Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

By Leave a Comment

Sample Preview Of Flower Math

Hey Floralpreneur!

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 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 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, 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 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.

 

real flower business, online education for florists

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.

Here’s an e-mail I received recently:

“Every email you send or post you make I find myself nodding my head and saying “yes…. yup… great advice… totally agree… that’s me… she’s spot on…”
You see, I’m one of your “seasoned” Floralpreneurs. July 1 marked the 24th anniversary of [my business]. I started slowly and have built my business thoughtfully and sustainably. All the things you teach are a confirmation to me that I’ve been doing it right! (that and having my biz sustain me and now my family for the past couple decades.) Your reminder that COGS should be no more than 30% has me tightening up a little bit. (I was just under 30% for 2017 and also for this year so far… but sometimes there’s that one wedding that sneaks over. I’m even more vigilant now thanks to you!)
I admire your floral business AND your Real Flower Business….Thanks for doing what you do! I look forward to connecting with you and participating in your group.“

Remember you don’t have to buy anything from me to be a floralpreneur! Join us over in my free Facebook group HERE!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today.

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

 

By 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.

By Leave a Comment

How to open a Poppy

Today I have a quick tip for you, floralpreneurs! How to open a poppy!

Ideally, when I order poppies they won’t be “fully opened”….they don’t last terribly long, so we want them when they’re still protected by their fuzzy little sepals, but it can be challenging to force the poppies to open sometimes.

In today’s quick 1 minute tip I show you how I peel back the sepals to help the petals flourish!

I hope you enjoy the tip….and I hope you’ll use it this poppy season. If you’re not already subscribed to my YouTube channel, go on an sign up today to get more free, quick tips for your real flower business!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you enjoyed this quick tutorial, you may also like my super quick Flower Crown Tutorial. You can get my free floral crown tutorial HERE.