Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Floralpreneur® Workshop for Florists and Farmers

Have you ever taught a floral design workshop?

In April 2023, I hosted my first live workshop for floral designers and farmer florists along with my friends, Françoise Weeks and Phebe Robinson Higgins, and I have to tell you it was a fantastic collaboration of creativity and business minds! From business strategies to botanical jewelry and foam free floral design techniques, attendees walked away ready to implement new tips and techniques to propel their businesses forward.

It was an excellent floral design workshop! See what florists said at the bottom of this post! In fact, it was so much fun that we’re already planning the next one for April 2024! Get on the notification list!

I never hosted a workshop before, but when Françoise Weeks asked me if I’d like to teach a workshop with her my immediate reply was, “Yes!…I know the perfect venue, and I know who should invite to teach with us!”

Within a few days, we had our teaching team in place and the BEST venue to host the first Floralpreneur® Workshop at The Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Isora Lithgow Creations helped document Day 2 and she captured this beautiful group of flower loving humans so perfectly it is an honor to get to share them with you.

Here’s a recap from the Floralpreneur® Workshop:

Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business (that’s me!), Phebe Robinson-Higgins of Popped with Phebe, and world renowned designer, Françoise Weeks, taught a 2-Day Hands-On Workshop for Floral Designers and Farmer-Florists on Foam Free Woodland Designs, Pricing and Booking Strategies, and How To Run A Successful Pop-Up Shop.

Floral designers joined us from Canada, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, & Virginia and we had such a wonderful time. I can’t say enough about the floral designers who decided to join us–they were a beautiful bunch of humans. (You can see a group shot at the end of this post!)

Françoise taught foam free woodland designs as well as botanical jewelry. My favorite thing about doing a workshop with Françoise is that no two designs are alike. Every student’s work is unique! You can see some of the beautiful wearables that Robin of Wild Thing Flower Farm created (as well as her lovely smiling face!) below.

Phebe shared her insights on running a successful Pop-Up Shop and how to parlay that into a larger marketing opportunity. She shared so many nuggets of wisdom and even set up a sample display featuring roses courtesy of Rosaprima Roses so florists could walk through the entire customer experience.

As a business coach, my focus is always on profitability and practical business strategies, and I took this opportunity to teach Flower Math Formulas and 5 Steps To Book A Wedding to show exactly how I lead customers through a sale. It was so much fun to teach live and get to answer all the questions in real time!

There was so much to love as I flipped through these photos and remembered our time together and all of these smiles are at the top of my list! Talking business really can be a good time!

Everyone gathered around to see some of the tech Phebe uses to send out quotes. She did not hold back on the tips! Next year, Phebe will share even more marketing ideas and techy touches florists can use in their business.

Isora got a group photo before the end of the day–I told you we were a beautiful bunch! It was such a great time, we’re doing it again next year! Details will be coming very soon! Click here to get on the notification list.

Special thanks again to Isora Lithgow Creations, Nick from 802 Events, Sheryl of Thistle and Bone Floral for all the invaluable help, Walt at Mountain Flower Farm for the pussy willow branches, Rosaprima Roses and our incredible venue, The Round Barn.

This was an experience I will never forget. I’ll have to do a part 2 post with more images of the students’ work…so stay tuned.

xo. -Alison Ellis

What did florists say about the workshop?…

“This workshop breathed life into my business practices, creativity, and proposals. The instructors were motivating, generous, and organized. A total success!”

“Amazing instructors, Alison created an unforgettable experience!”

“…wonderful food, venue, detailed planning involved and learned far more than what I thought I would!”

“I loved how welcoming every student and educator was, how everyone was not only willing but eager to share with each other and how very supportive the environment was. I was slightly intimidated signing up (because compared to the others I am very new to the field) but from my initial call with Alison through to the final dinner, I felt included and supported but all (sounds like a Hallmark card) but honestly it was a great experience.”

“Rejuvenating energy and creativity!”

“Everything is taken care of! You just have to show up and everything is provided. It was nice not to have to think about what we were doing next, eating, etc. It was just all there.”

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How Do You Sell More Flowers?

When florists want to sell more flowers for Mother’s Day–or any occasion–the most important step is to reach out to your past customers to make sure they know what you’re offering.

That means if you have NOT directly pitched your offers to the customers who purchased from you last year, it’s time to take action now!

I know it’s tempting to throw out a few posts on social media and feel like you’ve “done your job” to get the word out about your business and what you’re selling, but posting and praying is not enough!

If you REALLY want to sell more flowers, you have to reach out to the real live customers who’ve bought from you before and invite them to place an order today!

If this sounds like a lot of work, guess what–it could be! You may not be organized with your customer list at your finger tips, perhaps.

But it’s actually pretty easy to write an email to your client list and create a short script to make phone calls to your best customers who haven’t ordered yet, so you can tell them exactly what you’re offering and make it easy for them to buy.

A few things to include in your pitch:

  • Introduction–what you’re offering (and why they need it!)
  • Clear price points on 1-2 options
  • Call To Action–with a link to buy or phone number to call
  • Sense of Urgency–why do they want to do this today?

 

Some customers will say no, but some will say yes! And then, you’ll be that much closer to your sales goal.

The moral of the story is this: Ask for the sale. Don’t sit back and wait for customers to come to you.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison Ellis

Find out more about Alison HERE and see a full course list for florists HERE.

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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

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National Floral Design Day

February 28th is National Floral Design Day so it feels serendipitous that I’m a guest on The Flower Podcast today! You can listen below or Click Here to find it on The Flower Podcast blog. You can also find it wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Scott and I talked about pricing, setting boundaries and some of the most frequent questions I’m getting lately around “educating clients” and the sales process.
  • I also shared one of the biggest “messaging mistakes” florists are making around pricing.
I am a huge fan of The Flower Podcast. Not only have I had the honor of being a guest a few times, but I have probably listened to almost every episode. As a true flower aficionado, Scott asks interesting questions through a flower lover’s lens that always feel enlightened, educational and inspired. The floral industry gets so much value from The Flower Podcast, that Real Flower Business is proud to be a sponsor this season to show my support.
I hope you’ll make some time to tune in today and I’d love to hear your feedback or takeaways from the episode.

How do florists celebrate National Floral Design Day?

In honor of National Floral Design Day you could…
  • Make something beautiful in your shop that’s slightly out of the ordinary and put it in the cooler to see if it sells. Emphasize design principles in your piece such as line, color, pattern, repetition, balance, and scale.
  • Ask for (or offer) a critique of a recent design. Only engage in critiques with trained florists who can offer helpful insight–not just anyone should criticize your design work.
  • Order a copy of Black Flora by Teresa J. Speight to celebrate these talented florists and farmers.
  • Share a post on social media about what you love about floral design and the work you do to acknowledge the day.
  • And, listen to my newest episode with Scott on The Flower Podcast, of course!

Thanks for making time to stop by my website and listen this new episode.
If you ever want to say hi or ask a question I’d love to hear from you. And if you want to check out my courses for floral designers, Click Here To Visit My Shop!

Keep doing beautiful work, Floralpreneur®!
xo. -Alison Ellis

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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!

 

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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!

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