Seize the daisy: Gen Z newlyweds lean into Chase Payment Solutions to grow their garden center
As they work to fulfill a dream, these two entrepreneurs are flourishing. Presented by Chase Payment Solutions®.
Key takeaways
OLIVIA + JERON HEIL: Co-owners of Petals off the Pike, a garden center with a decades-long legacy in the community.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?: The Cincinnati nursery is just off Highway 125, which Ohioans call “the Ohio Pike.”
TERRIFYING: The word Olivia used to describe their first day.
REWARDING: How Olivia describes running the business now.
HOW WE HELP: Chase Payment Solutions (CPS) offers all-in-one retail management systems, like Silver Essentials by NCR Voyix®, that make it easy for businesses to accept payments and run their day-to-day operations.
You could say Olivia Heil has been working at Petals off the Pike, a Cincinnati garden center, since birth. When she was a baby, her mom worked at the center with Olivia by her side in a baby carrier.
The garden center, a community fixture, continued to be part of Olivia’s life; she worked there as a teen, and not just to earn spending cash. Even then, gardening was Olivia's passion.
Fast forward past Olivia’s college years, and you'll find her back at the center.
Only now she co-owns the garden retail space with husband Jeron, her high school sweetheart and fellow gardening enthusiast.
On an acre of land with two greenhouses, Petals off the Pike sells annuals, perennials, fertilizers, soils, pottery and a variety of products you can't get at a big box store.
Can you imagine?
How did a Gen Z couple come to own the green haven? The original owner Kimberly had run it for decades. She was ready to sell the retail space (while continuing to operate the commercial planting) — but wanted to further the legacy she’d built.
She had stayed in touch with Olivia, the baby gardener who was by now a college graduate and nurse in the throes of planning her wedding. Olivia often visited the center after a shift in the emergency department. On one of those visits, Kimberly wondered out loud: Would Olivia be interested in buying the retail space?
Olivia recalled: “I went home and said to Jeron: ‘Can you imagine?’ It was everything I’d ever dreamed of.”
Jeron could imagine. In fact, he already had in a way.
“I’d always dreamed of owning a business,” he said. “I knew it was the same for Olivia, and we wanted to express our love of gardening.”
Once they had the keys, Jeron continued to work full time as an engineer, while Olivia dropped her nursing hours to take on the reins.
Being green
They knew it was a leap. With no prior business ownership, they were taking on a company whose legacy stretched 40 years back. They’d need to market it with no marketing background — and manage 14 employees with minimal management experience.
They didn’t even have Wi-Fi. To accept payments, the company had used dial-up with a slow card reader. Each transaction took more than two minutes. The couple knew it was time to upgrade.
Jeron has been banking with Chase since college, when he needed a place to park his tips after bartending shifts.
With the nursery, they wanted their business banking needs to be part of a trusted institution Jeron had known for years. From there, they began their journey to find the right point of sale (POS) solution.
Researching Point of Sale (POS) systems
They did their research. They read reviews and met with banks that partnered with other POS systems. At one bank, Olivia said, it took 20 minutes to get a rep on the phone.
“Chase was different,” she said. “We wanted to make sure we were signing on with a company we could trust. We felt small as new business owners. We had no idea what we were doing. At Chase, it didn’t feel that way. They were much more like: ‘Okay, you’ve got this.' It was very supportive."
Their Chase Payments Advisor introduced them to various CPS options for taking payments and managing their business on one platform. The couple chose Silver Essentials by NCR Voyix, one of CPS’s retail management systems: It helps businesses accept payments and run their day-to-day operations in an all-in-one system.
Jeron explains: "We needed a solution with a backend system powerful enough to provide insights into sales, track both cash and card transactions and offer filters for tax purposes.”
Happy, naturally
The couple is exploring ways to expand the space, including the potential of opening a pet store or coffee shop. Overall, they know this little plot of earth has long been a source of serenity for many — and they want to keep it that way.
“People are naturally happy to be at a garden center,” said Olivia. “You’re surrounded by bright, beautiful things. It’s brought a lot of happiness into the community. I leave feeling good about that. Sometimes, it doesn’t feel like a job.”
Tips for budding entrepreneurs
- Rely on mentors: Jeron said he consistently taps the expertise of seasoned business owners. “It might be scary to ask the question, but a good mentor knows not everyone has the same experience.”
- Get ready to work: If you want to open a business, ask yourself if you have the time, energy and mindset to put in the effort it will take.
- Don’t let labels define you: If anyone tells you you’re too young, too old, too inexperienced or any other label, let it be their opinion and remind yourself of your dream.
To sign up for Chase Payment Solutions, reach out to a Payments Advisor at 1-877-843-5690 or connect with us here.
