Meet Kate. After more than three decades in nursing, Kate never imagined she would one day build a business rooted in flowers, soil and seasonal rhythms. What began as a personal passion steadily grew into something more.
Kate cares for others as a nurse practitioner and, at the same time, finds her own sense of peace in a very different kind of work.
“I’ve always loved being outside and working in the yard,” she said. “Everywhere we’ve lived, I’ve made it a priority to create something beautiful.”
In 2021, Kate and her husband moved to a 7.5-acre property in Concord. Almost immediately, she began transforming the land. What started as landscaping quickly evolved into growing flowers.
By 2023, she was planting more intentionally, and in 2024, a conversation with their tax advisor sparked a new idea.
“We started talking about what we could do with the property to make some extra income,” she said. “That’s when we decided to make it official.”
Kate formed an LLC for The Zin Garden in 2024 and began growing flowers with purpose. At first, she gave them away to friends and neighbors.
“I was just sharing them,” she said. “I wasn’t really thinking of it as a business yet.”
That changed in 2025, when she set up a simple roadside stand at the front of her property. Customers could stop, scan to pay and take a bouquet.
“When the flowers are gone, I take the flag down,” she said. “And then I started seeing people come back again and again.”
Kate also began creating small arrangements and selling flowers for events like bridal and baby showers. She uses recycled jars and mason jars, keeping the process simple and sustainable.
Zin Garden reflects not only her creativity, but also something deeper.
“It’s my therapy,” she said. “I just enjoy being in the dirt. It’s grounding and stress-relieving.”
She describes the experience as a return to something familiar and simple.
“It’s like being a kid again, before the internet, just outside using your imagination,” she said.
As the idea of turning her passion into a business grew, Kate knew she needed guidance. She discovered the Retail Lab through social media and decided to apply.
“I thought it might be helpful,” she said. “Neither my husband nor I had ever owned a business before.”
Kate and her husband joined the Fall 2025 cohort together. Retail Lab is a six-week business boot camp hosted at the Cabarrus Center and powered by the Small Business Center at Rowan-Cabarrus and the Flywheel Foundation. The program helps retail-based entrepreneurs refine their brand, strengthen operations, and pitch for a small business grant.
For Kate, one of the most valuable takeaways was clarity around her customer and what makes Zin Garden unique.
“We focused on who we’re selling to and what makes our product stand out,” she said. “Our flowers are locally grown and pesticide-free. That’s not what you typically find in a grocery store.”
She also found unexpected value in the relationships built during the program.
“You can be intimidated by business ownership,” she said. “But being around other people who are building something too, it makes a big difference. They understand your challenges and your wins.”
At the end of the program, Kate and her husband pitched together for a grant. She talked about the flowers, and he talked about the numbers. They were awarded funding, which Kate is now using to build a greenhouse on their property. Constructed from antique windows collected from old homes, the greenhouse will serve multiple purposes throughout the year.
“In the winter, it will be used for growing,” she said. “And during the rest of the year, we can use it as a storefront or even host small events or workshops.”
The greenhouse addition will also allow Kate to extend her growing season. After focusing primarily on summer blooms in her first year, she has already started seeds earlier this year to create a longer harvest window. She has also invested in perennials, including planting 100 peony plants that will begin producing in the coming years.
Looking ahead, Kate hopes to gradually shift her time between nursing and The Zin Garden.
“My goal is to work part-time as a nurse practitioner and spend more time doing this,” she said.
For now, she continues to grow thoughtfully, learning each season and building a loyal customer base along the way.
The Zin Garden may have started as a personal outlet, but it is steadily blossoming into a business rooted in simplicity, consistency, and a genuine love for the work.
To learn more about The Zin Garden or to get notified when flowers are out for pickup, follow along on Facebook or stop by the roadside stand at 3663 Odell School Road in Concord when the flag is up.
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