Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa B.
Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My background is in fashion. Years of retail, then as a sales rep of all LA Based lines, eventually opening my showroom in the California Mart then becoming a designer and having a brand of my own. I love designing and the whole process of and idea becoming an actual thing you can use or wear or touch.
Shortly after remodeling my family home, a real estate agent and good friend asked if I wanted to do one of her client’s gardens and prep the property for the photoshoot and eventually for sale. I did it, very well I might add and loved it!
I closed my company and the rest is history. It’s almost seven years and hundreds of properties ago…
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I have been very fortunate but it has been quite a journey! At first, one of the hardest elements of the business and something that used to worry me the most was making sure that everything I planted stayed alive!
Then it was the bids & invoicing. Making sure you don’t lose money or overcharge. That is a very special skill. You also have to be honest and ethical so your clients trust you. Once you get the design process complete and the bid just right and the money straight, you can then just focus on giving the client what they want and building the most beautiful garden!
Learning the soils, fertilizers, shade and sun plants and proper irrigation was also key. There is a lot to know!
The material ordering is a skill for sure. You don’t ever want to be short or have too much extra…thats all money and time. The better I am at all of these skills, the more options the clients have and the more gorgeous the garden will be! I am always willing to take on the challenges. You have to be willing to learn to be the best at what you do.
Finally, it’s the little things and the follow through. Remembering a flower that the client said they loved or that their Mom had in the garden when they were growing up. Showing up and doing what you said you would do makes clients very happy. It has been essential to building my business.
We’ve been impressed with Virgo Designs & Landscaping, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Virgo Designs & Landscaping is a (VERY loud and proud) local landscape company that is a small, women-owned & operated business. We offer landscaping, CAD, garden design & planning, irrigation, potted plants, native gardens, succulents, complete garden makeovers, garden maintenance & tree & hedge trimming & landscape lighting.
I am a second-generation California Native, a plant & tree lover, as well as a mom of 3 amazing girls! This is all for them.
I will say that I have the most amazing team in the business! Not only are they all so skilled but just good old-fashioned honest, hardworking guys. They make VD&L what it is. One of our most frequent compliments is about how great they are. I couldn’t do any of it without them!
One thing we specialize in is making the gardens look like they’ve always been there and giving clients exactly what they want. Giving them the dream! Taking it out of their heads and bringing it to life!
The most amazing part is the before and after pics!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: virgodesignsandlandscaping.com
- Instagram: @virgodesignsandlandscaping
- Facebook: Virgo Designs & Landscaping
