to keep up with stress levels. Leena, though happy that their online plant business is working so well, is planning in expanding their greenhouse facility which would help take her online income to a level similar to or higher than her IT salary and also give more staff members the opportunity for gainful employment.