CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - Wander behind Jodi Richman's Roscoe Village single family home, and you feel like you've walked into a nursery.
"It's kind of a mess back here as I'm gearing up for winter," laughs Richman, owner of Goddess with a Green Thumb.
She points to the multiple shelves of greenery, planters and gardening tools that scatter the space.
"Here are my giant gardening snippers," she smiles. "My garage is a mess too."
But, there's magic in the mess.
Her small urban yard and her garage is where she stores her supplies and creates some of her best work.
Richman says she was born with a green thumb.
"It was actually my mom's hobby," she recalls, in fact, she would say gardening is in her DNA.
"I remember seeing a picture of me when I was little when we lived on the South Side,” she says. “There I am with a Sara Lee tin and a little shovel, and I'm putting dirt into the container. I remember growing tomatoes and planting geraniums. It just started because my mom did and I really enjoyed it."
Her passion for planting soon evolved into a business as she started to design seasonal planters for her friends.
"How it started, several years ago when not much was open, I planted containers for a couple of friends, then one friend wanted me to do it for the fall and then insisted on paying me. She entertained a lot, and a couple of her friends saw what I created and hired me, and it's grown from there."
Goddess with a Green Thumb was born two years ago.
"I picked up my first client from a mom's group of Facebook. Most of it has been word of mouth" she says.
"My clients are busy professionals. People want that instant curb appeal, and they want something that welcomes their guests. They just don't have time to do it themselves. That's where I come in. Clients can send me pictures, and I meet with them in person so I can learn about their version
Richman is a one-woman show. She creates, transports and installs custom planter containers, winter and holiday décor, pumpkin styling and other seasonal designs.
"I started from nothing, and I built a business from the ground up. I do everything myself, but I'm looking to bring on another set of hands."
Fifty clients later, she's even looking to expand, something she couldn't imagine would happen so fast.
"Two years, I’m really proud of that because I started from nothing, and I built the business from the ground up,” says Richman.
It's a passion she put into a business plan. A passion that shows through on every window sill or doorstep she touches.
"I know it sounds corny, but it's my passion, but it's also really, really hard work,” Richman says. “It's a lot of physical labor. It's working out in the elements. I can be working when it's 20 degrees out or I can be working when it's 95 and sunny out.
“You gotta find something that really sparks joy for you. This sparks joy for me and it makes other people happy, which I really like and it's worth it. "
Richman is currently focused on the holidays and already planning for spring and summer and will likely soon offer maintenance and vacation watering services.
"A Bucktown business hired me to design and install a plantscape for the fall. She was blown away by the plant combinations, use of color and accents. It makes me happy when people love my work," she smiles.
Pictures of her work can be found on her Instagram account, @goddesswithagreenthumb.
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