Real Flower Business

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By Alison Ellis

Interview: Alison Ellis On The Slow Flowers Podcast

I am so excited to announce that I’m a guest on the Slow Flowers Podcast today!

Catch me on Slow Flowers With Debra Prinzing here!

Debra and I sat down a few weeks ago, here in Vermont, while we were both attending and teaching at The Floral Field Trip. It was such an honor be invited to be a guest and I hope you’ll take a some time out of your day to have a listen!

Click to Listen


From DebraPrinzing.com:

“I’ve known Alison mostly through social media over the years and I’ve watched how her business of teaching and education has really grown. We also share a fun connection through Florists’ Review, where I’m a contributing editor and Alison is a regular business columnist.

I couldn’t skip the opportunity to record an in-person conversation with Alison to share with you. Lately, I’ve been in conversation with many of you about the term “Sustainable,” and in addition to having sustainable practices in our businesses, I strongly believe the term also applies to ensuring florist and flower farmers are SUSTAINED by their businesses; that they are paid a living wage and compensated fairly for the beauty they bring to the world.

Alison is one of the people helping make that happen, especially as she coaches others how to build profitability into their flowers…”

Click to Listen


Here are a few photos from our experience on The Floral Field Trip in September…all photo credits to Taken By Sarah.

We made a foam free (#nofloralfoam) arbor with custom structures that Kelly had custom made by a welder, and added Holly Chapple pillows from Syndicate Sales as well as short black floral buckets and a few Eco Fresh Bouquet wraps for our design of all locally grown Vermont flowers and foliage from Mountain Flower Farm.


Kelly and Mary Kate picked a perfect time of year for a photoshoot in Vermont. We were lucky to have a real life couple for our models for the day….how beautiful was this day by the way?!


Knoll Farm was an absolutely awesome location. Check out their website here to get a sense of what this unique retreat is all about. They provided 3 meals a day for us and each one was fantastic!


For our farewell dinner we cut down our bouquets from the photoshoot to serve as centerpieces. Including flowers from The Floral Reserve, Mountain Flower Farm, Understory Farm, and Longfield Gardens.

This business retreat was a great opportunity to learn more about sourcing American Grown Flowers (the basis of the Slow Flowers movement!) and it was not only educational, but truly inspiring to connect with likeminded floral professionals. The future of floristry will be “locally sourced flowers” and more eco-friendly design mechanics….especially if we, the florists, do our part to help make it that way!

It was a pleasure to be invited to teach on The Floral Field Trip and a special bonus, and a genuine honor, that I got to connect with Debra for an interview on her #slowflowerspodcast, too!

Click to Listen


Vendor credits for the Floral Field Trip…

Photographer @takenbysarah
Flowers sourced from:
@mountainflowerfarm @understoryfarm @thefloralreserve @longfieldgardens
Dress @meagankellydesigns
Model @erin.benn
HMUA @finishingtouchvt
Supplies @syndicatesales
Ribbon @honeysilksco
Venue @knollfarmvt

October 9, 2019 — 6:09 pm

By Alison Ellis

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

September 8, 2019 — 9:09 pm

By Alison Ellis

Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

Free Tips On Starting A Business

Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business is my new FREE eBook and you can get it TODAY!

Get It HERE!

This 35 page book is part memoir, part how-to and 100% honest regarding my 25 years in the industry and 17 years as a small business owner.

I hope you’ll check it out and I hope you’ll enjoy it!


SO WHAT DOES A GOOD FLORIST REALLY DO?

A good florist has an excellent eye for color and design…but there’s SO MUCH MORE that goes into owning a small business than arranging flowers.

Most people think, “It must be nice to play with flowers all day”, but the truth is that florists spend WAY more time on “other things” (like writing proposals and working on the computer!) than we’d like to admit…

  • Invoicing,
  • High expectation customers,
  • Questionable quality on fresh product,
  • Websites and social media to update,
  • Employees to manage,
  • Delivery logistics,
  • Taxes to pay,
  • and To-Do Lists!….oh, the To-Do Lists!

The idea that florists “play with flowers all day” is a MYTH and anyone who opens a business expecting that FLOWERS will be the main focus on a daily basis is sure to discover “all the other things” that require your immediate attention.

Running a business without basic business foundations can lead to unnecessary mistakes that result in lost income AND over-working.

It’s exhausting to try to “make it up as you go” AND “give it your all”…especially if you’re leaving money on the table. That’s what leads to burn out!

Some people walk alone on their biz journey, while others look for a quick fix: take one workshop and you’ll have all the tools you need!….or, sign up to learn how to make “six figures” in your small floral design business “just like they do”….or get a special software system to “do the work for you”…

But there isn’t 1 RIGHT WAY to run a floristry business and there isn’t 1 PERFECT METHOD that guarantees your success.

Get the book HERE!


Here’s the truth:

Floral design is actually hard work!…and every floral designer has to make their own way in business.

There isn’t a guaranteed shortcut to the top, but there are some important lessons that can take years off your learning curve (EVEN IF YOU’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR YEARS ALREADY!).

I share some of the MOST VALUABLE LESSONS I’VE LEARNED over the past 17 years in business in my FREE eBook, Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business—The Tao Of A Floralpreneur®!

Check out my FREE download to get some of my best tips, lessons and shortcuts to help you on your own business journey!

Click to get It HERE!


Here’s what’s covered in the book:

Page 7 Get Your Hands Dirty   

Page 12 Make It Noteworthy 

Page 15 Great Brands Do This

Page 17 Best & Worst Lessons

Page 23 My Small Business Plan

Page 26 Mom Like A Boss

Page 28 Make It, Don’t Fake It 

Page 29 Master Your Domain 

Page 32 Become A Guru 

Page 33 Invest In You   

Page 35 Market Like A Boss 

Page 36 An Invitation

Grab it HERE!


Here’s what Mallory said in my Facebook group today:

“Thanks for this, Alison! BTW–signing up for a free phone call with Alison (as mentioned in the e-book) is a WONDERFUL opportunity and you should do it…she is so generous with her wisdom and genuinely wants to help you, and her resources are all A++”


I made this book for YOU.

For floralpreneurs of any experience level and every stage of business…

Because this work isn’t easy and ya gotta love it.

And I do. I love it.

Thanks for taking the time to sign up and check it out HERE!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Get the ebook!

July 18, 2019 — 6:57 pm

By Alison Ellis

10 Things I Did To Grow My Floral Business

flower business, learn to be a florist, floral design, florist education, flower school

It feels amazing to reach a milestone where I’ve been running my floral design business for over 20 years! I’ve worked really hard over the years to build up my business and I can tell you that it’s all been completely worth it. I still love my job and my customers after all these years.

Part of why my hard work has paid off is due to the fact that I’ve been really focused on intentional planning in business so that I can create my business to fit into my life. (Having a successful business isn’t just about making money or “being busy”; it’s about creating happiness and fulfillment, too.)

I’ve done a lot of things to grow my business, and I thought it would be helpful to narrow down the top 10 things that had the biggest impact on my business success and my overall happiness factor, too.


Here are the top 10 things I’ve done to grow my home-studio floral design business the most: [Read more…]

January 30, 2019 — 9:13 pm

By Alison Ellis

Jumpstart Your Business Plan

I travelled to Providence, Rhode Island over the weekend for a speaking engagement at The Floral Reserve and if I had to sum up the experience in 1 word it would be “fantastic”.

It’s so much fun to teach in-person and I was gifted with an incredible group of floral pros in the audience. Every single person in attendance was eager to learn and ready to “do work”…which is my favorite combination in a floral audience.

There were 29 florists who grabbed a seat in the seminar and we talked about planning for success in your business, pricing for profitability, and I answered as many questions as I possibly could in the time we had together…but what I’m most proud of is the fact that every florist went home with business plans in writing that they can put in motion right away.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Getting ready for my live chat today at @thefloralreserve ❤️

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on Dec 9, 2018 at 10:28am PST


If you want to put a business plan into motion for 2019, but you missed out on my live seminar, there’s one last chance to do some business planning with me before the end of the year!

Click HERE to get my Business Planning Basics Guide and JOIN ME LIVE on Dec. 20th at noon EST in a private Facebook group for extra support so that you can get your business on the right foot for your upcoming success!

You can Join the Business Jumpstart for just $20 and you’ll get immediate access to my 8-page Business Planning Basics pdf plus an invitation to JOIN ME LIVE on Dec. 20th at noon EST in a private Facebook group for paid members only. You must sign up before 11am EST on Dec. 20th to take advantage of this offer!

A replay will be made available after the livestream if you cannot join me live on Thursday, Dec. 20th.


Questions for me? Drop me a line @ floralartvt@gmail.com

Every course I create is designed to help move your business forward so you can keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

December 13, 2018 — 8:24 pm

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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 →

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FOR WEDDING FLORISTS:

Get Flower Math

Read my book: Falling Into Flowers

Wedding Templates for Florists

Wedding Bouquet Tips

FREE RESOURCES:

Free eBook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

10 Tips for Home-Studio Florists

10 Things I Did To Grow My Biz

AS SEEN ON:

*The Flower Podcast

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