Ten Questions with Emily Fan
Emily Fan, founder of Leevo, an online garden shop on a mission to make gardening simple.
10 Questions with Emily Fan
I first met Emily more than ten years ago, when we were residence dons at the University of Toronto. Whip-smart, hilarious, and super outgoing, I was in awe of her from the start. I am constantly impressed by her hunger for challenge and her willingness to take bold leaps in new directions. In 2020 she singlehandedly built and launched Leevo, a brand new company that combined her formidable business and tech skills with her passion for plants.
1. Can you tell me your company’s birth story? Why flowers?
I‘ve always loved flowers, but I became obsessed with them while planning my wedding, trying to figure out what I wanted in my bouquet and what I wanted in the arrangements. At the time, I was living in an apartment with a backyard, and so I was also doing a lot of gardening.
Something else I started doing for myself years ago was a subscription flower bucket. Every week for the whole summer I would get flowers and do arrangements. Eventually, my husband signed me up for a hands-on flower arranging workshop with Blush and Bloom. It became a hobby that I really enjoyed. There’s something about flowers that is just so mesmerizing. They’re so beautiful, and they brighten everyone’s day.
We moved into this house in 2019. That was a next-level gardening move, because we were starting completely from scratch. We took out the deck in the backyard, which was completely lifeless, and we grew grass from seed. That was an interesting struggle, especially when you have a ton of racoons in the area, and squirrels. I spent so much time working on it, but I kept running into so many inconveniences.
Then last year, the pandemic happened. It became really hard to go to garden centres, and when you went it was all sold out. There were also very few places that were offering online shopping. Aside from that, I found just doing all the research to figure out what I should plant and where difficult and time-consuming, because it is so specific and personal.
I was also growing cut flowers from seed in my front yard, and I was still doing the flower arranging with my flower buckets. So, I was totally immersed in flowers and gardening, but also realizing how difficult it was to plan, and how long the whole process took.
I was also chatting with a lot of my colleagues and friends who were becoming new homeowners. They had a ton of questions about what they should do with their gardens. I would share a bit of my advice and try to help them figure out what to plant. I thought to myself, You know what? Some kind of product that can help people figure out what to plant, obtain the plants, and learn how to care for them would be really convenient. So, I started thinking about this idea a ton.
I got some inspiration from this company called Stitch Fix in the US. They do personalized clothing subscriptions. When you sign up, you fill out a little survey to figure out what your style is, and then somebody will create a box for you, and then you can subscribe. I feel like gardening is similarly personal. From house to house, everything is so different! For example, you might have shade in one area, or a different type of soil. Some people might like really formal gardens, while other people prefer more wild-looking gardens. It’s so specific!
I also just fell in love with it. Gardening was a reason to get outside. Everyone had Zoom fatigue, people were burnt out from being in front of the computer all day and being on back-to-back calls with work. We all needed a reason to get outside, connect with nature, and have something to look forward to. Growing something from seed is really exciting! It’s a nice sense of accomplishment, to see something so beautiful come from something so small. It just brought me a ton of joy. I felt like other people should be able to get the same joy from it as well, but there are just so many hoops you have to jump through, so many barriers.
“Growing something from seed is really exciting! It’s a nice sense of accomplishment, to see something so beautiful come from something so small. It just brought me a ton of joy.”
So, I launched Leevo in the fall. I started by just doing bulbs. I was learning a ton about starting my own business. I had never done anything like that before.
2. How did you decide to take the leap into starting your own business? What made it possible? What were the biggest obstacles you faced?
I had been in a place with work where I needed something new. I wanted to continue growing, and was feeling like I needed a new challenge. I had been at Shopify for a long time. I ended up resigning in October. Covid forced me to take a look at my life, to re-evaluate what was working and what was not working. I think it’s really easy to float through life, going through the motions, and then look back and realize there were some missed opportunities, things you wished you would have done. One of the things I always wanted to do was run my own business, but I never did it, and I didn’t even have a good reason why, other than that I was employed and comfortable in my position. If I had continued down that path until I was much older, I think I would have regretted not trying.
I need to first off recognize that I’m really privileged to have this opportunity to do this. I reached a point in my life where I had some savings built up, so I was able to take on some financial risk. I have a very supportive partner as well, who is also entrepreneurial. Having that support system is what really made it possible for me. I didn’t tell my parents when I quit my job at first, because I knew they would have a heart attack. I told them on my last day of work. I was a little bit nervous about that, but they were really supportive.
Once I actually got into [running my business], I realized that selling things that are alive and delicate is very difficult. My view on the gardening industry before starting Leevo was that it was so antiquated. I couldn’t believe people were still buying plants this way. The concept of not being able to just buy something online felt really antiquated to me. But now that I’m actually in the business of selling plants, I realize there is so much to consider. I better understand why things are the way they are. It kind of feels like food and grocery in a way, where things go bad. There are certain conditions that [plants] need to live under. So, it kind of makes sense to have people come to a central place to buy these things, rather than distributing them to people where they are. I think those are issues that can be worked with through, though, and I am experimenting with some things this spring to try to do that.
One of the other barriers is that I live in Toronto, in a small row house. I have a yard, I have a bit of space in the basement and on a roof-top patio, but I really don’t have a lot of land. One of the things that would be really helpful would be to have some space to hold inventory, or a greenhouse. So, I’m running into issues there, just in terms of storage for the actual products.
Also, I am doing this alone. That was intentional for me. I didn’t want a huge investment. I had some offers of investment from other people, but I said no to that, because I wanted to build a business that allowed me to have a lifestyle that was sustainable for me. I definitely felt like in previous jobs I was feeling overworked and burnt out, and I didn’t want that for me in this business. I wanted a business that would allow me to be more flexible and spend time with my daughter, and to have some more time to myself. But, on the other hand, I’m doing this alone, and there’s is only so much I can do in a day. That required that I go through a few iterations of how I actually work throughout the day. It was an interesting learning experience, figuring out the systems that could actually help me be more productive as a solopreneur.
It was also extremely lonely initially. I went from having a team of 20 people that I could chat with about problems and bounce ideas off of, and suddenly the only person around was my husband, who is great, but it’s hard when you only have one person. So one thing I did— one of the best decisions that I could have made as an entrepreneur— was to join an online co-working community called Make Lemonade. They initially started out as an in-person co-working space but have now shifted to online. It was amazing! Now I have a big community of women entrepreneurs, a lot of them solopreneurs like me, whom I can chat with about business, and bounce ideas off of, and lean on for support.
3. Were there gaps in your knowledge or skills that you needed to fill in order to move forward?
Yes! So many gaps! As an entrepreneur you have to think about everything, and one of the things I actually underestimated was how much marketing I needed to do right off the bat. I don’t view myself as a marketer; I previously worked as a product manager, a software developer, and, before that, a financial analyst. I see myself very much as a systems person, and marketing was a whole new world. I didn’t even know what marketing entailed, and building a brand? That was brand new to me! A thing I did to fill that gap was to take an online marketing course called Grow Class. It was an intensive 8 week course where I learned everything from marketing basics, to how to write my own Google ads, to how to do SEO (search engine optimization). [They covered] building a brand, building hype around a brand, doing the marketing on social media, how to write a blog post that actually converts— all those things I had no idea about. I always thought that I was a good writer, so I was like, “yeah sure, I can write these things and it will come naturally to me,” but after you start doing it you realize it is actually really, really hard.
The other thing that was really challenging was design. When I was creating the online store, I initially started with my own logo and did some of the web design myself. I very quickly realized I was spending way too much time on design, which is not my strong suit. I ended up hiring a designer that could make my logo and help me create a visual brand identity. Another thing I outsource is the writing of descriptions for the plant products that I sell, because that takes a really long time, and I feel like my time can be better used on something else. I have been forced to make a lot of interesting decisions around what I pay someone to do versus what I do myself.
4. How has your identity/reality as a parent informed or impacted your work life?
I knew I wanted more flexibility in my day. Prior to this, I felt like I was always running around to meetings, always in a rush. I didn’t want to live my life like that. I wanted to start this company so that I could have more time to spend with my family and with my daughter.
It was also really hard to predict what would happen with Covid, if daycares would close down again, if I might need to step in as [my daughter] Aly’s primary caregiver. I think a lot of women have that sense of responsibility and do a lot of that invisible work. I was feeling a lot of pressure to be the one to step into that role, but I started thinking that maybe there was a way I could still have the ability to make money at the same time.
The other way being a parent has influenced my business is that I am thinking a lot more about sustainability. I have learned more and more about the gardening industry and all the waste that is common within it. For example, there is a heavy reliance on single-use plastics. I really don’t think that gardening should be bad for the environment, so I’m trying to be creative in how I source materials for packaging. Even with the plants themselves, there are some that are better for the environment, species that attract pollinators and support the local ecosystem. I’m thinking about things that I can incorporate more into my business because of the ecological benefits. So the environment is a big factor, particularly thinking about Aly—I don’t want to build a business that participates in trashing her world!
5. What metrics do you use to measure success? Are they different than what they were in the past?
When I was younger, I would have measured success by how much money I was making, how much responsibility I had in my work, and how much influence I had. Now, I measure success more by asking myself questions like, am I fulfilled in my work? am I constantly learning and being challenged? I’ve left jobs in the past because I get bored, I can’t stay in one place very long. That’s one thing I love about having my own business; because I have to do so many different things, I’m always learning, which has been really rewarding.
The other things is, again, do I have flexibility. Now that I’m a mom, I want flexibility in my day. I don’t want to spend 12 hours working on something and not get to see my family. That’s a really important factor, too.
6. What does a typical day look like for you? What do you hope a typical day looks like for you five years from now?
I wake up in the morning, usually around 6:30, because that’s what time Aly wakes up. I’ll get her up from bed, we’ll do breakfast, and we’ll walk to daycare together. That’s also some outdoor time for me. It’s probably a good 20 minute walk there and back. Then I’ll come back, maybe hang out downstairs and make a tea. I try not to look at any social media or email right away. Then, I’ll go to my computer and open up Trello, which has all of my to-do lists. I will prioritize what I want to get done today, and zero in on one or two big goals. I’ll write that down in a notebook that I have. The other thing I write down is an affirmation. I go to this website where everyday there is a new motivational affirmation. Those are the main to things that get me focused, and then I’ll get started on my day.
Monday-Thursday there’s a call with the Make Lemonade community. Every day is a little bit different, but usually you have an accountability buddy who you talk to about what you want to get done, or maybe you do a work sprint together, where you sit down on Zoom and work at the same time. You might have a community brainstorm, where if you have a question, people will help you work toward an answer. In the afternoon, I will try to complete any of my outstanding tasks before 4:30, and then I’ll do some course work—right now I’m taking that marketing course. I always want to make sure I dedicate some time to personal learning at the end of the day.
My husband will go get Aly from school. If I can, I try to squeeze in a super quick workout before they get home. I might also turn on the oven, though usually we make dinner together. Actually, my husband is the bigger cook, and often I will get something started and then he will complete the job. So, then we eat dinner and play, and do the ritual bath time and bedtime routine. I reserve the evenings for hanging out with my family—I don’t do any work.
After Aly goes to bed, [my husband] Rob and I will do something together. This year, we have been doing these two-week challenges . The past two weeks, we have been doing drawing lessons together every night. Before that, we were learning chess. Some of the challenges aren’t so specific to the evening; we ate vegetarian for two weeks, we did stretching everyday, we meditated. Our next challenge is going to be drinking 8 glasses of water every day.
Before bed, usually I will do some stretching and squeeze in a meditation if I’ve got the energy for it. No phones in bed! That’s our rule, so we put our phones away. I might read a book, depending on how tired I am, but if not, I’ll just go straight to sleep.
In five years, I don’t want to be the one doing all the work for my business (laughs). I am hoping I will have been able to hire someone to execute the day-to-day operations, so I can be focused on overseeing, managing, and coaching people. Hopefully, I will wake up and have some more time in the morning for me to do, maybe, some journaling. Journaling is something that gives me a great deal of clarity, so I would really like to have some more time for it, for self-reflection. Aly will still be in school, so I will still be dropping her off, but maybe then I will have a quick sync with some other folks on my team. I would like to still be part of a team of women entrepreneurs like Make Lemonade, so it would be really great to still have that be part of my routine in some way. I would also really like to make more time for exercise and just for myself.
In terms of services I hope to offer in the future, I'd like to experiment with workshops and courses that teach people the skills to garden. Whether it's giving people the know-how they need to create a sustainable garden, or how to grow their own food, there's a lot to learn in the gardening world and that can be very overwhelming for folks. I would be really happy if I could make that learning process easier and more accessible.
“There’s a lot to learn in the gardening world, and that can be very overwhelming for folks. I would be really happy if I could make that learning process easier and more accessible.”
Kate: Do you think you will still be working from home in five years, or do you imagine that you will move to a bigger space?
I don’t know! A part of me wonders if maybe I’ll have a little nursery or garden center where people can come in person—that would be so fun! Like, to have a little store, or something like that. That would be really cool!
The other thing is, I don’t know how long we will be in this house. Maybe we will be living somewhere with a little more space. We’ve been fantasizing about that for the last little while, but it is hard to say. I love Toronto as well—there are so many things to do here!
7. What food brought you the most comfort and joy as a kid? What about now?
As a child, I think it would have been noodles—like, Asian noodles. I love carbs, anything noodle-y, pasta. Soup noodles are delicious! Just thinking about them right now is making me hungry.
My favourite food to eat now? Well, I’m a huge breakfast person, so I think if I could choose one thing it would be eggs. I love eggs because they taste so delicious and you can make them so many different ways. I love brunch! There’s nothing better than waking up in Toronto and going to a nice brunch. I miss brunch so much!
Kate: I miss pre-child brunches.
Yes! Where you could stand in line without anyone complaining.
Kate: And just hang out at the table over endless cups of coffee without anyone complaining or trying to escape from a highchair.
Yes!! Just, like, remember brunch??! I would love to go for an eggs benny or something like that, and some fruit. Go to, like, Insomnia—do you remember that place?
Kate: Of course. They put cinnamon in their coffee grounds—genius!
Yeah, and their potatoes are amazing.
Kate: When we lived in Seattle, we went for brunch sometimes twice a week. It is kind of insane to think about now, from a health perspective, and also I don’t even want to think about how much money we sunk into it. And then you would be like, “Well I’m super full now, so I guess I am done being productive for the day.” To have that much time on your hands— can you even imagine?
One day. Once the kids are all grown up . . .
Kate: We will be ladies who brunch!
9. If you could throw a fantasy dinner party for any 10 living people, who would you invite?
My answer to this is really different now that Covid has happened. I was thinking about this, and I realized that I would just really want to have a dinner with my family. I haven’t had a dinner party with everyone in so long, and my parents haven’t seen Aly in person in months. It would make me so happy to have a nice backyard barbeque and just have everyone together. So, yeah, it would be my parents, my brother, Rob’s family, Aly’s cousins. That’s at least ten people right there. To just have the kids playing together, to see everyone—I would absolutely love that.
10. As spring creeps closer, what are you particularly excited about this year in terms of your own gardening practice?
I’m growing little cut flower seedlings, and that’s been a lot of fun. I have a little patch of land that I’m allowed to grow cut flowers on in Grimsby. It’s actually my father-in-law’s land; he has some extra space and we agreed that I would grow some cut flowers there. I’m really excited, because I don’t have that space here in Toronto. So, I’ve been planning out that garden. I am really into flower arranging, so to be able to grow my own flowers to arrange will be amazing! We already prepped the bed last fall, and planted a bunch of bulbs. I will be going there pretty soon to check up on things.
Having that space will also allow me to do my own product photography. That was a big struggle last year with the bulbs; because they weren’t flowering yet, I was stuck using stock photography. To be able to display products on the site that I have actually grown will be really great.
I am just looking forward to being surrounded by a ton of flowers this year. And I’m also hoping to incorporate more native species in my garden this season, as I learn more, and think more deeply about the question what is the purpose of a garden?
Leevo can be found online at Leevo.ca, and on Instagram @leevogarden.
