Nacogdoches teen turns succulent hobby into greenhouse business

Caleb Jones was 13 when he started propagating succulents as a hobby. By 15, he had turned that interest into a business, Gen 1 Greenhouse.

“I started it with about $700 that I’d saved up from Christmas and birthdays. And that’s really how I got going in this. So, the financial aspect of it was difficult,” Jones said. A survey reported by The Business Journals found 51% of Gen Z-ers aspire to start their own business. But research suggests young entrepreneurs are less likely to run businesses that survive past three and a half years, according to a Danish university study. Jones said some people initially mistook his work for a teenager’s summer job. He said he was designing flower beds and installing borders and trees.

Jones said he turned to family, friends and local business resources as he learned to run a company. The Small Business Development Center at Angelina College helped him develop a business plan, he said. Jones started Gen 1 Greenhouse in September 2023. He plans to expand and hire a part-time crew to help with larger landscaping jobs as part of his 2027 plans.

“I will definitely expand to have employees. In fact, a part of my 2027 expansion plan is to hire a small crew for the landscaping side of things, just part-time to help on some of the bigger jobs,” Jones said.