South Hill Succulents: Starter Company Plus Success Story

On August 28, South Hill Succulents, a botanical floral design shop hosted their grand opening on the main street in Seaforth. Specializing in quality succulents grown right here in Huron County, Sola wood flowers, tropical and dried flower arrangements owner Sarah Harron was thrilled to open the bricks and mortar storefront. South Hill Succulents focuses on weddings, custom orders and seasonal arrangements along with seasonal goods available in store.

“I started off as a hobby succulent grower and one thing led to another. After recovering from a health scare a year and a half ago, I knew this was the right time to go all in and take my business to the net level. That’s when I applied for fo the Starter Company Plus program with the Huron County Economic Development,” said Harron.

Harron was familiar with the program after speaking with Patrick Donnelly years earlier. But the discovery of Sola wood flowers allowed Harron to expand her product offing and serve customers year-round. “Sola wood flowers are a new and upcoming floral product made out of wood and they are perfect for weddings and events. They are a niche market that is trending in the United States but is new and quite cutting edge in Canada.” With this expansion in mind, Harron was accepted to the Starter Company Plus program.

“The program helped me to gain confidence to take my business to the next level. I didn’t have any capital going into this so the microgrant really helped me. I was able to buy a computer which allowed me to upgrade all of my systems and organize and manage my business more effectively,” said Sarah.

Harron also explained how working through the process of creating a business plan and pitching her idea to a panel of judges helped verify and confirm that she had a solid and viable business, “Brittany and Patrick were great. They answered all of my questions and made me feel really comfortable throughout the process,” remarked Sarah.

The training Harron received in the program was also very valuable, “I learned a lot and I took quite a few courses on everything from social media management, to learning how to present and talk about my businesses, to how to do the books. The activities that they get you to do in the program are serious and they teach you how to create a successful business,” said Harron.

Harron found the confidence she gained from the program helped her grow her business. “The program was a lot of work, but it was really worth it because I gained so much knowledge and confidence throughout the process. I was able to put that confidence back into my business, which was really beneficial. I encourage any new business owner or start-up to take advantage of the program because it is so valuable on so many levels,” mentioned Harron.

“Huron County is a great place to do business. I feel that new business is really embraced, appreciated, and valued in Huron County and I just think it’s a great place to live, hang out and shop,” remarks Harron.

Visit South Hill Succulents storefront in Seaforth, visit their website southhillsucculents.com or join the group OFFSEASON by South Hill Succulents for the most up-to-date information and inspiration from Sarah. Follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Interested in being a part of the Starter Company Plus program? Click here for more information.