Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Running A Floral Business

As a floralpreneur® who’s been running my wedding-based business for over 19 years, I know that there isn’t 1 right way to become a successful florist and everyone’s road looks a little bit different. Running a floral business–or any business for that matter–isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. There’s risk and uncertainty. And owners are often overworked and underpaid when they’re just starting out. But business savvy florists build businesses they love.

I’ve worked hard over these last 2 decades to create a business that I love. It suits my life and allows me to feel creative and turn a profit. I enjoy my business and my life because I set my goals with intention and develop reliable steps that streamline my workflow.

I love my customers, I consistently turn a profit, and I design work I’m proud to deliver.

That’s how I measure success. What does success look like to you?

Here’s a breakdown of what it takes to run a successful floral design business (see infographic below):

It’s not easy to grow a business when you’re on your own.

That’s why I founded a free Facebook community, Real Flower Business with Alison Ellis, 5 years ago, so that I could share some of the systems I’ve created and the lessons I’ve learned to help encourage and reassure floralpreneurs who are on your own floral journey, still carving a niche and finding your leadership role.

When I realized it was the group’s 5th anniversary, it felt like something to celebrate! There’s no other group that nurtures florists’ success quite like this one. I’m so honored to be a part of this community that includes highly experienced florist, aspiring floral designers, wholesalers, farmer-florists and home-studio side-hustlers who are dedicated to lifelong learning and sharing with their peers.

It’s a privilege to be part of a community that’s been growing together for 5 years! If you’re not already a member of my free group, click here to join and make sure to answer the questions for speedy approval.

I Can Take You Further. Take Another Step With Me:

If you’re a florist who wants to book more weddings, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can eliminate price shoppers and book customers more quickly by employing a few simple and proven strategies I teach in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients. You can get access to my tried-and-true booking shortcuts, as I walk through The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients by joining me as a Patreon member (click here to join!).

I’ve been booking weddings for 19 years and I’ve been perfecting my booking systems all along the way. When you join me as a Patreon Member you get the most up-close-and-personal access to me and my booking process.

Plus you can “Ask Alison Anything”. I’ll answer your question and probably even turn it into a video lesson so that you can watch or rewatch anytime you want. You can send a private message so your questions remain confidential. This Patreon membership allows me to answer your specific questions in depth.

Seriously, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet of booking and branding tips starting at just $3!

Here’s just some of what you’ll unlock as soon as you become a Patreon Member:

  • How I booked 3 new clients in 1 week
  • Wedding Week Prep: See my entire week’s prep in 15 minutes
  • How to Handle Price Increases and Flower Substitutions
  • Foam Free Floral Arbor Recipe & Profit Breakdown
  • How many revisions do you make to a proposal?
  • Should Florists Charge for Proposals?
  • Tips on Sending a Non-itemized Proposal
  • Walk through a customer’s Inspiration board and then, see what I made in real life
  • #1 Tip To Stop Writing Quotes For Clients Who Cannot Afford You

Join Real Flower Business as a Patreon Member today!

Patreon truly is like a buffet of booking and brand building tips, but you can choose the membership tier that works best for you.

Breakdown of Patreon Membership Levels:

  • The most popular membership is the Marketing Maven Tier at $29. You get access to every single lesson ever posted, plus a Transcript of a Real Wedding Consultation so you can be a fly on the wall for an initial call, plus monthly blog and social media prompts to help you post with intention and attract the best clients. Marketing Mavens get 5 Blog and Instagram prompts on the first Monday of every month!

 

  • Consultation Closer at the $19 Level get access to everything in the above tier, minus the monthly branding prompts.Patreon Members at this level can also access:
    • A Transcript of a Wedding Consultation
    • Over a dozen videos on the 3 Keys to Booking
    • 5 Website & Branding Tips
    • Build your dream into a business plan: LIVE session replay
    • Blog Challenge (Days 1 & 2 PLUS Workbooks)
    • Tips on Creativity & Discipline
    • Replay: Live Chat on Setting Minimums

 

  • Members in the Booking Basics Level at $9 can access over a dozen video lessons in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, and access all new monthly lessons.

 

  • For just $3 Floralpreneur® Foundation Subscribers can access the first 3 videos in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, plus you get limited-time access to new monthly behind-the-scenes lessons.
A few notes:
  • You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time and there is no obligation, so you can cancel any time.
  • New members are billed on the day you sign up and then on the first day of each month moving forward.
  • When new lessons are posted, you’ll get an e-mail notification so you can click over to check it out and there’s even a mobile app for easy access to your Patreon feed from anywhere.

Whether you join me as a Patreon supporter or you continue to partake in my free resources here on my blog or over in my Facebook group, on YouTube or Instagram, thanks for being on this floral journey with me!

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

Learn More About Alison:

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Proposal Writing Tips for Florists

Do you spend too much time writing proposals before a client books?

HERE’S THE TRUTH…

I know that many florists are STILL giving away TOO MUCH DETAIL in your initial quote:
  • Pictures on every line item = Too much detail
  • Descriptions of what’s in every bouquet = Too much detail
  • 3 Pages of financial breakdowns on labor, supplies and taxes = Too much detail
Too much detail doesn’t just waste your time and energy, but it’s a turn off for potential clients as well!
Click below to watch a replay  of my livestream with 3 Tips on Writing Proposals Quickly!

Takeaways from today’s chat:

  • Schedule the time to start writing the quote.
  • Use a template. Don’t start from scratch. (However, consider how much information is too much?)
  • Set an expiration date. (Click here for more on this: Should you set an expiration date?)
  • See additional resources below to help you book clients more quickly!

Today’s chat was inspired by a question that was asked in my Facebook group last week: Does anyone outsource their proposals?

I know that writing proposals can be a chore, but a good proposal is what helps you CLOSE THE SALE and that’s why it’s important to manage that “in house”!

Last week, I wrote 3 proposals and booked all 3 new clients! (2 of them accepted my quote within 5 minutes of receiving it! The other booked within 1 day.)

Then, this week, I got 2 new inquiries, sent out both proposals and already got another “yes” in less than 24 hours!

So whether it’s you (the owner) writing the proposal or a trusted employee, it’s part of your sales process and you should have systems in place for getting it done quickly.

I hope today’s tips are helpful to you the next time you sit down to write a proposal for a new client!

xo. -Alison

Additional Resources

Want direct answers to your questions on booking clients and closing the sale?

Become a Patreon Member HERE to get the 3 Key To Booking Great Clients.

As soon as you join you’ll get instant access to ask me anything plus dozens of my best behind-the-scenes booking strategies.

It’s like an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet of tips to close more sales and lead the client to “yes”.

You’ll get my best booking strategies including:

  • All the steps I take before booking a wedding
  • How to prescreen with a phone consultation (Including a transcript of a REAL consultation so you can be like a fly on the wall!)
  • Up close and personal tutorials on booking GREAT clients
  • Answers to your questions–I create monthly lessons that answer YOUR specific questions

It all takes place inside my Patreon membership where I offer multiple tiers of access starting at just $3. The higher the tier, the more that comes with it, of course. You can choose what works best for your business goals and budget and can cancel anytime. There is no commitment when you sign up!

Learn more HERE!

Want to see how I write wedding proposals without sharing too much detail?

How To Write Proposals That Sell is a downloadable pdf that shows you how I write wedding proposals and book clients within 7-10 days.

*Plus you’ll get 2 Bonus Videos that show you:

  • 3 Quick & Easy Ways To Make Mood Boards…
  • How I Present A Quote Without Coming In Over Budget…

This course walks you through my booking process, so that you can build a wedding proposal without giving away too much detail before you’re under deposit.

Testimonial:

“I have been hating proposals for five years now because I put so much work and detail into them. Your templates have inspired me to just simplify and I love it!”  

-Allison Schrade

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Should Florists Charge for Proposals?

A question I’ve seen florists ask more often than usual this year is: Should I charge for proposals?

This is a BIG question and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, but in today’s livestream I tackle some of the things you’ll want to consider before implementing a new proposal fee. Click to watch!

A few key points to consider:

[Read more…]

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3 Keys To Booking Great Clients

What does your business need to move forward?

Wouldn’t it feel good to have clients who dig your work and trust your expertise?

You may be unsure what you can do “right this minute”, but if you want to feel more in control of where your business is going, NOW is the time to build your business skills to attract the best clients moving forward.

  • You want to avoid wasting time on price shoppers.
  • You want clients who appreciate your talent.
  • You want to nail your marketing strategy.

If you want more inquiries from interested clients who want to work with you and get to “yes” more easily…

AND you want to feel more respected, professional and in charge…

Get OFF the hamster wheel of cycling through the same problems year after year–price shoppers wasting time and energy that you could have invested elsewhere will eventually leave you feeling overwhelmed, resentful and disappointed that your business isn’t more sought-after yet!

In this online course, 3 Keys To Booking Clients, you’ll learn to improve your sales systems so you can close more sales with clients who are already eager to book with you!

Full Retail Price is $396 HERE

OR You can join my Patreon Membership Training for a $29 monthly subscription HERE to get ALL the lessons in this course (and more!). There’s no obligation! You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a Patron!

The value of this training is off the charts because once you learn these behind-the-scenes sales tactics and processes, you’ll be closing sales with more confidence….and you can’t put a price tag on that!

You could invest $10k in a branding package to help you attract clients, but that still won’t necessarily help you close sales consistently.

But for 1 payment of $396 OR a $29/month subscription to Patreon you can get strategies for proposals, sales, branding and marketing your businesses to help you work towards your longterm goals….even if you don’t have it all figured out “right now”.

You’ll get:

Over 3.5 hours of video lessons on pre-qualifying, attracting the right clients, and closing the sale.

Including:

  • 3 Keys To Booking Clients
  • Marketing vs. Branding Tips
  • 3 Blogging Strategies
  • Contact Form Tune Up
  • Growing An E-mail List
  • Pinterest 101

+ a Transcript of A Real Phone Consultation!

+ 10 Weekly Social Media Prompts!

Here’s What Patreon Members Say About This Training….

Thanks for all of this amazing content. I will continue to take the small steps toward clarifying and communicating my brand. Knowing that this is a long term commitment, frees me up from having it perfect right now. I love that I can take small steps towards this goal without having it all figured out in the hear and now.

Good thing I know I have grit to keep going, to getting better each day and taking small steps towards a great goal. Thanks for keeping us in action mode!

Hi Alison. Lesson 1 was very helpful and I appreciate the clear delineation of action steps provided….

Whoa…I’ll be changing my inquiry form this weekend! I LOVED how you educated them about the relative cost of flowers. They really need (and I think would want) that…

Lesson 1 was great! My inquiry form sucks (haha but not!!) I am working on that this afternoon! Thank you and lesson 2 tomorrow…

Things may feel uncertain in your business right now…I think that’s true for most people, but one thing is for sure–there’s no use wasting time just worrying.

Your 2021 events calendar may feel busy or even overbooked, but what’s happening beyond 2021?

Click to watch a replay of my livestream from July 22:

REMEMBER Full Retail Price is $396, but you can get it all for just a $29 subscription to Patreon! It’s month-to-month, meaning you can unsubscribe at any time and there’s no longterm commitment when you join!

Become a Patron!

Note: There are multiple Patreon Tiers, but the $29 Tier is the only one with access to ALL that you get in this course!

 

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3 Essential Things All Florists Must Know

There are 3 Essential Things All Florists Must Know.

In addition to floral design you must be able to master the following:

1. How to attract clients who are eager to work with you.
2. How to close the sale to book the gig.
3. How to turn a profit on every order you make.

Talented floral designers still have to develop your marketing and sales skills, too.

Click to watch my July 7 Live Q&A: What to focus on in your business right now!

Focus on your core to set yourself up for success. And if you need help leveling-up, let’s work together!

Have you heard about The Art of Good Business?

In the month of January, we’ll revamp your website to increase engagement, walk through ways to streamline your sales and booking process, and tell the story of your personal brand in a more compelling way.
Imagine stopping price shoppers in their tracks and finding more clients who are excited to book with you!

Here’s what some of my students have accomplished over the last few months…

  • Added their own personal voice to About page so it expresses their real life experience and awesomeness.
  • Identified new income streams and how they can position their existing clients to upgrade.
  • One floralpreneur® went from a 1 page website to a professionally designed new website with some strategic help from me–as well as monthly blog prompts, a new contact form, and clear messaging designed to attract more customers who are eager to book.
  • All of my students have new branding confidence with refreshed website copy, streamlined sales systems to book clients quickly, and social media prompts designed to help them speak to the hearts of their ideal customers!

Are you ready to be the next success story?

It could cost you $30,000 to hire a branding expert!

…but you don’t need to be a branding expert to develop your brand…

and you don’t need thousands of followers to have a good brand, either!

However, you do need to dig deep to understand what having a “good brand” means to your customers so that you can create a marketing strategy that works for your unique business goals.

Ready to unearth your unique strengths & set the course for your brand, your business and your life? Click here to learn more about the course!

With love from me to you,
Alison

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