Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How To Go Live On Facebook 2020

Florists have asked me: How do you go live on Facebook?

I’ve done tons of livestreams over the last 4 years or so and today I’m sharing the things you “must know” to go live.

Even if you just want to shoot a video or host a virtual meeting, the first 7 minutes of the video will show you how to get stared!

Note: Facebook is changing its “go live” feature so if you’ve never done it before (and even if you have!) this training video will show you how to get started.

Now is an important time to show up “live” in your business so your customers can stay connected to what you’re doing.

And let’s face it, now is also the perfect time to learn new skills…we’re going to need them.

I only preach what I practice and so for the next few months–when we were supposed to be doing weddings–I’m going to share weekly tips, trainings and behind-the-scenes “stuff” that will help you with MINDSET, MARKETING & BOOKING STRATEGIES.

You can join me for more trainings with real life tips you can put into action over the upcoming weeks in my Patreon training for just $3 HERE.

Oh, and if you want to see what I’m working on with this “extra time on my hands” CLICK HERE.

Learn More About Alison HERE.

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Alison Ellis on Botanical Brouhaha Podcast

I’m a guest this week on Episode 3 of the BB+ Podcast.

BB+ are bite-sized episodes of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast and I am so happy to share this short and sweet Q&A with you today!

In this Pricing Q&A for Florists we talk about:

  • How much should you charge for rentals?
  • How do you set a starting price/minimum on flowers?
  • Should you list your prices on your website?

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or click here to check it out: botanicalbrouhaha.com/bb-episode-3-alison-ellis-on-rental-pricing-floral-markups

It’s only 27 minutes long and I hope you’ll enjoy it!

BotanicalBrouhaha.com is a tremendous resource and inspiration for florists around the world; the floral industry is so lucky to have Amy McGee in our corner. Make sure you subscribe to the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast with Amy & Maria.

This was my first time on the BB Podcast, but I’ve been featured on BotanicalBrouhaha.com before!…

Click to watch a video from the BB Blog below and find my Master Your Pricing series featured on Amy’s blog HERE.

On a personal note

It was an honor to be Amy McGee’s guest on Episode 3 of the BB+ Podcast. I’ve known Amy for several years now and I can honestly say she is simply one of the best people. Period.

Not just one of the best floral design advocates.

Not just one of the best industry resources.

One of the best people on this planet.

And I’m proud to call her a friend.

And I’m ridiculously proud to be invited to serve as a resource for the Botanical Brouhaha podcast listeners in this episode.

Thanks for all you do for the industry, Amy, and thank you for your constant support of the work I do. In both small and big ways Amy always lets me know that what I do in the floral world actually matters…and there’s no way to express my heartfelt gratitude for that continued support!

Make sure to subscribe to the BB Podcast wherever you get your podcasts to show your support of this incredible resource and catch up with any episodes you may have missed.

xo. -Alison

Additional Resources For Florists:

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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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How Can You Run A Business And Be A Mom?

Running a business and being a mom isn’t an easy balancing act.

In fact, sometimes the trick is accepting the imbalance and making it work anyway!

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart, and if you’re going to mom and business at the same time, things aren’t going to be easy. But nobody ever said it would be easy, did they? Because nobody told me that motherhood would be a cakewalk…and I certainly knew how much my business demanded of me before jumping into the full-time job title, “mom”.

But things that are truly worth it in life are rarely easy.

I’m committed to multiple passions. My business needs me…and my family needs me…and I need me, too.

Sometimes you have to give things up for “other things” that are important to you.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice in ways you wish you didn’t.

Sometimes you don’t know how strong you are until you try.

It’s a constant process to develop good work habits, find ways to focus, and be more present in an attempt to create balance.

Click to watch a replay of my live chat “Mom Talk” from Nov. 2018 including a cameo appearance by my kid:

Truth: My time became especially precious once I became a mom.

Streamlining my sales systems to save time and maximize my profitability were essential to surviving my transition from solo-preneur to mom-preneur.

 

Remember: It’s not always easy, but you can do it!

Moms are tough.

Move through the tough.

Rest when you need to.

Ask for (and accept) help.

Learn to appreciate what you’re doing well!

xo. -Alison

Save Time With These Resources…

Want to streamline your sales systems? Click here to learn about my Wedding Templates for Florists!

Need to increase your income? My course, Flower Math, shows you how I maximize my profit on every order I take. Click here for details.

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Goals for 2020

How do you set attainable goals?

Years ago I started following Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map for setting goals for the upcoming year. What she teaches is that you set goals based on how you want to feel in your life; not just based on what you want to accomplish or do.

I learned that I could achieve so much more by focusing on my feelings instead of just my goals (or god forbid, new year’s resolutions!), which seemed more distant and long term than something I can act upon right now.

But my desired feelings are something I can act upon at any moment. I can choose to do something that satisfies one of my desired feelings just about any time I want to.

Here’s a list of my 2020 Desired Feelings…

 

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I started making plans and setting goals years ago based on how I want to feel. #desiremapping changed so much about my life and the way I make business decisions. ❤️ To be honest, my core desired feelings haven’t changed much since I first did my desire map? It’s pretty straight forward: I want to feel Healthy. Sounds easy enough, right? ? ? ? I want to be mindful, but I’m using Mindfull because I don’t only want to feel present, but also full of ideas as well as spirit. ? ?? Grounded is always my goal because feeling out of control or overly emotional doesn’t suit me. Rooted, firm, and solid is more my style. ??? Connected carries several meanings and it’s a reminder to not get too lost in my solo projects…also, a reminder to keep up my content and teachings for florists around the world. ☎️?❤️ And finally, Steady. That’s a new one this year. It also carries several meanings: consistent, loyal, reliable, trustworthy…ALL qualities I strive towards. ⭐️?? So now you know all about what’s driving me! What are your desired feelings for 2020? What goals are you reaching towards? Share ‘em with me in a comment or shoot me a message! ? I’m rooting for you. ❤️

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on

So, like I said, I can achieve one of these desired feelings just about anytime I want to.

Want to feel healthy? Then, I can workout for 30 minutes or go eat a carrot.

Need to be more mindfull? Then I can meditate for 20 minutes.

Want to feel grounded? Hey, maybe the meditation already did the trick!

Not connected enough? I can make a phone call to a friend.

Need to be more steady? I could make a new schedule or update my calendar; I could also simply follow through on something I promised I’d do.

See, it’s really that easy to create small achievable goals that not only make me more successful as a business owner, but also make me feel happier and more fulfilled in my life.

I can choose to say no more easily because if it’s not aligned with my desired feelings, then it’s a no.

I can say yes more easily, too, because if I can get closer to one of my desired feeling, then the answer is yes.

If you want to learn more about Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map click here to follow my affiliate link and get some clarity on how you can apply this process in your own journey!

By identifying 5 key desired feelings and diving deeper into this work over the years, I’ve been able to establish rules and boundaries that allow me to create space to discover more of the things I truly love and value. I hope you’ll have a year ahead filled with more of what you love, too!

With love from me to you,

Alison

 

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