2024 Review: My Raw & Real Garden Business Journey
You know how New Year’s always feels like the perfect time for fresh starts and big dreams? Last year, I didn’t dive in on January 1st. Instead, on February 25th, I planted the first seed of Digital Garden Girl with a single Instagram post—and the truth? I had no clue what I was doing.
I dreamed of creating a six-figure garden business while juggling my full-time teaching job. What grew instead was even more valuable: a sustainable business rooted in authenticity and “let’s get our hands in the soil” wisdom.
Whether you're a gardener dreaming of earning income in 2025, a garden creator seeking sustainable systems, or a service-based garden business owner selling products that help gardens grow, growing a garden business doesn’t have to feel like chaos planting.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at my first year as an entrepreneur—the wins that had me dancing in the garden and the moments I stared at blank screens wondering, “What am I even doing?”
What Worked (And What You Can Learn From It)
1. Building a Community That Cares
Starting from zero taught me a powerful lesson: authenticity beats algorithms every time. In just 10 months, we grew to 8,573 Instagram followers and 530 email subscribers with a 43.1% open rate – double the industry average. This tells me we've built something special: a community of people who genuinely want to learn about turning their garden expertise into a business.
This wasn't a happy accident. By experimenting with content, sharing free advice, and showing real progress (“A year ago… 6 months ago… Now…”), I built trust overtime.
Tip for you: Focus on building trust through authentic storytelling. The numbers will follow when you prioritize genuine connection.
2. The Best Business Investment
Learning is the first step toward transformation. I started by immersing myself in free resources – from Jenna Kutcher's podcasts to Ashlyn Carter's copywriting videos and Jay Clouse's blog posts. I took detailed notes and implemented everything I could before spending a dime. This time was worth the investment.
Once I had a foundation, I strategically chose three courses that solved my immediate challenges: affiliate marketing to start earning, digital products to master online sales, and course creation to scale. While dozens of courses tempted me, I only invested in what aligned with my current needs.
Tip for you: Start with free resources, implement what you learn, then invest strategically in paid education that aligns with your current goals.
3. Building My Business Off Instagram
Burnout from posting twice daily on Instagram led me to my love for long-form writing - weekly newsletters and blogs. These allowed deeper, long-term connections with my audience without the constant pressure of social media or a finicky algorithm.
Since launching my website in October, we've hit 961 visits and growing SEO momentum. But the real win? Building something I own. No more being tied to platform changes or cramming expertise into captions. This shift not only preserved my energy but created lasting content that truly serves our community.
Tip for you: Your content strategy should energize, not drain you. Listen to your instincts about what feels sustainable.
Check out this blog post: Why Your Instagram Isn't Making Sales (And The Simple System to Fix It) to get a deep dive into my strategy.
4. Lead Magnet Success
My first affiliate marketing freebie generated 63% of my total leads to my email list. Later experiments with quizzes (7% of leads since November) and a mini-course (3% of leads) attracted more serious community members! Yeah, I’m talking about you. Though fewer in number, these high-quality leads became the core of my community.
Tip for you: Don't just chase lead numbers – focus on attracting the right people who align with your long-term vision.
5. Repurposing Content for Maximum Impact
Instead of creating one-and-done content, I developed a system to maximize every piece of content's value. A successful reel can be repurposed into so many pieces of content. For example, I’m starting to turn one reel into a blog post, which feeds into my newsletter, becomes part of my evergreen email sequence, and generates Pinterest graphics – then repeats every three months. While this system is new, it's already helping me work smarter, not harder, with my content creation.
Tip for you: Extend the life of your best content. Create systems that work smarter, not harder.
6. Creating My First Digital Product
My first digital product—a simple PDF—accounted for 64% of my digital product sales. It answered my community’s most-asked question: “How do I monetize my garden?”. And it sells like hotcakes.
Too often, I get the question, “What should I create?”. And my answer to our community is often a disappointing one. I say, “Solve the problem your community keeps asking about. Then, make the product around it.” Once you have that under wraps, choosing the medium - whether it’s a downloadable ebook, template, planner, course, subscription membership, or a 1:1 coaching client - comes down to your strengths and passions. If you don’t like working one on one for a client’s dream garden, garden consulting or coaching may not be for you. Chaos gardener by heart? Probably shouldn’t make an in depth planner or garden plan dashboard.
Tip for you: Create products that solve real problems you've identified in your community. Look at the questions you see constantly popping into your inbox or searched on your favorite platforms.
What Didn't Work (And What I Learned)
1. Perfectionist Paralysis
Too many days were spent staring at blank screens, afraid to make the wrong move. The breakthrough came when I started taking my own advice I’d give my highschoolers when they felt stuck: just pick something and do it. Option 1 or 2 – commit and move forward. In 2025, I'm tracking every single task to combat that "I'm not doing anything" feeling.
2. The Identity Crisis
"I don't know what I do" became my mantra for way too long. I struggled to define my role—coach, consultant, strategist? Clarity came when I stopped fitting into predefined boxes and embraced my unique mix of gardening expertise and business strategy.
Looking back, this exploration was necessary but time-consuming. The clarity finally came when I stopped trying to fit into someone else's business model and embraced my unique blend of gardening expertise and business strategy. This is what I call your F.O.C.U.S. Factor.
That's why finding your FOCUS factor is so important before you start planting those business seeds. Let me share this framework that changed everything for me:
Foundation: The heart of what you do and how you do it
Others: The community you serve
Context: Your unique corner of the world
Understand: The transformation your people are craving
Season: Why your work matters right now
Here's your fill-in-the-blank magic: "I'm the only [FOUNDATION] for [OTHERS] in [CONTEXT] who want [UNDERSTAND] in an era of [SEASONS]."
3. Over-Planning, Under-Executing
“Planning is only valuable when paired with action.” I made spreadsheets for my spreadsheets but often hesitated to take action. Plans are great, but they don't make money sitting in Google Drive. In 2025, I’m hitting this head on. Some of my non-negoables are: (1) act more than I plan, (2) complete at least 80% of the plans I write down, (3) choose a system, get scrappy with it, and stick with it until I outgrow it.
4. Shiny Object Syndrome
I was the queen of platform hopping this year – bouncing from Beacons to StanStore to Squarespace, spending countless hours moving data and emails between platforms. At the time, managing all the backend stuff felt like a waste of time, but it taught me valuable lessons about what works for beginners. Sometimes the "fancy new tool" isn't what you need – focus on fundamentals first.
Eventually, I realized I needed to stop taking platform advice from just anyone. I found entrepreneurs I trusted, studied their strategies, and made sure their business model actually aligned with my vision. Landing on Squarespace in October finally gave me the professional foundation I needed - a home base that our community could count on.
5. Course Validation Strategy
Following Amy Porterfield’s framework, I went out to validate my first course idea with what she calls the "First 10" strategy. Unfortunately, the course validation approach didn't hit its target. But here's what I learned: it wasn't necessarily the idea that failed and I needed to scrap all my hard work– it was probably the marketing. And that's okay. It's data, not defeat. This experience taught me valuable lessons about marketing and audience needs that I'll carry into future launches.
What’s Growing in 2025
This year was about planting seeds; 2025 is for nurturing growth. While I haven’t replaced my teaching salary yet, I’ve built something more valuable: a sustainable business aligned with my values and a community that feels like family. Here’s what I’m focusing on as I enter the New Year:
Action Over Analysis My top priority is maintaining momentum. I'm tracking every task and celebrating small wins to combat imposter syndrome and keep moving forward.
Sustainable Systems Building on what works: long-form content, genuine community engagement, and smart platform choices. This includes expanding our content repurposing system and focusing on SEO growth.
Revenue Growth With foundations in place and a clear understanding of what resonates with my audience, it's time to scale our digital products and explore new opportunities that align with my strengths.
Community First Continuing to prioritize real connections over quick sales, because that's what makes this whole journey worthwhile. This includes more personalized support and resources for our core community members.
If you’re a gardener, creator, or small business owner who is starting from scratch in 2025 (or just feel like you are), remember that everyone you admire started exactly where you are. I mean, just look at me. I’m still the face, brains, and chaos behind Digital Garden Girl. Your journey won't look like anyone else's, and that's the beauty of it. Whether you're just planting the seeds of your business idea or ready to scale like you grow your garden, focus on building something sustainable that brings you joy.
P.S. If you're feeling alone in your garden business journey, remember this post next time you're staring at a blank screen or wondering if you're "doing enough." We're all figuring it out together, one season at a time.
