Bossley didn't always plan on being a businessman. He began his career as a teacher, but migrated to the perennial wholesale nursery business after recovering from a serious injury. Agricultural volunteer work in the former Soviet Union helped Bossley discover the satisfaction of working with plants. "I began my own business as a means to reestablish retirement security, now I think I will never want to retire." Management of the seven greenhouses and the ten field-lots keeps the Bossley family business busy. Goldfinch Gardens even offers a 60 page on-line catalog to help reach customers outside of Ohio.

Bossley credits OSU with helping him believe in himself, "I went through OSU during the Vietnam War period and just finishing something was the best thing for me."

Many people stop at Goldfinch Gardens to find some rare plant which they have looked everywhere for. A few years back, a widow came by in tears, telling Bossley someone had stolen the chrysanthemum she had put on her husband's grave. Knowing that she had purchased it with her Social Security money, he picked up the largest white chrysanthemum and said, "Here, don't worry about that, I don't think they will take it a second time."