Business & Finance

From Apartment Balcony to Greenhouse: Los Angeles Plant Seller’s Rapid Rise

By TOI World Desk

Brandon Hurst, once an administrative assistant in a Los Angeles real‑estate office, lost his job in 2020 during the Covid‑19 pandemic. He began reselling items on Facebook Marketplace and then noticed a woman selling inexpensive plants from a dollar store. In April or May 2020 he posted his first listing—a pink plant in a pink pot—on the platform. Customers began messaging him almost immediately, and the experiment became the foundation of a multimillion‑dollar family business.

By 2026, Hurst’s company had sold more than 100,000 plants in that year alone and now generates millions of dollars in gross annual sales. What started in a roughly 600‑square‑foot apartment now employs 24 people, sells about 5,000 plants each week, and processes around 1,000 orders a day. The business has moved into a 3,000‑square‑foot greenhouse in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, giving Hurst and his family room to grow beyond the apartment where it all began.

Hurst had no experience with plants, formal training, or a detailed business plan when he first listed the pink plant. The strong response convinced him to keep going. Within six months, he, his husband Josh, and his mother were working full time, selling hundreds of plants each week from the balcony. The family’s early days were physically demanding, with shelving units filling the balcony, dining room, and living room, and the former bedroom turned into a livestreaming space.

In 2021 a customer who worked as a social‑media manager suggested Hurst adopt the name “Brandon The Plant Guy” across platforms. He began posting short TikTok videos with plant‑care advice, including guidance on snake plants and beginner‑friendly varieties. Some videos passed one million views, and he built an audience of 100,000 followers before TikTok Shop launched in 2023. His following has since grown to more than 268,000.

Hurst received an early invitation to sell through TikTok Shop and hosted his first livestream on April 18, 2023. He expected to sell about 30 plants but sold 250 in roughly three hours, far beyond what he and his family had prepared for. New sellers were limited to 300 orders during a probationary period, and the business repeatedly reached that cap. With no employees at the time, Hurst, Josh, and his mother packed orders late into the night, filling the living room with nursery bags and plants. Neighbours and customers eventually came to the apartment to help.

By early 2026 Hurst had shifted his sales model from fixed prices of about $16 or $35 to auctions during livestreams. People reports that profits have tripled since the switch. The auctions turn ordinary plant purchases into an interactive experience, with viewers bidding, joking, and competing for plants while Hurst narrates the sales in a playful, conversational style. He hosts live sales several nights a week, sometimes for six to eight hours at a time, treating them as community gatherings rather than hard selling.

The business’s growth required a larger space. In February 2026 Hurst began renting a family‑run nursery in the San Fernando Valley, which includes a 3,000‑square‑foot greenhouse and an attached house. The move marked a major shift from a home‑based operation to a more established business. The team grew from three family members to 24 employees, including Hurst’s father, his husband’s mother, longtime neighbours, and former customers.

For Hurst, the company has become more than plants. Viewers have shared personal experiences involving depression, grief, and domestic violence, and some customers have become friends who stay connected through a Discord group. He believes the livestreams make people feel seen and give them a sense of belonging, which is part of why they return week after week.

Hurst hopes to double the size of the business in the coming year and bring on additional livestream hosts. He advises aspiring sellers to start small, trust their instincts, and show up as themselves, approaching livestreaming like talking to a friend rather than performing for a crowd. His story demonstrates how losing a job can sometimes open unexpected doors, turning a single pink plant in a pink pot into a greenhouse that sells thousands of plants a week and generates millions in annual sales.