Anyone who’s ever owned a business knows that it can become one’s life. It’s hard to separate work and personal time – and it’s especially hard when you really enjoy what you do.
That’s certainly the case with Anna Paschenko, the founder of Roslynka, a small Kyiv florarium and plant arrangement shop.
“Two years have gone by, and it still doesn’t feel like work,” Paschenko says.
On a sunny afternoon a few days before March 8 – International Women’s Day – Paschenko and her co-worker (and sister-in-law) Daria Vlasenko are working together – busily yet calmly – to fulfill the over 200 orders they have received before the holiday, which is a flower-buying spree celebrated widely across the former Soviet Union.
Roslynka’s twist on flower gifting lies in its original plant arrangements, created in glass jars and vessels, chunks of wood (even books!), and ceramic and cement pots.
The plants used in these pieces are succulents, water-hoarding species that don’t require much care and are perfect for those who travel frequently. Despite being low-maintenance, they are full of character, boasting a variety of colors, textures and shapes.
Google boost
Paschenko says that so far, new customers have been finding their way to Roslynka through word-of-mouth and posts on the company’s Facebook page. But Roslynka also recently enjoyed an unexpected publicity boost, when its collaboration with Ukrainian design studio InLab and its production unit Plitos resulted in a Google avatar posted on Instagram at the end of February.
Google looks for interesting takes on their G logo through the #MySuperG initiative and this time, the capital letter was made up of 27 little pots designed by InLab and produced by Plitos, hosting 27 succulents, planted by Roslynka.
What started off as just an idea was seen to fruition by Paschenko, who admits she’s not the one to shy away from a challenging task: “We’re not afraid of challenges, because they stimulate us and show us what we’re capable of.”
Vlasenko smiles and says that Anna’s favorite expression is “We’ll cope.”
Daria Vlasenko prepares a florarium order on March 3 at Roslynka’s showroom. (Photo by Anastasia Vlasova) (Anastasia Vlasoav)
The two women do it all – Daria takes orders and answers customers’ inquiries, while Anna is responsible for business development and the growing of the succulents, as well as quality control. Paschenko’s aunt-in-law helps them solder together glass vessels for florariums.
The women often work until midnight and on weekends – a work ethic that at first raised eyebrows among their friends who hold 9-5 jobs, and older relatives, who wondered why the two spent their weekends at work instead of home.
Free person
With time, Paschenko tells the Kyiv Post, family members, friends and even their children have started to pitch in to help during busy times. Vlasenko adds, “We don’t want our kids to want a job in which they don’t have to do anything. On the contrary, we want them to want to work.”
Paschenko agrees that it’s important that their kids see what it’s like running a business.
“You’re a free person, you work for yourself. We want our kids to understand that.”
Largely thanks to their can-do attitude, after over two years since its inception, Roslynka is growing and Paschenko is looking for a larger showroom, which she sees doubling as a café and a place where people can relax, surrounded by plant arrangements and florariums.
“It all started with these guys,” Paschenko points to a pot hosting several adorable plants in a place of honor, aside from the rest. These are the very first succulents she acquired, over two years ago at a plant exhibition.
Prior to that, Anna sat in on a few lectures on floristry and indoor plants at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv. An English teacher by trade, she doesn’t have a degree in design, but she does have a real knack for it.
Succulents at Roslynka basking in artificial light to supplement lack of sunshine in cold months. (Photo by Anastasia Vlasova)
At the plant exhibition, Paschenko learned about succulents and decided to try them out. She grew her first plants, before Roslynka became a business, using the ones she bought at the exhibition. Succulents reproduce easily – a leaf, placed on soil, will grow roots without any water, using the moisture from the leaf itself. After a while the leaf withers and a new plant grows from the roots.
Meditative work
With Roslynka enjoying business growth, including from office and restaurant decoration orders, Paschenko understands she may need to spend more time on the business side and fears management work will take away from the time she now has for creating.
But in the meantime, she’s just enjoying the very process of working.
“I like the process of choosing the pot, choosing the plants, the decorative pebbles – it’s meditative for me,” she said.
Those interested in Roslynka’s work can buy an already existing piece, designed and planted by Paschenko, or create their own by picking the succulents and the decorative elements themselves at one of the master classes held by the company.
“With us, every sale comes with a consultation: you can write or call us with questions, you can come here for help, we want you and the plants to feel good,” Paschenko says.
