Real Flower Business

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By Alison Ellis

Wedding Bootcamp Part 1

This year’s Floralpreneur® Workshop was a Wedding Bootcamp at The Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont with instructors Lori Bley and Alison Ellis. This was my third year hosting floral design students for an intimate workshop at The Round Barn and once again, it was an absolutely incredible group and I can’t wait to do it again!

Isora Lithgow Creations was there (for the 3rd time!) to document our final day of the Wedding Bootcamp and here’s a little recap and glimpse behind the scenes at our students, their beautiful work, and the foam free designs we created together. I can’t fit all of the fun into one post, so make sure you follow the links in the post for Part 2 of the recap!

Our floral palette was a mix of lavenders, yellows, whites, pinks and blues, including roses, jasmine, delphinium, tweedia, and some phenomenal tulips from von Trapp Flowers, which just happens to be located a few minutes from The Round Barn. Our students absolutely loved the tulips as they got to select whatever colors they wanted to work with, and we made tulips a highlight for our decor for the Welcome Party, which was sponsored by EveryStem! Thanks, LuAnn!!

My Floralpreneur® Workshops always include a mix of practical business training and hands-on design work. After our morning discussion on pricing, recipes and a look at how I use the EveryStem app in my own floral business, Lori taught a demonstration on a foam free elevated centerpieces. Her mechanics, recipe, pricing and finishing touches were all revealed in detail so designers can feel confident in every aspect of this piece. Lori is generous with her knowledge and answered tons of questions as well!

We then moved onto my favorite mechanics for a foam free table runner that we also transformed into a design for a ceremony! I gave some brief instructions, gave our designers the recipe they had to work with and let them go for it! Check out Part 2 of the Wedding Bootcamp recap to see how we used the same mechanics two different ways.

Before our lunch break, each designer placed their foam free table runner piece on the table to see how it all comes together. And after lunch, we used the same pieces to create a completely different design for the ceremony arbor! You can check that out in Part 2 of the Wedding Bootcamp recap here.

I want to give a big thanks to all of our students as well as our sponsors and gift contributors! EveryStem, FlowerBox, Harmony Harvest, Floral Genius, and DV Flora! We appreciate your support!


See Part 2 of Wedding Bootcamp recap here.

May 15, 2025 — 2:31 pm

By Alison Ellis

Growing Your Business

Are you growing or maintaining your business?

To kick off the new year, I was live on YouTube to share some thoughts on growing your business and maintaining what you’ve built! You can watch it now!


This is the first topic for the year because not every year is a growing year in your business and it’s important to have a plan on what to do when growth isn’t the goal so you can maintain what you’ve built.

If you need some help reigniting your brand this month, I’m teaching every Tuesday in January, starting Jan. 7th, when you join me inside The Art of Good Business, 4-week training. (You can find details here & enroll today!)

Learn More & Enroll Here!

And if you’re already enrolled in The Art of Good Business, I can’t wait to get started next week!

Welcome to a new year, floralpreneur®. Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison Ellis


You May Also Be Interested In:

CEO Mindset In Your Business

Learn More About Alison

 

 

January 3, 2025 — 7:35 pm

By Alison Ellis

CEO Mindset In Your Floral Business

How important is it to have a CEO mindset in your floral business?

Today, I have a few tips on how getting into a CEO mindset will help you to EASE into the new year–without adding anything to your to-do list!

Because when you run a business and you do “all the things”, it can be hard to zoom out to see the big picture and set next-level goals.

It takes intentional strategy and practice to get yourself into a CEO mindset that can chart your course and steer the ship (instead of just rowing the boat)!

Whether you work alone (like me!) or you lead a team, the most important thing is that you know where you want to go and what you need to let go of! Take a few moments to watch.


Things to consider now…

Do you work ON your business as much as you work IN your business?

Are your customer service systems seamless and effective?

Is your brand mission and message clear?

What are you paying attention to?

Are you spending your time wisely?

What is your next best step to get closer to your own unique goals?

How are you investing in your future growth?…

If you know it’s time to enter your CEO era, consider joining me in January for my 4-Week Training with Live Support, The Art of Good Business!

Learn More & Enroll Here!


And if you missed the Marketing Workshop for Florists, you can catch the limited time replay for just $37!

Get The Replay Now!


I’m rooting for you and your business as you move through this season and into the next! If I can be of any help to you in reaching your goals, please get in touch!

You can also find a full list of courses for florists HERE!

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison Ellis

 

December 12, 2024 — 2:07 pm

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

 

August 22, 2024 — 1:56 pm

By Alison Ellis

Why I Love Writing Proposals

I love writing proposals and the reason is simple: it’s the first step to actually booking a client and getting paid.

Now, there’s a balance between giving away too much detail and investing too much time before a customer has committed to working with you. This is why florists often procrastinate the proposal process!

And that’s why when it comes to writing a wedding proposal, my goal is to spend no more than 1-2 hours preparing a quote. I want to be an easy “yes”, but I don’t want to labor over this quote for a week!

Just FYI, here are a few things I don’t do when writing a proposal:

  • List every single flower that will be in every single arrangement
  • Include dozens of flower images from stock files
  • Wait a week to start the proposal
  • Promise specifics
  • Make my clients commit to the exact number of centerpieces or final color palette–they just have to meet my minimum purchase

If you want to see how I simplify my process…

There are TWO ways you can get a closer look at the exact steps I follow in my Wedding Workflow to keep myself accountable after a customer inquires:

#1. You can download a pdf of my Wedding Workflow, which is available in my online shop here! It includes the 16 Steps To Client Management that I follow in my business, plus a deeper breakdown of 5 Steps to Book Clients More Quickly! This is newly updated, and if you already have my workflow or my Wedding Templates Bundle, you should find this updated version on your course dashboard!

#2. You can walk through the step by step process with me AND get the pdf of my Wedding Workflow by becoming a member of my Patreon Community at the $29 level! You’ll find some proposal shortcut tips in there right now PLUS a ton of lessons and short trainings on how to book great clients consistently.

 


Based on my experience as a business owner for 22 years so far, I’ve learned to focus on 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Consistently and they include:

  1. Brand Reputation–What You’re Known For/What People Say About You
  2. Pre-Qualifying–Gathering Information & Setting Expectations
  3. Customer Experience–The Steps You Follow To Establish Trust

All 3 Keys play a role in your brand position and if you want to attract better customers, the easiest thing to do is create a better customer experience!

The steps my customers follow are inside my Wedding Workflow now if you want to grab it here!

Keep doing beautiful work! And keep booking great clients.

-Alison Ellis

July 23, 2024 — 8:16 pm

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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 →

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