How Can You Run A Business And Be A Mom?

Running a business and being a mom isn’t an easy balancing act.

In fact, sometimes the trick is accepting the imbalance and making it work anyway!

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart, and if you’re going to mom and business at the same time, things aren’t going to be easy. But nobody ever said it would be easy, did they? Because nobody told me that motherhood would be a cakewalk…and I certainly knew how much my business demanded of me before jumping into the full-time job title, “mom”.

But things that are truly worth it in life are rarely easy.

I’m committed to multiple passions. My business needs me…and my family needs me…and I need me, too.

Sometimes you have to give things up for “other things” that are important to you.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice in ways you wish you didn’t.

Sometimes you don’t know how strong you are until you try.

It’s a constant process to develop good work habits, find ways to focus, and be more present in an attempt to create balance.

Click to watch a replay of my live chat “Mom Talk” from Nov. 2018 including a cameo appearance by my kid:

Truth: My time became especially precious once I became a mom.

Streamlining my sales systems to save time and maximize my profitability were essential to surviving my transition from solo-preneur to mom-preneur.

Remember: It’s not always easy, but you can do it!

Moms are tough.

Move through the tough.

Rest when you need to.

Ask for (and accept) help.

Learn to appreciate what you’re doing well!

xo. -Alison

Save Time With These Resources…

Want to streamline your sales systems? Click here to learn about my Wedding Templates for Florists!

Need to increase your income? My course, Flower Math, shows you how I maximize my profit on every order I take. Click here for details.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Goals for 2020

How do you set attainable goals?

Years ago I started following Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map for setting goals for the upcoming year. What she teaches is that you set goals based on how you want to feel in your life; not just based on what you want to accomplish or do.

I learned that I could achieve so much more by focusing on my feelings instead of just my goals (or god forbid, new year’s resolutions!), which seemed more distant and long term than something I can act upon right now.

But my desired feelings are something I can act upon at any moment. I can choose to do something that satisfies one of my desired feelings just about any time I want to.

Here’s a list of my 2020 Desired Feelings…

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I started making plans and setting goals years ago based on how I want to feel. #desiremapping changed so much about my life and the way I make business decisions. ❤️ To be honest, my core desired feelings haven’t changed much since I first did my desire map👉 It’s pretty straight forward: I want to feel Healthy. Sounds easy enough, right? 💪 🥕 🥦 I want to be mindful, but I’m using Mindfull because I don’t only want to feel present, but also full of ideas as well as spirit. 🙏 💯🙌 Grounded is always my goal because feeling out of control or overly emotional doesn’t suit me. Rooted, firm, and solid is more my style. 🏵🤙🦉 Connected carries several meanings and it’s a reminder to not get too lost in my solo projects…also, a reminder to keep up my content and teachings for florists around the world. ☎️🌎❤️ And finally, Steady. That’s a new one this year. It also carries several meanings: consistent, loyal, reliable, trustworthy…ALL qualities I strive towards. ⭐️👏🥰 So now you know all about what’s driving me! What are your desired feelings for 2020? What goals are you reaching towards? Share ‘em with me in a comment or shoot me a message! 😉 I’m rooting for you. ❤️

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on Dec 30, 2019 at 4:37pm PST

So, like I said, I can achieve one of these desired feelings just about anytime I want to.

Want to feel healthy? Then, I can workout for 30 minutes or go eat a carrot.

Need to be more mindfull? Then I can meditate for 20 minutes.

Want to feel grounded? Hey, maybe the meditation already did the trick!

Not connected enough? I can make a phone call to a friend.

Need to be more steady? I could make a new schedule or update my calendar; I could also simply follow through on something I promised I’d do.

See, it’s really that easy to create small achievable goals that not only make me more successful as a business owner, but also make me feel happier and more fulfilled in my life.

I can choose to say no more easily because if it’s not aligned with my desired feelings, then it’s a no.

I can say yes more easily, too, because if I can get closer to one of my desired feeling, then the answer is yes.

If you want to learn more about Danielle LaPorte’s Desire Map click here to follow my affiliate link and get some clarity on how you can apply this process in your own journey!

By identifying 5 key desired feelings and diving deeper into this work over the years, I’ve been able to establish rules and boundaries that allow me to create space to discover more of the things I truly love and value. I hope you’ll have a year ahead filled with more of what you love, too!

With love from me to you,

Alison

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My 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!

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Should florists use floral foam?

Is floral foam biodegradeable?

I mean, is it “really that bad” for the environment that you should join the #nofloralfoam movement?…

The truth is, it’s complicated! Florists say, “but Oasis is biodegradable!”….but there are some very specific conditions required for foam to biodegrade in a landfill, and most landfills don’t meet those environmental conditions!….and even the company itself doesn’t purport to be “eco-friendly now” so much as they’re letting us know they’re “still working on it”….

I started my wedding season on June 1st and while I was cleaning out my studio in prep for the big start, I found a partial box of floral foam and I thought to myself, “What am I going to do with this?….” So I hopped into my Facebook group to share my thoughts on how to handle the floral foam in my possession!

Click to watch:

Here are a few foam free designs from the weekend that I shared on Instagram (make sure to scroll the images!):

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Made this #nofloralfoam semicircle for this afternoon’s ceremony at @trappfamilylodge The hills are alive and this beautiful backdrop just got a foam free boost. Thanks to @passionflowersue for her insights on mechanics 😉👍❤️ #floralpreneur #weddingflorist #floraldesign #realflowerbusiness

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on Jun 1, 2019 at 2:12pm PDT

And here’s a look as we were breaking down the next day (scroll again!):

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The morning after… I got a few questions on the #nofloralfoam ceremony piece from yesterday so here’s another look at it about 24 hours later!…we used no floral foam, but chicken wire and bricks are the main mechanics here!….we water tubed the hydrangea and spirea….the only things things that wilted were the hydrangea and spirea!….larkspur, snapdragons and cremones still look good even without a water source. (Though it rained last night and while we were breaking down!) ☔️ These were 2 pieces put together and as you can tell they’re lightweight! 💪 You’ll see the back of the arrangement and it’s morning-after condition as ya flip through! 😉 We covered the bricks with moss and tied them onto the wire with bind wire. #nofloralfoam #floralpreneur #weddingflorist #floraldesign #realflowerbusiness

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on Jun 2, 2019 at 12:38pm PDT