We had the good fortune of connecting with Andrea Galbreath and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Andrea, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I was in Corporate Wellness when the great Coronapocalypse began and all of my work contracts were cancelled. I was about 3 months into my obsession with succulents after updating my front yard for my upcoming wedding, so I decided to see if I could turn my obsession into a business. Almost 2 years later, I’m still single (my wedding didn’t happen) but I have a thriving business!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m not a natural born entrepreneur. There are some people who are very business minded from the get go. I have a degree in social work and thought I’d always be a social worker, but life decided something different for me. I’ve tried my hand at a few different businesses with moderate success, but somehow my succulent business has allowed me to combine my social work values with fun gifts and designs. Succulents have an innate ability to adapt and thrive, and people do too! I share that message often because people need to be reminded of that sometimes. I call it Embrace the Succ – Life lessons from succulents.

The great thing about sharing the Embrace the Succ message is it keeps me honest. Although owning a business is fun and rewarding, it’s also scary, frustrating, and overwhelming at times. But when I feel stuck, I think about all the ways I can adapt and thrive. I mean, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t, and it’s important to me that my customers know I live the message the share.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend were visiting, we’d have to start in downtown San Juan Capistrano. It’s full of beautiful historic buildings, delicious food, and amazing mature succulents. We’d also have to spend a day in Laguna Beach, walking the streets, enjoying gelato, then going to Starfish for dinner. Nobody can come to SoCal without hopping on a whale watching tour, so we’d have to investigate where the whales might be and schedule a tour from either Dana Point, Redondo Beach, or Santa Barbara. And wine! A quick trip to Temecula wine country is always a great time.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shout out to Laura Eubanks of Design for Serenity! It’s because of her beautiful designs and fun way she teaches about succulents that I fell in love with succulents too.

Website: www.justsuccit.com

Instagram: @justsuccit

Linkedin: Andrea Galbreath

Twitter: @justsuccit

Facebook: @justsuccit

Youtube: Just Succ It

Image Credits
Paul Obleas

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