Jez’s Seedlings nursery owner Jeremy Sproull turned his gardening hobby into a thriving business in the face of unexpected job loss in 2020. “I was always a gardener in the background as a hobby,” said Sproull. “Then I accidentally started an edible nursery.”
Sproull’s entirely edible garden features row upon row of blooming fruit trees and a section with an extensive variety of seedlings. His business is multifaceted – part producer, part retailer. Everything in the nursery produces something edible, and all seedling stocks are produced on-site, which doubles as his private residence.
Due to local council restrictions on road traffic, scheduling is crucial for Sproull. He spaces out his customers via Square Appointments, so only a select amount of people are there at a time. And since his customers typically make purchases on the spot rather than online, time is one of the most important pieces of the equation.
Embracing modern payment solutions
Sproull’s nursery accepts many different types of payment methods, ranging from Square Invoices to Tap to Pay on iPhone. “It keeps me mobile. I can add things up and charge the customer no matter where I am, whether in the nursery or out front,” he said, adding that he can’t imagine having his primary point of sale in a fixed location given the nature of his business.
Rather than walking a customer over to a specific spot to pay, he takes payments on the go. Best of all? He doesn’t have to worry about the unpredictability of an automatic sprinkler going off or sudden rain when it comes to keeping his payment processing tools dry.
The mobility and ease of use have not only made it easier for other staff to assist with transactions but have also improved the overall customer experience. “I’ve got several iPhones with Square on them, so if we’re busy, my helper can easily charge customers without needing a separate reader,” said Sproull.
Square has always been good because it keeps me mobile. You live in my pocket, you’re on my phone, and then Tap to Pay on iPhone. It’s great because it doesn’t really matter where I am, I can add things up and charge the customer.”
Jeremy Sproull → owner, Jez's Seedlings
Sproull employs more seasonal and part-time staff rather than year-round employees, so Tap to Pay on iPhone allows them to accept payments on behalf of the business without fully integrating them into the business operations and finances.
The “wish we’d done that” moments
Adaptability, managing stock and anticipating customer needs have been critical to Jez’s Seedlings’ success. The nursery offers different seedlings depending on seasonality and market demand. Having so many variations of each seedling type beyond a traditional nursery makes it difficult to forecast supply, demand and, in turn, cash flow. “Things change every year. Citrus is always a standard, but other plants’ popularity can wax and wane,” he said.
Reflecting on his journey, Sproull says here are the two things he would do differently if he were to start all over again. “I wish I had gotten Square earlier, and I wish I’d realised the importance of having larger plants with higher profit margins sooner,” he said.
Moving forward, he’s looking for a mix of offerings, some that have a healthy profit margin but a higher ticket price. “I started with all small plants. I realised after about eight months, if I didn’t get any larger plants with a higher profit, I could have gone broke because while the profit margin on a seedling might be 80%, you’ve got to sell a hell of a lot of them to actually make any money,” said Sproull. “But, pick up a big tree, and you make 30 to 40 bucks off that.”
When Sproull envisions what the future looks like for the business, he’s looking at more ways to optimise his operations, balance out his inventory and save money in the face of economic headwinds. “I’m building up a bit of cash reserves over investing,” he said. “The last few years we had to do some infrastructure upgrades, which obviously cost a bit of money, so I’m hoping in the next year, we’ve got everything we need and don’t need to do anything major.” Like many Australian business owners, the combination of economic pressures and reinvestments back into the business means this year will be focused on efficiency over everything else.
