floral business - Real Flower Business

Should you quit in order to grow?

Hey Floralpreneur,

Are you a quitter? I am.

As a small business owner it can be hard to quit things, including jobs that are dragging us down, but sometimes quitting or saying “NO” to work that’s no longer moving us forward is essential if we’re going to truly thrive and grow our business.

Click to watch my video “Should You Quit In Order To Grow Your Business”.

I share how I finally became a quitter, and how I started my home-based floral design business over 15 years ago!

Thanks for taking a few minutes to watch!

THE MORAL OF THE STORY…

We have to evaluate what’s working vs. what’s no longer working if we’re going to actually enjoy the work we’re doing every day.

Because, what’s the point of running your own business if it doesn’t bring you joy, profitability and pride?

Taking pride in what we deliver is our responsibility to our clients, our employees and ourselves. Share on X

We can’t let ourselves down because we got too busy saying Yes to EVERYTHING that we forget to say a big, fat, HECK YES to our own needs and wants and hopes and dreams.

Quitting or saying “No” to make room for something better (something that hasn’t actually materialized yet; something we’re hoping is out there, but we can’t really be sure) takes bravery;

it may get easier to do with time and confidence, but turning down a sale is not always easy for people who are in business to sell.

Think of it like this: Gardeners sometimes have to deadhead a few blooms for the sake of the overall health and prosperity of a plant.

If you want your business to grow, you must cultivate it, like a gardener.

If there’s something bogging you down that you know you need to stop, be brave. Quit.

Thanks again for being here. Let me know if you ever have any questions for me: info@floralartvt.com

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you enjoy my free “stuff” you’ll find the biggest collection of my real flower business tips, trainings and pdfs inside The Vault for just $13. Click here to unlock The Vault today!

JOIN ME…

If you’d prefer to be a “joiner” Click HERE to join my Facebook group and connect with floral designers around the globe.

Find a full list of course offerings here.

By Alison Ellis

Sixth Anniversary with Flirty Fleurs

I try to keep track of landmark moments and anniversaries in my business, but I’ll admit a few business anniversaries have snuck up on me! I’ve officially been in business for 15 years now…my 16th season begins this month!

This “Sweet 16” feels like another landmark to me. I suppose each year in business is worth celebrating in its own way.

We have to make deliberate moves in our business, if we want to reach our landmark moments.

(For example: Will you leave your “real job” to do flowers full-time? Will you be able to set a minimum or say “no” to work that doesn’t meet your criterion? Will you blog? Will you get more training; hire a new accountant; get another designer; teach your staff more?)

I make moves in my business.

I made a move back in 2011 when I wrote my first guest blog post for Flirty Fleurs.

I had no idea if Alicia would be interested in what I had to say, but I LOVED her blog, and I felt like I had something to say, so I wrote up a post, held my breath and sent it.

I was thrilled that she not only posted my article, but she encouraged me to send her more.

I kept writing articles and made my first video in 2014. I have about 50 posts published so far.

Last March was my 5th Anniversary as a guest blogger on flirtyfleurs.com.

I even have my own blog category, which was absolutely a landmark day for me. I’m not kidding, Alison Ellis Videos is a legit category!

I’m also a proud contributor to the first 3 issues of the Flirty Fleurs print magazines. If you haven’t seen them, check them out.

The print magazines are absolutely beautiful!

They really are designed especially with floral designers in mind.

One of my favorite things about the magazines is that every single flower photo includes top billing to the floral designer! It’s truly a florist’s dream come true; designer credit right on the photo!

Check out the 3rd edition of Flirty Fleurs magazine HERE and treat yourself to all 3 magazines to enjoy all the incredible images!

Happy 6 year Anniversary, Alicia! Thanks for always giving me a place to “share my stuff” with your readers and fans!

xo. -A

By Alison Ellis

Welcome to April!

Welcome to April, Floralpreneur!

What’d you do this weekend? Work? Spend time with family or friends? I had a mix of both.

I spent Sunday celebrating my son’s 5th birthday, which gave me one full-day for family,

but on Saturday I fell into a project I KNEW I had to tackle, but simply did not think I had the time for; I finally updated my testimonials page on my website.

Sounds pretty B-O-R-I-N-G, I know, but reviewing testimonials is actually really fun.

(it’s a great opportunity to hop onto your website, and do some quick updates!)

You’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of gathering more client testimonials

and using your testimonials to attract more ideal clients,

but If you missed my free download “How to get more testimonials”,

CLICK HERE to get the free pdf today.

Once you get more testimonials, what will you do with them?

Client testimonials can tell you a lot about yourself, your business, and your brand, but they also tell other customers exactly what they need to know about working with you.

I also highly suggest you re-read your testimonials a couple of times every year, as well as any time you’re feeling “down” or find yourself “struggling in the off season”!

A good read through of your testimonials and online reviews can be a great ego boost!

Reflect on the good work you’ve done and get yourself pumped up to exceed those standards year after year.

We can never stop learning and improving our customer service experience!

Once you gather reviews from your clients, put them on your website! Use them!

The reviews that describe what it was like to work with you most recently, can be powerful tools to add to your website.

This April is about giving back!

April is my birthday month, as well as my grandmother’s, so to honor her memory this year

I’m donating 10% of ALL COURSE SALES for the month of April to the Vermont Foodbank (and in honor of my son’s birthday, I’m including sales from the last 2 days of March as well!)

Every $1=3 meals, so even a little bit of giving goes a long way!

Find my course offerings HERE!

Oh, and have a look at my new Testimonials Page HERE to see what other florists have to say about my courses!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Keep

doing

beautiful

work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

By Alison Ellis

Get courses & Give meals!

realflowerbusiness.com, Alison Ellis, online education for florists, floristry, floral design

Hey Floralpreneurs! April is upon us!

This month I’m donating 10% of all course sales to the VT Foodbank; and because there’s no time like the present I’ll be starting with sales in the last 2 days of March, too.

$1=3 meals, which means, for example, the purchase of 12 E-mail Templates will provide 9 meals for hungry Vermonters and a purchase of Flower Math will provide 150 meals!

Thanks to everyone who’s already taken a leap to try out my courses!

Here’s what one floralpreneur wrote to me the other day:

“First off, your flower math course, email template and faster proposal courses have been the most helpful tools I could ever ask for. I have learned so much from these courses alone, it has been imperative to my confidence and ability to bring in a profit.”

I look forward to turning courses into meals with you!

Get courses; Give meals! #floralpreneur #vowtogive Share on X

If you’re not sure if one of my courses is right for you, feel free to be in touch!
Find a full list of course offerings here: http://realflowerbusiness.com/courses

xo. -A

By Alison Ellis

The Trouble With Choices: How Too Many Decisions May Confuse Customers

When preparing a proposal and initial quote for a client it can be easy to think that “more choices are better”….Options! That’s what the people want!….right?

Well, it turns out, maybe not.

I’ve certainly come to the conclusion over the years that more options are not always better for clients, and in fact, they can even confuse a potential customer.

“There are 3 price points here…but which is the best?….is the least expensive option “good enough” or do I have to go for the highest price point?….What if I make the wrong decision and it doesn’t come out the way I’d hoped?….What if I go for the most expensive option, but it’s STILL not right for me?”

Guiding clients through the planning process and advising them on the best choice for THEM is one of the very important ways that we add value to the client experience. As designers, we know more than simply how to price out that inspiration photo from Pinterest. We know whether what a client is requesting works for their color palette, style, venue, overall vibe, budget, season and on and on.

Ideal customers tend to “trust the expert”; this is especially true when it comes to one-in-a-lifetime purchases like weddings where there’s no prior experience on which to base their decisions.

Clients often don’t know what the “best choice” may be, and they’re already inundated with options from Pinterest, Instagram and wedding blogs, which is why leading with quality and expertise not only puts you in the position to guide the client through the process, but also provides the opportunity to set their minds at ease as they know they’re in your more than capable hands.

Peace of mind is priceless to your customers.

Check out this episode of the TED Radio Hour called Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: Click here to listen. You’ll gain some insights into WHY too many options leave clients with less clarity and more confusion. I found the piece at the end where the fellow talks about “choice architecture” to be particularly interesting. (Sometimes it’s how we frame the choice that matters!)

Pro-tip: Look outside the floral industry to discover new ways to “up your game” and deliver even more value to your clients.

real flower business

And while we’re on the subject….

Check out my video on The worst business advice I ever took HERE!

And if you’re on the never-ending-quest to streamline your customer service process check out my downloadable courses: Wedding Workflow, 12 E-Mail Templates for Florists and How To Write Proposals That Sell!

Thanks, as always, for reading and watching!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Want to schedule a one-on-one call with me? I’m booking Strategy Sessions with floralpreneurs through Mid-May. Read more about private lessons HERE.