Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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What Sets Your Business Apart?

What sets you apart from the competition?

I was asked this question twice in two days : What sets you apart?

It’s ALWAYS a good question to ponder, but even better to actually put some real answers in writing…so today, I’m sharing some tips so that you can identify what sets YOU apart, too!

Click to watch a brief excerpt from a live chat I did inside my Members Only group for The Art Of Good Business:

Note: My Art of Good Business Program is designed to help you attract awesome clients who truly appreciate your talents AND create an authentic brand that represents your vision and passion as an artist! Click here to learn more about creating a business that sets you apart from the competition!

For example, I know that what sets me apart from other course creators is my real life experience.

I’m a real florist; not a luxury wedding designer; not a “6-figure” florist,

I do “regular weddings”–beautiful weddings–but with mostly REGULAR budgets,

I don’t have big-wig, high-end events every weekend,

I run a small, profitable floral business from my home,

and I’ve been doing so for over 17 years!

I focus on longevity.

My business is small, but successful because I define success in more than dollars–it’s about LOVING my biz and the work I produce–though I DO turn a profit and teach florists how to maximize your profit margin, too!

So what else sets me apart?

  • I fully support my courses and will happily answer questions via e-mail or even hop on the phone if you need a more personal response.
  • You can learn from ALL of my business tools (both free and paid) right from your computer without the added cost of travel for a workshop.
  • Everything I create is made with love from me to you!…and that’s why I price my courses as affordably as possible and I ALWAYS aim to deliver tremendous value to my students.
  • I offer a money back guarantee on my Flower Math course–you won’t find many floral courses that offer that!
  • I want to see florists succeed and my resources are available to you 24/7–no timed out offerings, no e-mails with countdown clocks–just real resources at your fingertips anytime you’re ready.
  • In fact, you can final ALL of my courses right HERE.

Now it’s your turn! What sets YOU apart?

Write. It. Down. And feel free to share it if you’d like!

Leave a comment or you can send me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com

Learn more about Alison HERE.

photo credits: Bride and groom with bouquet by Magnolia Photographie. Photo of me by Taken By Sarah.

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My Favorite Florist Tools

Florists often ask for recommendations on the best tools and for me, these ARS clippers are my favorite. I bought them in 4 colors AND saved the packaging because I didn’t want to forget which clippers I had when it’s time to replace them.

I got these at Jamali Garden in NYC several years ago and they’re still going strong. What I like best about them is that the locking and unlocking is more intuitive than other clippers. Makes using them safe and easy.

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After a few scrubs with a Brillo pad they’re clean and ready to go! Plus they come in fun colors. I have red, lavender, teal and yellow. So if you’re looking for a great clipper, this is my pick!

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How Do You Price A Wedding?-Free Pricing Series For Florists

Are you 100% confident in pricing your floral designs?

If your answer is “I think so…” or “not really…”, then I have an invitation for you!…

What are you doing every Wednesday in September?…you’re invited to join me LIVE at 1:00pm EST every Wednesday in September for pricing and profitability tips! They’re 100% FREE and you can sign up by clicking here! 

Watch my video invitation below for more details:

Click to sign up!

Here’s the topic lineup, which is subject to change as questions are submitted:

September 4th–How much do your brides spend on flowers?

September 11th–What should I charge for this bouquet/arbor/centerpiece?

September 18th–How do you calculate your profit margins?

September 25th–How can you make more money in 2020?

Remember, if you want to make sure you DON’T MISS A LIVE CHAT, click here to sign up and get a replay of Week 1 in your inbox ASAP.

September is a good month to focus on making money…

because you’re about to enter the 4th quarter of the year…

and that’s the final stretch of your business year…

a perfect time to check in (and cash as many checks as possible!) before the end of 2019!

NOW IS THE TIME TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE.

Join me live in my FREE Facebook group and ask a question during the chat…

AND if you want to MAKE SURE YOU GET THE REPLAYS SENT TO YOUR INBOX…

Click HERE to sign up for the replays my September Livestreams AND get notified of a special Fall Sale on Flower Math: The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability.

I look forward to seeing you LIVE EVERY WEDNESDAY IN SEPTEMBER and answering your pricing questions! 

With love from me to you,

Alison

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Should florists use floral foam?

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!):

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

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The moral of the story is simple: Do your best! Be mindful. Be eco-friendly as much as you can in your life AND in your business!

The floral industry is not “eco-friendly” as a general rule, but there’s nothing that says we shouldn’t try!

As always, keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur®!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Learn more about Alison here!

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10 Questions Every Florist Should Answer

10 Questions Every Florist Should Answer, realflowerbusiness.com

It’s Q2. Yes, it’s officially the second quarter of the year already. So…what did you accomplish in Q1?

Time flies by in business (and life!) sometimes….like for instance, the fact that we’re already 3 months into the year…

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