We had the good fortune of connecting with Lisa Landry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lisa, how do you think about risk?
I think risk taking is essential for any self employed business owner. If your’e hoping to be successful you have to be prepared for the risks and challenges that come with it. The whole idea of making decisions that can change your destiny forever is scary. I put my career, personal finances and even my mental health at risk when I started back in the retail business 15 years ago. Sacraficing my own personal capital , trusting employees and spending countless unpaid hours working to build a successful business is an enourmous risk for anyone. Owning your own business is a massive lifestyle change and it can be frightfully draining . It’s difficult to maintain a work/life balance and most of us don’t begin to consider the mental and physical toll that comes along with the risk/reward factors of owning a business. I never consider risk without reward. Sometimes one outweights the other and often it doesn’t. You have to judge what you are willing to take on and how high the risk factors are and then measure the potential rewards. Hopefully you will win in the end!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Living & Giving is an amazing lifestyle retail shop! Does it sound crazy for me to say…I absolutley love this store? I do! It has evolved into a shopping experience that I’m so proud of. I think the one thing that sets up apart from most retail shops is the mix of live plants and orchids we sell along with gifts, clothes, jewelry, home decor and great food items. Our shop has a magic feel that immediately relaxes our customers as soon as they enter the shop. If we took all the plants out of the store, it would not be the same. They create the single most important element that makes us different. I’m most proud of winning 2 awards for Retail Excellence from Gifts & Decorative Accessories. We were recognized in 2018 for retail excellence in multiple store locations (for our POPUP POPIN Shop) and again in 2019 for special store events. These awards are so prestigious and it was such an honor to be recognized for our creative efforts. Getting to where I am today is a culmination of 35 years working in retail and owning 4 of my own retail stores. Was it easy…absolutely not!!!! I’ve never worked as hard physically and mentally—again, it’s risk reward and it can’t be all about the money. The rewards need to be personal. You have to give back to your community, your customers and your family. In the end, it’s all about living & giving. It’s where we got the name for our shop!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Without question, I would take them to Serenbe. It’s in Chattahoochee Hills Georgia. I’ve been there at least 75 times and NEVER once was I disappointed. I would make a reservation at the Farm for the Magnolia Cottage. We’d start at the Serenbe Inn and have a cocktail in their cozy bar, making conversation with whoever we met. There would be trails to hike, goat yoga classes and time spent at the Spa. Not to mention dinner at the Farmhouse Inn and the Hill, lunch at the Blue Eyed Daisy and Halsa. Shopping at Resource, Hey Hamlin and the cutest wine shop ever. Next we’d stop at Forage and Flower to check out new ideas for plant and orchid arrangements. We can’t miss the Serenbe General Store for pastry, wine and cheeses. Fabulous farm to table breakfast every morning on the Farmhouse sun porch and lounging by the pool with a great book in the afternoons. This is where I go to get away from the stresses of owning my own business. It is by far the most perfect place the unwind and destress. I promise you won’t be disappointed if you go.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without any hesitation, it would be my business partner, Sheree White. I thought I was hard working and willing to go the long haul until I met Sheree. She gives 200% to everything she does and we have fun getting it done together!

Website: www.livingandgivingrome.com

Instagram: Living & Giving

Facebook: Living & Giving

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