Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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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…]

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May Tuesday Q&A Replays

After a busy May of guest appearances on my Tuesday Q&As as well as a guest appearance by me on Mornings with Mayesh, I’m taking a week off from my livestreams, but if you missed anything this month, don’t worry–you can catch the replays right here!

First up, Phebe of Popped With Phebe joined me live to talk about a new way she’s popping up with fresh flowers and live Zoom design workshops for local clients. She is a wealth of knowledge on client relationships so if you missed this one, make sure to click below to watch! Find Phebe’s online resources here!

Next, Yvonne and I talked about YOUR WEBSITE on Mornings with Mayesh on May 19th. Get some of our best website tips by clicking the video below and click here to grab the Website Bootcamp and Marketing Shortcuts I mention in this episode.

We closed the month of May with another special guest, Michelle Loretta, of Sage Wedding Pros. She brought us some straight talk on cashflow, finances and how to make it through 2020-2021 in your small business through the COVID-19 crisis. You’ll find Michelle and her online tools for wedding pros right here!

I’m looking forward to talking with you more in June….but wow, May was a fabulous month of sharing with floralpreneurs!

Do you have a question for an upcoming Tuesday Q&A? Don’t hesitate to be in touch!

xo. -Alison

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Alison Ellis on Mornings with Mayesh

As a floral educator, it’s always an honor to be invited to speak with floral industry professionals.

My appearances with Yvonne on Mornings With Mayesh are some of my favorite live Q&A’s and you’ll find all of my guest appearances in this post!

I originally shared these appearances in February 2020, but I’m updating the post include 2 appearances from 2020 as well!

Here’s my Mornings with Mayesh Mashup!

Click below to watch our  most recent chat where we talked about my new book, Falling Into Flowers!

 

Click below to watch our May 2020 chat where we tackled the subject of websites!

Find out why you need a website, how to improve your current site, and how to get this important tool working for you day and night!

Find a full transcript and additional show notes on the Mayesh website here: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-websites-for-florists

Click below to watch our September 2019 chat where we address:

  • If a customer “must have it”, then they must be willing to pay for it.
  • Industry standards have variation built into them. Once you know the standards you can customize your pricing model to work for your business.
  • How much should you charge for your markup and design fee?
  • Selling a wedding Pre-Pinterest vs. Post-Pinterest.
  • Should you itemize a wedding quote?

Grab my free eBook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Business HERE.

 

Click below to watch our April 2019 chat where we address:

  • Should you set a minimum on weddings?
  • Do you price anything different with a hand tied vs a vase arrangement?
  • How to make sure you’re not undercharging your clients
  • How to charge clients appropriately
  • Do you mark up high-end flowers like peonies the same as you do a carnation to keep your margins? If you do, how do you use peonies and ranunculus in everyday arrangements? Sparingly?
  • Should you charge a different markup on rentals, vases, and labor?

 

Find a full transcript and additional show notes on the Mayesh website here: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-alison-ellis-talks-pricing

And in my very first appearance in April 2018 we talked about:

  • Writing prompt proposals.
  • Why should florists have a minimum?
  • Should florists do free mock-ups?
  • Why I took my minimum off my website.
  • What equipment do you need to start your floral business?

Find a full list of my courses for florists HERE!

Thanks so much for taking the time to tune in and watch!

Feel free to shoot me a message any time if you have questions for me. I may answer the live in one of my Tuesday Q&A’s on Facebook.

xo. -Alison

I’ve had some great opportunities to appear as a guest on other people’s podcasts, blogs and web shows that are worth highlighting over the next few weeks PLUS I’ll be on 2 stages in March and April where you can connect with me live (see below).

Appearances in 2020:

Last week I was the featured guest on The Flower Podcast and then, Scott was a guest in my Facebook group (click here to check out our live chat).

Next up, I’ll be teaching live and in person in March 2020 in Minneapolis at Koehler & Dramm. Click here for details and to sign up today!

Then, I’ll be in Portland, Maine, April 4-5th teaching at The Floral Collaborative. Click here for details and contact Katey to sign up!

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Alison Ellis on The Flower Podcast

I am so excited to be Scott Shepherd’s guest on The Flower Podcast this week!

 

And because I’m SO excited to be on Scott’s podcast, I’m sharing a free gift with listeners.

You’ll get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes at how I save time on mood boards when you click HERE to Scott’s website.

I’m sharing 3 Quick & Easy Mood Board Tips including:

  • 3 Easy (& Free) Ways To Make A Mood Board,
  • 2 real inspiration boards I made for clients,
  • 1 real life wedding I designed based on a mood board,
  • Plus I share a quote I sent WITHOUT an inspiration board,
  • And 3 Bonus Tips To Write Proposals More Quickly.

Click here to grab my tips!

Scott Shepherd knows florists and I find that he always asks thoughtful and insightful questions of his guests. He definitely asked me a few questions that I know many florists struggle with.

For example:

We talked about pricing, prequalifying clients, design fees, what it means when a “new florist” comes to your town, and, of course, website “stuff”. I hope you’ll make some time to tune in and check it out.

You can listen & subscribe to The Flower Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, AND you can click here to visit Scott’s website and grab my free mood board tips. 

I’ve been tuning to @TheFlowerPodcast for a while now and I’m always impressed with Scott’s pointed questions, which truly reflect his depth of knowledge in the floral industry. Since Scott and I could have talked for hours, we’re going to be live together tomorrow in my Facebook group! Click HERE to join us!

xo. -Alison

 

 

 

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