Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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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.

 

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Getting ready for my live chat today at @thefloralreserve ❤️

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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

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Join me Live at The Floral Reserve

I’m doing some end of year business planning live and in person at The Floral Reserve in Providence, Rhode Island on December 9th,….do you want to meet me there?

In honor of their 1 year anniversary, The Floral Reserve invited me to present an educational seminar for their wholesale customers and fellow florists as part of their end-of-year celebration and I am so honored and excited to be a part of it! There’s room for up to 45 floralpreneurs so space is limited!

And after the educational portion of our day, you’re invited to the Flowers By Semia studio for a meal catered by Gracie’s restaurant. You will be treated to a lavish tablescape and candlelit room for dinner, as a thank you for an amazing first year of business at The Floral Reserve. (I will also be joining you for dinner, of course!) Limited to 25 attendees.

You can click HERE for details to register to join me and reserve your seat today!

education for florists, floral education

I will lead two 45 minute presentations with breaks for questions in between, from 3pm-5pm on Sunday, December 9th.

The first will be a discussion on the on the basics of business planning so that you can update your business plan and grow your brand. You’ll have access to the slides from this presentation afterwards for future reference as well.

The second presentation will be on Pricing and Profitability and attendees will get a special discount on my online pricing course, Flower Math, if you’d like to dive deeper into the pricing lessons.

From The Floral Reserve:

“While there is always room to improve and grow in your designs, growing your business is just as important. On December 9th, we are so excited to invite our friends in the floral design community to something truly special. We will be hosting the lovely Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business at The Floral Reserve, a floral designer and business guru, as she shares her knowledge to educate and empower fellow “floralpreneurs” to achieve their business goals and build long-lasting brands….read more here.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

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Behind the Scenes

There are only a few days left to get in on my end-of-year business reboot!

Before signing up for my 4th Quarter Business Planning Jam Session and joining me for The Art of Good Business, check out this quick behind the scenes video:

Click here to learn more about the course.

OR get an inside look at the course HERE.

Real florists say:

“I was hesitant to start and not finish the course online, but this course was very accessible.

[This course is for]…anyone and everyone seriously interested in improving their business. Learning to be passionate, but at the same time differentiate a hobby from a business.
I would love to do it again…”
-Sarita De Castro
floral industry, Art of Good Business, floralpreneur
“Being a success is more than dollars earned, recognition, or floral-designing mastered. More than visibility on social media or working prestigious venues. The integrity of delivering great value… and client’s perception of being well served is what is a worthy goal.
AND the work is mine to DO not just to KNOW. This falls in line with my personal life values so I’m happy to put this at the top of my list of business goals…
It was worth every penny. It was at the top of my affordability at this time in my fledgling business. And I did not have to get a hotel room or plane ticket, which kept me in the game.

I am so happy with the value of this course. I didn’t even know that all of THIS is exactly what I needed to know!“
-Cathy Lamb

“There is so much content in this course! Definitely exceeded expectations.

The most important part of this course for me was the section on choreographing the customer service portion of my business. I am learning how to communicate clearly and lead my clients in a way that builds trust and sets realistic expectations.
This course is great for anyone that is ready to refine their business practices. You have to be ready to take action for this to really make a difference.
I really enjoyed the live portion of the course…Felt like having you there with us.”
-Jessie Partridge

Click here to learn more about the course.

OR get an inside look at the course HERE.

And if you have a question for me, get in touch! floralartvt@gmail.com

Who is The Art of Good Business for?

You may be a talented designer, but do you also…

  • Write your own website copy & social media posts?
  • Manage your marketing & branding strategy?
  • Struggle with “selling yourself” sometimes?
  • Still spend too much time with clients who aren’t a good fit?
  • Wonder if you even have a brand yet?

If you said “yes” to any (or all) of the above, then this course is made for you!

You’ll learn how to focus your marketing efforts and take your website from beautiful to functional by honing the voice of your brand so that you can prequalify leads and attract more clients that love you. It’s easy to get started…

 Click HERE to get started today.

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Are You Ready To Rise Above The Competition?

Hey Floralpreneur®,

How much do you worry about your competition?

  • Do you follow your competitors on social media and cringe when you see how “great” they’re doing?
  • Are you eager to know “who got that wedding”–the one that didn’t book with you?
  • Does jealousy or comparison creep in and undermine your confidence?

What would it look like if you could eliminate your competition?

Now, hold on…..I’m not talking about putting other local florists out of business!

Your goal should be to “stand out amongst the competition” and the surest way to do that is by being the truest, most authentic version of yourself in your business and your brand so that the right clients choose you!

online education for florists, real flower business

Oftentimes, business owners think they need to hire a branding or marketing “expert” to help attract the right clients, but that can cost tens of thousands of dollars!….really.

A “flower famous” friend of mine was quoted over $30k for a marketing expert to help her with her floral business….now, what florist has that kind of money lying around? Not many, that’s for sure.

So if you’re working on a limited budget, what are your options? How do you gain brand recognition and attract the right clients?

The answer?….there are many ways to develop your brand and improve your marketing efforts and you can do it yourself if you’re willing to dig deep and do the work.

You don’t have to be a marketing expert to have a good brand and stand out amongst your competition….but you do need to do some “brand exploration” to get to the heart of what makes your brand special so that the right customers continue to choose you over someone else!

This is the work we do in my course, The Art of Good Business! And for students who are enrolled in The Art of Good Business before Oct. 22nd you’re getting a bonus!

I’m hosting a BONUS 4th Quarter Biz Planning Jam Session to help jumpstart you end-of-year plans and THEN I’m going to walk through the entire course with you, LIVE IN JANUARY in our private Facebook group.

This biz jam session is happening Oct. 22-26th and if you want in, you can apply for a free scholarship HERE ($1,000 value) or click HERE to sign up for the course today!

If you’re a floral designer who….

  • Writes your own website copy & social media posts
  • Manages your marketing & branding strategy
  • Struggles with “selling yourself” sometimes
  • Still spends too much time with clients who aren’t a good fit
  • Wonders if you even have a brand yet…

Then The Art of Good Business was made for you!

So if you’re ready to zero-in on your ideal clients and move your marketing efforts to the next level, keep reading for more info or click here to sign up!

real flower business

In The Art of Good Business you’ll learn how to focus your marketing efforts and take your website from beautiful to functional by honing the voice of your brand so that you can prequalify leads and attract more clients that love you.

Who’ll benefit the most from The Art of Good Business?

Business owners at any level will gain tremendous insight from the course,

however, if you’ve been in business for 5 years or more and want to refine a clearer branding message to attract better clients, you’ll have the most to gain from the lessons inside the course.

For people who are enrolled in the course, I’ll be leading a power planning session in October(to put some foundational plans in motion!)…and then I’m going to jump in with more live coaching for the entire month of January in our private group–like a bootcamp for boot strapping biz owners….it’s gonna be good.

Once you sign up, you’re invested in me, so I want to make sure you know that I’m invested right back….because I am totally invested in your success! (You can read real florists’ reviews of my course here!)

This course is not:

  • a memoir,
  • it’s not a “quick fix”,
  • it’s not about budgeting or numbers,
  • it’s not a mash-up of my “all my other courses”,
  • and it’s definitely not for everyone.

Don’t sign up if you’re not willing to get out of your comfort zone and “do work”.
You’ll have to take action to get results.

I’ll be there to help push you over the finish line, but you have to take the first step to get started (read more)!

“I just booked my biggest gig yet, by $3k…

I just have to say this course, Alison’s content works!…my ideal client is more clearly defined, I’ve mostly reworked my web copy, have been better about blogging, and more intentional about how I talk to my followers on social media posts.” -Jessica Ormond

 

More from Alison:

It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in business for 3 years, 3 minutes or 3 decades…nothing defines your brand more than the experience you create for your customers.

The most important thing I’ve done for my floral design business over the past 15 years is work towards perfecting a customer service experience that reflects the values of my brand and speaks directly to the heart of my ideal clients.

I’m not a traditional “branding expert”, but I have studied and practiced (and practiced) my own approach to branding since I started my business in 2001.  It’s said to take 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to achieve mastery in a field. I’ve easily exceeded that quota as I’ve worked on mastering my brand.

I began my career in the floral industry over 24 years ago, and I’ve been practicing and developing the voice of my brand in order to lead with integrity and attract my ideal clients ever since. (And I’m practicing still….)

Join me on a brand building journey to help you hone your voice.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have: info@floralartvt.com

With love from me to you,

Alison

floral design business courses, floristry, floral design, Alison Ellis

Definition of Eliminate: (Verb)

a: to put an end to or get rid of : REMOVE; eliminate errors in your marketing efforts

b: to remove from consideration; eliminate worries about your competition

You can get a sample preview of the course HERE.

“Making money is art…

and working is art…

and good business is the best art.”

-Andy Warhol

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Why you don’t want to book every customer

Pro tip: You don’t want to book every customer! You only want to book the right customers.

When I was first starting out in my business, I thought the goal was to book every client….no matter what it took!

  • Lower the price on a few things to meet the budget? Sure.
  • Meet at a super inconvenient time for me? Sounds great!
  • Schedule a second call to go over “all the things” before you decide to work with me? Um, OK!

Whatever reassurance a customer needed to be persuaded that I was the right florist for the job, that’s what I’d do!

But over time, with experience and concerted efforts to dive deeper into who my ideal customers actually are, I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to book every customer!….not by a long shot. I only want to book the right customers for me.

Who’s “the right customer”?

Well, it’s someone who doesn’t need to be convinced that I’m the right choice because she can already feel that I’m the right choice from her preliminary experience with my company and my brand.

I set the rules to clearly communicate the steps in our booking process, so neither one of us invests too much time before we’ve decided we’re a good match.

I share how I’ve perfected this process over the past 16 years in my courses for wedding florists: How To Write Proposals That Sell  and my Wedding Workflow pdfs show you how to spend less time before booking a client and how to lay out the steps for clients to follow from the initial inquiry to post-wedding day follow-up, click here to read more about my courses.

It takes a lot of work to learn how to speak directly to the heart of your ideal clients.

By tapping into who my clients really are and what they really care about, I’m able to reach them on a deeper level and develop a level of trust before we even speak.

I’ve streamlined my proposal process so that I’m not “giving away all the details”, yet I still provide enough detail that a client can trust that we’re on the same page.

It may not happen over night, but with time and practice, the booking process starts to take shape and you’ll be able to prequalify clients before investing too much time.

You can find all my downloadable pdfs here!

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneurs!

With love from me to you,

Alison