My inspiration when I made today’s video was “How to be the most valuable floral designer at your company”.
THE TAKEAWAY
Thanks for watching!
Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.
By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment
My inspiration when I made today’s video was “How to be the most valuable floral designer at your company”.
THE TAKEAWAY
Thanks for watching!
By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment
This week we’re celebrating our 15th wedding anniversary,
however, since Dave and I have actually been together for 20 years,
If you’re a business savvy floral designer who’s been holding out on investing in a course, then this is the perfect time to buy. (scroll down to see how you can save!)
Time is money!
Even though it may be a busy time of year in your flower biz, you can take advantage of the $20 savings NOW so that you can start your course the moment you “finally have time”.
(I know you’re wearing a lot of hats as a business owner! But templates save you time! And time is money! So grab your course at the sale price and dive in as soon as you’re ready!)
How To Write Proposals That Sell $99 Get it for $79 til Aug. 31.
Read more about “Proposals That Sell” here!
Contracts For Florists $99 On Sale for $79 til Aug. 31.
Learn about Contracts For Florists here!
PLUS! You’ll SAVE $120 OFF FLOWER MATH til Aug. 31.
Flower Math: Full Price $599
You’ll SAVE $120 OFF til Aug. 31.*
Read about Flower Math here!
(*$120 discount does not apply to payment plans, however, 2 payment plan options are available for you.)
“…your flower math course, email template and faster proposal courses have been the most helpful tools I could ever ask for. I have learned so much from these courses alone, it has been imperative to my confidence and ability to bring in a profit.” -Jay
Of course, you’ll get the best price when you buy a bundle!
Click here for Bundles & Save! Bundles give you $10, to $30 to $185 off retail on courses exclusively for florists.
sent off all my latest proposals using your email templates and 3 from 3 have come back before the expiry date in acceptance!! [You’re] a floral super star Alison thank you so so much for the time and effort you put back into the industry.” -Casey (from Facebook)
Get in touch any time. You can e-mail me with questions before, during or after signing up for a course. floralartvt@gmail.com
Learn more about Alison here!
By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment
If you’re not sure if Flower Math is right for you, then this free preview is the perfect first step.
Click HERE to get a look at the course now!
xo. -Alison
The goal is to make 70% profit on the cost of flowers & supplies….the rest of your COGS will come out of that 70% profit.
Pro Tip: Do you calculate your profits on flowers and supplies? If not, why not start now? It’s easy.
Here’s how it’s done:
Remember: Your additional COGs (the cost of doing business!) will come out of that 70% profit on flowers & supplies.
0.1 Have a talent for design, but don’t have a firm grasp on the business-side.
0.2 Make a profit that’s less than 70% on the cost of flowers & supplies.
0.3 Don’t charge a design fee (or labor fee) on each arrangement.
0.4 Wonder if you can give up your day-job (or bridge-job).
0.5 Overfill orders and struggle with feeling guilty about charging for your time.
0.6 Need help with floral recipes. (I share 20+ real recipes that you can easily use, copy or adapt!)
0.7 Are a home-based florist who’s never worked in a profitable flower shop.
0.8 You’re a flower farmer who’s expanding to offer wedding and event work.
0.9 Don’t feel 100% confident when you send a quote.
Satisfaction Guarantee: I am certain you will love my course, but if you don’t, I’ll give you a full refund and you can keep the downloadable pdfs included in the course (including the bonus with my list of starting prices!)
To request a refund just shoot me an e-mail and we’ll set up a time to chat so you can tell me why Flower Math didn’t work for you.
Remember: I’m happy to answer any questions you may have along the way.
You can contact me with questions at any time before, during or after taking a course.
Have a question for me? Don’t hesitate to be in touch! floralartvt@gmail.com
By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment
It’s a 4-part series I created to help you push through some pricing obstacles and actually get results! These are pricing changes and adjustments you can easily make in your business so I hope you’ll make some time to check them out.
Part 1: Pricing on the spot. botanicalbrouhaha.com/master-pricing-pricing-spot
Part 2: Set a minimum. botanicalbrouhaha.com/master-pricing-set-minimum
Part 3: Stay in the driver’s seat. botanicalbrouhaha.com/master-pricing-stay-drivers-seat
Part 4: Give yourself a raise. botanicalbrouhaha.com/master-pricing-give-raise
It’s been a joy and an honor to share my Real Flower Business stuff with the Botanical Brouhaha readers. Thanks so much to Amy McGee for allowing me to guest post on her incredibly beautiful and inspiring corner of the internet.
With love from me to you,
Alison
P.S. Have you checked out the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast yet? Click HERE for a link to an episode I sponsored! You’ll be glad to made the time to listen.
By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment
I was live with Yvonne on Mornings with Mayesh in April and a question was asked: “What do I need to start a home based floral business?”
It’s a great question and in truth, I didn’t have much when I started my business in 2002. Read more below and watch a replay of Morning with Mayesh here:
(I’m featured in Part 2 of the livestream which starts about 43:00 mins. in.)
The truth is, when I started my business, Floral Artistry, I was only about a year out of college and didn’t have a lot of money to spend or invest in a business.
All I invested in was a bag for my tools, known as my “bag of tricks”, which I still use to this day–but I really thought it was expensive at $50 at the time!
I didn’t have a workspace. I worked out of my 2nd story apartment with my little Subaru hatchback as a delivery vehicle. Finally, I asked my wholesaler if I could design on one of their workbenches once a week and that made my life a bit easier!
Once I moved out of my apartment and into our house, I worked from our kitchen for a few years until I saved up enough to convert half of our detached garage into a studio space. (Hallelujah!)
Everyone’s gotta start somewhere; start before you’re ready!
Clippers. Sharp and of good quality.
A table. You have to have something to design on. A workbench is even better, but a table will do.
Wire cutters. Clippers are for fresh stems. Wire cutters are for wire, zip ties, etc….don’t use your clippers to cut wire.
Scissors. Ribbon is best cut with sharp scissors so ideally you’ll have 2 pairs of scissors; one for ribbon, one for everything else.
A knife. Swiss army works for me. I do most of my cutting with a clipper, but it’s important to have a knife as well. You can use a knife to clean thorns and leaves off of rose stems even if you prefer to cut with a clipper.
A few buckets. Fresh flowers need a water source so buckets are essential to proper processing.
Water to fill buckets & vases. Whether you use a garden hose or a kitchen faucet or a big, beautiful sink in your shop, you’ll need a water source to get the job done.
A wholesale source for flowers. Once you register your business in your state, provence, county, etc. you’ll be eligible to shop with professional wholesalers. Seek a reliable source that provides good quality.
A toolbox or “bag of tricks” to bring your floral act on the road. When you have to design on-site or fix something that may have been damaged in delivery or transport, you must be prepared, so plan ahead and have a mobil toolkit.
Some sort of delivery vehicle. A van, a sedan, a wagon, a box truck….I dunno….we’ve all got to start somewhere so use what you’ve got. Ideally a wagon or SUV if you’re not at the “mandatory minivan” stage in your business.
#1. Floral design skills and flower care knowledge.
#2. A solid understanding of the formulas for markups and design fees so that you can pay yourself as much as possible while still providing value to your customers.
#3. Clear steps to help close sales without feeling salesy.
#4. A Marketing Strategy to attract great clients beyond just posing on social media.
These are what I call the Floralpreneur® Fundamentals!
Each one builds upon the other and when you get good at one, it makes doing some of the other parts of your business easier!…And when you have confidence in all 4 Floralpreneur® Fundamentals, your business can really start to create that freedom and income you need to sustain your creativity and pay yourself consistently.
I learned in flower shops and continue my education in workshops.
Some designers consider themselves “self-taught”, but there are clear dos and don’ts when it comes to all 4 of the above “must-knows”:
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; seek a mentor or formal training!
You don’t have to “know everything” or have a “perfect plan” to start your business and in fact, you may even keep your day job until your business is off the ground.
(There’s no shame in having a side-hustle to help get your business started!)
You’ll find online tutorials, of course, to show you how to accomplish different designs and hone your skills, and my online course, Flower Math, can teach you exactly how to price and turn a profit in your floral design business; because this is not a hobby!
Once you start your business, it’s officially time to turn a profit. From day one.
No need to “wait to turn a profit” because that’s not a mindset that leads to longevity in a business!
Set your pricing structure properly from day 1. Continue to learn and train to gain new design techniques.
And give yourself a pay increase as your skills evolve and your brand becomes sought out!
If you ever have any questions for me, feel free to reach out to schedule a 1:1 coaching call or just shoot me an email to get in touch!
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today!
Keep doing beautiful work!
xo. -Alison Ellis
When you sign up you’ll be added to my e-mail list, but don’t worry, I won’t send you annoying sales e-mails with a tick-tock countdown clock! Promise. And you can unsubscribe any time with the click of a button! (You will be notified when I’m going live or hosting an online training, and you’ll have the opportunity to click the link to join the training or not! Totally up to you!)