Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Reaching Your Potential As A Florist

Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?

-Danielle LaPorte (from The Fire Starter Sessions)

In The Fire Starter Sessions, Danielle LaPorte writes, “Invest in your second nature.” She goes on to talk about “the acorn theory”; the idea that we’re all “born with a soul that shapes our destiny–that our full potential already lives within us.”

The theory was first published by James Hillman. He explains it like this:

The acorn theory expresses that unique something that we carry into the world, that is particular to us, which is connected to our “daimon”.

(The Greek word, daimon, can be considered your “inner voice”. The Roman word was genius, and the Christian word is guardian angel.)

To quote Hillman, “They are all a little bit different, yet each expresses something that you are, that you have, that is not the same as the personality you think you are.”

In other words, we must make our way through the layers of soil and compost and debris until the conditions are right and we’re ready to grow to our true potential.

Because you were born an acorn…with everything it takes to become a huge oak right inside you. And it’s been there all along.

It does take time to perfect your processes and meet (or exceed) your goals and make enough money to quit your “other job“….and the time it takes to streamline, perfect and practice can feel pretty dark some days.

We’re going to spend some time in the dark before we can burst into the light!

So this post is for the late bloomers–the floralpreneurs who’ve lived a first life before pursuing a floral dream or falling into flowers as a side-hustle…

And it’s for the determined–the florists who try and try and then, try again, because there are always more layers to break through in this work to get to the light….

The florists who’ve worked slinging stems in someone else’s flower shop for a decade or two, and are finally branching out on their own….

The newly retired, newly single, new moms, new grandmas, new floristry students, basement Betty’s….

This one is for you….wherever you are on your floral journey….

I’m honored to be on this journey with you.

 

real flower business, online education for florists

Whether you’re a newly aspiring floral designer or a seasoned pro, I hope you’ll take advantage of some of my free resources, as well as my pdfs and online courses for florists.

Here’s an e-mail I received recently:

“Every email you send or post you make I find myself nodding my head and saying “yes…. yup… great advice… totally agree… that’s me… she’s spot on…”
You see, I’m one of your “seasoned” Floralpreneurs. July 1 marked the 24th anniversary of [my business]. I started slowly and have built my business thoughtfully and sustainably. All the things you teach are a confirmation to me that I’ve been doing it right! (that and having my biz sustain me and now my family for the past couple decades.) Your reminder that COGS should be no more than 30% has me tightening up a little bit. (I was just under 30% for 2017 and also for this year so far… but sometimes there’s that one wedding that sneaks over. I’m even more vigilant now thanks to you!)
I admire your floral business AND your Real Flower Business….Thanks for doing what you do! I look forward to connecting with you and participating in your group.“

Remember you don’t have to buy anything from me to be a floralpreneur! Join us over in my free Facebook group HERE!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog today.

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

 

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Are you ready to start a floral design business?

How’d you get started in the floral design business? I’ve been asked that question from time to time and the answer is really simple: I got my first job at a flower cart when I was sixteen years old and I’ve been working as a florist ever since.

See, simple.

But I find it interesting how other floral artists & business owners happen to “fall into flowers”; whether it’s a second career or it started as a side-hustle or it wasn’t something you always dreamed about doing, but somehow discovered you were really, really good at!….there are so many ways that floral designers find their way into floristry.

There isn’t only 1 right way to become a florist.

So what does it really take to start a floral design business?

Join me LIVE in my Facebook group this August (click here to join) for tips all month long on what you really need to start a floral business. I’ll share some of my best tips, tricks and free downloads with a behind-the-scenes look at how I run my business and what I’ve learned over the past 16 years as a floralpreneur.

You can get my tips sent directly to your inbox when you sign up for Real Flower Business e-mail updates HERE. (You can unsubscribe at any time.)

The entire month of August will be devoted to sharing my experience and real life tips on how I started my home-studio floral design business AND I’m going to invite you to a live chat where I’ll tell you the single best move I’ve made in my business…it doesn’t cost a single penny, but it might take practice!

Whether you work from a home-studio like I do, or are considering opening a brand new shop, or want to take over an existing shop, or you’ve been in business for years and years, there will be something in this training for everyone!

I hope you’ll sign up HERE for updates or HERE to get my 10 Free Tips for Home-Studio Florists to make sure you’re on the e-mail list for this summer’s training and behind-the-scenes tips.

Thanks for reading and subscribing, Floralpreneurs!

I’ll see you this summer!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Do you know about The Vault?

This is the biggest collection of my very best “real flower business stuff” all in one place! And it’s just $13.

Plus once you unlock The Vault you’ll continue to get bonus content as I add more “stuff” to this course for you.

definition of vault:

to arrive at or achieve something as if by a spring or leap: to vault to prominence. to cause to leap over or surpass others.

Click here to unlock The Vault for just $13 today.

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How to open a Poppy

Today I have a quick tip for you, floralpreneurs! How to open a poppy!

Ideally, when I order poppies they won’t be “fully opened”….they don’t last terribly long, so we want them when they’re still protected by their fuzzy little sepals, but it can be challenging to force the poppies to open sometimes.

In today’s quick 1 minute tip I show you how I peel back the sepals to help the petals flourish!

I hope you enjoy the tip….and I hope you’ll use it this poppy season. If you’re not already subscribed to my YouTube channel, go on an sign up today to get more free, quick tips for your real flower business!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you enjoyed this quick tutorial, you may also like my super quick Flower Crown Tutorial. You can get my free floral crown tutorial HERE.

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Floralpreneurs Go Greener

OK, floralpreneurs…..can I get real for a minute?

I LOVE being a floral designer. Love it. It was my first job, it’s been my only real job for 24 years!….but the reality of the environmental impacts of floristry are pretty ugly.

From the pesticides that growers and florists are exposed to, to the monocultures that produce them, to the plastic packaging, to the transportation and distribution, to the preservatives added to the water to extend longevity, to the floral foam, to the “waste”….well, this is all “less than pretty”.

So what can we do to be more eco-friendly in our business?

Let’s pledge to do more this year with a Go Greener Challenge!…You in?

Even if you’re not 100% green, what can you do to get 1 or 2 or 3 steps closer to green-er?

I came up with 8 super easy steps to get us started…..

1. Eliminate or reduce the amount of floral foam you’ll use this year.

#nofloralfoam has support on Instagram….it’s not just good for the environment to be eco-friendly, it’s also very fashionable.

You can sell your “no foam” approach as a positive.

“I cannot make that design as I would in foam, but here’s what we can do instead to create something beautiful without the green stuff.”

Ariella Chezar is all for the no floral foam approach. Chickenwire, waterproof florist tape and armatures are used in its stead. I attended a workshop with Ariella recently where she was using my friend, Holly Chapple’s, new plastic “egg” or “pillow” which are both now available from Syndicate Sales. It’s an amazing alternative to foam and it’s incredibly versatile. Give it a try; you’ll dig it.

2. Buy locally grown flowers.

If you buy locally grown flowers (particularly organically grown!) you’re supporting a local source and voting for the environment with your dollars.

Check out Debra Prizing’s Slow Flowers movement!

3. Shop local.

Shopping local is a huge priority for my business. I will pay more for something from a business that’s owned and operated in my state because source matters to me. Whether it’s organic or a purchase from my wholesaler, location matters.

Maybe you can get it shipped directly for less….or maybe it’s worth supporting your local supplier!

4. Don’t waste water.

Turn off the sink instead of letting the water run when you’re washing or filling buckets, fix that leaky faucet, reuse water from buckets instead of “just dumping it” once a bucket is empty if it’s only a day old, take any small step toward conservation.

5. Compost.

I know this is required in some regions and that’s the way it should be! Compost your organic waste. I have a compost pile that’s just for my “business waste”; this pile will not be used on the garden as I’m not exactly sure what pesticides the flowers may have been treated with when they were grown. So I’ll compost them, but I won’t spread it around the yard.

6. Drop a product.

Is there a preservative you use to process your flowers that you can do without? Is there 1 chemical you can drop? Even a more earth-friendly cleaning product for your shop is a step in the right direction.

7. Don’t do “not eco-friendly stuff” just because the client wants it!

Just think about the environmental impact when people release balloons or light those paper lanterns that were popular until people started seeing the impact on wildlife…if you’re working on a gig make sure it meets an ethical environmental standard that aligns with your vision.

8. Repurpose leftovers instead of tossing them at the end of the week/event.

It’s going to take work and time….and time is money….but if you can reduce your loss and turn the flowers you pick up from an event or consider your “loss or overage” for the week into a giveaway/windfall in your local community, that’s its own form of being more mindful and repurposing what you have. (Small steps count….think The Lonely Bouquet, for example.)

It’s not easy being a green florist…

I know that it’s hard to consider yourself “environmentally friendly” if you work in the floristry trade…unless you’re an organic grower and you don’t use any chemicals or pesticides, in which case you’re making huge strides as an eco-friendly florist!…..but for those of us who are “more traditional florists” when it comes to sourcing and methods, we can still take steps to lower our impact once the flowers reach our doorstep. That is always my goal, but I realize I can do even better and try even harder to be more eco-friendly. Maybe you can find ways to take steps to be greener, too.

Leave a comment below (scroll down!) if you want to take the Go Greener Challenge with me! 

Let’s see what we can do. Today, tomorrow, all year long.

Oh, and Happy Earth Day, y’all.

With love from me to you,

Alison

Have you tried a free course?

Click here for a full list of free course offerings!

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5 Tips for Dealing with Stamina and Burnout

This video is in response to a burning question I received: How do you handle stamina and burnout?

Short answer: The struggle is real!

Every florist who puts their heart and soul into their work MUST confront the stressful-side of this business.

Do you struggle with burnout and stress in your business?

Ever wonder, “how long can I keep up this pace?”

Busy is great, but too busy is NOT always great.

One floralpreneur wrote to say, “My business is growing, but I feel like I’m drowning….”

Sound familiar? Yeah, me, too. But if you LOVE working with flowers and creating wedding designs and making dreams come true…..well, stress comes with the territory.

Click to watch a replay of my live chat from my Facebook group:

Note: About 28 minutes into this live chat I share some details about my $15,000 weekend…..was it worth it?

The pressure can be scary and you’re not imagining the extreme pressure involved in being a florist.

The stress level often relates to your resources.

You may not have enough work space, or enough help, or enough work!…..

We must be willing to adapt. It takes a special kind of person to handle the responsibility and some people are not cut out for the stress.

BUT if you’re willing to “do what it takes” you can succeed. You set the goals for your biz.

I started my floral design business out of necessity. I lost my job and knew I had to find my own work from that point on.

This may be “one of your professions” or it may be your only profession, like me!….I’m a lifer.

Profitable, successful, happy, loving my business…those are my goals. If your business is making you miserable, something’s gotta change!

5 Tips to combat stress and burnout:

  1. Stop comparing. Don’t get jealous.
  2. Plan better. What are the steps you need to take.
  3. Set expectations for the client so it’s clear what the relation ship; when have you delivered what you promised?
  4. Follow through. Meet expectations. That’s your job. Stamina is related to the follow though. You’ve gotta love it enough to always follow through. Making enough money helps to justify the stress level by the way! You’re getting paid for everything leading up to the wedding day, too, not just the flowers!
  5. Have faith. “Faith is experiential.” The more experience, the easier it is to wade through the stress and burnout of uncertainty.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by stress, especially when you’re newer to the biz….

But stress and overwhelm isn’t reserved for “newbies”….even experienced florists feel the weight.

When the calendar’s not booked, it’s stressful!

If you can draw upon experience, you can maintain faith–

not blind faith–faith with a plan.

How can you make space for more stamina?

I don’t want to burnout.

I’m in this for life!

There’s an ebb and flow in business and in life.

Sometimes we need to schedule and plan for some slower time.

The rush and adrenaline and thrill of delivering a bridal bouquet and putting it in the hands of a happy client, that’s what it’s all about.

Thanks for reading and taking some time to watch!

xo. -Alison

P.S. My templates and courses are all designed to help you reduce your stress and uncertainty.

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