Nevaeh Hartman may be only 8 years old, but she's already an entrepreneur. Nevaeh and her mother, Shelby Hilt, operate Succulents by ShelNe, a business that provides potted plants to customers throughout Lancaster and York counties.

"My mom has a green thumb, and so do I," Nevaeh said.

The mother-daughter duo, who live in Mount Joy, launched Succulents by ShelNe in August of 2020. Shelby had been a special education teacher for 15 years when the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

"I was an independent contractor, so I was going into people's homes, and I couldn't do that anymore," she explained. With a then-newborn son at home, along with a 6-year-old son and Nevaeh, Shelby re-evaluated what she wanted to do with her life. Inspiration struck just by looking around her home.

"Every single window in my house had a plant in it," she said, noting that she also enjoyed planting and landscaping outside her home. "It was like a jungle in here at one point." She met a woman who sold succulents and soon realized she could do the same.

"We focus on succulents, but in arrangements," she stated, adding that Nevaeh picks out the pots for the plants. Shelby's fiance, Andy, built an indoor greenhouse for the plants, and Shelby launched a Facebook group in November of 2020 to showcase her inventory.

As the business grew, Shelby and Nevaeh were learning new things every day, from how to water the plants to how to manage money. "We're getting really good at propagating," Nevaeh said. "It's a way to grow roots from cuttings or make little baby plants."

Andy built an outdoor greenhouse for the business and is currently working on winterizing it. "My fiance is super supportive," Shelby said. She acknowledges she'll need his support even more soon - she's currently expecting her fourth child.

While the business has grown, so has the bond between mother and daughter. If you ask Nevaeh what she loves about working with her mom, she'll give you a direct answer: "Everything." Nevaeh, who will be a third-grader at Doe Run Elementary this fall, said she loves going to greenhouses and picking out plants and pots, and she spends her free time watching YouTube videos about how to propagate the plants. Shelby and Nevaeh deliver plants to customers and are also exploring the idea of having a mobile bus or truck selling plants.

Shelby credits the success of the business to the ease of growing succulents. "People who can't grow plants can grow succulents," she explained. "It's made a lot of plant moms out of people who didn't think they could be one."

While the business has provided Shelby with a new career, it has also allowed her to spend precious time with her daughter. "This business has shown me who she is as a person. She's a giver," Shelby said, noting that Nevaeh celebrated her birthday in early August by giving out free plants to neighbors. "She has a good spirit."

For more information, search for "Succulents by ShelNe" on Facebook.