Giving Back – Real Flower Business

Growing Your Business And Giving Back

Happy Friday to ya, Floralpreneurs! I’m really proud to sponsor the most recent episode of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast and if you haven’t checked it out yet, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS TODAY!

It’s always inspiring and interesting to hear from florists who’ve “made it” in their biz…..whether they’re recognized in nationwide publications or featured on your favorite blog or globetrotting to distant lands for luxury events, but this particular episode with Teresa Fung of Mimosa Boston is about so much more than “making it in business”…..

Hitomi Gilliam often talks about the concept of “flowers with purpose” and if you’re someone who prioritizes giving back in your business (and life) or if you’ve been longing to find a “higher purpose” for your floral design work, then, prepare to be inspired. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

Teresa has turned her talent for floral design into a tremendous gift of mentoring and career building skills….there’s so much purpose in this designer’s mission.

If this one doesn’t make your heart swell, check your pulse. xo. -A

I believe in building giving into my growth strategy.

For example, I donate meals to the Vermont Foodbank for every wedding I book, and in November I donated 10% of my profits from my courses and templates to American Red Cross California Wildfires, Charity Water and Rainforest Alliance), but Teresa’s commitment to using floral design for a higher purpose is about giving more than money….it’s about sharing knowledge and teaching valuable skills to at-risk girls who deserve a chance to level-up.

I think she’s a wonderful example of how we can always aim higher in our businesses and we can always “do better”.

I’m truly honored to be able to sponsor this particular episode and I hope you’ll make some time to give it a listen, and then make sure you “like” and share it…please don’t forget to tell Amy of Botanical Brouhaha how much you’re enjoying the podcast, too! (As a small business owner, you know the best way to show how much you dig great content is to like, share and comment!)

And make sure you check out the BB Garden Style Initiative here. You can even make a donation while you’re there!

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Giving Tuesday

More than 5,000 floralpreneurs have enrolled in my Real Flower Business Courses over the past 3 years…

and I’m truly grateful for every florist who’s taken a leap to invest in my courses!

So today, in honor #GivingTuesday and all the Floralpreneurs who’ve helped to make 2018 a GREAT year of learning, sharing and growing small businesses around the world, I’m donating 10% of this month’s profits to charitable causes to express my gratitude!

After another successful year in biz, it’s a joy to be able to give back! (Seriously, I’ve been kinda giddy after making each donation!)

I’m paying it forward with 3 Charitable Causes today:
1. American Red Cross California Wildfires (https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html)
2. Charity Water (https://my.charitywater.org/donate)
3. Rainforest Alliance (https://www.rainforest-alliance.org)

If you’ve been planning to add some sort of “giving back” into your business plans, MAKE TODAY THE DAY! It doesn’t have to be thousands of dollars….or even hundreds of dollars…just give what you can!

(Giving Tuesday has many sponsors who are matching donations so a $400 donation, for example, turns into an $800 donation once it’s matched!….your small donation can turn into a big one!)

How will you make giving part of your growth strategy in 2019?

With love from me to you,

Alison

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What are you grateful for in your business?

What are you grateful for in your biz, your life, your day, your week?

Write it down! Say it out-loud.

Give someone you know and love a shout-out.

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@floralartvt) on Dec 8, 2017 at 4:50pm PST

When you own a small business there’s a ton of responsibility that goes along with it; sometimes the sheer amount of work we’re expected to accomplish each week can be overwhelming! But, if we can look beyond the things that bog us down and focus our attention on what lights us up, what makes us “uniquely us” and what we’re SO LUCKY to do, we’ll be able to persevere when the busy days feel loooong or the job feels “too big”….because we remember to count our business blessings.

My goal is always to “get more of what I want” from my business; whether that’s more money, or more clients that love me for me, or more time to grow veggies in my garden next summer…..my business exists to get me more of what I want. It’s a never-ending process of hard work, planning and yes, gratitude!

Thanks for reading, floralpreneurs! I’m grateful you took the time to stop by my blog today.

xo. -A

P.S. While you’re here, why not check out one of my FREE courses? They’re made exclusively for florists from the bottom of my heart. Try ’em, you’ll like ’em.

Click here to see a list of free courses.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Should you quit in order to grow?

Hey Floralpreneur,

Are you a quitter? I am.

As a small business owner it can be hard to quit things, including jobs that are dragging us down, but sometimes quitting or saying “NO” to work that’s no longer moving us forward is essential if we’re going to truly thrive and grow our business.

Click to watch my video “Should You Quit In Order To Grow Your Business”.

I share how I finally became a quitter, and how I started my home-based floral design business over 15 years ago!

Thanks for taking a few minutes to watch!

THE MORAL OF THE STORY…

We have to evaluate what’s working vs. what’s no longer working if we’re going to actually enjoy the work we’re doing every day.

Because, what’s the point of running your own business if it doesn’t bring you joy, profitability and pride?

Taking pride in what we deliver is our responsibility to our clients, our employees and ourselves. Click To Tweet

We can’t let ourselves down because we got too busy saying Yes to EVERYTHING that we forget to say a big, fat, HECK YES to our own needs and wants and hopes and dreams.

Quitting or saying “No” to make room for something better (something that hasn’t actually materialized yet; something we’re hoping is out there, but we can’t really be sure) takes bravery;

it may get easier to do with time and confidence, but turning down a sale is not always easy for people who are in business to sell.

Think of it like this: Gardeners sometimes have to deadhead a few blooms for the sake of the overall health and prosperity of a plant.

If you want your business to grow, you must cultivate it, like a gardener.

If there’s something bogging you down that you know you need to stop, be brave. Quit.

Thanks again for being here. Let me know if you ever have any questions for me: info@floralartvt.com

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you enjoy my free “stuff” you’ll find the biggest collection of my real flower business tips, trainings and pdfs inside The Vault for just $13. Click here to unlock The Vault today!

JOIN ME…

If you’d prefer to be a “joiner” Click HERE to join my Facebook group and connect with floral designers around the globe.

Find a full list of course offerings here.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Welcome to April!

Welcome to April, Floralpreneur!

What’d you do this weekend? Work? Spend time with family or friends? I had a mix of both.

I spent Sunday celebrating my son’s 5th birthday, which gave me one full-day for family,

but on Saturday I fell into a project I KNEW I had to tackle, but simply did not think I had the time for; I finally updated my testimonials page on my website.

Sounds pretty B-O-R-I-N-G, I know, but reviewing testimonials is actually really fun.

(it’s a great opportunity to hop onto your website, and do some quick updates!)

You’ve probably heard me talk about the importance of gathering more client testimonials

and using your testimonials to attract more ideal clients,

but If you missed my free download “How to get more testimonials”,

CLICK HERE to get the free pdf today.

Once you get more testimonials, what will you do with them?

Client testimonials can tell you a lot about yourself, your business, and your brand, but they also tell other customers exactly what they need to know about working with you.

I also highly suggest you re-read your testimonials a couple of times every year, as well as any time you’re feeling “down” or find yourself “struggling in the off season”!

A good read through of your testimonials and online reviews can be a great ego boost!

Reflect on the good work you’ve done and get yourself pumped up to exceed those standards year after year.

We can never stop learning and improving our customer service experience!

Once you gather reviews from your clients, put them on your website! Use them!

The reviews that describe what it was like to work with you most recently, can be powerful tools to add to your website.

This April is about giving back!

April is my birthday month, as well as my grandmother’s, so to honor her memory this year

I’m donating 10% of ALL COURSE SALES for the month of April to the Vermont Foodbank (and in honor of my son’s birthday, I’m including sales from the last 2 days of March as well!)

Every $1=3 meals, so even a little bit of giving goes a long way!

Find my course offerings HERE!

Oh, and have a look at my new Testimonials Page HERE to see what other florists have to say about my courses!

Thanks, as always, for reading!

Keep

doing

beautiful

work!

With love from me to you,

Alison