How To Price Flowers

The first thing I figured out before starting my floral design business was how to price flowers.

I learned on the job in various flower shops and while each store was different in terms of location, style and clientele, the one thing these shops had in common was how to price their floral designs.

So when I started my own business after almost a decade in the floral industry, I knew how to turn a profit from Day 1.

Your business can make money from Day 1, too, if you price for profit and avoid overbuying!

Even though my business started out as a part-time gig because I didn’t have enough customers to quit my day jobs yet, I turned a profit all along the way.

Looking back, I know I was lucky to have learned the pieces of the pricing formulas so that I didn’t second guess or undercut myself.

So many florists I’ve talked to over the years have told me that even after decades in the industry, pricing was never fully explained to them and most floristry schools simply don’t cover the level of pricing detail you need to stay profitable and competitive in your business!

As a floral educator, I’m known for the confusion-free approach to pricing I teach in my online course, Flower Math.

The reason I created this on-demand training is because I truly believe that pricing and profitability in your business shouldn’t be a mystery. In fact, the pricing formulas are easy.

For example, there are 4 main pieces of the pricing formula:

Marking up the flowers for retail.

Adding a design fee for time & talent to arrange.

Accounting for any supplies like ribbons, vessels and other mechanics.

Then, delivery, set-up, installation, breakdown….all the “other stuff” that goes into completing the floral order.

If you’re missing any of these pieces, or charging too little in any of these areas, you are losing profit!

Get Flower Math

After teaching florists how to price with confidence for over 10 years, I can tell you that before floral designers take Flower Math, one of 3 things is often true…

3 Pricing Mistakes Florists Make:

#1. Not including a design fee for your time and talent. (Markups are only 1 part of the equation!)

#2. Overfilling orders to make them look fuller.

#3. Buying too many flowers and losing profit margin because you set a spending goal instead of a profit goal.

If you know you’re guilty of any of the above, now is a good time to change that! Your business should be turning a profit on every order whether you own a brick and mortar shop or you work from home.

I show you exactly how in my Flower Math course!

Flower Math is tried and true…

If you’re not 100% confident that you’re maximizing your profits, Flower Math walks you through the pricing formulas step-by-step so there’s no confusion and no missing pieces of the puzzle.

There’s even a payment plan to make it more accessible, a money back guarantee and you can ask me questions anytime.

Flower Math is not just a course, it’s a roadmap to pricing and profitability and I’m here to support you along the way if you need help.

Do you have any doubts about your current pricing methods?

If you’ve been piecing together pricing tips without a full picture of all the steps, or if you just need some reassurance that you’re on the right track with your profit margins so you can pay yourself as much as possible, don’t hesitate to get into this class.

Florists often tell me they complete the entire course in an afternoon and make back the entire purchase price in the very first wedding they book after the class! You can see more of what Flower Math students say about the course here!

You have nothing the lose.

Click here to learn about Flower Math and get started today on your path to maximizing profits and paying yourself more.

And if you have questions for me, get in touch! info[at]realflowerbusiness.com

xo. -Alison Ellis

Learn more about Alison HERE!

See A Full Course List HERE!

By Alison Ellis

End of Year Business Tips

Every year in business is a learning year.

As the winds are often changing in terms of marketing, client buying styles and design trends, it’s an important part of your job to keep up and keep moving onto the next right step to reach your goals!

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that one good year will lead to continued success.

Which is why you need to stay engaged and focus on the next right steps in your floral business!

After 24 seasons as a wedding florist, I’ve had ups and downs in my business, but there’s no denying that things have been feeling a bit more down than many of us have experienced before.

Instead of pacing the floor or letting the sudden influx of price conscious clients get me down, I’ve learned through many years of practice that I can actually DO something to change the current trajectory of my business.

It takes some personal reflection, accountability and determination, but it’s worth the effort to find direction and feel confident in your actions!

As the year rapidly comes to a close, here’s what I’m doing in my own small business:

#1. Running the numbers.

I’m looking at all of my expenses to decide where I need to cut back and how much more I want to spend before the end of the tax year.

Sometimes, spending money in your business is a good thing after all–for tax purposes, for educational purposes, etc.

I’m also looking ahead and future-casting my cash flow based on 2026 bookings so far.

It can be as simple as asking:

Are you able to pay your expenses for the next 6-12 months with your current savings?
What’s the estimated profit margin on the sales you already have booked?
What will it take to to fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be?

#2. Putting my best foot forward.

When I get an inquiry from a wedding planner or a new client, I’m focusing on what will serve them best and adapting my service to accommodate their requests wherever possible.

This might mean writing a quote without gatekeeping (for example, not setting a firm minimum before a consultation) to help customers experience the value I provide before deciding if we’re a good match.

If budget is the #1 deciding factor, so be it–perhaps we are not a good match.

But if clients need a little more time and attention to help get to a “yes”, the least we can do is find a way to meet them part-way where possible!

#3. Marketing with a strategy.

This is a perpetual part of my process, but I’m re-examining all of the branding and marketing efforts in my businesses.

From how much money I’m spending on advertising, to the areas where I’ve slacked and fallen short, it’s the perfect time to improve my marketing strategy because they are always a work in progress.

It’s easy to get lost in a sea of social media “content”, but I don’t create content.

I provide a more valuable service and it’s my job to make sure customers know I’m the best choice for them!

FYI I’ll be walking through exactly how I work on improving my marketing and branding strategies in January in my 4-week program, The Art of Good Business.

You can learn all about it here if you have any interest in joining me! It’s a great program and we do some good work together to kick off the new year!

#4. Planning ahead.

What do I need to do next to reach my business and life goals?

What skills do I need to sharpen?

How can I best be of service in a way that thrills and delights my customers?

What does it really look like to reach the “next level” in my business?

#5. Giving 20% Off Courses & Coaching.

To close out the year, I’m giving floral designers 20% off my courses and coaching until Dec. 31 at 11:59pm EST! Use Code: GIVE20 to SAVE!

In a year that’s been down for so many, it feels like the right thing to do the close the year with 20% off courses over $50 to provide an opportunity to invest in your business, learn something new, and get it before the tax year ends! (Educational Courses are a business expense after all.)

Visit My Course Shop Here!

And if you’re interested in booking a Coaching Call, please note the 20% Offer is limited to 10 due to capacity limits.

Click Here to schedule a call!

I’m here to provide support if you need it, so if you’re growing your floral business or struggling to figure out your next steps, reach out to get in touch!

xo. -Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

Engagement Season Tips for Florists

Do you want to book some more events for 2025? Well, are you ready for engagement season?

Today, I have 3 Tips To Help You Prepare for Engagement Season–or whatever season your business may be entering–so that you can attract more of the right customers to your business! Click to watch now:

Join the Marketing Workshop!

A Few Notes To Recap

#1. Keep your ideal customers in mind–always!

Identify who you seek to serve so you can focus on what they want to hear from you!

That means, if your ideal customer really loves flowers and tends to have a reasonable budget, you don’t have to create content about how hard you work behind the scenes to clean wax out of votive candles or scrub buckets on a Monday morning.

Because your ideal customer would rather see the beautiful work you created this week and hear a little bit about why you love the look of the design!

#2. Revisit your existing marketing efforts.

What are you actually doing right now to attract the best customers to your business?
Are you putting all of your eggs in the social media algorithm basket?
What does your website express when I land on your homepage?
Are you speaking to the hearts of your ideal clients?
Where else can you reach them?

#3. Add more intention to your marketing strategy!

Level-up your marketing and branding strategy with a more magnetic message to attract the best clients!

Your “brand” is what your customers experience. So it’s more than just an image you project–it’s what people say about your company when you’re not in the room.

A better marketing strategy gives you leverage. In short, it makes it easier to book clients and gain trust if your brand credibility is already established in their minds.

After 22 years in business, I think it’s a wise practice to revisit your marketing and branding efforts on a regular bases (at least once per year!). That’s why I’m hosting my upcoming Marketing Workshop on December 3, 4 & 5th! You can learn about that and sign up here if you want to join me! I’d be honored to have you join me.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch!

xo. -Alison Ellis

By Alison Ellis

Simple Social Media Tips for Florists

How can you be more consistent with blogging and social media so that you attract the best customers, but also follow a strategy that’s practical and simple?

I got this question from a member of my Patreon Community the other day, which was actually more like 8 or 9 questions, so I answered them live so I could really dig into details and answer in depth!

If you have questions after you watch, let me know!

Click to watch now:

In this livestream I answered questions on:

Content ideas for blogging and social media
Discipline ideas
Goals of how often to post
How do you measure its success
Post structure
How do I keep it simple
How do I post our values, beliefs and key brand points

If you need some help crafting your brand message and sharing your voice, you can get access to Monthly Blog & Social Media Prompts by becoming a Marketing Maven inside my Patreon Community here: www.patreon.com/realflowerbusiness

I know that as a business owner, it can be challenging to be consistent and authentic because there’s often a bit of a trade off between consistent and authentic.

Wash, rinse, repeat = consistent

But it often takes a little bit of contemplation to find what you have to share with the world that’s actually authentic!

I hope the tips I shared today will inspire you to simplify your social media strategy and share your voice with more intention.

And if you’d like to check out this month’s Social Media Prompts on Patreon, I’d be honored to have you join me there!

xo. -Alison

By Alison Ellis

Luxury Weddings And Marketing Tips

Does your social media attract your ideal customers or are you repelling great clients accidentally?

Click to watch for some practical advice to help you course correct if your marketing has gotten a little off track!

FYI The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th! If you haven’t registered yet, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business.

>> Click Here for all the details!

As I mentioned in my live chat above, here are a few things to think about when marketing to “luxury” event!

Have you noticed that there are a lot of people who throw around the word “luxury” when it comes to weddings and events? Well, it turns out that “luxury” events may not be what you think.

To borrow a quote from one of my favorite movies of all time, The Princess Bride, “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

That’s because every single wedding you design is a luxury!

Just think about it: You can get married without a single stem of flowers, which means when clients choose to hire you as their florists it IS a luxury. (Yup, you’re already in a luxury market!)

It’s easy to lose sight of this in the social media world where “luxury” seems to be described as $100,000 weddings and above.

But as a florist who’s done her fair share of $100K weddings, they aren’t necessarily “luxury” in the way that social media wants you to believe!

Because that $100K budget actually gets spent quickly!

And while there may be $10,000 (or even $15,000) for flowers, that might “just barely cover” what they’re asking for–it’s not “ample” or “over the top”, it’s adequate (depending on the guest count!) and you can make it a beautiful event!…

However, you’re probably NOT creating that grand entrance to the reception tent, lining the entire aisle with flowers, or hanging a floral installation over the dance floor…which is what we tend to think of when the word “luxury” is invoked.

So when we’re really talking about “luxury events” you’re working with MUCH BIGGER BUDGETS–maybe even 3x higher, for example.

What does it take to do a $30,000-$45,000 floral installation? Well, in short, it’s soooooo much!

From a team of 8-10 floral designers you can trust (at $20-$50 per hour!), to multiple vehicles that need to be rented and loaded, to long design days (and nights!) to get the job done, to the VERY high expectations that your clients and their planner communicate to you every step of the way for 6-12 months!

(The stress level, in other words, is probably more than 3x!)

This is why it’s important to be careful what you wish for in your own “luxury goals”.

➤ How do YOU define luxury as it pertains to your customers and your own brand identity?

➤ What sorts of events do you want to attract?

➤ Do you want to do full-service weddings and events that are manageable, yet profitable, and don’t require a huge team?

➤ Are flowers for the wedding party your specialty, so you’ll happily design boutonnieres, bouquets and corsages, but leave the rest of the event to the DIY client?

➤ Or do you prefer the higher-ticket, higher-stress events because you thrive in that CEO position overseeing a team?

So before buying into the idea that you should be striving for “luxury”, recognize that you’re already doing it!

Define for yourself what your brand of luxury looks like so that you know EXACTLY what it means to your customers.

In short, when it comes to folks trying to convince you to break into a “luxury market”, don’t believe the hype.

Whether it’s personal flowers only or the biggest wedding of your career, the artistry you provide matters.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

REMINDER: The Marketing Workshop for Florists starts on Monday, Dec. 4th!

If you haven’t already registered, Now’s the time to sign up so you can start attracting more of the BEST clients to your business. Click Here for all the details!

We’ll meet for 3 Days, Mon, Tues and Weds for about 45 minutes each day.
Recordings will be available if you can’t join me live!
VIP sessions will take place each day at 1:30pm Eastern to answer YOUR specific questions and provide additional support!

Questions for me? Get in touch. I’m here to support you along the way!