3 Top Tips for New Florists

Last week, I had the privilege of talking to a couple of florists in some 1:1 coaching calls and one new florist asked: What are your top 3 pieces of advice that you’d offer to a new florist?

There’s more than 1 way to answer this question, but I want to share with you what I shared with her! (And if you’ve been in business for a little while–or a long while!–these tips are for you, too!) Since we’re entering the 4th Quarter of the year, it’s the perfect time to share these 3 Tips with you, too! Listen below.

Real Flower Business · 3 Pieces of Advice for New Florists

Top 3 Tips For Florists

1. Define what you want your business to provide. How much income you’re looking to make in your business and what sort of lifestyle you’re trying to create?

(Note: Your sales goal will be higher than your income goal because all of your expenses come out of the total sales.)

2. Define all of the offers that you’re selling that will bring money into your business.

You can think of these like “buckets” or categories. For example, funerals, daily orders, walk-ins, weekly subscriptions, events.

Then, determine how much you need to sell in each category to meet the sales goal so that you can reach your income goal. (For example, $3,000 in funerals per month, $6,000 in daily orders and walk-ins, $2,000 in business accounts, $5,000 in weddings & events…)

3. Define who your customers are (and this may be a different customer for each of your buckets or categories) and get really obsessed with serving them well.

What do they need/want?
What would they love to buy from you?
What would they be excited to tell their friends about?

If you can answer these questions, you’re doing good work! And if you need to think about them a little bit, that’s good work, too!

FYI on Monday, Oct. 7th at 12pm ET I’m hosting an Opportunity Hour with Patreon members in the Marketing Mavens Tier as well as the new students in my Flower Math course!

This Opportunity Hour is a small group coaching session and any questions, struggles, or random things you want to bounce off of another florist are welcome!

I’ll send a Zoom invitation to Marketing Mavens along with the monthly blog posts for October.

Keep doing beautiful work and let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of help to you from here!

xo. -Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

Simple Social Media Tips for Florists

How can you be more consistent with blogging and social media so that you attract the best customers, but also follow a strategy that’s practical and simple?

I got this question from a member of my Patreon Community the other day, which was actually more like 8 or 9 questions, so I answered them live so I could really dig into details and answer in depth!

If you have questions after you watch, let me know!

Click to watch now:

In this livestream I answered questions on:

Content ideas for blogging and social media
Discipline ideas
Goals of how often to post
How do you measure its success
Post structure
How do I keep it simple
How do I post our values, beliefs and key brand points

If you need some help crafting your brand message and sharing your voice, you can get access to Monthly Blog & Social Media Prompts by becoming a Marketing Maven inside my Patreon Community here: www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

I know that as a business owner, it can be challenging to be consistent and authentic because there’s often a bit of a trade off between consistent and authentic.

Wash, rinse, repeat = consistent

But it often takes a little bit of contemplation to find what you have to share with the world that’s actually authentic!

I hope the tips I shared today will inspire you to simplify your social media strategy and share your voice with more intention.

And if you’d like to check out this month’s Social Media Prompts on Patreon, I’d be honored to have you join me there!

xo. -Alison

By Alison Ellis

Work-Life Balance In Business

A florist asked about a healthy work-life balance in my Facebook group the other day and frankly, it’s nearly impossible to achieve a balance because there’s an ebb and flow to everything–and rarely do business pressures and demands of personal life come in equal measure.

Some days are heavily focused on family, while other days are work days. Some days I’m a better designer than I am at dinner preparation and some days all the laundry is clean, but my studio is a royal mess!

This doesn’t mean I’m falling short–it means I’m human. And lucky for me, I’m not aiming for perfection.

Designing is my favorite thing about being a florist, but it’s a small part of all the work I really do. That’s pretty obvious to you if you’re a floral designer, too! (You know exactly what I mean.)

For example, I did a beautiful wedding earlier this month, which I LOVED, but the rest of the time I’ve mostly been doing things I don’t want to do. Now, I’m not saying that to complain! I’m just being truthful. And that can definitely contribute to a work-life balance that feels less than balanced!

Yet one of my strongest skills as a small business owner for 22 years is my ability to get through all that stuff I don’t love so that I CAN do the thing I really love!

(But trust me, it’s taken a lot of practice.)

And as I focus more on “being human” vs. the title of “business owner”, I notice that in the times when I’m feeling like my BEST self are when I’m not in a constant self-judging cycle and I’m not spending (wasting) as much time on social media.

If you’re interested in reducing the amount of time you’re spending on social media too, I want to make sure you know that every month I send 5 social media prompts to the members of my Patreon Community in the Marketing Mavens Tier. The intention is to save florists time and help you create posts that represent your brand instead of just posting because you “have to”. (These prompts land in your inbox on the first Monday of each month when you’re a subscriber!)

Whether you’re currently feeling balanced or not, I hope you have a wonderful week ahead and I hope you’ll make the most of it!

Keep doing beautiful work!

Very best,

Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

Owning A Flower Business

How do you stay accountable as a business owner?

If you own your business, you know there’s a lot to manage if you want to be successful and profitable, but what steps do you take to actually keep yourself on track and avoid time-wasting activities?

In this month’s livestream, I talked about strategies to stay motivated and accountable (or help to get back on track!).

When you watch, you’ll get a few rules I try to follow in my business (based on 22 years of experience), and I’ll address a question I received recently regarding “how much money a florist makes”. (You can also see a few highlights timestamped below!)

Topic Highlights:

How Do You Stay Accountable As A Business Owner? 00:00

Introduction/Welcome 03:25

What Does Accountability Look Like? 04:15

Steps To Create Accountability 04:56

Social Media Moderation 14:43

Social Media Prompts vs Complaints 19:48

Final Two Tips & Recap 20:46

How Much Money Does A Florist Make? 29:24

What Do You Do With Vases After An Event? 35:24

Staying Accountable From Here 37:44

By Alison Ellis

3 Things To Do When Sales Are Slow

When sales are slow, what should florists do?

Lately, as I talk with floral designers–either in my free Facebook group or in 1:1 Coaching Calls–there’s a common theme that keeps reoccurring and it’s the simple fact that sales are down so far this year.

It is understandably concerning when sales are slow, but what should you actually do about it?

Since complaining won’t help and worrying isn’t pro-active, what steps can florists take today to face the financial reality of a slower season?

Take a few minutes to tune in as I share some real steps you can take in a down season to try to get yourself back on track.

Remember: I’m a real florist, too. I am passionate about teaching practical, proven business strategies, but I don’t just teach! I’ve been running my home-studio business for 22 years and I experience the same ebb & flow of the wedding market just like you. That’s why I always share real, honest advice to help you improve your own sales systems. (And I don’t just show up when I’m selling something! I’m here to support you along the way.)

Keep doing beautiful work and let me know if you enjoyed this video or have any questions for me!

xo. -Alison Ellis

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