Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Are you ready to start a floral design business?

How’d you get started in the floral design business? I’ve been asked that question from time to time and the answer is really simple: I got my first job at a flower cart when I was sixteen years old and I’ve been working as a florist ever since.

See, simple.

But I find it interesting how other floral artists & business owners happen to “fall into flowers”; whether it’s a second career or it started as a side-hustle or it wasn’t something you always dreamed about doing, but somehow discovered you were really, really good at!….there are so many ways that floral designers find their way into floristry.

There isn’t only 1 right way to become a florist.

So what does it really take to start a floral design business?

Join me LIVE in my Facebook group this August (click here to join) for tips all month long on what you really need to start a floral business. I’ll share some of my best tips, tricks and free downloads with a behind-the-scenes look at how I run my business and what I’ve learned over the past 16 years as a floralpreneur.

You can get my tips sent directly to your inbox when you sign up for Real Flower Business e-mail updates HERE. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

The entire month of August will be devoted to sharing my experience and real life tips on how I started my home-studio floral design business AND I’m going to invite you to a live chat where I’ll tell you the single best move I’ve made in my business…it doesn’t cost a single penny, but it might take practice!

Whether you work from a home-studio like I do, or are considering opening a brand new shop, or want to take over an existing shop, or you’ve been in business for years and years, there will be something in this training for everyone!

I hope you’ll sign up HERE for updates or HERE to get my 10 Free Tips for Home-Studio Florists to make sure you’re on the e-mail list for this summer’s training and behind-the-scenes tips.

Thanks for reading and subscribing, Floralpreneurs!

I’ll see you this summer!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Do you know about The Vault?

This is the biggest collection of my very best “real flower business stuff” all in one place! And it’s just $13.

Plus once you unlock The Vault you’ll continue to get bonus content as I add more “stuff” to this course for you.

definition of vault:

to arrive at or achieve something as if by a spring or leap: to vault to prominence. to cause to leap over or surpass others.

Click here to unlock The Vault for just $13 today.

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Should Florists Charge Less If They Work From Home?

Are you a Home-Studio designer? 

Get 10 Tips for Home-Studio Florists HERE.

As a home-studio florist who trained in 5 different flower shops before branching out on my own 16 years ago, (ie opening a business from the kitchen of my 2nd story apartment!), I’ve come to realize that I was pretty lucky in my training.

As I’ve connected with super talented floral designers around the world, I’ve learned that even super talented florists sometimes struggle with pricing; including home-studio, boutique or appointment only designers, as well as brick & mortar flower shop owners!

The reason I say I was “lucky” in my training is because I was trained by different experienced florists, all with varying styles, income goals, overhead costs, employee retention rates and creativity & quality standards, etc…

BUT THE ONE THING THAT EVERY FLOWER SHOP HAD IN COMMON WAS THEIR PRICING.

No matter which shop I went to, I was taught the same pricing structure each and every time. (We even had cheat sheets at our design benches.)

So by ‘lucky” I mean, I’m lucky to have never questioned my pricing model or my value because I knew without a doubt that I was following the flower shop model.

If you work from home and you’re wondering if you should charge less because you “don’t have a shop”, click to watch! This video was made for you.

And if you need more details on pricing like a flower shop, check out my FREE pricing course, Flower Boss 2: Industry Standards on Pricing,& Markups CLICK HERE to get it.

Thanks for tuning in!

Keep doing beautiful work.

xo. -A

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What I’m Obsessed With In My Business Right Now

I invited floralpreneurs to join me for a LIVE chat in my Facebook group in December so I could share what I’m obsessed with in my business right now…and what I plan to stay obsessed with for the forseeable future. I hope you’ll watch and get obsessed, too!

Click to watch!

And if you’re ready to “get obsessed” and you’re interested in The Art of Good Business CLICK HERE.

If you’d like to see a full list of my courses, Click here.

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3 Pricing Tips for Florists

Hey, Floralpreneurs!

It’s officially December, end of the year, a time to plan ahead for a successful 2018 season…..but when you’re a floralpreneur who “does it all”, it can be overwhelming to try to make the time to “think forward”.

You’re not alone! Take a few minutes to appreciate yo’self and don’t let the end of year hustle and bustle blog you down.

Before the year is through I have 3 Pricing Tips for you…I hope you’ll take a few minutes to watch ’em.

Make this the year you finally master your pricing!

Click to watch! Price Talk…with Alison Ellis Live on Dec. 8th.

Remember: A lack of confidence in your pricing can permeate into other aspects of your business.

Having your pricing on lock is your responsibility as a business owner. You owe it to yourself to be paid for your time and expertise.

The good news is you can make money and provide value to your clients. (Pricing is not a mystery.)

Check out my FREE course, Flower Boss 2, Click here.

And if you’re ready to dive into Flower Math and finally master your pricing, Click here for details.

Thanks for reading! Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

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The #1 Thing Florists Want to Learn

Real feedback from real people…there ain’t nothing like the real thing, baby. Real florists told me what they really think…and I am ever so grateful.

I asked floralpreneurs why they did not sign up for the October session of my course, The Art Of Good Business, and I got some genuinely valuable feedback from over 100 florists over the course of a few days.

The survey results were interesting, heartening and share-worthy. Thanks so much to all those who offered your feedback.

Y’all said some really nice things about my courses and my “free stuff” and my Facebook group; your opinions and encouragement are greatly appreciated.

I’m going to share some of the survey results with you in two posts including Thing #1 and Thing #2 that florists told me they want to learn or improve….stay tuned on Monday morning for Part 2, “The #2 Thing Florists Want To Learn”.

Before I share the #1 thing florists told me they want to improve or learn, I want to share some of the heartfelt struggles florists shared with me:

“I can put awesome stuff in the vase and book nearly all wedding proposals I write, but I don’t have enough clients coming at me. I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW TO HELP CLIENTS FIND ME.”

“I would like my brand to be truly my own…Not a template or just a series of pictures that look just like every other flower shop or wedding designer.”

“I don’t get a lot of inquiries! Also my quote process takes so long I dread it.”

“I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of workshops being offered. Do I take a design course? A business course? A farming course (I’m a cut flower farmer and florist)? I sign up for these lists because I admire all of you, and it can be really difficult figuring out what to take and when.”

I know a lot of florists share these same sentiments, which is why I share these words from real florists with you today….you’re not alone.

The #1 Thing Florists Said They Want To Learn:

When I asked you what you’re most interested in learning or improving, the hands-down response was “Pricing and profitability”.  71% of florists said they’re most interested in learning more about pricing!

This does not surprise me. The very first course I created, Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability, shares everything I know about pricing & profitability. I designed this course for florists because I know that there are really talented designers out there who still don’t have a firm grasp on how to price their work.

Click here to read what’s included in Flower Math.

Transparency is what Flower Math is all about.

Nicole just signed up for Flower Math on Monday, and she wrote to me on Tuesday (Yes, just 1 day later!) to say this…

“…I’ve taken a handful of courses…I really felt like I needed to invest in everything marketed to me before I could be considered legitimate. I took [3 “other” online courses for florists]… Even after all of that, it all seemed muddy. I told myself I’d give Flower Math a try and then no more courses.

For the first time in nearly two years, I feel empowered ordering flowers. Flower Math made all the other courses I’ve taken completely irrelevant. It’s honest, practical and totally transparent. I can’t thank you enough. It feels amazing to have an actual plan about how I’m going to execute this wedding I just ordered and knowing exactly how much I will be making. With your examples, I sat down and wrote out actual recipes, which I’ve never done before (since learning from a few courses above that they’re not necessary).
Before I started my business, I did a six month stint at a studio…I somehow let my distaste from working there trick me into thinking there was some magical way I could price and not markup flowers and… still be profitable. I totally see now that the flower shop way is the way! But I can still design how I want to and create a healthy work environment for myself….
I listened to your recent podcast interview and you said something that really stuck with me. It was something along the lines of, just because someone is doing beautiful work and seems successful on Instagram doesn’t mean they are running a successful business in real life. You’re in this for the long-term. I loved that. It felt like permission for me to also stop caring what everyone else is doing and focus on growing my business for the long-term.
All the best,  Nicole”

Don’t listen to people who tell you that you “don’t need a recipe”. You most definitely do need a recipe to turn a profit in your floral design business. Recipes are an important part of your pricing and profits in your small business.

In Flower Math, I don’t tell you what I think you should do. I show you, step by step, exactly how I do it. Whether you’re pricing a wedding or a daily delivery from your shop, you’ll learn how to make a profit on every order you make.

I created this course for floral designers who have a talent and love for flowers, but do not have anywhere to turn for mentorship to learn the business-side of the craft.

From industry standard mark-ups and how to apply them to recipes and wholesale ordering, plus 3 real weddings worth of sales, orders, recipes & real profits—I’m taking you behind the scenes to show you how I run my floral design business.

I know you will take these formulas, recipes, tips and advice and run with them.

Save $100 Off Flower Math here.

New!  Since so many of you answered that Pricing & Profitability is what you’re most interested in learning or improving I’m introducing a 2-payment plan for Flower Math….you can start today if you’re ready.

Flower Math is an investment in your business. You have to ask yourself as a business owner, “how many weddings do I have to sell to make back this investment?”

So, how much work would you have to book to make it worth it? How many gigs do you have to book to make $499?

I’ve had florists tells me they’ve made back the price of the course in 1 wedding.

Larissa of Bridal Beginnings shared on Facebook, “Flower Math saved my business.”

Invest in your business, invest in your profitability. Click to get Flower Math here today!

More feedback from real florists…

Some floralpreneurs said they were interested in The Art of Good Business, but it just wasn’t the right time:

“I genuinely LOVE your courses and rave about them to literally everyone and anyone. The short courses on proposals and contracts has been invaluable and I know I would get a lot out of the art of good business, I whole heartedly trust your voice and know your advise is well worth the fee. I spent up on advertising this year and am still trying to recoup some gains from that investment so it was more a timing issue for me this time round. I have already earmarked for next year instead of collaborations and paid adverts I am investing in your course, I just hope that you will run it again in the new year (after Valentines).”

“I’ve got a client management system in place that I am always tweaking. I was actually thinking that flower math might be a better option for me at this point. You are an awesome resource, Alison, and I’m grateful for all of your assistance in the group. Thank you for your videos as well.”

“I should ask my husband to buy me your course for Christmas!“

Because many floral designers said “timing” was an issue…

Many florists said that November, January and March were ideal times to dive into a course so I am offering 3 upcoming sessions of The Art of Good Business and you can find details here! Registration will be open in November, January and March. You can sign up any time that works for you during the registration months and then join me for livestreams in our private Facebook group once a month for the entire year! You can do this course at your own pace and get live support from me once a month for the entire year. I don’t want you to just buy the course, I want you to get results!}

 

Again, many thanks to those who took the time to share your input with me. I have more survey results to share with you….tune in Monday for the #2 Thing florists told me they want to learn more about!

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Learn more about Flower Math here.

Want to book a one-on-one strategy session? Find the details here: Private lessons