Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Floral Business Seminar Live

Have you ever wanted to learn with me LIVE and in person?

I have 3 words for you: March In Minneapolis.

Want to meet me there, Floralpreneur®?

I’ll be speaking live and in person in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Koehler & Dramm Wedding Show and I would LOVE to see you there!

Click HERE for details and to join us at the show!

Dates are March 20-22 and I’ll be presenting at 5 different times that you can choose from!

MEET ME IN MINNEAPOLIS

I’m teaching 2 different seminars on Attracting Great Clients and Closing The Sale and Pricing Strategies For Profitability.

Tom Bowling, AIFD will be presenting as well and you can mix and match your seminars so that you can see both of our presentations over the course of the weekend!

MEET ME IN MINNEAPOLIS

If you’ve ever wanted to learn with me live and in person THIS is the perfect time to join me!

xo. -Alison

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How To Deal With Floral Wholesalers

Did you catch my appearance on The Flower Podcast this week?

Scott and I had such a good time talking shop that we decided to keep the good times rolling!

I invited him to join me in my Facebook group for my first Tuesday Q&A with a guest! Scott was a great guest as I knew he could shed some light on a topic that many florists struggle with: How To Deal With Wholesalers.

You can click to watch and make sure to subscribe to The Flower Podcast to follow along with the content he’ll be creating this year.

A Few Takeaways….

You may have noticed me taking notes in the video replay. Scott dropped some serious wholesaler knowledge on us and I for one appreciate his point of view and insider insight. I wrote down a few points I think should not be missed….

6 Tips For Dealing With Floral Wholesalers:

  • When you have to ask for a credit, think of it like a “loaf of bread”. Is the whole loaf damaged? or is it just a few slices?
  • Whose fault is it? Is it the grower’s fault? The delivery driver? Your own handling after receiving product?
  • Choose your battles. For example, on a $1,000 floral order, it’s probably not worth the time to complain about “a few slices of bread”, but if you have a problem with an entire bunch or several partial bunches your wholesaler will probably work with you on a reasonable solution.
  • Sometimes you have to simply blame it on the flowers! Poppies or white anemones, for example, may simply be harder to guarantee that every single stem will be viable.
  • If your rep doesn’t connect with you, it may be time to move on. Don’t let a wholesale rep drag your business down.
  • Consider proving Mood Boards to your wholesaler to show the overall palette or floral varieties that your customer is expecting. They should collaborate with you.

Remember:

Your wholesaler is there 52 weeks a year for you; even when the seasonal availability fades your wholesaler is there.

I want to give a HUGE thanks to Scott for sharing your knowledge so generously with my Floralpreneur® Community and I look forward to talking with you again soon!

And thanks to YOU for taking time to tune in and watch!

If you want to get more of my tips on the 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients click HERE to check out my Patreon Membership Site!

And to grab my Mood Board Tips click here!

xo. -Alison

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Alison Ellis on The Flower Podcast

I am so excited to be Scott Shepherd’s guest on The Flower Podcast this week!

 

And because I’m SO excited to be on Scott’s podcast, I’m sharing a free gift with listeners.

You’ll get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes at how I save time on mood boards when you click HERE to Scott’s website.

I’m sharing 3 Quick & Easy Mood Board Tips including:

  • 3 Easy (& Free) Ways To Make A Mood Board,
  • 2 real inspiration boards I made for clients,
  • 1 real life wedding I designed based on a mood board,
  • Plus I share a quote I sent WITHOUT an inspiration board,
  • And 3 Bonus Tips To Write Proposals More Quickly.

Click here to grab my tips!

Scott Shepherd knows florists and I find that he always asks thoughtful and insightful questions of his guests. He definitely asked me a few questions that I know many florists struggle with.

For example:

We talked about pricing, prequalifying clients, design fees, what it means when a “new florist” comes to your town, and, of course, website “stuff”. I hope you’ll make some time to tune in and check it out.

You can listen & subscribe to The Flower Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, AND you can click here to visit Scott’s website and grab my free mood board tips. 

I’ve been tuning to @TheFlowerPodcast for a while now and I’m always impressed with Scott’s pointed questions, which truly reflect his depth of knowledge in the floral industry. Since Scott and I could have talked for hours, we’re going to be live together tomorrow in my Facebook group! Click HERE to join us!

xo. -Alison

 

 

 

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Business Tips For Florists

I’m hosting 3 livestreams in February in my Facebook group to answer real florists’ questions.

In this week’s Tuesday Q&A I’m talking about:

  • what to do when a wedding is canceled,
  • what to do when another business owner bad mouths your biz,
  • how to explain a minimum to clients,
  • how to get employees psyched for Valentine’s Day…

Plus….Beth asked:
Who’s your favorite designer and why?….
And “What advice would you give to your younger self?

Click to watch and tune in next Tuesday for another Q&A (click here to view the event on Facebook).

Links as mentioned in my video are below:

#1. Patreon Members get ALL the booking tips here: https://www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

#2. Valentine’s Day tips video as seen on FlirtyFleurs found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/tOWRAY7dRpA

#3. Brand New Freebie “How To Grow An E-Mail List That Doesn’t Suck” here: https://realflowerbusiness.lpages.co/e-mail-growth-tips

Questions for me? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!

I may choose your question for an upcoming Q&A.

xo. -Alison

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2020 Live Seminars with Alison Ellis

Come see me teach live in 2020!

Seminar dates just announced for March and April in Minnesota & Maine!

I was invited to speak at these seminars because florists are hungry for business knowledge to help round out their abilities and it’s an honor to be able to share my business tips with floralpreneurs at these upcoming events…

floral design business courses, floristry, floral design, Alison Ellis

First, I’ll be in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Koehler and Dramm from March 20-22nd.

Preliminary details here: https://koehlerdramm.com/wedding-show

Save the date for the 2020 Wedding Show! We’re bringing you a series of hands-on, focused education courses in addition to our design showcase, and we have not one but two renowned designers lined up! We’re so excited about this show, and we can’t wait to see you there. For now, save the date, and we’ll be announcing more info soon! Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram so you don’t miss out on announcements!

Next, I’ll be in Portland, Maine on April 4-5th!

Find preliminary details here: https://www.campbellsfloraldesign.com/the-floral-collaborative

This Saturday & Sunday event will combine Designers and Cut Flower Farmers alike. Saturday is an extensive, hands-on designing workshop and pricing seminar. Sunday will transition into cut flower farming to offer an information packed day. We will also identify, grow and maintain the designer- farmer relationship! You will have the option to attend one or both days.

Whether weddings are a part of your current income stream or you’re considering adding a wedding offering, these seminars are made for you, so mark your calendar and come join me.

real flower business

Have a question for me?

Want to invite me to teach at your next seminar or business event? Click here to e-mail me: floralartvt@gmail.com

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