Progresif Hero: Olivia Ong

Olivia Ong creates awesome arrangements with cool cacti and succulent darlings.

How did you get into succulents?

I’ve always wanted to start a small business. I was amazed at the popularity succulents have globally. There are more than half a million hashtags on succulents alone! When a friend had a pop-up event, I was keen to introduce Happy Greens – my name for succulents – to the public. I have been promoting my FourTripleOne/Home of Happy Greens via Instagram@fourtripleone and I have a small set up in Kiulap.

What motivates you?

There is so much to learn about succulent plants. How to nurture them, propagate them, arrange them, identify them. How to locate unusual species. It’s a never-ending learning curve and my passion for these fascinating plants motivates me to learn more.

Progressive reminds me of the Japanese term ‘kaizen’ which means always improving. This concept has no age limit – everyone can learn something new everyday. That’s progressive.

Who is your biggest inspiration in life?

My mum—if I could be half of what she is. Strong, ever positive and passionate about what she does.

Describe your typical day.

I have a full-time job working at my family business and being a driver to my mum. During what spare time I have, you’ll find me at home planting at my balcony ‘till the wee hours.
Check her out on IG: @fourtripleone