Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How To Add A Video To IGTV

Do you want more followers?

Are you on Instagram? Just kidding, I know you are!

But are you using video to increase your engagement?

Video is a powerful tool and IGTV is a perfect place to share replays of livestreams or promos to direct customers to your blog or website. Today, I’m sharing tips to help you use the power of video to reach your fans and followers on Instagram.

You’ll learn how to:

  • Upload a video from your computer/laptop,
  • Make a cover image for the video,
  • Post it on IGTV,
  • Share it to your stories!

Check out this quick tutorial on How To Post a Video To IGTV:

Now it’s time to take action: Post a video on IGTV before the end of this week!

FYI You can get MORE lessons and tutorials in my Marketing Shortcuts right here!

Level Up Your Marketing!

Pro Tip: Everyone’s focused on “more followers”, but you don’t want MORE followers you want MORE ENGAGED followers. Video is one of the most important ways to share your brand’s story and connect with clients.

Marketing and Branding are different, of course. Your marketing is how you advertise; your brand is what you deliver!

While “marketing” and “branding” are often used interchangeably, they are distinctly different.

Grab My Marketing Shortcuts!

Thanks to tuning in to today’s tutorial! I hope you will put these tips to work for your business.

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. You can find the video I uploaded in this tutorial on IGTV HERE!

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Anti-racism and Inclusivity in the Wedding Industry

Friday is Juneteenth.

As we struggle as a country–and as a world–to make sense of racial injustice that feels senseless and wrong, leaning into history and examining “what we always thought” are critical to our efforts to move forward.

I did NOT learn about Juneteenth in history classes…
And I did NOT think about what freedom and independence meant for ALL Americans…
But I am paying closer attention…
Because it’s not enough to be “not racist”…
Right now, we’re called upon to take action against racism.

How? Speak out, stand up, and show up as an ally to defend the civil rights of ALL. (yes, it will take work!)

So why is June 19th significant?

Watch this short video for an intro to Juneteenth:

Someone asked in my Facebook group, “What are your anti-racism policies for your business?” And that made me think.

Because my only “anti-racism” policies were in my own mind and heart–they were not on paper or on my sleeve or on my website….
But it’s time to remedy this, right?….
So if you’re like me and you did NOT think about this (because you did not “have to” or you thought it “goes without saying because you’re not a racist”), let me share how I’m beginning to fix this careless omission by amending my About page to include the following:

At Floral Artistry, we believe in a diverse, inclusive, and equitable environment , where all employees, clients and vendors–whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or identity–feel valued and respected.

This is a small step, but an important one. So if you are committed to “doing better” in your own biz practices, a statement about your company’s values is a simple way to start.
In fact, I added a 2nd statement to my Core Values page as well:

Floral Artistry respects and values diverse life experiences and heritages and aims to ensure that all voices are valued and well served regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

If you’re missing a statement like this you are not alone and it’s never too late to update and show up as an ally in your business.
If you have a resource or a statement on anti-racism that you want to share, please do so in a comment!
xo. -Alison

Here’s more about why all Americans should honor Juneteenth…

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How To Improve Your Floral Business

How Are You Going To Improve Your Floral Business?

Step 1. Finish the year strong so you can start strong!

In today’s live Tuesday Q&A I take real questions from real florists…including questions on:

  • Freelance Floristry,
  • Florists Using Pictures That Aren’t Their Work,
  • The Cost Of Candles,
  • Last-Minute Changes,
  • When Do You Bring In Design Help,
  • Estimating Sales Goals,
  • When Florists Get Engaged,
  • & I share tips for A Discouraged Florist in her second year of business.

Click to watch:

Start your January STRONG with me in The Art Of Good Business program. Click here for details and click HERE to apply for a scholarship! Scholarship applications must be received by Dec. 10th at midnight Eastern time. Course Registration CLOSES on Dec. 20th.

Remember:

Clear Communication.

Authenticity Marketing.

Streamlined Sales Systems.

If you want to get good at sales, join me in The Art Of Good Business!

Closing note:

It’s easy to get discouraged; it’s more work to stay focused and on-task to gain momentum in your business; don’t get discouraged.

You can eliminate the competition and become the clear choice by sharing the voice of your brand.

Thanks so much for watching! Questions for me? Get in touch: floralartvt@gmail.com

xo. -Alison

 

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Join Me On Patreon

Want to book weddings more quickly?

I’m hosting a new training on Patreon!

The intention of this 6-month training is to serve as a behind-the-scenes pass to the strategies I use to attract awesome clients year after year and help you improve your booking, marketing and branding efforts.

In this private subscriber-only forum we’re going to dive deeper into EXACTLY how you can pre-qualify clients, perfect your consultation process, book weddings more quickly, and build a long-lasting brand.

Let me tell you a little bit more about this new thing I’m trying….

Become a Patron!

Question:

Would you like to get a closer look at how I fill my calendar every year with AWESOME CLIENTS WHO TRUST ME and book me without a meeting?

Answer:

Now, you can join me in a NON-Facebook space where you get behind-the-scenes training on:

  • How To Identify & Pre-qualify Customers BEFORE investing time in a consultation and proposal.
  • Phone Consultation Tips & Scripts (so you don’t have to meet clients until you’ve been paid).
  • Branding Building & Marketing Prompts for 6 months of weekly blog posts, social media content, IG posts. (This is for anyone who says “I don’t know what to write about” or “I don’t know what to post”.)

Sound good? Join me & become a patron today!

In this new subscriber-only space on Patreon, we’ll hone in on your ideal customers, sales copy, marketing strategy, and increase your confidence when pre-qualifying clients so that you can LOVE your business (and your life!) as you set yourself up for business success in the long run!

From where to find the right customers to spending less time on consultations, members can ask me anything about streamlining your systems to help you gain more freedom and ensure longevity in your business.

Become a Patron!

Goals:

The goal is to create a professional, curated group that’s NOT ON Facebook so that I can provide off the charts value.

We’ll be focused specifically on attracting clients, booking clients and developing a personal connection with your brand (even if you’re not sure you have a brand yet!).

I am ALWAYS engaged in what I call “the art of good business”;

this means ALWAYS striving to streamline, perfect and hone my skills, not only in floral design, but in ALL the elements of business that make up a high quality brand.

The training starts November 18-20th and then, you’ll continue to receive monthly training sessions thru April. (You don’t need to attend live to access the training!) If I reach 100 subscribers, I’ll release 2 videos (or mix of video and live Q & A) per month thru April!

Become a Patron!

 

Your success is my #1 goal. That’s why I’m offering multiple tiers of membership on Patreon–you can choose which subscription meets your business goals & budget. The first tier of membership is just $9 per month.

If you haven’t been over to Patreon yet, it’s a super user-friendly space where creators, artists, writers and teachers share their work with the people who sign up to support them, or learn from them, on their creative journey (aka their Patrons!).

If you’re reading this, but you’re not familiar with me yet, I’m Alison Ellis, a floralpreneur® with over 25 years of design experience. And while floral design is what brought me to the floral industry, my passion for the art of good business is what’s kept me in business for over 17 years!

Ask me anything! Leave a comment on a post anytime and I’ll address your questions in the upcoming training. You’ll get 3 training sessions in November. This may be a mix of recorded trainings and live Q & A…your input will help shape the content I deliver to you!

Become a Patron!

This is a super up-close and personal look at how I “conduct myself in business” and I’m looking forward to helping you incorporate some of my tips and tricks into your systems, too.

I’d be honored to have you join me on this brand building journey!
With love from me to you,
Alison

Note: Payments for the current month will be due on the day you subscribe and then, on the 1st of the month for recurring subscriptions. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Become a Patron!

 

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Can florists write proposals without a recipe?

realflowerbusiness.com, floralpreneur, florist recipes, floral design

When should florists write recipes?

Do you figure out stem counts before a client is officially under contract?

Even with a streamlined booking process, it takes precious time and TLC to put together a wedding proposal–and I like to turn my proposals around quickly–so I don’t write recipes without a commitment from the client.

I always write recipes for my weddings…

Over the years I’ve established “starting prices” for the floral elements I make most frequently (i.e. bouquets, boutonnieres, centerpieces, arbors, cocktail pieces, delivery & set-up, etc.)….

And my starting prices, or “minimums”, provide enough breathing room in the budget to create work I’m proud to deliver to my clients, without adding up each stem before we’ve actually established a working relationship (ie. a contract & deposit to secure the date), let alone finalized the design, color palette or specific floral choices.

Pricing a proposal takes far less time when minimums are established for each line item.

Whether you itemize an initial proposal for a client or simply offer a “lump sum total” when quoting a job, your established minimums will allow you to price as needed to turn a profit without having to write out recipes on every proposal before you get the job.

Here’s my process for booking without a recipe:

  • I send an initial proposal to a client with a minimum spend requested,
  • the clients commit to working with me (ie. a signed contract & deposit),
  • within the next fews months/year, we modify our plans as needed (adjusting colors, table counts, floral varieties, etc.),
  • and then, once final decisions are made, I’ll invest the time to create custom recipes for their event.

Click to watch, Can you price without a recipe?…

P.S. The wedding I talk about in this video, well, I’m happy to report that it worked out GREAT!…she ended up being an ideal client after all.

And if you want to learn how to price with confidence & stop over-buying so you can increase your income, I teach you everything I know about pricing in Flower Math! 

Sign up & SAVE $100!

Testimonial:

“In one wedding I felt more confident in my pricing & made my money back on the purchase of the class. This really has been a game changer for me!!  

-Susan of Wild Blume

Customers should get to “yes” easily.

It’s always easier to have a pricing conversation with a client if you’re being honest & transparent.

It can be as simple as clarifying: What are your customers willing to spend? and What can you provide at that price point?

Be confident in your pricing. Because if a client walks away after you’ve already offered your best price, then they’re just not your customer! They simply couldn’t afford you.

I used to be limited in my belief about how much I could charge…

Years ago, if someone said they had a $3,000 budget, I’d say, “OK, sure, I can make that work!” I mean, I should be able to make something beautiful for $3,000, right?!…well, that depends on what the client is requesting!

Once I get some preliminary details from a client, I can introduce a starting price based on the information I’ve collected.

The client’s requested vision may be “more than the minimum”–that’s the up-side of Pinterest….we can see immediately how elaborate and lush their dream/vision is, or get a sense of how clean, focused and simple their taste may be.

Are these flowers expensive? Yes, they are.

It’s not your job to try to replicate a $450 elevated centerpiece that your customer fell in love with (on Pinterest!) for the low, low price of $150. (I’d rather make a beautiful centerpiece for $150 that’s easy for your guests to see over, instead of feeling uneasy about the “smaller scale” of an elevated piece that was cobbled together for $300 less than the inspiration photo! That’s not your job.)

I want my customers to experience value when working with me.

Charge what you’re worth and then, BE WORTH IT.

What if you’re pricing something you’ve never made before?

For example, what if you haven’t made an elevated centerpiece?

Well, sometimes you need to do some mathematics and imagining and spacial relations-work with your ruler and a loamy dish to determine a price on something you’ll be making for the first time…

But if you set some starting prices for your work, and you know that elevated centerpieces are at least 3x the price of a low centerpiece, you’ll automatically have a starting point to work from and instead of trying to make it for “less”, you can simply present the “starting price on elevated pieces”…even though you haven’t made it yet! (and then, you can offer alternatives to the elevated designs if their vision isn’t aligning with the desired budget.)

Deliver what you promise…

If the inspiration photo is “more than you’ll provide at this price”, that must be clearly stated in all of your documents. “Your inspiration photo is $450, however, we’ll make a smaller, scaled down version for $275.”

Always deliver what you promise.

Your brand is what you deliver. Don’t promise something you can’t deliver.

Never forget the trust your clients put in you/your team.

Keep doing beautiful work, floralpreneur®!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Additional Resources:

 

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