Brandon Hurst never planned to become a plant seller.
asserted
Hurst → plan → ?
In 2020, he was working as an administrative assistant at a Los Angeles real estate office and living paycheck to paycheck when he lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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he → work → pandemic
Looking for a way to make extra money, he began reselling items on Facebook Marketplace, then noticed a woman selling inexpensive plants bought from a dollar store.
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woman → look → store
He decided to try the same idea, posting his first listing, a pink plant in a pink pot, in April or May 2020.
uncertain
He → decide → April
According to PEOPLE, customers began messaging him almost immediately, and that small experiment became the foundation of a multimillion-dollar family business.
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experiment → accord → business
Six years later, Hurst’s company has sold more than 100,000 plants in 2026 alone and now generates millions of dollars in gross annual sales, as per the report.
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company → sell → report
What once operated from his roughly 600-square-foot apartment now employs 24 people, sells about 5,000 plants each week, and processes around 1,000 orders a day.
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operated → operate → orders
The business has also 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.
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it → move → apartment
A side hustle that became a family business
Hurst’s first plant sale was not backed by experience, formal training, or a detailed business plan.
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sale → become → experience
He had never owned a plant before, let alone considered himself a plant person.
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himself → own → plant
But the response to his first Facebook Marketplace listing was strong enough to convince him to keep going.
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response → convince → him
Within six months, he, his husband Josh, and his mother were working on the business full time, selling hundreds of plants each week from his balcony.
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he → work → balcony
At first, his mother encouraged him to keep a traditional job rather than take a risk on plants.
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mother → encourage → plants
As sales grew, however, she became one of his biggest supporters, driving him to a local flower market to purchase wholesale plants.
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she → grow → plants
Josh helped manage the operation from their apartment, while Hurst discovered that working with plants gave him something more valuable than income.
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working → help → income
He told People that arranging succulents and designing a window box for one of his first customers made him feel peaceful, a feeling that eventually convinced him the business could become a career.
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business → tell → him
Shelving units filled the balcony, dining room, and living room, while Hurst’s former bedroom became a livestreaming space.
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bedroom → shelve → balcony
At one point, the family was selling more than 1,000 plants a week from the apartment, sometimes reaching 2,000.
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family → sell → 2,000
Hurst recalled that they were “shoving plants in places” they never expected, turning every available corner of the home into storage, packing space, or a sales area.
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they → recall → storage
When TikTok turned attention into sales
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TikTok → turn → sales
In 2021, a customer who worked as a social media manager suggested that Hurst claim the name “Brandon The Plant Guy” across social platforms.
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Hurst → work → platforms
He began posting short TikTok videos with plant care advice, including guidance on caring for snake plants and choosing easy varieties for beginners.
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He → begin → beginners
Some videos passed one million views, and he built an audience of 100,000 followers before TikTok Shop officially launched in 2023.
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Shop → pass → 2023
His following has since grown to more than 268,000.
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following → grow → 268,000
Interestingly, he has also named his professional LinkedIn profile so.
Hurst received an early invitation to sell through TikTok Shop and hosted his first livestream on April 18, 2023.
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Hurst → name → April
He expected to sell about 30 plants.
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He → expect → plants
Instead, he sold 250 in roughly three hours, far beyond what he and his family had prepared for.
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he → sell → what
New sellers were limited to 300 orders during a probationary period, and the business repeatedly reached that cap.
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business → limit → 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.
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Hurst → pack → bags
Neighbours and customers eventually came to the apartment to help.
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Neighbours → come → apartment
Hurst described the experience as trying to build a plane while it was already flying.
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it → describe → plane
The livestream format was particularly successful because it allowed him to show his personality and answer questions as they came in, and build trust with shoppers still hesitant about buying plants on a new platform.
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they → allow → platform
Auctions changed the way business was done
By the beginning of 2026, Hurst had dramatically changed his sales model.
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Hurst → change → model
Rather than listing plants at set prices of about $16 or $35, he started making each sale an auction during his livestreams.
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sale → list → livestreams
People says profits have tripled since the switch.
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profits → say → switch
The auctions turned ordinary plant purchases into an interactive experience, with viewers bidding, joking, and competing for plants while Hurst narrated the sales in a playful, conversational style.
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Hurst → turn → style
The approach has helped the company scale while keeping the personal connection that made it successful.
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it → help → connection
Hurst hosts live sales several nights a week, sometimes for six to eight hours at a time.
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Hurst → host → time
Rather than presenting the livestreams as hard selling, he treats them as community gatherings where customers can ask questions, share stories, and feel part of something.
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customers → present → something
Some customers have shown remarkable loyalty.
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customers → show → loyalty
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
