Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

  • About
    • Bio
    • Coaching
    • Core Values
    • FAQ’s
    • Privacy Policy
  • Courses & Coaching
    • Coaching
    • Flower Math
      • About Flower Math
    • Wedding Templates
      • Contracts For Florists
      • E-mail Templates For Florists
      • How To Write Proposals That Sell
      • Wedding Workflow
    • All Courses
    • Free Resources
  • Workshop in April
  • Testimonials
    • Student Success Stories
    • Flower Math Testimonials
    • Art of Good Biz Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Login

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

11 Tips To Update Your About Page

Do you know that your About Us Page is one of the MOST viewed pages on your website?

An interesting About Page works like a magnet to attract great clients to your business. But if your website is “borderline boring”, you could actually be repelling clients.

I know it’s not always easy to talk about yourself with confidence, but your About Page MUST tell a compelling story that establishes trust and makes it clear that you are the BEST choice! [Read more…]

August 15, 2022 — 12:40 pm

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

April 8, 2022 — 8:38 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

How To Get More Business Reviews in 2022

Happy new year, Floralpreneur®! A florist asked the other day, “How do you ask for reviews from your clients? Do you ask for an opened ended review or send them a questionnaire?”  I’ve done both over my 20 years as a small business owner and I have 2 simple tips to help you gather more rave reviews in 2022:

  • You can click here for a free template on how to ask for a testimonial (there’s no e-mail opt-in required–just grab the template and go!)
  • If you’d like to take this a step further by creating a survey that puts your client testimonials to work, I just posted a short video my Patreon Creator Page here to show you how to create a questionnaire that gathers market research for your biz! (All Patrons have access to this video at any membership level starting at just $3.)
There are few things more valuable than your customers’ words when it comes to sharing your brand’s story. (They’re like gold when it comes to your marketing and overall messaging.)

So reach out and ask your happy clients for a review to help build up your social proof. You’ll be glad you did! And if you want to dig deeper, send out a questionnaire that helps you gather more insight on your ideal customers.

Keep doing beautiful work, and thanks for making time to read my blog today!
With love from me to you,
Alison Ellis

FYI when you join me on Patreon you’ll find a vault of tips and behind-the-scenes trainings including:

  • Tips on Sales Copy
  • Vision & Goal Setting Session
  • What If Another Florist Is Cheaper?
  • Quick Tips To Improve Your Instagram Bio
  • How I Wrote A Proposal in 21 Minutes
  • How To Get More Testimonials
  • Foam Free Arbor Mechanics
  • Tips To Build A Portfolio
  • 15 Business Tips I Learned From My First Boss
  • Behind-the-Scenes of a Big Wedding: From Prep Through Profit
  • How I Make A Floral Bracelet
  • Morning-Of Wedding Prep
  • Tips On Contracts (Yes, You Still Need One)
  • Running A Successful Floral Business
  • Why Instagram Is Only 1 Piece Of Your Marketing Puzzle
  • Streamlined Proposal Writing Tips
  • Tips On Setting Minimums (post-pandemic)
  • How I Wrote 3 Quotes In 1 Week & Booked All 3 Clients
  • Pricing Right From The Start
  • How To Handle Price Increases & Substitutions
  • How To Send A Non-Itemized Proposal
  • Tips to Help Build Your Newsletter
PLUS members in the Marketing Mavens Tier get 5 Blog and Social Media Prompts on the first Monday of every month! You’ll find at least 3 months of social media prompts at any give time waiting for you there.
Click here to subscribe for a month and check it out. (You can cancel any time.)

January 8, 2022 — 4:33 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Top 10 Florist Tips of 2021

As a general rule I find it’s best to look forward in my business, however, as 2021 comes to a close there’s a lot of hubbub about “top moments” and “best of” lists so it seems only fitting to reflect on some of the conversations and topics from the Real Flower Business community:

  • I started off last January with a question: Who Is Your Ideal Client (this was in preparation for my yearly program, The Art of Good Business)

 

  • Ben Cross at Crosslands Flower Nursery in the UK shared his family’s sustainable alstroemeria production with us and his #BritishFlowersRock campaign

 

  • April was dedicated to Newbie Tips on Instagram including: How Long Do Flowers Last?, a quick tutorial on How I Clean Stock and a behind-the-scenes look at How I Prep for A Wedding In My Small Home Studio

 

  • I shared time saving strategies for florists with 3 Tips on Writing Proposals Quickly

 

  • Ad we celebrated 5 Years in Community over in my free Facebook Group in July

 

  • I also broke down Tips for Running A Successful Floral Business (and what it means to define your OWN version of success)

 

  • Answered the question: How do florists actually “do a wedding” with Day-Of Wedding Prep Tips and a look at What I Bring To Every Wedding

 

  • In October, I got the opportunity to sit down with Michelle Lane of Something’s Blooming, to talk about How The Wedding Industry Can Be More LGBTQ+ Inclusive

 

  • In November, I hosted a Vision & Goal Setting Session and taught 3 days of live trainings to students inside my Marketing Minicourse (all replays are available now inside the course)

 

  • And it was so much fun to talk marketing with floral designers and flower farmers that I hosted a 3 day free Branding & Marketing Training for Florists in December, in preparation for enrollment in, The Art of Good Business, my online course and group coaching program, which begins January 4th, 2022!

While everyone is recapping the year, I just want to remind you of 1 thing:

Nothing’s ending–

it’s not over,

you didn’t miss it,

it’s OK if it isn’t “that special”,

all your efforts are part of what you’re building towards

and the “end of a year”, doesn’t mean anything is actually over…

 

Keep moving forward in your business.

I’m honored to be on your floral business journey with you.

Keep doing beautiful work and I’ll see you in the new year with MORE tips and trainings to help you move your business ahead.

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

(click here to learn more about Alison)

December 26, 2021 — 9:32 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What Can Florists Do To Level Up Your Marketing Strategy?

I know so many florists out there are trying to go it alone when they try and build their businesses, AND 97% of florists are working without an actual marketing strategy! But how are you supposed to stand out above the competition and find great clients if you don’t have a plan to attract them to your business? If you’d like to work with me in 2022 on your branding and marketing strategy as well as systems to help close sales more quickly, my program, The Art of Good Business, is a high-quality, comprehensive course with live group coaching to support you in January and enrollment is open NOW-Dec. 16th at 5pm PST/8pm EST.

Click Here To Learn More


I went live on Instagram on Monday to share a little bit about WHY marketing and branding is such an important aspect of your business to master. Click below to watch!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Enroll Today!


Florists recommend this course…

“I recommend The Art of Good Business to anyone who has been trying to go it alone. I tried to figure out my business path on my own and found a patchwork of information. The Art of Good Business puts a plan out there to follow step by step. Also, because it is cohesive it puts all the information you need into one clear class. I have taken my binder with me everywhere I go to read and re-read the course. I find new depth in the material each time. It is wonderful that this course continues to grow with your business.

The Art of Good Business is a guide book for my future.“

-Rebecca Raymond

 

Please feel free to reach out with questions for me. We can even schedule a free 20-minute call if you’re not 100% sure this program is right for you!

Doors close & the price is going up on Dec 16 @ 8pm EST!

Enroll Today!

December 13, 2021 — 11:08 pm

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 15
  • Next Page »

Welcome, Floralpreneur®.  I’m Alison Ellis, creator of Flower Math, published author, and founder of Real Flower Business. My online business courses and private coaching help floral designers increase profits, book great clients & build a better brand.  Learn More →

Follow me on social:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

FOR WEDDING FLORISTS:

Read my book: Falling Into Flowers

Templates for Florists

Flower Math Formulas

3 Keys To Booking Great Clients

FREE RESOURCES:

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

AS SEEN ON:

*The Flower Podcast

*Slow Flowers Podcast

*Mornings With Mayesh

*Botanical Brouhaha

*Florists’ Review

*FlirtyFleurs.com

*From The Ground Up Floral-podcast

Blogroll

Be Sage Consulting

Botanical Brouhaha

Hitomi Gilliam

Flirty Fleurs

Francoise Weeks

Marie Forleo

Passionflower Sue

The Business Of Being Creative

The Flower Podcast

The Full Bouquet

Think Splendid

Slow Flowers

Seth Godin

Topics

advertising Alison Ellis blogging Botanical Brouhaha branding Business Plan For Florists contracts Customer Service Delivery Fees design tips e-mail E-mail Templates for Florists FlirtyFleurs floraculture Floral Artistry floral business floral design floral foam floral industry floralpreneur Floral Speaker Floral Wholesalers Floral Workshop florist pricing floristry florists Flower Blog Flower Boss 2 Flower Math Freelance Florists Giving Back Holly Chapple Pillow Home-Based Florists Ideal Customers Marketing Mornings With Mayesh real flower business Recipes Testimonials The Art Of Good Business The Flower Podcast websites wedding florist wedding proposals Wedding Workflow

Categories

  • Alison's Favorite Things (4)
  • Book for Wedding Florists (3)
  • Boutonnieres & Corsages (2)
  • Building A Brand (112)
  • Business Plan (21)
  • Coaching (14)
  • Contracts (7)
  • Courses (50)
  • Customer Feedback (10)
  • Customer Service (46)
  • Delivery & Set-up (3)
  • E-mail Etiquette (11)
  • Floral Design (128)
  • Floral Industry (191)
  • Floral Workshop (19)
  • Flower Blog (164)
  • Flower Business (178)
  • Flower Math (45)
  • Frequently Asked Questions (25)
  • Giving Back (1)
  • Home-Studio Florists (77)
  • Ideal Customers (49)
  • Inclusivity (5)
  • Marketing (75)
  • Online Business Education for Florists (160)
  • Photography tips for Florists (1)
  • Pricing (46)
  • Pricing Tips For Florists (22)
  • Proposals (23)
  • Recipes (5)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • Websites (35)
  • About
  • Courses & Coaching
  • Workshop in April
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Login

Copyright © 2023 Fresh Event Design, LLC · Website Designed by Zach Hoag