Key Points
- Ladio set up a capital of $40,000 for her plant studio and retail space in Maidstone, Melbourne.
- For now, several income streams are found within the business: retail space, rental space and plant installation and maintenance for businesses who need indoor plants.
- One of the core values of her business is to help communities from wood makers, ceramicists within and beyond Australia.
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‘Plants are an escape’: Plantita on what inspired her to set up her business
SBS Filipino
07/05/202410:25
The entry to this industry was accidental for plant mom and entrepreneur Darlene Ladio.
Entry to the plant business was unexpected
While struggling to pay rent, Ladio decided to sell a plant she spruced up using native accessories she bought from the op-shop.
After two weeks of posting on Marketplace, she made $80 from that sale.
“It was unthinkable that someone bought that plant. I was so broke that time and I just wanted to give selling a try,” Ladio says.
That moment cleared the path to put up a plant business during the pandemic. Her retail space ‘Tahanan ['Home' in Filipino] Studio,’ located in Maidstone, Victoria.
Investment in her retail store was $40,000
To make the space look full and polished, Ladio poured in $40,000. Apart from stocking up on plants, she also began selling products from the Philippines.
These included brass jewellery created and designed by women in Palawan. There are also ‘banigs’, or traditional handwoven mast of the Philippines which can also be used as sleeping mats.
One of our core values is to connect with the makers. I want to represent craftmanship from the Philippines and present here in the Australian market.Darlene Ladio, Entrepreneur
Revenue around plants
Revenues revolve around plants. These include:
· Plant consultation – Ladio visits the space (even for businesses) that need to incorporate indoor plants are guided about which greenery is suitable.
· Plant installation – this is where all the material such as pots are brought in to make the client’s vision come to life.
· Plant maintenance – pamper packages such as wiping off the bugs, cutting dried leaves, etc. are made available to plant babies.
With a steady following of about 14,300 on Instagram, Ladio seems to be well-placed to secure additional avenues to make her plant business sustainable.
Rental space became another income stream
Ladio now rents out spaces within her store for intimate events.
To scale up the business, Ladio says, “Selling a lot of stuff, that’s not me. But I will be intentional in being selective about the range of products that I will keep for the store.”
