OCALA, FL (352Today.com) – Gabriel Chapman was riding a ski lift in Utah when he spotted a wild-haired guy next to him who wore no helmet, just a free-spirited look that screamed “interesting.” Figuring he had to talk to him, Chapman struck up a conversation.
“I was skiing, and there’s this wild-looking guy next to me on a ski lift with no helmet and crazy hair, and I was just like, ‘I gotta talk to this guy,’” Chapman said.
What began as casual lift chatter about entrepreneurship soon veered into business acquisitions. The helmet-less stranger recommended Walker Deibel’s book “Buy Then Build” and a related podcast. That serendipitous exchange would ultimately lead Gabriel and his wife, Sunshine, to a thriving new venture in Ocala.
“We bought his book called “Buy Then Build”, and it supposes that basically 90 percent of startups fail but that only 10 percent of acquisitions fail, and that your money really should go towards buying something that’s already cash flow positive, that fits within what you want to do, that ties to what you like in business and who you are in the world and how you feel morally,” Gabriel said.
That philosophy led them straight to Garden Works.
Revitalizing a legacy brand
The Chapmans recently acquired Garden Works, a 34-year-old Ocala-based manufacturer and wholesaler of premium American-made gardening tools, gloves, apparel and accessories. The company, long sold by thousands of retailers nationwide and recently featured on Good Morning America, now has fresh energy under the Chapmans’ leadership.
After scaling their previous financial services startup to $30 million in revenue, the Chapmans, who divide their time between homes in Orlando and Utah, opted against launching another new venture from scratch. Instead, they pursued acquisition entrepreneurship, buying an established, cash-flow-positive business that aligned with their values.
They closed on Garden Works after going through the Acquisition Lab program, which equipped them with the tools for due diligence and deal evaluation. Their “why” was straightforward: to create a sustainable lifestyle business around timeless, high-quality products that people will always need, while modernizing operations and expanding thoughtfully.
“One of the reasons that acquiring was so attractive is that it’s already cash flow positive, so you don’t have to start from zero, and we also were thinking about our long-term enjoyment of something, and being a part of American-made tools, and creating beautiful products that will always be needed. This company is kind of eternal, like people will always want these things,” Sunshine said.
Aligned in life and business
Working as a married couple brings natural alignment, the Chapmans say. Gabriel handles much of the tech and finance side, while Sunshine drives product development and marketing. They collaborate closely on sales and strategy, whether from their shared office, Zoom meetings or on the road.
“We definitely split up our tasks so that we do not overlap too much, so he does like the tech and finance mainly, and I do a lot of product development and marketing, and then we work together on sales,” Sunshine said.
About 10-15 percent of their time is spent at trade shows coast-to-coast or in their Atlanta showroom, where they showcase products to retailers. Other days find them at the 15,000-square-foot warehouse in Ocala near the airport, supporting a team that has roughly doubled since the acquisition.
“There’s a lot of value in being a couple working on this,” Gabriel said.
Their personal and business interests stay in sync, unlike partnerships that can fracture over life changes.
“Our business interests and our personal interests are always aligned. If you have a business partner who maybe is starting a new family or getting a divorce or going through something that you’re not going through, they might want to sell or extricate or do something different with the business than you, but when your life partner is also your business partner, you have a lot more alignment, so it makes it sort of easier for things like that,” Gabriel said.
The flip side? The business conversation never fully stops, but that constant dialogue is something they’ve embraced.
Preserving heritage, embracing growth
Garden Works traces its roots to two brothers in Washington state more than three decades ago. It later moved to Ocala under the previous owner, Curt Bingham. The Chapmans have since added complementary acquisitions, including Vinrella (stylish, wine-bottle umbrellas) and another gift-focused company, expanding into colorful, design-driven home and garden items while keeping core hero products USA-made in Ocala.
According to Gabriel, they’re using Artificial Intelligence strategically, building custom projects for finance, procurement, marketing and more to amplify what the team can do without replacing jobs.
“We’ve actually hired more people. [AI] is a way for us to expand and do bigger and better things with the people that we have,” Gabriel said.
Locally, the couple is excited to contribute to Ocala’s economy through job creation and community engagement. A new in-store showroom partnership with The Yard Stop is set to launch in August, giving residents a hands-on look at products made right here in town.
Looking ahead
In the next three to five years, the Chapmans aim to roughly double the business in revenue and product mix, become a true household name, and maintain that family-like feel for their Ocala team. They want to balance growth with work-life harmony and continue delivering products that improve everyday gardening and gifting experiences.
“We’ve been working really hard getting this thing moving, and we love it, and it’s our baby, and I think part of our future success is being able to take a breath in knowing we have a great team and great people in the Ocala area helping take care of it,” Gabriel said.
For aspiring entrepreneurs, their top lesson is clear: do the homework, but then take action. Many in their Acquisition Lab cohort stayed stuck in analysis paralysis.
“Perfection is the enemy of good,” Gabriel said.
“Once you’ve decided it makes sense, just go for it with all your heart,” he continued.
What started as a random conversation on a snowy ski lift has blossomed into a flourishing Ocala success story, one that honors a legacy brand while writing a bold new chapter for the Chapman family and the local community.