Flower Power

Industry Leader | From Rooted Traditions to Blossoming Success:
The Journey of Flor Espinoza & Bellis Pros Landscaping

Flor Espinoza launched Bellis Pros with hard work, grit and passion. The name “Flor” means flower in Spanish, so it feels like destiny that she ended up in the landscaping business. In fact, her company Bellis refers to Bellis perennis, the scientific name for the English daisy. The two names represent two flowers, two languages and a beautiful blend of cultures.

The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Flor grew up in Illinois. Her father, Octavio Espinoza, started out in landscaping as a laborer and worked his way up to manager. His employer Valley Crest became part of BrightView commercial landscaping company. In 2003, Octavio started his own family-owned business.

“I remember helping my dad at a young age, doing work for him at just 12 or 13,” Flor recalls. After high school, she received an associate’s degree in horticulture and continued to work with her dad. Later, Flor got married and she and her husband, Daniel Guzman, moved to Georgia last year.

Flor started working for a large landscaping company in metro Atlanta but ended up quitting because of the unfriendly culture. She says that while the firm hired her for her skills and portfolio, some of the team members were put off by working for a female. “There was a lot of machismo there,” she says. “I remove myself from any situation that isn’t going to help me grow or take me to the next level.”

So, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and start her own landscaping business. “I figured, why not take the leap,” she says. “My dad always put me front and center, and my husband supports me as well and has a background in construction.”

Flor says some vendors and clients assume her husband is the boss and don’t take her as seriously at first because she’s female. She says being Mexican-American also brings its own set of benefits and challenges. She’s been fluent in Spanish and English since a young age, which has helped her communicate with many of the industry’s Hispanic workers. “But speaking both languages also affects the way I’m treated sometimes,” she says. “I have to earn people’s respect from both cultures.”

Bellis specializes in landscape design and installation. Flor employs a crew of five workers and uses subcontractors as needed for lighting and fence installation, for example. Flor is just 35 years old but seems much more experienced. Emulating her father, she’s learned to work hard her entire life and admits it hasn’t always been easy.

Flor says she’d love to get a bachelor’s degree one day, but so far hasn’t had the time. “Work picked up so quickly for me after starting our business, I was surprised,” she says. “While I’d love to major in landscape architecture, I’ve also learned so much being in the field. I like to get myself in the mud and learn as I go.”

Flor is constantly learning from her father and also follows Hardscape Mentor on Instagram, who provides helpful tips on materials and equipment. She’s taken workshops offered by Unilock to learn the most current version of the Uvision 3D Landscape Creator Software. Flor says showing her clients the designs helps them see her vision, and they end up buying more plants and materials.

“I’ve also reached out to fellow landscapers in the area for help, and they’re great,” she says. “It’s important to make friends in the business. It’s not a competition.”

Flor says when you’re first starting a business, it takes practice to create effective quotes and make sure you’re covering your expenses. “If customers are questioning prices, then they either don’t understand the job and you need to be more specific or they’re not interested and probably not worth getting into business with in the first place,” she says.

Flor also shares that marketing and word-of-mouth have been key to her success as a new business owner. Before launching Bellis, she and her husband drove around metro Atlanta to find areas with the most potential for landscaping work. With data from the U.S. Postal Service, she targeted a few zip codes near the community of Dallas and has been successful with Every Door Direct Mail. She also purchased a few Google ads and had face-to-face meetings with nurseries to connect with people.

“You need to learn marketing in this business—it’s the most important thing,” she says. “I’ve been so surprised with all the referrals and how busy we’ve been.”

She and her husband have settled into their new town and are getting used to the sloping landscape—and the Atlanta traffic. Her dad recently paid them a visit to check out some of their latest landscaping work.

“He’s taught me everything he knows,” Flor says.

Get In Touch With...

Flor Espinoza
Owner of Bellis Pros

Email: flor@bellispros.com
Phone: (678) 521–7357

www.bellispros.com