From Minimum Wage to Rooftop Gardens

Teresa Carleo’s client roster reads like a who’s who in New York real estate development. But her success started with the question, “What am I going to do with my life?”
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Reinvent Your Career: Success Tips from Teresa Carleo

When Teresa Carleo started her landscaping business 20-plus years ago, she was literally building a business from the ground up. Her only experience consisted of fond childhood memories of working in the garden with her parents. So she started at the bottom by taking a minimum-wage job watering plants.

Carleo worked to expand her knowledge, eventually breaking out on her own and founding Plant Fantasies Incorporated. Success didn’t come without struggle, but, today, Carleo’s thriving business offers a wide range of services—from flower arrangements and ground-floor landscaping to rooftop gardens—for some of New York’s top real estate developers. Here, she shares a few of her success tips: Read more