Today we’d like to introduce you to Alfredo Albiter
Hi Alfredo, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I migrated to the United States in 1992 in search of a better life. I started working in construction in The Woodlands area cleaning up trash for about 6 years. After I was presented with an opportunity to work in the horticulture industry at a landscaping company in The Woodlands. I was hired on as a general worker and after only a month I was promoted to group leader. When I started I knew nothing about plants or landscaping but I quickly realized how much I liked it.
Once I realized how passionate I was about this industry I knew I wanted to start my own business. I started by saving enough money to buy a lawn mower. I would go door to door asking residents in The Woodlands area if they needed their lawn mowed or any other landscaping services. At the time I knew very little English and would often get the door slammed in my face. I did not let this stop me and continued to knock on doors until I had a few clients. Through those clients who gave me an opportunity and recommendations I was able to grow the business.
In 1999, I decided I needed to choose a name for the company. I chose to name my company A&B Landscaping, A for Alfredo and B for Brandon, my son who had just been born. In the beginning we mostly did lawn maintenance but as my knowledge for landscaping grew I moved on to bigger projects. Today A&B offers a wide variety of services, such as design consultation for homes with existing landscaping and brand new homes, grading, sod/turf installation, retaining walls, and much more.
My ambitious attitude and strong passion for the industry led me to enter another sector of the horticulture industry and open 1314 Nursery in 2020. That same year COVID-19 hit and it made the first few years very difficult. I started to realize all the challenges involved in running a nursery. Our biggest challenge was finding a vendor with good quality trees that could handle the Houston heat.
I decided that I would grow my own trees to supply the Nursery and opened Spring Tree Farm in 2021. It was important for me to do this because many of the vendors who had good quality trees were further up north where temperatures are lower. When the trees were transported to the nursery they suffered since they were not acclimatized to Houston weather. Now that we grow our own trees they are acclimatized to Houston weather and are less likely to die after being planted.
Starting two businesses during the pandemic and running A&B became stressful. It was hard to monitor and grow 1314 Nursery and Spring Tree Farm since A&B consumed so much of my time. In 2023 I decided to step back from A&B Landscaping and let my son Brandon run the company. I knew Brandon was ready to take this step and it would allow me to focus on 1314 Nursery and Spring Tree Farm. Now that I would have more time I decided to open another business, A&J Landscape Supplies, which opened in February 2024. I opened A&J Landscape Supplies to be able to offer customers a wider range of hardscape materials, mulch, soil, sand, and fertilizer. At 1314 Nursery we offer some of these products but do not have the space to include the many many materials out there. With these three new businesses we can provide clients with a large variety of good quality materials for their landscaping needs.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The biggest difficulty was starting my first business. Although I had knowledge of the business and how to run it I did not have enough money to buy all the equipment and tools needed. This was frustrating because I wanted to grow my business but had to be very careful of how I spent the money I made.
Another challenge was that I did not know how to speak English. When working with new clients I knew what needed to be done to execute the job correctly but could not properly explain it to them. It was frustrating but instead of thinking of quitting there was always an internal impulse to keep going. Through the years I learned more English through conversations with my customers and it became easier to communicate with them.
Another struggle was that I knew to be successful I was going to have to dedicate all my time to the company. Because of this I was not able to spend as much time with my first few kids as they were growing up. I would often have to miss school events or other important milestones. It was frustrating but I knew my efforts were going to provide them with a better life. I am thankful that my second and third oldest, Perla and Brandon, have become involved with the family businesses and we get to spend more time together. Perla is the general manager at 1314 Nursery and Brandon took over A&B Landscaping. I hope that all my children join the family businesses one day.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
1314 Nursery is not just another nursery. We take pride in guiding our customers through the purchasing experience by asking the right questions so we can provide them with plants, trees, and shrubs that will work in their garden. With my experience as a landscaper I am able to teach my team what these plants will do once they are in the ground and how they should be taken care of so they can thrive. Many customers have mentioned that our customer service is superior to other nurseries because we actually provide information for at home care. We don’t just want to sell them plants but give them all the knowledge they need to have the nicest healthiest plants.
We offer over 500 types of plants. We have annual bedding plants, perennials, cacti, fruit trees, herbs, grasses, ground covers, vines, palms, roses, shrubs, trees, topiary, tropicals, and so much more. We also offer bull rock, gravels, crushed granite, crushed concrete, mulch, sand, and soil. We offer delivery services for our customers who do not have a way to transport their plants/materials. And although 1314 Nursery does not install these materials our customers can always reach out to A&B Landscaping to get a quote for their garden needs.
Another thing that makes 1314 Nursery different is we have access to Spring Tree Farms quality trees and shrubs. We keep a decent supply of all their products at 1314 Nursery but sometimes landscapers need a large quantity of trees/shrubs and we are able to easily meet their order requirements.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
When you start a business you have to fully invest your time so you can figure out what is going to work. You need to be fully involved with your team and customers. The first few years are going to be the hardest because you’re going to make mistakes but through these mistakes you figure out how to keep growing the business.
Something I wish I knew when I started my company was that I was going to have to take on many roles the first few years. When I started I knew I was going to provide quality landscaping services. But I also had to be head of finance, marketing/sales, human resources, and customer service. If you want to be an Entrepreneur with little capital you are going to have to take on all those roles for the first few years until you are able to hire a professional to help you.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/1314nursery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/1314-Nursery-LLC-100075905484133/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/1314-nursery-conroe
