Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Real Flower Business Courses Are Moving

We’re Moving! No, I’m not moving out of Vermont, but I’m moving my online business courses to a brand new site!

This is a big move–and one that I’ve been putting off for a long time now! So I’m very excited to invite you to check out the new site HERE.

Flower Math is the first course I ever made, so it’s only natural that it would be the first course to find a new home on the new site!

Existing Flower Math Students will be granted access to the new course platform–so if you’re already enrolled in Flower Math check your email for a Flower Math Course Login (and don’t forget to check your spam or promotions folder just in case it lands there by mistake!).

Below you’ll see a quick tour of the new course layout so you can easily find your way around as soon as you log in!

As always, if you have any questions, you can reach me at my new email address: info@realflowerbusiness.com


Announcing 3 Upcoming Workshops!

  • Dec. 5, 6, 7th I’ll be teaching a 3-Day Live Virtual Marketing Workshop for Florists! If you’d like some common sense marketing tips for florists and you want to know when registration is open, CLICK HERE to get on the notification list.

 

  • In January 2023, I’ll be teaching my group coaching program, The Art of Good Business, a 4-week course for floralpreneurs who want to take their marketing and branding to the next-level, and registration will open Dec. 7th–so stay tuned for details or subscribe to the Marketing Workshop List (above) for info!

 

  • I’ll be teaching LIVE IN PERSON in April–right here in Vermont!–along with world renowned instructor, Françoise Weeks, and Phebe Robinson of Popped With Phebe!

In this 2-Day Live Workshop in April, florists will get to create sustainable woodland centerpieces and jewelry with Françoise, learn how to add an income stream to your home-studio or flower farm by running a profitable pop-up shop with Phebe, and get practical business advice with Alison targeted to your specific questions so you can maximize profits and attract more great customers. Registration details for the live workshop will be coming soon!…it’s going to be SO good!


Thanks so much for stopping by my site today AND for your support and patience as we make this switch to a new site.

With love from me to you,

Alison

November 16, 2022 — 7:44 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

How Should Florists Set A Minimum

I’ve heard a lot of questions from florists about Setting Minimums (and raising minimums!) lately, which is why I was live today on Instagram to talk about How Florists Should Set A Minimum in their business. You can catch the replay from Instagram below!

Whether you already have a minimum or you’re just figuring out how to establish a minimum, this chat is for YOU!

Here’s what’s covered:

➤Why Florists Need A Minimum

➤How To Determine A Minimum For Your Business

➤How To Communicate A Minimum To Customers

 

Fact: Setting a Minimum isn’t a strategy to “attract customers”; it is meant to help weed people out! And adding a minimum to your website isn’t enough.

That’s why it’s important to understand WHAT your minimum is and HOW to present it to your clients.

I hope you’ll enjoy the replay AND I really hope you’ll sign up HERE for the Free Pricing Chat for Florists on Oct. 13th with 3 Numbers Florists Need To Know! 

If you have any questions for me, feel free to get in touch!

xo. -Alison


 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)


Don’t forget to register HERE for the Pricing Chat on October 13th at noon EDT/9am PDT!

September 29, 2022 — 11:20 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Running A Floral Business

As a floralpreneur® who’s been running my wedding-based business for over 19 years, I know that there isn’t 1 right way to become a successful florist and everyone’s road looks a little bit different. Running a floral business–or any business for that matter–isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. There’s risk and uncertainty. And owners are often overworked and underpaid when they’re just starting out. But business savvy florists build businesses they love.

I’ve worked hard over these last 2 decades to create a business that I love. It suits my life and allows me to feel creative and turn a profit. I enjoy my business and my life because I set my goals with intention and develop reliable steps that streamline my workflow.

I love my customers, I consistently turn a profit, and I design work I’m proud to deliver.

That’s how I measure success. What does success look like to you?

Here’s a breakdown of what it takes to run a successful floral design business (see infographic below):


It’s not easy to grow a business when you’re on your own.

That’s why I founded a free Facebook community, Real Flower Business with Alison Ellis, 5 years ago, so that I could share some of the systems I’ve created and the lessons I’ve learned to help encourage and reassure floralpreneurs who are on your own floral journey, still carving a niche and finding your leadership role.

When I realized it was the group’s 5th anniversary, it felt like something to celebrate! There’s no other group that nurtures florists’ success quite like this one. I’m so honored to be a part of this community that includes highly experienced florist, aspiring floral designers, wholesalers, farmer-florists and home-studio side-hustlers who are dedicated to lifelong learning and sharing with their peers.

It’s a privilege to be part of a community that’s been growing together for 5 years! If you’re not already a member of my free group, click here to join and make sure to answer the questions for speedy approval.


I Can Take You Further. Take Another Step With Me:

If you’re a florist who wants to book more weddings, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can eliminate price shoppers and book customers more quickly by employing a few simple and proven strategies I teach in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients. You can get access to my tried-and-true booking shortcuts, as I walk through The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients by joining me as a Patreon member (click here to join!).

I’ve been booking weddings for 19 years and I’ve been perfecting my booking systems all along the way. When you join me as a Patreon Member you get the most up-close-and-personal access to me and my booking process.

Plus you can “Ask Alison Anything”. I’ll answer your question and probably even turn it into a video lesson so that you can watch or rewatch anytime you want. You can send a private message so your questions remain confidential. This Patreon membership allows me to answer your specific questions in depth.

Seriously, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet of booking and branding tips starting at just $3!


Here’s just some of what you’ll unlock as soon as you become a Patreon Member:

  • How I booked 3 new clients in 1 week
  • Wedding Week Prep: See my entire week’s prep in 15 minutes
  • How to Handle Price Increases and Flower Substitutions
  • Foam Free Floral Arbor Recipe & Profit Breakdown
  • How many revisions do you make to a proposal?
  • Should Florists Charge for Proposals?
  • Tips on Sending a Non-itemized Proposal
  • Walk through a customer’s Inspiration board and then, see what I made in real life
  • #1 Tip To Stop Writing Quotes For Clients Who Cannot Afford You

Join Real Flower Business as a Patreon Member today!


Patreon truly is like a buffet of booking and brand building tips, but you can choose the membership tier that works best for you.


Breakdown of Patreon Membership Levels:

  • The most popular membership is the Marketing Maven Tier at $29. You get access to every single lesson ever posted, plus a Transcript of a Real Wedding Consultation so you can be a fly on the wall for an initial call, plus monthly blog and social media prompts to help you post with intention and attract the best clients. Marketing Mavens get 5 Blog and Instagram prompts on the first Monday of every month!

 

  • Consultation Closer at the $19 Level get access to everything in the above tier, minus the monthly branding prompts.Patreon Members at this level can also access:
    • A Transcript of a Wedding Consultation
    • Over a dozen videos on the 3 Keys to Booking
    • 5 Website & Branding Tips
    • Build your dream into a business plan: LIVE session replay
    • Blog Challenge (Days 1 & 2 PLUS Workbooks)
    • Tips on Creativity & Discipline
    • Replay: Live Chat on Setting Minimums

 

  • Members in the Booking Basics Level at $9 can access over a dozen video lessons in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, and access all new monthly lessons.

 

  • For just $3 Floralpreneur® Foundation Subscribers can access the first 3 videos in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, plus you get limited-time access to new monthly behind-the-scenes lessons.

A few notes:
  • You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time and there is no obligation, so you can cancel any time.
  • New members are billed on the day you sign up and then on the first day of each month moving forward.
  • When new lessons are posted, you’ll get an e-mail notification so you can click over to check it out and there’s even a mobile app for easy access to your Patreon feed from anywhere.

Whether you join me as a Patreon supporter or you continue to partake in my free resources here on my blog or over in my Facebook group, on YouTube or Instagram, thanks for being on this floral journey with me!

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

Learn More About Alison:

  • Read My Bio here
  • Grab my FREE eBook here
  • Order my Book, Falling Into Flowers, here

June 29, 2021 — 10:39 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Who Is Your Ideal Customer?

How do you define an Ideal Customer?

People talk about finding “ideal clients”, but it’s rarely defined.

The simplest definition of an ideal customer is: someone you want to work with over and over and over again.

You may have more than 1 ideal customer (multiple income streams sometimes have multiple customer avatars).

Click to watch this super short video on Why you want to get to know YOUR Ideal Clients!

We dive into this very topic in Week 1 of The Art of Good Business, which starts LIVE Jan. 8th.

You don’t have to join me live, but I will be here every  Friday in January to walk you through the course.

Learn More HERE!


Ideal customers choose your brand easily.

They are willing to pay what you charge.

They love your website.

They love you/your personality and/or your sales staff.

They get to yes, easily.

In short…

In order to make your social media attract the right customers, you need a clear idea of who you’re actually taking to!

Ideal customers say, “this is for me…she’s saying what I’m thinking!”

You want your ideal customers to read your sales copy and think “yes, this is for me”.


Does your website and social media reach your clients like this?

If not, I can help!

Click here to learn more about The Art of Good Business!

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog and watch my tips.

Keep doing beautiful work, Floralpreneur®.

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you have any questions for me about the course or whether it’s a good fit for you, request a free 20-minute call here! I’m happy to hop on a call if you have questions for me.

This is truly one of the most valuable and in-depth courses I teach and I would be honored to have you join me if it sounds like a good fit!

 

January 5, 2021 — 12:27 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Foam Free Wedding Arbor

Foam free floral arbors are fun and easy to do!

I just did my first wedding of 2020 yesterday and shared my #foamfreefloral mechanics on Instagram. Click through the pics below to see the before, during and after on this foam free wedding arbor including 2 time lapse videos showing you the greening and the flowering! [Read more…]

August 17, 2020 — 7:15 pm

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Welcome, Floralpreneur®.  I’m Alison Ellis, creator of Flower Math, published author, and founder of Real Flower Business. My online business courses and private coaching help floral designers increase profits, book great clients & build a better brand.  Learn More →

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FOR WEDDING FLORISTS:

Read my book: Falling Into Flowers

Templates for Florists

Flower Math Formulas

3 Keys To Booking Great Clients

FREE RESOURCES:

Free ebook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

5 Actions To Take When Biz Is Uncertain

10 Things I Did To Grow My Biz

AS SEEN ON:

*The Flower Podcast

*Slow Flowers Podcast

*Mornings With Mayesh

*Botanical Brouhaha

*Florists’ Review

*FlirtyFleurs.com

*From The Ground Up Floral-podcast

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Hitomi Gilliam

Flirty Fleurs

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Marie Forleo

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Seth Godin

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