Check Out Veronica Leon’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Veronica Leon. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Veronica is the mastermind behind Verde Tribe. A native of Quito, Ecuador, that made Charlotte her home in 2001. Her love for houseplants started thanks to her grandma, Carli. She remembers abuelita Carli talking to her houseplants while she removed dead leaves and watered them. 

Veronica’s passion for houseplants began when she moved to Spain in 2017 for a year to get her Masters in Marketing. She found herself adding indoor plants to her new space because they helped her feel like she had a little piece of home with her while she was away. 

Veronica moved back to Charlotte in 2018 and didn’t want to return to the corporate world. She always dreamed of having her own business and being able to give back to her community. She thought about all the things that brought her joy, and houseplants were one of them! 

She did a lot of research and found that indoor plants had excellent benefits like purifying the air, lowering stress levels, improving productivity, and making our body and mind feel happier and healthier. She wanted to help people bring greenery into their homes, and in February 2019, Verde Tribe was born. 

Veronica started learning everything about different plants and their care. Plus, her abuelita Carli shared all her tips and tricks. With trial and error, Veronica became a houseplant expert and a plant mom of 130+ houseplants. 

She can help new plant parents and plant beginners develop their green thumb. She can suggest which plants will do well in any space with her Plant Styling services. Also, she can diagnose any plant problem and provide the perfect solutions for plant babies to thrive with her At-Home Consultations or Virtual Consultations! 

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?
There have been some struggles for sure. I created a business that was not very common, and there was not enough information or people willing to guide me, like where to buy wholesale plants in small amounts or where to find nice planters with drainage holes at reasonable prices. 

I was a pop-up plant shop when I started, and I relied a lot on doing events, and when the pandemic hit, I thought I was going to lose it all. Gladly, I had my website built up, and I decided to start selling plants online. I delivered plants to customers locally, and I taught myself how to ship plants to other states. It was the best thing that I could have thought. The pandemic helped my business grow. 

After the pandemic ended, my online sales went down, and I started to do events again. There were tons of new people selling plants, and it became very competitive. I realized that people would look for me for advice more than to buy plants, and that’s when I decided to change my business model. I moved from selling plants to helping plant beginners grow their green thumb with easy plant care tips. 

I embrace change, and I have loved to see my business grow in so many ways. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a houseplant expert, I specialize in helping people choose, care for, and enjoy their indoor plants. I am known as the Plant Doctor because of my ability to diagnose and solve plant problems and for my passion for helping people learn how to love their plants. 

I’m most proud of the fact that I taught myself how to care for houseplants. I started out with a few basic plants and learned by trial and error. I killed a few plants along the way, but I also learned a lot. Now I have over 130 thriving houseplants, and I love sharing my knowledge with others so they don’t have to struggle with the same things I did when I was first starting out. 

What sets me apart from others is my deep knowledge of houseplants, my passion for helping people, and my commitment to providing personalized service. I offer home visits and virtual consultations, and I am always available to answer questions and provide guidance. All my clients have seen their plants thrive after one of my services. 

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up.
I had an amazing childhood! I come from a big family, and the first thing that came to mind was when we used to get together at my grandma’s house. We were at least 20 people, and each of us had a specific task to help with lunch/dinner. All you can hear was laughter, and eating together was full of joy. 

Pricing:

• 60-minute Houseplant Consultation $85
• 30-minute Plant Virtual Consultation $35
• Plant Styling Service $150+

Contact Info:

• Website: www.verdetribe.com
• Instagram: @verdetribe
• Facebook: facebook.com/verdetribe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vpleon
• Twitter: @verdetribe

Image Credits
Diana Mahecha