Instagram Is Not Your Long Game

Is your Instagram engagement down?

I read this article last week, Why your Instagram Engagement Kinda Sucks Right Now, and I thought some of the floralpreneurs I know and love would find it interesting. I’ve heard complaints about a lack of engagement over the last several months and this certainly helps to explain why!

Now, while it’s frustrating to think that Mark Zuckerberg seems to control the fate of your business marketing, in truth, he does not!

YOU control your branding and marketing strategy…

So while Instagram may be of help to some businesses in the short term, you should always focus on the LONG GAME when you are planning for your business.

It’s easy to get distracted by “likes” (and endless scrolling), but successful entrepreneurs don’t get distracted. They get laser focused.

What are you doing to get laser focused on your brand strategy (for the long run)?

I’ve been running my business for 18 years and I don’t focus on Instagram followers so much as I focus on creating valuable content and connections that benefit my ideal customers.

If you want to learn more about what I mean, click here for details on the program I teach every January, The Art of Good Business. I’ll break down the most important steps you want to focus on to build a brand (and a branding strategy) that sets your business up for the long run.

You can check out this quick intro from inside the course:

Learn More HERE!

Remember: There’s no such thing as a “finish line” when it comes to building a solid brand. Once you have a great brand, you have to keep it up! Maintain the high standards that earned you that reputation. And keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. The Art of Good Business is a self-paced online course that you can do anytime on your own, BUT I walk you through it every January–because I don’t want you to just sign up for the course, I want to see you get results! So I am here to walk you through the steps and answer your questions this month and every month. Click here to learn more.

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A Conversation with Koehler and Dramm

I was invited to to sit down with Emily and Mary-Catherine at Koehler and Dramm to talk about my new book, Falling Into Flowers, and share a bit about who it’s for, what you can expect to get out of the book, and why I wrote it in the first place!

We talked about weddings, dreaming bigger in your business, checklists and production schedules, rediscovering a love for the customer and impacts of Covid moving forward.

Click to watch (or listen while you’re making holiday wreaths)!

Order a Book HERE!

Why am I willing to share what I’ve learned?

Emily asked me to share WHY I am so willing to share what I’ve learned with other florists (see that below!):

Be the Visionary in your Business!

During our chat, Mary-Catherine zeroed in on the need to focus in on what you actually want in your business, and Emily added that it’s the perfect time for strategic planning…here’s where I share a bit about being the visionary in your company instead of the “worker bee” (see that below!):

What’s the #1 Thing Florists Should Take Away?

Falling Into Flowers is for all floral designers who want to run a successful business, but here’s what I hope you’ll get out of it (see that below!):

Order from Publisher

Order on Amazon

If you have ever thought about becoming a wedding florist, this book is for you. Beautifully written, Alison provides a clear and through understanding of the business side of being wedding florist. From an overall plan to selling a wedding to working hard and making a profit, she genuinely shares her many years of experience. I think my favorite part is the wedding production schedule, this clearly lays out the weekly process and the amount of effort required to produce a successful wedding. Overall, “Falling into Flowers” is an authentic and candid view of owning and operating a real wedding floral business. -Nancee (review from Amazon)

Thanks for taking the time to watch my interview with Koehler and Dramm! If you have questions for me, get in touch!

And if you’d like to “dream a little” in your business, check out this intro from the Build Your Dream Into A Business Plan Live Session I hosted for Patreon subscribers:

Get the Full Session on Patreon

You’ll find a full list of my online courses for florists HERE!

To learn more about Alison click here!

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How do you handle cancellations?

should you cancel your 2021 wedding or event

Will weddings and events happen in 2021?

That’s the question that a lot of vendors and couples are starting to ask as new mandates are announced in many states—including my home state of Vermont.

I’m starting to see scenarios repeated in my Facebook group regarding how to handle the new cancelation or postponement requests. This is a really important question for everyone to answer because we are ALL going to get these requests. They are coming soon.

I am in this with you–I know how it feels to anticipate what lies ahead for us in the wedding industry.

One florist wrote:

[Read more…]

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Introducing My New Book on How To Become a Wedding Florist!

A big announcement for the floral world….

I am SO excited to share my new book, Falling Into Flowers, A Step-by-step Guide to Today’s Modern Wedding Business, is available NOW!

You can click to order a signed copy directly from the author (that’s me!) HERE!

This 80-page book covers the essential “must knows” for running a profitable wedding design business of any size—from basic tools and knowledge to presenting proposals and booking clients, to pricing for profit, to production and design schedules, Falling Into Flowers, features beautiful typography, stunning photography featuring my design work, and a step-by-step guide to today’s modern wedding business.

I want to offer up a big huge thanks to those who’ve already purchased the book! Your support has been phenomenally reassuring and humbling!

Floralpreneurs have been so kind and supportive in my first 2 weeks of this book launch that I sold out of my first shipment!

I’ll be filling orders just as quickly as I can….or you can order direct from the publisher for faster delivery!

Click To Order!

As seen in Florists’ Review magazine!…

Here’s what Florists’ Review says about the book…

If you have the desire to perfect your wedding floral sales and business and customer-service skills, and to become more professional and profitable in this segment of the industry, Falling into Flowers is the book for you!
Written in an enchanting, friendly and easy-to-comprehend manner by Alison Ellis, a practicing wedding florist for nearly two decades and owner of Floral Artistry in Jericho, Vt.; creator of Flower Math; and founder of RealFlowerBusiness.com, this book covers it all. Included are sound advice and proven tips for:

• becoming a wedding florist
• finding and creating a niche for your business
• selling weddings (including consultation tips)
• pricing your wedding work profitably
• planning and executing weddings
• managing communications with clients—and much, much more.

Ellis assures that it is possible to make money on weddings, from either a studio or a retail flower shop—even if you believe weddings are too much work and not profitable. By following the steps outlined in this consummate wedding business guidebook, readers will gain the confidence, clarity and professional strategies to become successful and profitable beyond their imaginations. And don’t hesitate to order this must-have business manual for your floral library: Once you start reading it, you’ll have a hard time putting it down! It’s that engaging! Click to order your copy today!

Get It Here

From Alison…

I created this book as a step-by-step guide for wedding and event florists who started their business because of their passion for flowers, but need to improve their skills beyond floral design in order to book clients, turn a profit, and feel proud of the business they run.

I hope readers will walk away with confidence in their ability to book clients who value their work and run a profitable business that brings them joy.

You can turn a profit AND create beautiful designs your customers will love!

I want to especially thank the folks who contributed to the creation of this book:

Robin Avni, my wonderful and thoughtful editor who kept my voice, but made it even better!

Andrea Leksen, my uber talented designer who brought the book to life with her typography and image selection.

Magnolia Photographie, for the fantastic cover image.

Four of my favorite female photographers in the Green Mountain State whose work is included throughout these pages:

Barrie Fisher Photo

Birke Photography

Daria Bishop Photography

Orchard Cove Photography

And, of course, my publisher, Travis Rigby, of Florists’ Review and Wildflower.Media—thank you for asking me to write this book!

It’s truly a dream come true (or perhaps, better stated, it’s a “goal come true”) to have a published book to share with florists around the world. I cannot wait for you to see it and I look forward to hearing what you do with your business once you read it!

Click To Order!

With so much love, appreciation, respect, excitement and straight-up-joy from me to you,

Alison

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Focus On What Matters In Your Business Right Now

What should you be focused on in your business right now?

Small business owners are often pulled in multiple directions; we wear a lot of hats, right?! But there are times when your business needs you to focus and avoid distractions!

If you have trouble focusing on what matters most, ask yourself the following:

Where are you pouring your energy?
What’s bringing in money?
Why are you “doing what you’re doing” (ie social media, current offerings, etc.)?
Are you consistent?
What do you need to “practice”?

From brand loyalty to growing your Instagram following to renaming your business, I addressed the questions florists sent to me this week…

Click to watch the Tuesday Q&A replay!

View this post on Instagram

Tuesday Q&A to answer your questions live! Link in bio for my Real Flower Business “stuff”! ❤️

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on Sep 29, 2020 at 8:32am PDT

The moral of the story is this: Don’t forget to plan and finish this year strong!

Thanks for taking the time to tune in and watch.

You can follow me on Instagram here, subscribe to my YouTube channel here, and join my Facebook group here.

xo. -Alison

Additional Resources for You:

Flower Math: The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability

Marketing Minicourse

Patreon Membership Training