Should you book more luxury weddings?

If you want to have a successful floral design business do you have to focus on luxury weddings?

I’ve seen ads that claim to teach florists how to “book more luxury events” and “make a six-figure income”, but the truth is that most florists don’t service luxury events (or pay themselves a 6-figure salary!).

In fact, many florists aren’t fully equipped to do luxury events (staffing, space constraints, rental inventory on deck, etc.) so if you don’t do “luxury weddings”, you’re actually totally normal!

As I learned in my youth, “Mo money, mo problems”; that can certainly apply to luxury floral gigs, too.

Luxury events of the scale and scope that generate “a six figure income” require a few things:

High-end clientele that trusts you…
Unbelievable customer service…
Organizational systems…
A Team of pros (your floral army)…
Room to spread out and do your work…
Ladders…
Extra vehicles…
Multiple meetings…
The entire weekend thru Sunday afternoon….
Nerves of steel!

The sheer quantity of work involved in creating lush centerpieces for 200+ guests and hanging installations and an elaborate arbor or chuppah can be more than just a bit overwhelming for any floralpreneur®.

For example, if you don’t have a “go-to team” you can count on, then pulling off a large-scale event may be particularly difficult to execute.

You need a reliable team of professionals on deck who understand your expectations in order to flawlessly deliver a ton of details in a short amount of time. Without extra hands you can trust to help lift and schlep and climb ladders, “luxury weddings” can make you feel like you’re in over your head.

Pro Tip: Find your sweet spot!

To have a “successful business”, your work should not only make you money, but it should make you happy & fulfilled, too….in other words, you shouldn’t dwell in a constant state of overwhelm or aim for goals that aren’t truly in your heart.

Most of my weddings are in my “sweet spot” which is anywhere from $3,500-$6,500 range. They’re “big enough” to make it worth my while to block off my time and spend days designing for their event, yet I don’t need a floral army to meet my obligations and I can probably fit it all in my minivan for delivery without renting a larger vehicle.

I can appreciate the thrill and challenge of a larger event, but luxury weddings aren’t my bread and butter.

Once I involve multiple vehicles, multiple helpers, multiple hours of on-site installation over multiple days, the commitment from me goes up and the commitment from the client goes up as well (both financially and in regards to overall expectations).

If you’re intimidated by five-figure floral budgets and high-expectation clients or you’re simply not interested in providing extra time and attention and multiple on-site meetings to high-end clients, then “luxury” events may not be your dream gig. And that’s OK. Determine the price points that work best for your business goals so you’re working in your sweet spot.

Floral design is not a get-rich-quick scheme…

You won’t find a florist on this planet who’ll deny that what we do is hard work, so while turning a profit in your business is a necessity (and you should know your profit margin on every event!), your love of flowers and floral design is also an important ingredient for sustained success.

I’m not actually looking to grow a large scale floral design company. I like the work I do now.

I love floral design and specifically, I love my small, home-studio that focuses on wedding flowers. I consider myself a successful business owner; I’m happy with what I’ve built and continue to grow.

If you don’t LOVE floral design in your heart, you’re going to have a lot of very long days at work.

Let’s talk profit margins in your flower biz.

As a solo-business owner, who only hires occasional freelancers and weekend delivery & set-up assistance, there are some limitations on the amount of work I can take (and that creates an income cap!). For example, I’ve done 4 weddings in a holiday weekend before….and it was hell…..so I learned to never do that again!

So with limited weekends for events, how do florists create a financially viable business? Click here to check out some real floral industry stats and watch my live chat: How much does a florist make?…

The moral of the story is this:

You don’t have to book luxury weddings to be a successful floral designer.

Do what you love! Deliver what you promise. And keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

Additional resources:

10 Things I Did To Grow My Floral Design Business (click to read)
Want to book more weddings more quickly & Save $20 Off my Wedding Templates? (click here).

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Sample Preview Of Flower Math

I’ve just updated the free sample preview of my Flower Math course.

You can click HERE to sign up for a free sneak peek at what’s included inside the course.

If you’re not sure if Flower Math is right for you, then this free preview is the perfect first step.

Click HERE to get a look at the course now!

xo. -Alison

Pricing & profit margins are not a mystery.

The goal is to make 70% profit on the cost of flowers & supplies….the rest of your COGS will come out of that 70% profit.

Pro Tip: Do you calculate your profits on flowers and supplies? If not, why not start now? It’s easy.

Here’s how it’s done:

Remember: Your additional COGs (the cost of doing business!) will come out of that 70% profit on flowers & supplies.

Check out a FREE PREVIEW of Flower Math here.

You’ll love Flower Math if you…

0.1 Have a talent for design, but don’t have a firm grasp on the business-side.

0.2 Make a profit that’s less than 70% on the cost of flowers & supplies.

0.3 Don’t charge a design fee (or labor fee) on each arrangement.

0.4 Wonder if you can give up your day-job (or bridge-job).

0.5 Overfill orders and struggle with feeling guilty about charging for your time.

0.6 Need help with floral recipes. (I share 20+ real recipes that you can easily use, copy or adapt!)

0.7 Are a home-based florist who’s never worked in a profitable flower shop.

0.8 You’re a flower farmer who’s expanding to offer wedding and event work.

0.9 Don’t feel 100% confident when you send a quote.

It’s easy to get started. Click here to enroll in Flower Math today.

Flower Math is the florist’s roadmap to profit clarity.

I’ll teach you how to make more money & quit over-buying.

Satisfaction Guarantee: I am certain you will love my course, but if you don’t, I’ll give you a full refund and you can keep the downloadable pdfs included in the course (including the bonus with my list of starting prices!)

To request a refund just shoot me an e-mail and we’ll set up a time to chat so you can tell me why Flower Math didn’t work for you.

Remember: I’m happy to answer any questions you may have along the way.

You can contact me with questions at any time before, during or after taking a course.

Have a question for me? Don’t hesitate to be in touch! floralartvt@gmail.com

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

25 Qualities Of A Floralpreneur

A floralpreneur® is a floral designer with initiative and business savvy.

25 qualities of a floralpreneur® including, but not limited to:

detail oriented

flower-obsessed

nature-lover

risk taker

taste maker

grounded

dreamer

creative

practical

thoughtful

empathetic

courageous

perfectionist

doer

designer

accountant

grower

marketer

inventive

profitable

of service

scrappy

reputable

referrable

reliable

And so much more….

parent

partner

daughter

son

neighbor

confidant

job creator

tax payer

mediator

translator

consoler

celebrator

leader

The work we do as florists isn’t always easy (and it isn’t always pretty!…there are many thorns)….but when you love this work, you take responsibility for all that comes with it….including the pressure, the stress, the unpredictability, the hours and hours on your feet, the tick-tock of the clock, the joy of creating beauty for others, and the glory when it all comes together and it’s better than they’d imagined.

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneurs!

Because while it isn’t always “easy”, when you love it, you’ve gotta put your whole heart into it.

What are some other qualities of a floralpreneur?

What did I miss? Leave a comment or shoot me a message any time!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Free Resources:

Have you tried a Free Course? Click here to get started!

P.S. Have you check out The Vault yet?

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Reaching Your Potential As A Florist

Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?

-Danielle LaPorte (from The Fire Starter Sessions)

In The Fire Starter Sessions, Danielle LaPorte writes, “Invest in your second nature.” She goes on to talk about “the acorn theory”; the idea that we’re all “born with a soul that shapes our destiny–that our full potential already lives within us.”

The theory was first published by James Hillman. He explains it like this:

The acorn theory expresses that unique something that we carry into the world, that is particular to us, which is connected to our “daimon”.

(The Greek word, daimon, can be considered your “inner voice”. The Roman word was genius, and the Christian word is guardian angel.)

To quote Hillman, “They are all a little bit different, yet each expresses something that you are, that you have, that is not the same as the personality you think you are.”

In other words, we must make our way through the layers of soil and compost and debris until the conditions are right and we’re ready to grow to our true potential.

Because you were born an acorn…with everything it takes to become a huge oak right inside you. And it’s been there all along.

It does take time to perfect your processes and meet (or exceed) your goals and make enough money to quit your “other job“….and the time it takes to streamline or perfect…and practice can feel pretty dark some days.

We’re going to spend some time in the dark before we can burst into the light!

So…are you reaching your full potential or are you ready for a break through?

Pro Tip: If you want to break through, you have to make sure that your brand is seen in it’s best light from the first point of contact!

And there’s a good chance that you rely on your website to make your brand’s first impression!

It’s easy to fall into a trap of thinking, “I have a website. I mean, it exists!…I updated it a year or two ago…so I’m good, right?…”

But just like anyone striving to reach their potential, your website has to break through many layers to grow from an acorn to an oak. (It’s a process!)

If you’re ready to make a stronger first impression and represent your brand in its best light, I can help you do that work in my Website Bootcamp! I share easy and effective shortcuts to help you increase engagement and attract awesome clients so that you can keep striving to reach your potential year after year!

Every year is a good year to learn and grow (and improve your website).

CLICK HERE to learn more about how you can create your own website break through in 3 days or less!

BOOTCAMP SIGN UP!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today.

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. This post is for the late bloomers–the floralpreneurs who’ve lived a first life before pursuing a floral dream or falling into flowers as a side-hustle…

And it’s for the determined–the florists who try and try and then, try again, because there are always more layers to break through in this work to get to the light….

The florists who’ve worked slinging stems in someone else’s flower shop for a decade or two, and are finally branching out on their own….

The newly retired, newly single, new moms, new grandmas, new floristry students, basement Betty’s….

This one is for you….wherever you are on your floral journey….

I’m honored to be on this journey with you.

Whether you’re a newly aspiring floral designer or a seasoned pro, I hope you’ll take advantage of some of my free resources, as well as my pdfs and online courses for florists.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Are you ready to start a floral design business?

How’d you get started in the floral design business? I’ve been asked that question from time to time and the answer is really simple: I got my first job at a flower cart when I was sixteen years old and I’ve been working as a florist ever since.

See, simple.

But I find it interesting how other floral artists & business owners happen to “fall into flowers”; whether it’s a second career or it started as a side-hustle or it wasn’t something you always dreamed about doing, but somehow discovered you were really, really good at!….there are so many ways that floral designers find their way into floristry.

There isn’t only 1 right way to become a florist.

So what does it really take to start a floral design business?

Join me LIVE in my Facebook group this August (click here to join) for tips all month long on what you really need to start a floral business. I’ll share some of my best tips, tricks and free downloads with a behind-the-scenes look at how I run my business and what I’ve learned over the past 16 years as a floralpreneur.

You can get my tips sent directly to your inbox when you sign up for Real Flower Business e-mail updates HERE. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

The entire month of August will be devoted to sharing my experience and real life tips on how I started my home-studio floral design business AND I’m going to invite you to a live chat where I’ll tell you the single best move I’ve made in my business…it doesn’t cost a single penny, but it might take practice!

Whether you work from a home-studio like I do, or are considering opening a brand new shop, or want to take over an existing shop, or you’ve been in business for years and years, there will be something in this training for everyone!

I hope you’ll sign up HERE for updates or HERE to get my 10 Free Tips for Home-Studio Florists to make sure you’re on the e-mail list for this summer’s training and behind-the-scenes tips.

Thanks for reading and subscribing, Floralpreneurs!

I’ll see you this summer!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Do you know about The Vault?

This is the biggest collection of my very best “real flower business stuff” all in one place! And it’s just $13.

Plus once you unlock The Vault you’ll continue to get bonus content as I add more “stuff” to this course for you.

definition of vault:

to arrive at or achieve something as if by a spring or leap: to vault to prominence. to cause to leap over or surpass others.

Click here to unlock The Vault for just $13 today.