Plantscaper
Member Focus: Lexine Schroeder, Botanika Interior Plantscapes
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Lexine
Schroeder
Company Name: Botanika Interior Plantscapes, San Diego,
CA
Title: Owner
Place of Birth: Ft. Collins, CO
Residence: San Diego, CA
Family: Recently engaged
Education: BA in Environmental Studies, Hamline University
How did
you “land” in this industry?
Through my lifelong passion for plants, my education and early work
experiences with plants, and encouragement from a friend who had worked
in the interior plantscape industry in Colorado.
What was
the inspiration for your business?
The desire to create beautiful, design-oriented plantscapes and provide
exceptional service to customers.
Best Business
Decision:
Hiring my fantastic, talented employees.
Trademark
in Plantscaping (How do you sell your company to a potential customer?):
Our upscale, design-centered approach.
Greatest
barriers or biggest mistake:
The current economy is a barrier. A mistake is not submitting our best
early projects to the PIA Interior Plantscape Awards Program.
Where do
you see your greatest growth potential?
Forming strategic alliances with non-competing vendors who share our
client base – such as landscapers.
Advice
for other plantscapers:
Delegate! If you are overwhelmed by wearing too many hats, figure out
which tasks can be better done by others (such as bookkeeping, office
administration, etc.) so you can focus on what you do best.
Your hopes
for PIA achievements for interiorscapers and the allied trades:
Better opportunities to share leads and refer potential clients to one
another, and to collaborate with one another where possible. Greater
visibility and respect for what we do to make buildings more “green.”
Future
trends for interiorscaping:
More planters made of sustainable, recyclable materials. Increase in
exotic installations – e.g. plant walls, green roofs, conservatories.…
First choice
of new career:
Muralist
Recent
activities:
Volunteer work surveying native vegetation in local wildlands with the
California Native Plant Society; attending the PIA awards ceremony in
Palm Springs.
Favorite
plant:
Black aralia
Least favorite
plant:
Arundo (an invasive giant reed that is choking our local waterways)
Best hidden
secret:
Cold calling
What single
personal trait is your greatest asset in business?
My genuine joy in dealing with people I like. Business can be so much
fun when you work with good people.
Favorite
collectibles:
Vintage plantscaping books
Favorite
way to relax:
Reading (most recently Tom Robbins, Gregory Maguire, Michael Pollan,
and interior design magazines) and watching fine films (most recently
Auntie Mame, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Once).
What do
most people not know about you?
That I speak a bit of Swedish
Contact Lexine
at Lexine@botanikaplants.com
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