Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How To Go Live On Facebook 2020

Florists have asked me: How do you go live on Facebook?

I’ve done tons of livestreams over the last 4 years or so and today I’m sharing the things you “must know” to go live.

Even if you just want to shoot a video or host a virtual meeting, the first 7 minutes of the video will show you how to get stared!

Note: Facebook is changing its “go live” feature so if you’ve never done it before (and even if you have!) this training video will show you how to get started.

Now is an important time to show up “live” in your business so your customers can stay connected to what you’re doing.

And let’s face it, now is also the perfect time to learn new skills…we’re going to need them.

I only preach what I practice and so for the next few months–when we were supposed to be doing weddings–I’m going to share weekly tips, trainings and behind-the-scenes “stuff” that will help you with MINDSET, MARKETING & BOOKING STRATEGIES.

You can join me for more trainings with real life tips you can put into action over the upcoming weeks in my Patreon training for just $3 HERE.

Oh, and if you want to see what I’m working on with this “extra time on my hands” CLICK HERE.

Learn More About Alison HERE.

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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 a few of my favorite live Q&A’s and you’ll find all 3 of my guest appearances in this post!

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).

Appearance highlights:

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 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!

Now, onto the Mornings With Mayesh Mashup….

A few notes and questions covered in our most recent chat include:

  • 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?

Click to watch here:

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

 

Click below to watch my 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

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How To Deal With Floral Wholesalers

Did you catch my appearance on The Flower Podcast this week?

Scott and I had such a good time talking shop that we decided to keep the good times rolling!

I invited him to join me in my Facebook group for my first Tuesday Q&A with a guest! Scott was a great guest as I knew he could shed some light on a topic that many florists struggle with: How To Deal With Wholesalers.

You can click to watch and make sure to subscribe to The Flower Podcast to follow along with the content he’ll be creating this year.

A Few Takeaways….

You may have noticed me taking notes in the video replay. Scott dropped some serious wholesaler knowledge on us and I for one appreciate his point of view and insider insight. I wrote down a few points I think should not be missed….

6 Tips For Dealing With Floral Wholesalers:

  • When you have to ask for a credit, think of it like a “loaf of bread”. Is the whole loaf damaged? or is it just a few slices?
  • Whose fault is it? Is it the grower’s fault? The delivery driver? Your own handling after receiving product?
  • Choose your battles. For example, on a $1,000 floral order, it’s probably not worth the time to complain about “a few slices of bread”, but if you have a problem with an entire bunch or several partial bunches your wholesaler will probably work with you on a reasonable solution.
  • Sometimes you have to simply blame it on the flowers! Poppies or white anemones, for example, may simply be harder to guarantee that every single stem will be viable.
  • If your rep doesn’t connect with you, it may be time to move on. Don’t let a wholesale rep drag your business down.
  • Consider proving Mood Boards to your wholesaler to show the overall palette or floral varieties that your customer is expecting. They should collaborate with you.

Remember:

Your wholesaler is there 52 weeks a year for you; even when the seasonal availability fades your wholesaler is there.

I want to give a HUGE thanks to Scott for sharing your knowledge so generously with my Floralpreneur® Community and I look forward to talking with you again soon!

And thanks to YOU for taking time to tune in and watch!

If you want to get more of my tips on the 3 Keys To Booking Great Clients click HERE to check out my Patreon Membership Site!

And to grab my Mood Board Tips click here!

xo. -Alison

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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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Business Tips For Florists

I’m hosting 3 livestreams in February in my Facebook group to answer real florists’ questions.

In this week’s Tuesday Q&A I’m talking about:

  • what to do when a wedding is canceled,
  • what to do when another business owner bad mouths your biz,
  • how to explain a minimum to clients,
  • how to get employees psyched for Valentine’s Day…

Plus….Beth asked:
Who’s your favorite designer and why?….
And “What advice would you give to your younger self?

Click to watch and tune in next Tuesday for another Q&A (click here to view the event on Facebook).

Links as mentioned in my video are below:

#1. Patreon Members get ALL the booking tips here: https://www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

#2. Valentine’s Day tips video as seen on FlirtyFleurs found on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/tOWRAY7dRpA

#3. Brand New Freebie “How To Grow An E-Mail List That Doesn’t Suck” here: https://realflowerbusiness.lpages.co/e-mail-growth-tips

Questions for me? Don’t hesitate to get in touch!

I may choose your question for an upcoming Q&A.

xo. -Alison

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