Ever since I started this business I’ve struggled with the balance of project timelines. In my mind, when I opened in February of 2020, I was going to take things slow, do a project here and there, and just ease into this world of landscape design one day at a time.

Little did I know we were on the brink of a freaking pandemic AND THEN that everyone would subsequently want to spend their vacation money on home projects inside and out because hey, we were all AT HOME.

The whirlwind of my first two years in business is rather insane to look back on. So many ups and downs, flying by the seat of my pants, feeling like a fraud (#impostersyndrome), putting my face on stories every single stupid day 😅 and churning out projects like nobody’s business got me feeling a whole lotta burnout, anxiety, and depression.

I tried having a set amount of consultations a month. I tried batching them all to ONE DAY per month to save on travel time and have more time in the office for design/drafting. Problem was, everyone kept signing contracts. What started as a 50% signing rate turned into a 90% signing rate (#blessed but also “oh 💩”).

Last summer, things hit a head and I was also dealing with a couple of different health issues all at once so I decided it “would be best” to take a “nice, stable job” working for someone else. That was NOT the best. 😅

As we’ve reopened and revisited our business processes, I’m REALLY trying not to bite off more than I can chew, because, in the end, it’s bad for me AND my clients. Setting realistic expectations from the beginning is so important, and I’ve been blessed time and time again by amazing clients who have been patient all along the way and who make everything I’m doing worth it, but I want to be better. Especially at that part. I’m trying to keep project timelines realistic. I’m charging more because I have to get paid in order to have a business, but by doing that I’m pricing out a lot of people who may just need a little bit of input.

Because of that, I’ve decided it’s time to start offering more affordable options to people not interested in full plan sets. I miss being out and about, going to the nurseries, and visiting with people who are interested in what I do and need direction for their space. We’re now offering one or two days a month (depending on my availability and your interest) for consultation time only, no plans. You’ll have the option to add in things like nursery/plant shopping or a customized plant palette which acts as your shopping list after we meet. At this point, I’m thinking I’ll just post the day that I have, see how many people are interested, and we’ll go from there. Times will need to be flexible because my route will be dependent upon where everyone lives. (I don’t want to be backtracking all over the valley all day.)

You can find our schedule link here, on the first page of this website (scroll down…I may move it up soon also) or there’s a link (“book now” button) in my Instagram bio.

I’m excited about it and I hope you are too! Thanks for being here.

-Lauren