Toxic Positivity In Business

Hey Floralpreneur®, I have to be really honest about something that’s been bugging me lately. I keep seeing a lot of influencers and educators who are pushing toxic positivity & basically gaslighting us–”us” being floral designers and small business owners– so I want to lay out some things that I will NEVER do:

I will NOT tell you that a slow sales year in your business is an AMAZING opportunity and you should look on the bright side–

Because while there CAN be opportunities in the slower times to refocus your efforts on activities that actually help increase your sales, I know it feels like a gut punch when you have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and employees who are counting on you!

What your business actually needs is a plan to generate more sales, not just a positive attitude to embrace the slump (as you organize your ribbon rack and try to manifest more customers).

Another thing I will NOT tell you is that just spending more time on social media doing Reels is the answer to all of your problems!

If you’re already overwhelmed by the amount of time & attention that social media demands from you NOW, is spending more time on these platforms really the right move?

(Even though Instagram Reels are what Instagram WANTS you to do to keep their platform relevant, that doesn’t guarantee you new paying customers this week, this month, or even this year!)

These “tips” may sound “optimistic and on-trend”, but oftentimes they end up making you feel worse because neither of the above are an actual strategy to increase your sales ASAP.

So if you happen to be questioning yourself lately in the face of these sorts of “positively unhelpful pleasantries”, that’s because they’re lightweight fluff at best and manipulative at worst.

Before you question yourself, question the source of the advice!

Remember that I’m a REAL florist just like you!

I’ve been doing wedding flowers since 2002 and frankly, my sales projections are down this year, too. And while I’ve learned to keep my chin up and I’m hopeful to book a few more great weddings this year, it’s still genuinely frustrating to see this dip in my sales and income!

Since I didn’t come here to just rant, here’s what I WILL promise you:

You can count on me for proven, honest business strategies based on over 30 years of working as a florist and over 20 years of owning my own home-studio design business.

That’s it. Just the facts.

Because puffing you up to say, “You’ve got this” isn’t enough to make a meaningful difference in your business and your life–and what I teach is meant to help change your mindset, your strategy and your income for the better!

I don’t just sell templates on auto-pilot.

I didn’t create realflowerbusiness.com to be a “passive income stream”.

I am VERY sincerely & actively here to provide support, answer your questions or even meet privately for 1:1 coaching if you need it.

Anytime you have a question about your business or what your next steps should be in your business, please feel free to get in touch.

Thanks for making time to read my mini-rant today. I’m rooting for you and your business–especially if it feels like an off year.

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison Ellis

P.S. Did you catch my live chat on “What Do You Offer?” In 25 minutes or less you can get some clarity around what you are offering JUST IN TIME to get some more sales for Valentine’s Day! Click to watch now!

By Alison Ellis

5 Steps To Book More Weddings

How Can Florists Book Weddings In Less Time With Less Stress?

I taught a live training last week on the 5 Steps To Book Weddings More Quickly to help wedding florists streamline their current sales process so you can save yourself time (and sanity) when you’re investing energy in writing a proposal for a client!

I got some great feedback on the training and I want to share a few really important takeaways with you today!

Click below to watch a few of the tips I want to highlight for you.

Want To Get Access To All 5 Steps To Booking In The Replay?

Click To Learn More!

The first step to booking a wedding starts here! Click to watch this 1 minute clip now!

Learn 2 of the biggest mistakes florists make BEFORE even booking a client when you click to watch below!

Click below to watch the MOST important step to stop clients from ghosting!

One important thing to know is that none of what I teach is fluff or theory.

Everything I share with you is tested and proven–it’s not a magic trick to book great clients, but after 22 seasons of booking weddings, there is a clear sales process to follow to make sure you’re leading clients from initial inquiry all the way through to deposit! And if you need practical tips that work, I’m here to help!

Want to get the full 90-minute training plus the Q&A? Grab it now!

Yes, I want the 5 Steps!

By Alison Ellis

Pricing Weddings For Profit

The Mayesh Fall Flower Festival took place on Aug. 22, 2023 and Alison was invited to talk about Pricing Weddings for Profit! Watch below or listen wherever you get your podcasts! And THEN, join me for the Pricing Chat for Florists on Sept. 12! (Click Here to Sign Up!)

Catch a 1-hour Replay of the conversation between Yvonne and Alison on how to price for profit and how to handle substitutions.

Questions included:

How do you ensure a profitable wedding?
How do we make sure we aren’t overbuying?
Do you recommend padding the order to cover possible flower issues?
Should florists set a minimum?

Pricing for profit should not be a mystery in your floral design business!

If you have additional pricing questions for me, make sure to CLICK HERE to sign up for the Free Pricing Chat for Florists on Sept. 12th!

I’ll see you there!

xo. -Alison Ellis

Here’s a quick recap of the all day lineup from the Virtual Festival:

They kicked off the day with an autumnal design demo & discussion with Gilberto Espinoza of Dogwood & Fir to answer your design questions.
Next, David Dahlson has pulled together a great bounty of fall blooms to share with you, followed with a mayesh.com PreBook demo from Jaimie Cosgrove.
To wrap up the day, Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business shared tips for pricing for profit to ensure a successful wedding season! Catch that replay right now above!

By Alison Ellis

Floral Designer Q&A

I received some great questions from florists in my Facebook group this month, and I’m going to address them in a LIVE Q&A Session on Wednesday, May 31st, at 11am Eastern/ 8am Pacific and I would LOVE to see you there!

Click here for a link to a replay of the live Floralpreneur® Q&A!

From how I leveraged local restaurant accounts and built my business on bud vases, to tips for pricing something you’ve never made before, to those the renewed requests for lily of the valley bouquets–I have a few questions on my list–but florists who join live can ask me anything!

We’re talking about what’s on your mind right now!

I hope you’re having a great day wherever you may be in the world and I’ll see you in the replay!

With love from me to you,

Alison Ellis

Find A Full Course List Here

By Alison Ellis

Floralpreneur® Workshop for Florists and Farmers

Have you ever taught a floral design workshop?

In April 2023, I hosted my first live workshop for floral designers and farmer florists along with my friends, Françoise Weeks and Phebe Robinson Higgins, and I have to tell you it was a fantastic collaboration of creativity and business minds! From business strategies to botanical jewelry and foam free floral design techniques, attendees walked away ready to implement new tips and techniques to propel their businesses forward.

It was an excellent floral design workshop! See what florists said at the bottom of this post! In fact, it was so much fun that we’re already planning the next one for April 2024! Get on the notification list!

I never hosted a workshop before, but when Françoise Weeks asked me if I’d like to teach a workshop with her my immediate reply was, “Yes!…I know the perfect venue, and I know who should invite to teach with us!”

Within a few days, we had our teaching team in place and the BEST venue to host the first Floralpreneur® Workshop at The Round Barn in Waitsfield, Vermont.

Isora Lithgow Creations helped document Day 2 and she captured this beautiful group of flower loving humans so perfectly it is an honor to get to share them with you.

Here’s a recap from the Floralpreneur® Workshop:

Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business (that’s me!), Phebe Robinson-Higgins of Popped with Phebe, and world renowned designer, Françoise Weeks, taught a 2-Day Hands-On Workshop for Floral Designers and Farmer-Florists on Foam Free Woodland Designs, Pricing and Booking Strategies, and How To Run A Successful Pop-Up Shop.

Floral designers joined us from Canada, Vermont, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, & Virginia and we had such a wonderful time. I can’t say enough about the floral designers who decided to join us–they were a beautiful bunch of humans. (You can see a group shot at the end of this post!)

Françoise taught foam free woodland designs as well as botanical jewelry. My favorite thing about doing a workshop with Françoise is that no two designs are alike. Every student’s work is unique! You can see some of the beautiful wearables that Robin of Wild Thing Flower Farm created (as well as her lovely smiling face!) below.

Phebe shared her insights on running a successful Pop-Up Shop and how to parlay that into a larger marketing opportunity. She shared so many nuggets of wisdom and even set up a sample display featuring roses courtesy of Rosaprima Roses so florists could walk through the entire customer experience.

As a business coach, my focus is always on profitability and practical business strategies, and I took this opportunity to teach Flower Math Formulas and 5 Steps To Book A Wedding to show exactly how I lead customers through a sale. It was so much fun to teach live and get to answer all the questions in real time!

There was so much to love as I flipped through these photos and remembered our time together and all of these smiles are at the top of my list! Talking business really can be a good time!

Everyone gathered around to see some of the tech Phebe uses to send out quotes. She did not hold back on the tips! Next year, Phebe will share even more marketing ideas and techy touches florists can use in their business.

Isora got a group photo before the end of the day–I told you we were a beautiful bunch! It was such a great time, we’re doing it again next year! Details will be coming very soon! Click here to get on the notification list.

Special thanks again to Isora Lithgow Creations, Nick from 802 Events, Sheryl of Thistle and Bone Floral for all the invaluable help, Walt at Mountain Flower Farm for the pussy willow branches, Rosaprima Roses and our incredible venue, The Round Barn.

This was an experience I will never forget. I’ll have to do a part 2 post with more images of the students’ work…so stay tuned.

xo. -Alison Ellis

What did florists say about the workshop?…

“This workshop breathed life into my business practices, creativity, and proposals. The instructors were motivating, generous, and organized. A total success!”

“Amazing instructors, Alison created an unforgettable experience!”

“…wonderful food, venue, detailed planning involved and learned far more than what I thought I would!”

“I loved how welcoming every student and educator was, how everyone was not only willing but eager to share with each other and how very supportive the environment was. I was slightly intimidated signing up (because compared to the others I am very new to the field) but from my initial call with Alison through to the final dinner, I felt included and supported but all (sounds like a Hallmark card) but honestly it was a great experience.”

“Rejuvenating energy and creativity!”

“Everything is taken care of! You just have to show up and everything is provided. It was nice not to have to think about what we were doing next, eating, etc. It was just all there.”