Jan Bills

Bio

Who's the "other" Woman? My mother has always been my inspiration! She was an incredible entrepreneur, a business owner, and one of the smartest people you could meet. Two Women and a Hoe® is a tribute to her memory. Now this is going to sound strange, but the other woman is also my brother. I was a successful human resources professional who had worked my way up to what some may describe as an ideal job, but I was dreaming about gardening and getting dirty. And there was my brother, Michael, back in February 2006, saying, "Let's start a business." Well, I declined his offer. Suddenly, devastatingly, Michael died of a heart attack in March. You can guess the rest: In April, I developed a business plan and strategy to exit corporate America. Today, I am living my dream and mixing work with pleasure! I replaced my corporate high heels with Wellies, and never looked back. The other woman is you, too! Whether you're male or female, you may feel like I did. Know that I know you; you inspire me with your desire to identify your passion. I say, you can figure out what your "Wellies" are, whether you are in the garden or not! So what's with the Hoe? Obviously, it's an essential tool in our repertoire, but I decided to redefine the other "hoe" to make it OK to be a hoe. My definition is this: 1hoe/'ho/n: one who lives life with grace, dignity, passion and compassion abundantly inspired by the gift of breath. I'm a businesswoman who loves to garden, and I know that what I've said here has no weight if I can't back it up with knowledge, sustainable landscape and garden designs, integrity, creativity, and customer service. I am a certified landscape designer and master gardener who knows what works and what doesn't. Our gardens don't look like other gardens: They are low-maintenance and beautiful. After all, they should be our love, not our labor of love. May all your gardens grow, Jan