THE SUN BEAR DEN
A PLANT SHOP SPECIALIZING IN INDOOR, TROPICAL, HARD-TO-FIND HOUSEPLANTS
A HOBBY TURNED BUSINESS
I’ve always been a plant person, so it’s no surprise my collection got a little… out of hand. What started as a plant-stagram to track it all turned into an online shop, born from too many cuttings and unexpected demand. A few listings became a full storefront, and before I knew it, my passion project had grown into a thriving business — rooted in my love for plants.
A PLANT FOR EVERYONE
This business was never just about selling plants. It was about sharing something I genuinely loved with the community. From sourcing unique varieties to helping customers keep their plants happy, every part of the journey was hands-on and personal. There were challenges, of course: scaling up, managing inventory, and navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship... but I loved every bit of it. Even when I eventually stepped away, the experience shaped how I think about business, customer service, and what it means to build something with care and intention.
GETTING MY HANDS DIRTY
LOGISTICS
Sourcing plants from all over the world was no easy feat. Each shipment came with its own set of challenges — import regulations, transit times, and the delicate nature of live plants. Weather conditions, supplier reliability, and freight costs all played a role in ensuring plants arrived healthy and ready for sale. It was a constant balancing act of coordinating shipments, minimizing loss, and keeping the supply chain as smooth as possible.
Global plant hunting (minus the safari hat).
TEAM MANAGEMENT
As the business grew, so did the need for extra hands. Bringing on a team meant shifting from a solo operation to training, delegating, and making sure everything ran smoothly — even when I wasn’t the one doing it. Balancing efficiency with a supportive work environment was key, ensuring that everyone felt invested in the business while keeping up with the fast-paced nature of plant sales.
From solo grower to team cultivator.
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Predicting plant demand was anything but predictable. Trends could shift overnight — one day, everyone wanted rare variegated monstera, and the next, it was all about easy-care pothos. Balancing supply with demand meant analyzing sales patterns, tracking seasonality, and sometimes just trusting my gut. Too much stock meant wasted resources, too little meant missed opportunities. It was a constant game of adjusting, learning, and staying ahead of the curve.
Keeping plants — and stock levels — alive.
DEMAND FORECASTING
Unlike traditional products, plants don’t just sit on a shelf — they grow, change, and sometimes refuse to cooperate. Managing inventory meant juggling live plants with different care needs, shelf lives, and growth rates, all while making sure the right varieties were available at the right time. Add in sourcing challenges, limited storage space, and the unpredictability of nature, and inventory management became an art as much as a science.
Part science, part fortune-telling.
MARKETING STRATEGY
Convincing people that they have space for one more plant.
The plant world thrives on aesthetics and community, so social media became my strongest tool. From engaging content to live sales and customer education, marketing was all about building relationships rather than just pushing products. Word-of-mouth and user-generated content played a huge role, but staying relevant meant keeping up with trends, testing new strategies, and continuously refining the brand’s voice to connect with plant lovers of all experience levels.
