When you run a floral design business, the work on your path to a profitable business is an ever-evolving journey.

So to support you on that path, I thought it would be helpful to lay out the focused steps I teach florists to grow a profitable floral design business.

Because the truth is, the biggest problem for most entrepreneurs is they simply don’t know exactly what action steps to focus on to grow their cash flow and scale their business with less effort.

Growing a sustainable floral business really comes down to 4 focused action steps:

Step #1 – Price For Profit

This is the process of following industry standard markups, applying a design fee, charging for delivery & set-up, and maximizing your profit margins so you feel good about what you’re paying yourself.

Once you’re at a place where you don’t need to worry about how much money you’re making on each sale, you start shifting to “how you can make more money with less effort.”

No matter where you are in business, whether working from a home-studio or a brick & mortar shop, I always suggest you follow the Flower Math formulas for pricing to ensure profitability…(if you’re not 100% confident in your pricing, you can learn more about my Flower Math technique right here!).

Step #2 – Establish Your Value

Following the Flower Math formulas will help you increase your income, however you must also think about the long term sustainability of the business.

That’s where building a reputable brand comes into play. The value you provide to your clients is what your brand is all about. (This is the real reason people choose you over other florists in your area!)

Trustworthy and reliable are two essential qualities of an integrity brand on a quest to establish “premium brand position”.

Step #3 – Monetize Your Brand

Then, once you’ve built a trustworthy brand, it’s time to tap into it to generate some more cash flow by charging premium prices for the level of service and overall experience you provide. Make sure to measure what’s selling well all along the way and lean into that!

And truthfully, this is as simple as consistently creating beautiful floral designs and providing outstanding customer service experiences so that you develop a sought-after business!

You rinse and repeat these first 3 steps over and over again until you have your cash flow (and your work flow) where you want it to be–in a place that is more consistent & reliable.

Step #4 – Scale Your Business

This step is focused on the 3 key areas that allow for you to expand your income without expanding your workload. This is the stage when you MUST ditch the hustle-mentality and start thinking and working SMARTER.

These 3 key areas are: Clear Offers, Intentional Marketing, and Streamlined Systems To Close Sales.

With these 3 things in place, you will be able to welcome in qualified new clients…and eliminate price shoppers….because clients already understand what you do and trust your brand so that all you need to do is lead them through the booking process.

These truly are 4 CRITICAL focused action steps you need to grow and scale your business.

Hopefully that makes your next steps clear and if you have any questions, please let me know…

To ask me a question or drop me a line e-mail:  info@realflowerbusiness.com 

xo. -Alison Ellis

P.S. The Flower Math course I mentioned in Step #1 is an easy to follow technique that is making me and my students a lot of money on every order…simply by applying the Flower Math formulas…and there’s no technology required….other than your computer and a calculator.

By following Flower Math…

• I make a consistent 70% profit margin (or more!) on the cost of flowers & supplies.
• My clients tell me they make more money on every order they place.
• Susan made back the purchase of the course in just 1 wedding and said, “I can make a career out of this (and not only be a hobby florist!)”.
• My client in England said, “I’m not a natural with maths and found it very helpful and easy to understand. I spent £2,000 on a recognised floristry course and am annoyed that they did not cover this amount of detail!!”
• Canadian designer, Larissa, told me she was happy that she “had to pay taxes for the first time” because she turned a profit in her business after taking Flower Math!
• Heather signed up in mid-November and she said, “I actually felt the light bulb come on in my head.”

In fact, on average the floralpreneurs who follow the techniques I teach are making more money and feeling more confident on the very first order they quote.

So, if you want to get in the loop on exactly how they work, you’ll find Flower Math and a full list of course offerings HERE!

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison Ellis