Alison Ellis on Mornings with Mayesh

As a floral educator, it’s always an honor to be invited to speak with floral industry professionals.

My appearances with Yvonne on Mornings With Mayesh are a few of my favorite live Q&A’s and you’ll find all 3 of my guest appearances in this post!

I’ve had some great opportunities to appear as a guest on other people’s podcasts, blogs and web shows that are worth highlighting over the next few weeks PLUS I’ll be on 2 stages in March and April where you can connect with me live (see below).

Appearance highlights:

Last week I was the featured guest on The Flower Podcast and then, Scott was a guest in my Facebook group (click here to check out our live chat).

Next up, I’ll be teaching live and in person in March in Minneapolis at Koehler & Dramm. Click here for details and to sign up today!

Then, I’ll be in Portland, Maine, April 4-5th teaching at The Floral Collaborative. Click here for details and contact Katey to sign up!

Now, onto the Mornings With Mayesh Mashup….

A few notes and questions covered in our most recent chat include:

If a customer “must have it”, then they must be willing to pay for it.
Industry standards have variation built into them. Once you know the standards you can customize your pricing model to work for your business.
How much should you charge for your markup and design fee?
Selling a wedding Pre-Pinterest vs. Post-Pinterest.
Should you itemize a wedding quote?

Click to watch here:

Grab my free eBook: Everything I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Business HERE.

Click below to watch my April 2019 chat where we address:

Should you set a minimum on weddings?
Do you price anything different with a hand tied vs a vase arrangement?
How to make sure you’re not undercharging your clients
How to charge clients appropriately
Do you mark up high-end flowers like peonies the same as you do a carnation to keep your margins? If you do, how do you use peonies and ranunculus in everyday arrangements? Sparingly?
Should you charge a different markup on rentals, vases, and labor?

Find a full transcript and additional show notes on the Mayesh website here: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-alison-ellis-talks-pricing

And in my very first appearance in April 2018 we talked about:

Writing prompt proposals.
Why should florists have a minimum?
Should florists do free mock-ups?
Why I took my minimum off my website.
What equipment do you need to start your floral business?

Find a full list of my courses for florists HERE!

Thanks so much for taking the time to tune in and watch!

Feel free to shoot me a message any time if you have questions for me. I may answer the live in one of my Tuesday Q&A’s on Facebook.

xo. -Alison

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Floral Business Seminar Live

Have you ever wanted to learn with me LIVE and in person?

I have 3 words for you: March In Minneapolis.

Want to meet me there, Floralpreneur®?

I’ll be speaking live and in person in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Koehler & Dramm Wedding Show and I would LOVE to see you there!

Click HERE for details and to join us at the show!

Dates are March 20-22 and I’ll be presenting at 5 different times that you can choose from!

MEET ME IN MINNEAPOLIS

I’m teaching 2 different seminars on Attracting Great Clients and Closing The Sale and Pricing Strategies For Profitability.

Tom Bowling, AIFD will be presenting as well and you can mix and match your seminars so that you can see both of our presentations over the course of the weekend!

MEET ME IN MINNEAPOLIS

If you’ve ever wanted to learn with me live and in person THIS is the perfect time to join me!

xo. -Alison

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Alison Ellis on The Flower Podcast

I am so excited to be Scott Shepherd’s guest on The Flower Podcast this week!

And because I’m SO excited to be on Scott’s podcast, I’m sharing a free gift with listeners.

You’ll get a sneak peek behind-the-scenes at how I save time on mood boards when you click HERE to Scott’s website.

I’m sharing 3 Quick & Easy Mood Board Tips including:

3 Easy (& Free) Ways To Make A Mood Board,
2 real inspiration boards I made for clients,
1 real life wedding I designed based on a mood board,
Plus I share a quote I sent WITHOUT an inspiration board,
And 3 Bonus Tips To Write Proposals More Quickly.

Click here to grab my tips!

Scott Shepherd knows florists and I find that he always asks thoughtful and insightful questions of his guests. He definitely asked me a few questions that I know many florists struggle with.

For example:

We talked about pricing, prequalifying clients, design fees, what it means when a “new florist” comes to your town, and, of course, website “stuff”. I hope you’ll make some time to tune in and check it out.

You can listen & subscribe to The Flower Podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, AND you can click here to visit Scott’s website and grab my free mood board tips.

I’ve been tuning to @TheFlowerPodcast for a while now and I’m always impressed with Scott’s pointed questions, which truly reflect his depth of knowledge in the floral industry. Since Scott and I could have talked for hours, we’re going to be live together tomorrow in my Facebook group! Click HERE to join us!

xo. -Alison

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2020 Live Seminars with Alison Ellis

Come see me teach live in 2020!

Seminar dates just announced for March and April in Minnesota & Maine!

I was invited to speak at these seminars because florists are hungry for business knowledge to help round out their abilities and it’s an honor to be able to share my business tips with floralpreneurs at these upcoming events…

floral design business courses, floristry, floral design, Alison Ellis

First, I’ll be in Minneapolis, Minnesota at Koehler and Dramm from March 20-22nd.

Preliminary details here: https://koehlerdramm.com/wedding-show

Save the date for the 2020 Wedding Show! We’re bringing you a series of hands-on, focused education courses in addition to our design showcase, and we have not one but two renowned designers lined up! We’re so excited about this show, and we can’t wait to see you there. For now, save the date, and we’ll be announcing more info soon! Be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram so you don’t miss out on announcements!

Next, I’ll be in Portland, Maine on April 4-5th!

Find preliminary details here: https://www.campbellsfloraldesign.com/the-floral-collaborative

This Saturday & Sunday event will combine Designers and Cut Flower Farmers alike. Saturday is an extensive, hands-on designing workshop and pricing seminar. Sunday will transition into cut flower farming to offer an information packed day. We will also identify, grow and maintain the designer- farmer relationship! You will have the option to attend one or both days.

Whether weddings are a part of your current income stream or you’re considering adding a wedding offering, these seminars are made for you, so mark your calendar and come join me.

real flower business

Have a question for me?

Want to invite me to teach at your next seminar or business event? Click here to e-mail me: floralartvt@gmail.com

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How Can You Run A Business And Be A Mom?

Running a business and being a mom isn’t an easy balancing act.

In fact, sometimes the trick is accepting the imbalance and making it work anyway!

Entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart, and if you’re going to mom and business at the same time, things aren’t going to be easy. But nobody ever said it would be easy, did they? Because nobody told me that motherhood would be a cakewalk…and I certainly knew how much my business demanded of me before jumping into the full-time job title, “mom”.

But things that are truly worth it in life are rarely easy.

I’m committed to multiple passions. My business needs me…and my family needs me…and I need me, too.

Sometimes you have to give things up for “other things” that are important to you.

Sometimes you have to sacrifice in ways you wish you didn’t.

Sometimes you don’t know how strong you are until you try.

It’s a constant process to develop good work habits, find ways to focus, and be more present in an attempt to create balance.

Click to watch a replay of my live chat “Mom Talk” from Nov. 2018 including a cameo appearance by my kid:

Truth: My time became especially precious once I became a mom.

Streamlining my sales systems to save time and maximize my profitability were essential to surviving my transition from solo-preneur to mom-preneur.

Remember: It’s not always easy, but you can do it!

Moms are tough.

Move through the tough.

Rest when you need to.

Ask for (and accept) help.

Learn to appreciate what you’re doing well!

xo. -Alison

Save Time With These Resources…

Want to streamline your sales systems? Click here to learn about my Wedding Templates for Florists!

Need to increase your income? My course, Flower Math, shows you how I maximize my profit on every order I take. Click here for details.