3-Day Website Bootcamp

Your website is your #1 sales tool.

As a florist, you know it’s essential that you keep your tools sharp!

Whether you updated your website last week or last year, NOW is the time to get your website in shape so that you can attract the very best clients who are eager to work with you….

So, to help you in this effort, I’m hosting a 3-day Website Bootcamp and you are invited to join me!

This course will show you how to put your BEST foot forward and get more clients to click on your contact form!

Here are the details…

When: May 14, 15, 16 @12pm EST/ 9am PST/ 5pm London

Where: In a closed Facebook group for paid members only

You can watch a replay any time AND I’ll e-mail you the training as well!

Cost: $79 if you register before April 30th at 5pm

Price increases to $89 thru May 7th deadline.

Bonus: The first 5 people to register will receive a FREE website review! This will be a recorded video of your website with tweaks, changes and updates to help you improve engagement and increase your bookings! You can make these changes yourself or share them with your website designer! ($150 value)

Click here to enroll and save your seat!

Click here to enroll and before the doors close!

Tell me more….

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By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Because You’re a Maker

It doesn’t matter if your favorite blog is closing because you are a maker.

And you will make more. You will keep on making until you’re done. Because that’s what makers do.

We design because we love this work.

We take classes and seek out inspiration from other florists we admire because we love to do this work really well.

Click to watch “What does it mean for your business now that Style Me Pretty is closing?”:

It cannot be the end of your marketing plan if your favorite blog closes its doors.

It’s OK to miss it….a lot of people who’ve been devoted fans for many years may miss it.

But you are a maker. You’re the one who makes the content that beautiful blogs want to share. You’ll make more. And more….and more.

Remember: The only thing you own online is your own website!

It’s the only thing you truly control. Instagram, Facebook, just like your favorite blog, can disappear, too, so what’s your plan for when that happens? Where will your best stuff be then?

On your own website, floralpreneurs. That’s where you want to shine.

What to do now: Instead of simply moving those ad-dollars to another online platform, re-invest back into your own business!

Put that ad budget into a website upgrade, take an online course….or attend a workshop….or take the funds and give yourself a raise.

You are your own best representative for your business. You have the power to get that SEO all on your own. The power is in your hands (and inside your computer….aka on your website!).

Keep doing beautiful work!

With love from me to you,

Alison

Click for more:

Website Tips for Florists

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

Overcome your fear of blogging

Have you blogged lately?

If you’ve been participating in my January Blog Challenge I want to say thank you for joining me! If you’ve taken some action I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com and let me know what you’re up to...

This is the final week of the live challenge!

If you haven’t had a chance to join yet Click HERE to get in my FREE Pop-Up Group on Facebook to participate!

I’ll be LIVE at 12pm EST on Tuesday, Jan. 30th for Week 4 of the Blog Challenge!

You don’t need to have a blog yet to sign up!

Remember:

Building an awesome website is an ongoing journey.

Our website is our online storefront.

It’s our first impression.

It tells our story.

(It’s a little piece of our heart.)

And it’s never “done”.

But sharing that piece of our heart can be intimidating.

In fact, it can be so intimidating that some people can’t push through the fear.

And the fear holds them back.

So they can’t shine;

they can’t truly “be their best brand”….because no one can actually see how good they are.

So these brands remain hidden. Their uniqueness is kept a secret.

But we cannot keep our awesome qualities hidden if we want to work with more awesome clients.

We have to show our ideal customers who we are so they can find us.

On Fear & Creativity…

Whether you push through fear on the daily, or sometimes you find that fear holds you back, Click HERE to watch “On Fear & Creativity”; a behind-the-scenes livestream from my private Facebook group for my course, The Art of Good Business.

Enrollment is open for The Art of Good Business.

If you like my website tips and enjoy this blog challenge, I’d be honored to have you to Join me!

Click here for details on the course (and even check out a free sample preview of the course).

A note from Jessica Ormond to the paid members of our private Facebook group:

“Hey everyone! I just have to say this course, Alison’s content works! If you are dragging your feet in applying the materials, just do it! Do whatever little piece you can fit in during wedding season…here’s my story …

I still have website tweaks to make but my ideal client is more clearly defined, I’ve mostly reworked my web copy, have been better about blogging, and more intentional about how I talk to my followers on social media posts.

…just booked as my biggest gig yet, by $3k….”

More from Alison…

I help florists create engaging websites, find ideal clients and build long-lasting brands.

If you’re not sure if one of my courses is right for you please feel free to e-mail me anytime.

I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

With love from me to you,

Alison

Get in touch: floralartvt@gmail.com

Try a free course! CLICK HERE.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

January Blog Challenge

Hey Floralpreneurs! You’re invited to join me in January for a FREE blog challenge.

I’m SO FOCUSED on “doing work” that I make it a point to share my best work on my blog.

Instagram can change its algorithm, Facebook can change it’s policies, but my website, well I OWN that which means my blog is the only thing that’s actually *mine* online.

Blogging is a tried and true way to build a solid business, but it does take practice.

If you’ve been hesitant to start a blog or you’re struggling with what to write or perhaps you simply fell away from your existing blog because you got busy with “other stuff” (like Instagram!), click here to join me in January in my Pop-Up Group on facebook.

It’s free, it will be fun!, and I expect it will help you tune into the voice of your business and your brand in the upcoming year. (Even if you’re still not quite ready to commit to blogging yet!)

Here’s the lineup:
Monday, Jan. 8th: Why a Blog still matters + What to blog about
Wednesday, Jan. 17th: 6 Tips to get you started
Thursday, Jan. 25th: Gaining Traction with SEO
Tuesday, Jan. 30th: Build a better blog

Time: 12-12:30pm EST each week.

This challenge is FREE.
And you don’t have to have a blog (yet) to join!

Can’t join me live?….No problem. Catch a replay in our Pop-Up group after the livestreams.

I’ve been planning ahead even more than usual for 2018 and I hope you are gearing up for what’s to come in the new year as well….

But I also hope you’ll hang your business owner hat by the door and just enjoy some time OFF this holiday season.

You’ve earned it.

What’s the point of working so hard if we don’t make the space to enjoy ourselves outside of work!? Unplug. Tune into loved ones. Be merry.

In January, we’ll start off fresh! Blog challenge begins Monday, January 8th.

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S. If you haven’t grabbed my FREE Website Tips for Florists, click HERE to get ’em.

By Alison Ellis Leave a Comment

The Results Are In: Real Florists Tell Me What They Think

Floralpreneurs were kind enough to share their feedback with me (thank you!) and in my last blog post I shared the #1 Thing florists told me they want to learn (you can read it here). Today I want to share Thing 2; the #2 Thing Florists Need To Learn based on the survey results I received.

Thanks so much to all who took the time to share your thoughts with me! It really does help me to hear your input so that I can work to better tailor my course offerings and free content to meet your needs, struggles and wants. Everything I create is designed to help you better manage your successful and fulfilling small business.

Before I share “Thing #2” florists told me they need to learn, I want to let you in on more of the feedback florists gave me…

I asked: Do you feel confident that your brand is “as good as it can be”?

Real florists said:

“I’m not sure I really even have a brand…“

“I don’t think you can ever stop developing your brand. I need to improve in making my voice come through stronger. I struggle with the thought that I need to sound professional and businesslike while also be personable and show my voice without sounding like it is forced.”

“I am not good at “selling” myself. I have a style that people can immediately identify as my work, however I haven’t been able to translate that at all via website. Of course I haven’t been good at taking photos of work—I’ve done tons of work with really nothing to show for it.”

I think every business owner can relate to these feelings….do I have a business or a brand?…what IS my voice?…I’m good at what I do, but I hate selling “me”.

Good brands are built, not born. It takes time and practice to develop a brand that goes “beyond just a business”.

The #2 Thing Florists Told Me They Want to Learn is “Website stuff”. Only 3% of respondents said they don’t update their own website! If “website stuff” is on your list of things to-do, then you will LOVE the Art of Good Business!

I asked: What made you think the course was NOT right for you…click below to watch!

It’s easy to understand that floralpreneurs expressed skepticism regarding the value of a $999 investment; on the other hand, some were not clear on what I was actually offering…and then, some were hoping they could buy just part of the course…But these are the stats that I found most interesting:

89% of florists told me hands down that the course was out of their budget…

However, only 1 florist said that she already works with her ideal clients, has an awesome website and a stellar client management process!

(And, by the way, I did have at least 2 men fill out my survey as well, so shout out to the guys, too!)

If only 1% of respondents is reaching her ideal clients and crushing it with her business, then it seems to me that florists really do need The Art Of Good Business and the results you can create for yourself once you take action and join my course here.

2 of most frequent answers as to why floralpreneurs did NOT sign up for The Art Of Good Business– #1. it was a busy time of year and #2, I was surprised to learn that most florists said they’d never taken an online course before.

I’d like to address ALL of your concerns regarding time, cost and “busyness” and invite you to 3 new sessions of The Art Of Good Business starting in November, January or March. And because people mentioned price as the #1 roadblock, I’m introducing a 4-payment plan.

Since we’re talking about price…

Think about the investment like this: what it would mean if you booked JUST 1 MORE IDEAL CLIENT after taking my course?……Would you make back your investment in 1 gig? Would it be worth it?

What if you booked 5 more ideal clients? Now, what if you consistently book more and more ideal clients every year from now on?…..what would that be worth?

Whether you missed the boat for the October session or you simply didn’t think it was worth the investment, think about where you are NOW….and consider where you want to be next year….2 years from now….5 years from now……What steps are you going to take to get there? How are you going to transform your business into a long lasting brand?

(I’ve spent almost $2k in online education in the past 3 months…at a time when I was “so busy” I knew I didn’t have time to fully absorb all the info, but I started anyway…and over the next few months I’ll be digging in.) I am not afraid to start before I’m ready….it’s the only reason I am where I am right now.

Being too busy or not having $999 in your budget can be a totally valid reason to not sign up for my course and I understand the feeling–it took a long time for me to decide it was worth the risk to try to figure out how to have a business that was branded and excellent; I had to take a leap and invest in myself if I wanted to move on to the next level with my biz.

I always felt like I had to do everything myself–for years–but I took my first leap on a conference in NYC with Marie Forleo & Danielle LaPorte called Selling Your Soul and I got so much value–so much inspiration–that I’ve been investing in my business education and development every year since.

Don’t wait until “the time is right”…..the time is NEVER right. There is always a holiday, or another project, or an upcoming “big ticket item” that we have to plan for….think about what it would mean if you booked JUST 1 MORE IDEAL CLIENT this my course…….would you make back your investment? Would it be worth it?

While most florists said that they had never taken an online course, of those who’ve taken online courses, over 6% of people had been disappointed in a previous online course they’d purchased.

I’m sorry to hear that and I’ve been there, too. When Flower Math first came out in November 2015 I purchased another pricing course to see how it compared and I was really disappointed in what I saw. Frankly, it was marketed to floral designers, but it wasn’t nearly specific enough and did not properly represent the industry standards on pricing & profits. It was heavily marketed to florists and I bet a lot of business owners bought it and didn’t get their proper value.

Bad courses happen. Your skepticism is warranted.

But if you’ve been burned before, don’t give up hope! I’ve invested in several online courses (admittedly not wedding or floristry related; they were highly vetted business courses) and each of them has majorly helped me to push my business to the next level.

Join the November session HERE. Registration is open Nov. 1-30. Class begins Nov. 6th.

Doors Open for the next session Jan. 1-31.

As always, you can contact me with any questions you may have!

With love from me to you,

Alison

P.S.

When I asked you what you’re most interested in learning or improving, the hands-down response was “Pricing and profitability”. This doesn’t surprise me. My very first course is Flower Math, The Florist’s Guide To Pricing & Profitability, which I created because I know that there are really talented florists out there who still don’t have a firm grasp on how to price their work.

I know how important pricing and profits are to your small business. Since so many of you answered that this is what you’re most interested in learning or improving I’m introducing a 2-payment plan for Flower Math….you can start today if you’re ready.