8-year-old boy goes from homeless to homeowner in LA after plant business takes off

An American family who had to live in a shed have turned the tables, making enough money to live comfortably and buy their own place.

Eight-year-old boy goes from homeless to homeowner in LA after plant business takes off.

An American family who fell on hard times and had to live in a shed have turned the tables, making enough money to move out of homelessness and possibly even buy their own place.

It’s all thanks to the eight-year-old son, Aaron Moreno.

The first-grader started his own plant business which soon became Insta-famous. This then attracted more people to their GoFundMe Page.

They’ve now amassed over US$40,000 (AU $54773.52) in savings since the coronavirus began.

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At time of writing, this was how much the fundraiser project had made.

Single mum Berenice Pacheco lost her job in March because of the coronavirus, giving her and her three children no choice but to live in a shed in East Los Angeles.

“We didn’t have any other options,” Pacheco, 30, told TODAY Parents.

Ms Pacheco’s eight-year-old son, Aaron, wasn’t able to complete his schoolwork in the small space.

The family had to use the bathroom at a nearby restaurant.

At the height of a LA summer, they were forced to endure incredibly hot conditions.

“As a mother, it broke my heart. I felt like I was failing my kids,” Ms Pacheco said.

“The playground always made them happy, but then the playgrounds shut down,” she said.

“We were stuck in that shed.”

Out of desperation, in March Ms Pacheco gave her son everything she had — $12 — after his suggestion that he start his own business selling plants.

The family’s drastic move out of poverty all began by buying eight succulents.

“I told him to invest the money,” Pacheco recalled.

It’s hard to turn a profit with so little, but Aaron managed it.

He bought eight miniature succulents for $12. They sold for $16.

Over the next several months, he continued doing this. Every little profit helped.

As well as up-marking the prices of the plants slightly, little Aaron also received tips from generous customers. Soon he had amassed hundreds of dollars in profits.

The business soon captured the public’s imagination.

At the same time, Aaron launched his own social media page.

On Instagram, he has more than 25,000 people interested in purchasing his plants and following his journey.

The business helped them raise awareness about their difficult circumstances, and soon a GoFundMe page was set up for them.

At time of writing, the fundraiser was up to US$40,000.

Originally published as 8-year-old boy goes from homeless to homeowner in LA after plant business takes off