October 11, 2019 By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What Sets Your Business Apart?

What sets you apart from the competition?

I was asked this question twice in two days : What sets you apart?

It’s ALWAYS a good question to ponder, but even better to actually put some real answers in writing…so today, I’m sharing some tips so that you can identify what sets YOU apart, too!

Click to watch a brief excerpt from a live chat I did inside my Members Only group for The Art Of Good Business:

Note: My Art of Good Business Program is designed to help you attract awesome clients who truly appreciate your talents AND create an authentic brand that represents your vision and passion as an artist! Click here to learn more about creating a business that sets you apart from the competition!

For example, I know that what sets me apart from other course creators is my real life experience.

I’m a real florist; not a luxury wedding designer; not a “6-figure” florist,

I do “regular weddings”–beautiful weddings–but with mostly REGULAR budgets,

I don’t have big-wig, high-end events every weekend,

I run a small, profitable floral business from my home,

and I’ve been doing so for over 17 years!

I focus on longevity.

My business is small, but successful because I define success in more than dollars–it’s about LOVING my biz and the work I produce–though I DO turn a profit and teach florists how to maximize your profit margin, too!

So what else sets me apart?

I fully support my courses and will happily answer questions via e-mail or even hop on the phone if you need a more personal response.
You can learn from ALL of my business tools (both free and paid) right from your computer without the added cost of travel for a workshop.
Everything I create is made with love from me to you!…and that’s why I price my courses as affordably as possible and I ALWAYS aim to deliver tremendous value to my students.
I offer a money back guarantee on my Flower Math course–you won’t find many floral courses that offer that!
I want to see florists succeed and my resources are available to you 24/7–no timed out offerings, no e-mails with countdown clocks–just real resources at your fingertips anytime you’re ready.
In fact, you can final ALL of my courses right HERE.

Now it’s your turn! What sets YOU apart?

Write. It. Down. And feel free to share it if you’d like!

Leave a comment or you can send me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com

Learn more about Alison HERE.

photo credits: Bride and groom with bouquet by Magnolia Photographie. Photo of me by Taken By Sarah.

September 8, 2019 By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

How Do You Price A Wedding?-Free Pricing Series For Florists

Are you 100% confident in pricing your floral designs?

If your answer is “I think so…” or “not really…”, then I have an invitation for you!…

What are you doing every Wednesday in September?…you’re invited to join me LIVE at 1:00pm EST every Wednesday in September for pricing and profitability tips! They’re 100% FREE and you can sign up by clicking here!

Watch my video invitation below for more details:

Click to sign up!

Here’s the topic lineup, which is subject to change as questions are submitted:

September 4th–How much do your brides spend on flowers?

September 11th–What should I charge for this bouquet/arbor/centerpiece?

September 18th–How do you calculate your profit margins?

September 25th–How can you make more money in 2020?

Remember, if you want to make sure you DON’T MISS A LIVE CHAT, click here to sign up and get a replay of Week 1 in your inbox ASAP.

September is a good month to focus on making money…

because you’re about to enter the 4th quarter of the year…

and that’s the final stretch of your business year…

a perfect time to check in (and cash as many checks as possible!) before the end of 2019!

NOW IS THE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.

Join me live in my FREE Facebook group and ask a question during the chat…

AND if you want to MAKE SURE YOU GET THE REPLAYS SENT TO YOUR INBOX…

Click HERE to sign up for the replays my September Livestreams AND get notified of a special Fall Sale on Flower Math: The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability.

I look forward to seeing you LIVE EVERY WEDNESDAY IN SEPTEMBER and answering your pricing questions!

With love from me to you,

Alison

May 4, 2019 By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Do You Have Extra Flowers?

Will you have extra flowers for the caterer?

I honestly can’t imagine there’s a florist alive who hasn’t been asked this question and I think this is an important conversation because there are different points of views on whether it’s “pushing too far” or “no big deal” when people ask for free “extra” flowers.

If you need a little help “politely declining” a request for free “extras”, click here to get a free e-mail template: “Do you have any extra flowers” (free download)

It’s not always easy to say “no” to a client or fellow wedding vendor…especially when it seems like it should be “so easy to say yes”!

When customers ask if you can “throw in some extra flowers for the food tables”, the request may seem simple enough, but if you’re ordering based on what you need to fill your recipes, there’s a good chance you won’t have “that many extras”….so promising a “yes” to extras that you can’t guarantee can lead to disappointment.

You set the rules in your business! (And hopefully my template can help you out!)

With love from me to you,

Alison

Got E-Mail Templates?

I help florists type less and flower more with templates:

You can access these pdf’s as soon as you purchase.

(Floralpreneurs often tell me they use my templates the same day they buy them.)

realflowerbusiness.com, online courses for florists

March 26, 2019 By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

The Worst Business Advice I Ever Took

I want to tell you about the worst business advice I ever took.

It was early in my career as a solo-business owner and even though I’d spent 8 years working in flower shops, I was eager to get new business tips….I was impressionable.

[Read more…]

March 26, 2019 By Alison Ellis

Mornings With Mayesh Guest Appearance

What are you doing April 2nd? I’ll be making my 2nd guest appearance on Mornings With Mayesh and you’re invited to join us for a LIVE chat at 10am Eastern time/7am Pacific on Tuesday, April 2nd! I’ll be answering more of your pricing questions and you can CLICK HERE to submit a question for the live broadcast.

Mayesh design star, Mornings with Mayesh, Special Guest Alison Ellis, Floral Education

Last April I was honored to be invited as a special guest by the wonderful host, Yvonne, and you can listen to a replay of our chat from April 2018 here. (About 43 minutes into the broadcast you’ll hear me join in for Part 2 of livestream.)