Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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How Do Ideal Customers Find You?

Do you know what your ideal customers are looking for?

I shared this video yesterday about tuning into who your ideal customers are and what you deliver to them.

Today, I want to talk about the next step: getting found by your ideal customers.

Once you’ve identified the “who you serve” and “what they care about”, your next big feat is attracting customers to your website with sales copy that speaks to their hearts.

Click to watch a short video: How Do Ideal Customers Find You?

As I mention in the video, in Week 2 of The Art of Good Business I walk florists through 12 Tips to Build a Better Website so that you “get more clicks” and continue to attract great clients year after year. Learn more about this fun, easy to implement group coaching program HERE.

I’ll show you how to leave a trail of breadcrumbs so customers get to the right places…

show them around…

and create a branding strategy that increases client engagement!

In The Art of Good Business, you’ll learn how to easily organize your website so customers go where you want them to go!

The work we do together in this course is the compass I follow that helps me set the foundation of what I say “yes” and “no” to in my business.

Now’s the time to check your own compass and make sure your foundation is strong as you embark on a new year in your business.

I do this work every year and I am happy to do it with you in The Art of Good Business (click here to join me!).

xo. -Alison

P.S. Not sure if The Art of Good Business is right for you? Click here to hop on a call with me!

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Instagram Is Not Your Long Game

Is your Instagram engagement down?

I read this article last week, Why your Instagram Engagement Kinda Sucks Right Now, and I thought some of the floralpreneurs I know and love would find it interesting. I’ve heard complaints about a lack of engagement over the last several months and this certainly helps to explain why!

Now, while it’s frustrating to think that Mark Zuckerberg seems to control the fate of your business marketing, in truth, he does not!

YOU control your branding and marketing strategy…

So while Instagram may be of help to some businesses in the short term, you should always focus on the LONG GAME when you are planning for your business.

It’s easy to get distracted by “likes” (and endless scrolling), but successful entrepreneurs don’t get distracted. They get laser focused.

What are you doing to get laser focused on your brand strategy (for the long run)?

I’ve been running my business for 18 years and I don’t focus on Instagram followers so much as I focus on creating valuable content and connections that benefit my ideal customers.

If you want to learn more about what I mean, click here for details on the program I teach every January, The Art of Good Business. I’ll break down the most important steps you want to focus on to build a brand (and a branding strategy) that sets your business up for the long run.

You can check out this quick intro from inside the course:

Learn More HERE!

Remember: There’s no such thing as a “finish line” when it comes to building a solid brand. Once you have a great brand, you have to keep it up! Maintain the high standards that earned you that reputation. And keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. The Art of Good Business is a self-paced online course that you can do anytime on your own, BUT I walk you through it every January–because I don’t want you to just sign up for the course, I want to see you get results! So I am here to walk you through the steps and answer your questions this month and every month. Click here to learn more.

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Introducing My New Book on How To Become a Wedding Florist!

A big announcement for the floral world….

I am SO excited to share my new book, Falling Into Flowers, A Step-by-step Guide to Today’s Modern Wedding Business, is available NOW!

You can click to order a signed copy directly from the author (that’s me!) HERE!

This 80-page book covers the essential “must knows” for running a profitable wedding design business of any size—from basic tools and knowledge to presenting proposals and booking clients, to pricing for profit, to production and design schedules, Falling Into Flowers, features beautiful typography, stunning photography featuring my design work, and a step-by-step guide to today’s modern wedding business.

I want to offer up a big huge thanks to those who’ve already purchased the book! Your support has been phenomenally reassuring and humbling!

Floralpreneurs have been so kind and supportive in my first 2 weeks of this book launch that I sold out of my first shipment!

I’ll be filling orders just as quickly as I can….or you can order direct from the publisher for faster delivery!

Click To Order!

As seen in Florists’ Review magazine!…

how to become a wedding florist

Here’s what Florists’ Review says about the book…

If you have the desire to perfect your wedding floral sales and business and customer-service skills, and to become more professional and profitable in this segment of the industry, Falling into Flowers is the book for you!
Written in an enchanting, friendly and easy-to-comprehend manner by Alison Ellis, a practicing wedding florist for nearly two decades and owner of Floral Artistry in Jericho, Vt.; creator of Flower Math; and founder of RealFlowerBusiness.com, this book covers it all. Included are sound advice and proven tips for:

• becoming a wedding florist
• finding and creating a niche for your business
• selling weddings (including consultation tips)
• pricing your wedding work profitably
• planning and executing weddings
• managing communications with clients—and much, much more.

Ellis assures that it is possible to make money on weddings, from either a studio or a retail flower shop—even if you believe weddings are too much work and not profitable. By following the steps outlined in this consummate wedding business guidebook, readers will gain the confidence, clarity and professional strategies to become successful and profitable beyond their imaginations. And don’t hesitate to order this must-have business manual for your floral library: Once you start reading it, you’ll have a hard time putting it down! It’s that engaging! Click to order your copy today!

Get It Here

 

From Alison…

I created this book as a step-by-step guide for wedding and event florists who started their business because of their passion for flowers, but need to improve their skills beyond floral design in order to book clients, turn a profit, and feel proud of the business they run.

I hope readers will walk away with confidence in their ability to book clients who value their work and run a profitable business that brings them joy.

You can turn a profit AND create beautiful designs your customers will love!

Falling into Flowers book for wedding florists

I want to especially thank the folks who contributed to the creation of this book:

Robin Avni, my wonderful and thoughtful editor who kept my voice, but made it even better!

Andrea Leksen, my uber talented designer who brought the book to life with her typography and image selection.

Magnolia Photographie, for the fantastic cover image.

Four of my favorite female photographers in the Green Mountain State whose work is included throughout these pages:

Barrie Fisher Photo

Birke Photography

Daria Bishop Photography

Orchard Cove Photography

And, of course, my publisher, Travis Rigby, of Florists’ Review and Wildflower.Media—thank you for asking me to write this book!

It’s truly a dream come true (or perhaps, better stated, it’s a “goal come true”) to have a published book to share with florists around the world. I cannot wait for you to see it and I look forward to hearing what you do with your business once you read it!

Click To Order!

With so much love, appreciation, respect, excitement and straight-up-joy from me to you,

Alison

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Focus On What Matters In Your Business Right Now

What should you be focused on in your business right now?

Small business owners are often pulled in multiple directions; we wear a lot of hats, right?! But there are times when your business needs you to focus and avoid distractions!

If you have trouble focusing on what matters most, ask yourself the following:

  • Where are you pouring your energy?
  • What’s bringing in money?
  • Why are you “doing what you’re doing” (ie social media, current offerings, etc.)?
  • Are you consistent?
  • What do you need to “practice”?

From brand loyalty to growing your Instagram following to renaming your business, I addressed the questions florists sent to me this week…

Click to watch the Tuesday Q&A replay!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Tuesday Q&A to answer your questions live! Link in bio for my Real Flower Business “stuff”! ❤️

A post shared by Alison Ellis (@realflowerbusiness) on

The moral of the story is this: Don’t forget to plan and finish this year strong!

Thanks for taking the time to tune in and watch.

You can follow me on Instagram here, subscribe to my YouTube channel here, and join my Facebook group here.

xo. -Alison

Additional Resources for You:

Flower Math: The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability

Marketing Minicourse 

Patreon Membership Training

 

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Tips for Florists on Blogging, Ghosting, and Attracting Higher Budgets

For the last few weeks I’ve been broadcasting my Tuesday Q&As over on Instagram (instead of in my private Facebook group) and it’s been fun to connect with floral folks on the gram! Click below to watch a replay of today’s live chat and make sure to follow me on IG here: @realflowerbusiness!

Questions I received this week include:
  • Why should I blog? I know it’s important for SEO, but why?
  • How do I avoid getting ghosted?
  • What’s your advice for attracting clients with higher budgets? My typical weddings are $2,000-2,500, but would love to see $3-4k inquiries more often.

I also touched on how I’m handling COVID cancellations moving forward and addressed a question on customers who ask for discounted pricing during the pandemic!

Questions for a future livestream? Just get in touch: floralartvt@gmail.com

FYI I’ll be diving into MORE pricing questions later this month in an invitation only chat on Zoom!

Flower Math Sale Waitlist

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