Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

  • About
    • Bio
    • Coaching
    • Core Values
    • FAQ’s
    • Privacy Policy
  • Courses & Coaching
    • Coaching
    • Flower Math
      • About Flower Math
    • Wedding Templates
      • Contracts For Florists
      • E-mail Templates For Florists
      • How To Write Proposals That Sell
      • Wedding Workflow
    • All Courses
    • Free Resources
  • Workshop in April
  • Testimonials
    • Student Success Stories
    • Flower Math Testimonials
    • Art of Good Biz Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Login

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Do Florists Have To Go To Floristry School?

If you want to be a florist, do you have to go to Floristry School? It’s a question I see a lot and I know there can be some strong opinions on the subject. Click to see my answer to the question and let me know what you think!

The truth is, there isn’t just 1 right way to become a florist!

There are so many things to learn that you can’t learn “everything you need to know in just one place”. Whether you go to floristry school, or take an accredited floral design certification program, or you teach yourself through trial and error, there will always be something more for you to learn.

For example, I’ve heard from floristry students in Australia and England who enrolled in my Flower Math course and say that they got a much more thorough and clear explanation from my online course than they did in school! Even longtime florists have told me that they understand the design aspect of their work, but they’ve been kept mostly in the dark on the business-stuff.

And still, some floral designers manage to build a “busy” floral design business, but they struggle with attracting higher paying clients or creating systems to close sales (without a dozen meetings that drain their time and energy).

Let’s face it, there’s so much more to know as a florist than “just flowers”!

The secret to success in the floral industry is to keep learning and growing. Just going to floristry school isn’t enough.

And just learning from YouTube videos isn’t enough.

And letting 20 years pass between your last in-person learning experience isn’t enough either.

Never stop learning in your business and your life–and keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison


Ready to learn proven strategies to streamline your workflow and create more freedom in your floral business?

See  A Full Course List

April 8, 2022 — 8:38 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Spring Pricing Chat for Florists

Spring is approaching–even here in Vermont where it’s still cold and snowy, I can see and hear the signs of spring–and for the 3rd spring in a row I’m inviting florists to join me for a free Pricing & Profitability Chat for Florists on Monday, March 21st, 2022 at 12pm EDT/9am PDT.

Click Here to Join The Pricing Chat


In this free live chat I’ll share:

  • 3 Numbers Florists Need To Know
  • 3 Easy Steps to calculate your profit margin
  • Why tracking your profit margins are SO important
  • The importance of setting a profit goal, NOT a spending goal
  • AND I’ll address your questions LIVE!

Think of it as a quick 1-hour spring business check-in. I’ll even have a special offer for those who attend live!

I’ll also be kicking off my Spring Flower Math Sale on March 21-23rd and I’ll have all the details for you on that soon! (Sign up for the pricing chat to be the first to know when the sale is live.)

In the meantime, I’m talking “all things pricing” over in my Instagram highlights HERE and you can watch a few short pricing tips below!

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Sign Up For The Pricing Chat


View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)


 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Sign Up For The Pricing Chat

March 10, 2022 — 10:29 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What Can Florists Do To Level Up Your Marketing Strategy?

I know so many florists out there are trying to go it alone when they try and build their businesses, AND 97% of florists are working without an actual marketing strategy! But how are you supposed to stand out above the competition and find great clients if you don’t have a plan to attract them to your business? If you’d like to work with me in 2022 on your branding and marketing strategy as well as systems to help close sales more quickly, my program, The Art of Good Business, is a high-quality, comprehensive course with live group coaching to support you in January and enrollment is open NOW-Dec. 16th at 5pm PST/8pm EST.

Click Here To Learn More


I went live on Instagram on Monday to share a little bit about WHY marketing and branding is such an important aspect of your business to master. Click below to watch!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness)

Enroll Today!


Florists recommend this course…

“I recommend The Art of Good Business to anyone who has been trying to go it alone. I tried to figure out my business path on my own and found a patchwork of information. The Art of Good Business puts a plan out there to follow step by step. Also, because it is cohesive it puts all the information you need into one clear class. I have taken my binder with me everywhere I go to read and re-read the course. I find new depth in the material each time. It is wonderful that this course continues to grow with your business.

The Art of Good Business is a guide book for my future.“

-Rebecca Raymond

 

Please feel free to reach out with questions for me. We can even schedule a free 20-minute call if you’re not 100% sure this program is right for you!

Doors close & the price is going up on Dec 16 @ 8pm EST!

Enroll Today!

December 13, 2021 — 11:08 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

What Do Florists Bring To a Wedding?

How do florists set up a wedding?

When I was first starting my home-studio floral business almost 20 years ago, I often felt like I was pulling a rabbit out of my hat on the day-of a wedding. I was passionate about weddings and flowers and running my own business, but I was still “new enough” that I was making a lot of it up as I went along. Sometimes, I didn’t know if I’d even finish setting up on time. Luckily I always did, but the pressure is real when you’re a wedding pro because there are no do-overs (and we are expected to make magic)!

As I gained experience, I developed systems to streamline my wedding-day set-up, as well as my entire week-of-the-wedding prep, and I know that whether you’ve been a wedding florist for 1 year or 20 years, you’re always learning something new! For example, over the last several years I’ve been working to cut out floral foam in my weddings and that’s changed my day-of and week-of prep!

FYI I’ll be sharing my recent #foamfree wedding mechanics and week-of tips inside my Patreon Creator Page this month. Patreon members get access to my best tips for booking weddings and you can ask me anything so if you have questions, I’ll answer them here! I’ll be taking members inside my week-of prep for an $11,000 wedding including the foam free mechanics I used (and then reused the next weekend, too!). Click here to access my Patreon page!


Today, I want to share this behind-the-scenes look at my “bag of tricks” so you can see what I bring with me to every wedding day set-up. It’s so important to have the right tools for the job–click to see what’s in my bag!

Remember: I’m continuing to answer the question: “how do you actually do a wedding” for the florists on my Patreon Creator Page, and you’re invited to join me there! Access starts at just $3 and you’ll unlock a ton of tips and lessons on how to book better clients, build a strong brand, and design beautiful weddings! Click to join me.

Patreon is a place where artists and teachers create content for their Patrons. There is no obligation–you can cancel your subscription any time. Hop in to grab the tips you need, hop out any time.

Do you have questions for me? I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. You can learn more about me here.

xo. -Alison


Additional Resources for Florists:

  • Find more tips on Wedding Day Prep HERE.

August 8, 2021 — 7:17 pm

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Wedding Day Prep

What do florists do on the morning-of a wedding?

A florist asked me recently, “How do you actually do a wedding?” She knows how to price it. She knows how to book it. But how do you actually “do the wedding”?

After 19 years of designing weddings in my home-studio, I shared my Morning-of Wedding Prep with my Patreon membership* and you can see a small sample of how I get started below.

*Patreon members can ask me anything and get access to a ton of tips and training videos to help you book clients consistently, build a solid brand and create high quality work year after year. Membership starts at just $3, but you can unlock more “stuff” with each membership tier.

Click to watch this short 2 minute clip:


In the full video on Patreon you’ll see:

  • How I tie and box bouquets
  • How I present bouquets to clients
  • How I pack centerpieces for delivery
  • How I prep a #foamfree arbor
  • Pictures of my work and the full ceremony set-up

Now, I know that no one wants another “membership”, but if you want to book clients with more ease and ask me anything about how I run my business and execute events, Patreon is the perfect place for you! (click here to join me!) There’s no commitment and you can cancel anytime.

What else would you like to know more about?

Ask me and I’ll turn it into a video lesson you can access any time as a Patreon supporter.

Thanks for making time to watch today’s clip of my wedding day prep.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

July 30, 2021 — 12:51 pm

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • …
  • 11
  • Next Page »

Welcome, Floralpreneur®.  I’m Alison Ellis, creator of Flower Math, published author, and founder of Real Flower Business. My online business courses and private coaching help floral designers increase profits, book great clients & build a better brand.  Learn More →

Follow me on social:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

FOR WEDDING FLORISTS:

Read my book: Falling Into Flowers

Templates for Florists

Flower Math Formulas

3 Keys To Booking Great Clients

FREE RESOURCES:

Free ebook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before Starting My Business

5 Actions To Take When Biz Is Uncertain

10 Things I Did To Grow My Biz

AS SEEN ON:

*The Flower Podcast

*Slow Flowers Podcast

*Mornings With Mayesh

*Botanical Brouhaha

*Florists’ Review

*FlirtyFleurs.com

*From The Ground Up Floral-podcast

Blogroll

Be Sage Consulting

Botanical Brouhaha

Hitomi Gilliam

Flirty Fleurs

Francoise Weeks

Marie Forleo

Passionflower Sue

The Business Of Being Creative

The Flower Podcast

The Full Bouquet

Think Splendid

Slow Flowers

Seth Godin

Topics

advertising Alison Ellis blogging Botanical Brouhaha branding Business Plan For Florists contracts Customer Service Delivery Fees design tips e-mail E-mail Templates for Florists FlirtyFleurs floraculture Floral Artistry floral business floral design floral foam floral industry floralpreneur Floral Speaker Floral Wholesalers Floral Workshop florist pricing floristry florists Flower Blog Flower Boss 2 Flower Math Freelance Florists Giving Back Holly Chapple Pillow Home-Based Florists Ideal Customers Marketing Mornings With Mayesh real flower business Recipes Testimonials The Art Of Good Business The Flower Podcast websites wedding florist wedding proposals Wedding Workflow

Categories

  • Alison's Favorite Things (4)
  • Book for Wedding Florists (3)
  • Boutonnieres & Corsages (2)
  • Building A Brand (112)
  • Business Plan (21)
  • Coaching (14)
  • Contracts (7)
  • Courses (49)
  • Customer Feedback (10)
  • Customer Service (46)
  • Delivery & Set-up (2)
  • E-mail Etiquette (11)
  • Floral Design (125)
  • Floral Industry (188)
  • Floral Workshop (16)
  • Flower Blog (161)
  • Flower Business (175)
  • Flower Math (42)
  • Frequently Asked Questions (24)
  • Giving Back (1)
  • Home-Studio Florists (75)
  • Ideal Customers (49)
  • Inclusivity (5)
  • Marketing (75)
  • Online Business Education for Florists (157)
  • Photography tips for Florists (1)
  • Pricing (43)
  • Pricing Tips For Florists (19)
  • Proposals (23)
  • Recipes (5)
  • Uncategorized (4)
  • Websites (35)
  • About
  • Courses & Coaching
  • Workshop in April
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Login

Copyright © 2023 Fresh Event Design, LLC · Website Designed by Zach Hoag

CLIENTS GHOSTING YOU?
GET MY FREE E-MAIL COURSE "HOW TO BOOK MORE WEDDINGS MORE QUICKLY"!
Your Name:
Your Email: