Maximum Yield USA June 2018 | Page 80

thegrowBiz The GrowBiz was established in 2011 as a one-stop shop for a grower's hydroponic needs. Today, the company continues to provide value-added hydroponic services by creating successful partnerships with all of their clients throughout the growing process. We spoke with Ryan Haley to find out more. 1-916-476-9249 (1-916-GROWBIZ) thegrowbiz.com 4391 Granite Drive, Rocklin, CA 95677 WHAT DID YOU AND YOUR PARTNERS DO BEFORE STARTING THE GROWBIZ? We were successful gardeners before start- ing the GrowBiz. Our passion, legitimately, is growing and the GrowBiz is a natural extension of that. In supporting our garden- ing operations, we saw an opportunity to invest in something that would not only help us but our friends as well. The GrowBiz was established as a way to secure gardening supplies for us and our family. Thankfully, our family has grown. HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE HYDROPONIC INDUSTRY? Family. I spent a lot of time gardening, learning about plants in family gardens. WHEN AND WHERE DID THE GROWBIZ START? 2011 in Rocklin, California. WHAT WERE THE START-UP YEARS LIKE? Cold and lonely (with) hard, long days. HOW DOES YOUR COMPANY PHILOSOPHY TRANSLATE TO OPPORTUNITIES? Our company philosophy is what drives our business. By following the philosophy of having the best price, inventory, and service, we create our opportunities. WHAT DID YOU FIRST PRODUCE? Value (laughs). That was too easy. We are a retail business, so we sought the best products by category to sell, but we emphasized our ability to help gardeners start or maintain their gardens by getting the very most from their plants. WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR STRUGGLES AS YOU STARTED THE BUSINESS? HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM? Inexperience with managerial skills and leadership. I became a better leader over time through trial and error and simply learning from my mistakes and growing from it. HOW DID YOU GAIN MARKET SHARE AND RECOGNITION? We started with a very knowledgeable staff. Most our staff are experienced gardeners, so we used that to our benefit as a way to providing the best customer service. 80 Maximum Yield