Today we’d like to introduce you to Gloria O’Hare.
Hi Gloria, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I love working with children, creating fun activities/curriculum, and planning fun events.
When my children were younger, I used to love throwing fun birthday parties for them. I would design the invitations, banners, centerpieces, party favors, etc. I taught myself how to use various programs to create things digitally. From there, I had friends and family ask me to create things for them, they told others, and that was my side hustle for about 10 years.
I also used to be a vendor at markets and craft fairs and decided to start an event of my own. I created Crafty & Chic and ran that twice a year for about 6 years.
I did all this while working full-time as a preschool teacher.
When I transitioned out of a preschool classroom after earning my BA in Public Relations, I began to work for a children’s garden. I instantly loved the connection of children with nature! I started running garden birthday parties, I created events, classes, curriculum, crafts, outdoor learning days, and summer day camp programs.
When the pandemic shut everything down, I came up with the idea to sell weekly gardening and craft kits for pickup. I even shipped a few out to those that asked. This gave me the idea to start a gardening activity subscription box. I always wanted to start a preschool-themed box back when I taught in a classroom setting, and so I decided to do a box based on what I was immersed in… gardening for kids! I came up with the name Sprout and Blossom because I had an idea for characters in my head of a little boy seed that would be Sprout and a girl flower called Blossom.
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?
I wouldn’t say it has been a smooth road, there are always challenges and obstacles along the way, but I do feel that my journey so far has been blessed. Once I decided to really focus on my business and stop treating it like a side hustle, things started to really grow and expand. The challenge that comes with growing and expanding is finding people to help you, who are committed to your mission and vision like you are.
We’ve been impressed with Sprout and Blossom, 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?
Sprout and Blossom started out as a gardening activity subscription box for kids. I was working for a children’s learning garden, teaching classes and creating programs for kids, and during the pandemic, things closed and slowed down, so I thought I should box up my ideas and send them out! So, I decided to go for it! And then I realized that I loved in-person teaching and loved being with the kids, so I decided to offer the box materials as classes as well. Now I have after-school enrichment programs at 3 different local schools, I am a vendor with several different charter schools, so I serve a lot of homeschooled families. And I have a lot of families who will attend classes when their kiddos are not in school, or if they only attend school on certain days, they will register for my classes on the other days.
I started my own business because I found myself giving all of my time, energy, creative ideas, and talents to someone else’s business, but ultimately did not have the control I needed to do all the things that I wanted to do and do them well. So, I decided that I should do everything I am doing but do it for my own business. I could have the final say in everything from price to what I offer and when it works for my schedule. If I did my own thing, then I could really grow how I want, do things the way I wanted, and not have anything hinder my growth and creative process.
The Blessing Center in Redlands, a non-profit organization that helps house young children and their single mothers in the Redlands area through their Transformative Houses of Hope program, has been a huge part in my growth and progress. They also have a community garden, “The Garden,” at Hannah’s House, and they have allowed me to come in and partner with them to provide my classes and events in the garden and create a little hub there!
I am a people person, and I think making connections with the kids and families I serve, networking with other small businesses in my community, and developing good relations with local schools is so important for my particular program.
And I think this is what sets me apart. I also am big on communication; it is so important to me that the families I serve feel like they can get a hold of me and can share progress, updates, and fun stories, and pictures of their kiddos as they pertain to what we do together.
My motto for Sprout and Blossom is “Plant seeds of kindness wherever you go.” and I want to instill this in the children who come my way. And not just by telling them to do it but by showing them how, in the way I treat them, how we interact with each other and nature during our time together, how we treat the animals and creatures in the garden and on the farm, and by planting and growing together.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think there are a lot of people getting back to nature, wanting their kids to be outside and off of devices, and a lot more people are starting to homeschool. And because of this, there has been a good amount of interest in the type of programs I am offering. I hope the trend will continue; it is so good for kids to be outside and learning through hands-on activities and getting back to exploring and letting nature guide them in their growth and learning.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.sprout-and-blossom.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sproutandblossombox/?hl=eninstagram.com%2F
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SproutandBlossomBox/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sprout-and-blossom-redlands
