Real Flower Business

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By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Do Florists Have To Go To Floristry School?

If you want to be a florist, do you have to go to Floristry School? It’s a question I see a lot and I know there can be some strong opinions on the subject. Click to see my answer to the question and let me know what you think!

The truth is, there isn’t just 1 right way to become a florist!

There are so many things to learn that you can’t learn “everything you need to know in just one place”. Whether you go to floristry school, or take an accredited floral design certification program, or you teach yourself through trial and error, there will always be something more for you to learn.

For example, I’ve heard from floristry students in Australia and England who enrolled in my Flower Math course and say that they got a much more thorough and clear explanation from my online course than they did in school! Even longtime florists have told me that they understand the design aspect of their work, but they’ve been kept mostly in the dark on the business-stuff.

And still, some floral designers manage to build a “busy” floral design business, but they struggle with attracting higher paying clients or creating systems to close sales (without a dozen meetings that drain their time and energy).

Let’s face it, there’s so much more to know as a florist than “just flowers”!

The secret to success in the floral industry is to keep learning and growing. Just going to floristry school isn’t enough.

And just learning from YouTube videos isn’t enough.

And letting 20 years pass between your last in-person learning experience isn’t enough either.

Never stop learning in your business and your life–and keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison


Ready to learn proven strategies to streamline your workflow and create more freedom in your floral business?

See  A Full Course List

*Get my FREE eBook*

*Meet Alison Ellis*

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April 8, 2022 — 8:38 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

The Number 1 Branding Mistake Florists Make

What does it mean to have “good branding”?

In a world where social media “success” can be misleading, today’s tip is essential for all businesses to understand–not just new florists. That’s why I’m closing out the month of April with a Tip on Branding Your Business.

What you need to understand as a business owner is that your brand is what other people say about you!

Your brand is what you deliver. It’s the customers’ experience with you and your staff. It’s the way people feel when they work with you and what they tell others when you’re not in the room.

Marketing, on the other hand, is what you tell people about yourself. And there’s a big difference between what you say about you and what your paying customers say about you.

Click to find out the #1 Mistake New Florists Make when branding their business:


Want to continue your business journey with me and build your brand the right way? (Slow, steady and with integrity!)

Here are some resources that will help you take your business further:

  • Become a Patreon Member: Learn the 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Consistently with a behind the scenes look at how I prequalify, close the sale and build an integrity brand. Patrons can ask me anything and I will create a lesson to answer your questions!
  • Business Plan Jumpstart: A fun, easy business plan to help you map out your future. It’s just $20 and it will set you up on the right path.
  • Flower Math: The Florists Guide to Pricing & Profitability teaches the proven formulas to maximize your profit and increase your pricing confidence. It even has a money-back guarantee.
  • Private Strategy Session: Schedule a 1 on 1 with Alison to discuss your unique business goals. (Space is limited to 2 floralpreneurs per month.)

You’ll also find a full list of courses HERE including my templates for florists to help you take control of your client communication and establish authority so customers follow your lead.

There’s so much more to what we do than “just flowers”. Pricing for profit, learning how to close the sale, and building a reputation that attracts great clients are just as important as the design work we do.

FYI if you missed any of my April is for Newbies series you can catch them all on Instagram HERE on IGTV!

Thanks for being here and keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

April 30, 2021 — 1:50 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Floral Recipes and Flower Care Tips

Where do new florists go to ask their burning (or random) questions?

No one knows everything they need to know when they’re jus getting started. That’s why this month is dedicated to answering questions from new florists.

You can find the latest “Tip for Newbies” below! And catch up on the previous tips you may have missed on Instagram HERE!

These are the questions I answered today:

  • Hi Alison, You mention on several occasions something about recipes. Can you tell me how you make recipes, and how you use them for decorations and bouquets.
  • Hi! I would love to know better how to create that loose airy design seen in so many bouquets without an armature. Also, how do you attach greenery to staircases and fireplaces without brick clips? I’m figuring chicken wire, but how to keep it secure? Thank you!!
  • How do you prep hydrangea to ensure they last longer?
  • Exactly how to use quick dip and alum – and is alum short for something?!
  • Plus I addressed the best boutonniere storage tip I learned from Gregor Lersch.

Click to watch:


In today’s video I mentioned my online course, Flower Math, which you can find more info on here and if you want to check out that boutonniere storage tip on YouTube, click here!

April 22, 2021 — 1:37 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Pricing Chat for Florists

Floralpreneurs! You’re invited to my FREE Pricing Chat for Florists on St. Patrick’s Day!

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 17th, at NOON EST/ 9am Pacific/ 4pm London. Click HERE to register for the live Q&A!


Register to Join me!

In this live chat I’ll cover:

  • 3 Numbers You Need To Know
  • 3 Easy Steps to calculate your profit margin
  • Why tracking your profit margins are SO important
  • The importance of setting a profit goal, NOT a spending goal
  • AND I’ll address your questions LIVE

Make sure to join me live so I can answer YOUR specific questions! I look forward to seeing you there!

Click to sign up

March 6, 2021 — 4:32 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Tips for Florists on Blogging, Ghosting, and Attracting Higher Budgets

For the last few weeks I’ve been broadcasting my Tuesday Q&As over on Instagram (instead of in my private Facebook group) and it’s been fun to connect with floral folks on the gram! Click below to watch a replay of today’s live chat and make sure to follow me on IG here: @realflowerbusiness!

Questions I received this week include:

[Read more…]

September 8, 2020 — 6:27 pm

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Welcome, floralpreneur®.  I’m Alison Ellis, creator of Flower Math, and founder of RealFlowerBusiness.com. My online business courses, group training and private coaching is created to help floral designers increase profits, book better gigs, type fewer emails & build awesome websites.  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

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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

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