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This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A includes this Q&A about Danny Trejo, an insurance agent who started a home-based citrus growing business Citrus cross In 2020.
Where did you find inspiration for your side hustle?
I started working at Via Citrus shortly after moving to New York City, inspired by nostalgia for the citrus groves of Central Florida. I grew up in a large citrus nursery filled with the sights and smells of orange blossoms – a vital part of my childhood that I always cherished.
While I always wanted to be a part of the citrus nursery business, I wanted to contribute in a different way that not only added value to the business, but also added meaning to myself. The distance from my roots, combined with a longing for the familiar fragrance of orange blossoms, sparked the idea of sharing this piece of my home with others. That’s when I realized I could educate others on how to grow citrus trees – no matter where they are – by opening an online store.
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Image credit: Courtesy of Via Citrus
What were some of the first steps you took to get your side off the ground? What are some challenges?
Initially, I was faced with the daunting task of creating an e-commerce platform. With no prior website experience, I had to start from scratch, learning the ins and outs of online retail, from design to development.
At the same time, I took up the important step of defining our product line. Given the wide variety of citrus varieties ranging from oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, and grapefruit, I had to make decisions about what to serve. This included researching citrus growth habits and the unique selling points of each citrus variety to curate a selection that would appeal to a wide audience.
Equally important was determining the size of the plants Via Citrus would offer. This decision was a delicate balancing act. On the one hand, offering plants that are too small may disappoint customers, as they may not immediately appreciate the beauty or potential of their purchase. On the other hand, larger plants, although more visually attractive and more fruitful, would incur hefty shipping costs, making them less accessible to a wider audience. This required careful consideration of citrus plant growth stages, shipping logistics, and customer expectations to choose sizes that provide the best value to our customers and businesses.
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How long did it take until you were able to see consistent monthly revenue? How much do side hustles earn?
The first two months saw less than $1,000 each thanks to family and friends who supported the launch of Via Citrus. However, it wasn’t long before our revenue was averaging around $7,000 per month, with May (Mother’s Day) and December (Christmas) being our busiest months.
What does your average monthly revenue look like now?
We see $36,000 per month in sales. May and December remain our best sales months.
What do you enjoy most about this side hustle?
It keeps me connected to my roots – pun intended – by working on this project with my father. Growing up surrounded by citrus, where my father devoted over 40 years of his life, deeply influenced my appreciation for growing and caring for citrus. Now, as the person behind Via Citrus, I’m able to maintain and strengthen that bond despite being six hours away from the farm. Via Citrus is a vital link to my father and the work he continues to do. He’s not just a grower – he picks and packages every citrus plant we send to our customers. This hands-on approach ensures that every plant we deliver carries a piece of our family’s dedication and love for citrus growing.
Image credit: Courtesy of Via Citrus
When you think about the future of work, what excites you most?
The thriving plant industry and the important steps we are taking to grow side by side keep me excited. As our world becomes more digital, people are turning to gardening, indoor plants for hobbies, and home decor to take a break from their screens. This trend represents a promising opportunity for Via Citrus, and our unique offering of citrus plants aligns with this growing interest.
What is particularly exciting is our recent purchase of new land to develop additional greenhouses. These new greenhouses will have the potential to increase the diversity of our citrus offerings, improve our growing operation and ensure we can meet the growing demand from our customers.
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What advice do you have for others hoping to start successful side projects of their own?
Don’t worry about making everything perfect, launch your idea and listen closely to your customers. For me, I wanted to get everything right the first time: the perfect looking website, the perfect variety, size, packaging, images, etc. I’ve been spending a lot of time perfecting. Perfection is somewhat of a double-edged sword. No one was seeing my website or buying my citrus plants. Therefore, my pursuit of perfection limited my ability to get any feedback from customers to improve anything. Finally, after years of planning and perfection, I launched the website. The few customers who did engage became invaluable sources of feedback. Their ideas helped us improve our offerings in ways I didn’t expect.
It is important to get your product out there, even if it is a limited offering of your product. Early feedback provides amazing insights and can direct your lateral efforts in a direction that best meets your market’s needs and preferences.
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