Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoe Chavis and Alex Medina.
Hi Zoe and Alex, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My partner, Alex, bought me a cactus almost 4 years ago. I didn’t think I had much of a green thumb, but I gave it a try! After some time, I saw the growth of the cactus and thought, “Okay, maybe I can do this!” I started making cactus and succulent arrangements and found so much joy in learning about those types of plants. I wanted to share that love and show people they can turn their brown thumb into a green thumb with something as easy as a cactus! Over time, Alex became more than just my love, but also my partner in Prickle Babies LLC and has brought so much knowledge and passion. Today, we’re making this our year! We’re doing more pop-ups and workshops, and we even have a retail space in The Winter Park Collective! We’re so happy to be growing with the Central Florida plant community!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Yes and no! With Covid hitting hard, we had to take time away from Prickle Babies and make sure we were taking care of ourselves and each other. After things started reopening, we put everything into PB. From figuring out all the business aspects of running a business to making sure we sign up for every event/market possible! It has been a bumpy road but it has been so much fun figuring it all out and doing what we are passionate about! Worth everything.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our love for plants is what started prickle babies. Once we discovered that love for plants, we decided that’s what we wanted to do for the rest of our lives. Over time, through working with plants at garden stores to doing our own research, we have come to learn more and more about plants and we wanted to share that love and knowledge with everybody else. I feel like that is what we specialize in and that is what makes us stand out from everybody else.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice would be to start with research, maybe find a job within the field that you are interested in, and just be friends with people. You never know what kind of knowledge and experience people are gonna bring into your lives just by being a nice person. We learned a lot of what we know by working at different nurseries and doing research. It’s not only working in the field that gives you experience by doing, but it also gives you experience and knowledge through the people you encounter. People can have great advice and information that can result help you!
Contact Info:
- Website: PrickleBabies.com
- Instagram: @PrickleBabies
