Real Flower Business

Education and Business Training for Floral Designers.

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Running A Floral Business

As a floralpreneur® who’s been running my wedding-based business for over 19 years, I know that there isn’t 1 right way to become a successful florist and everyone’s road looks a little bit different. Running a floral business–or any business for that matter–isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s hard work. There’s risk and uncertainty. And owners are often overworked and underpaid when they’re just starting out. But business savvy florists build businesses they love.

I’ve worked hard over these last 2 decades to create a business that I love. It suits my life and allows me to feel creative and turn a profit. I enjoy my business and my life because I set my goals with intention and develop reliable steps that streamline my workflow.

I love my customers, I consistently turn a profit, and I design work I’m proud to deliver.

That’s how I measure success. What does success look like to you?

Here’s a breakdown of what it takes to run a successful floral design business (see infographic below):

It’s not easy to grow a business when you’re on your own.

That’s why I founded a free Facebook community, Real Flower Business with Alison Ellis, 5 years ago, so that I could share some of the systems I’ve created and the lessons I’ve learned to help encourage and reassure floralpreneurs who are on your own floral journey, still carving a niche and finding your leadership role.

When I realized it was the group’s 5th anniversary, it felt like something to celebrate! There’s no other group that nurtures florists’ success quite like this one. I’m so honored to be a part of this community that includes highly experienced florist, aspiring floral designers, wholesalers, farmer-florists and home-studio side-hustlers who are dedicated to lifelong learning and sharing with their peers.

It’s a privilege to be part of a community that’s been growing together for 5 years! If you’re not already a member of my free group, click here to join and make sure to answer the questions for speedy approval.

I Can Take You Further. Take Another Step With Me:

If you’re a florist who wants to book more weddings, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. You can eliminate price shoppers and book customers more quickly by employing a few simple and proven strategies I teach in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients. You can get access to my tried-and-true booking shortcuts, as I walk through The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients by joining me as a Patreon member (click here to join!).

I’ve been booking weddings for 19 years and I’ve been perfecting my booking systems all along the way. When you join me as a Patreon Member you get the most up-close-and-personal access to me and my booking process.

Plus you can “Ask Alison Anything”. I’ll answer your question and probably even turn it into a video lesson so that you can watch or rewatch anytime you want. You can send a private message so your questions remain confidential. This Patreon membership allows me to answer your specific questions in depth.

Seriously, it’s like an all-you-can-eat buffet of booking and branding tips starting at just $3!

Here’s just some of what you’ll unlock as soon as you become a Patreon Member:

  • How I booked 3 new clients in 1 week
  • Wedding Week Prep: See my entire week’s prep in 15 minutes
  • How to Handle Price Increases and Flower Substitutions
  • Foam Free Floral Arbor Recipe & Profit Breakdown
  • How many revisions do you make to a proposal?
  • Should Florists Charge for Proposals?
  • Tips on Sending a Non-itemized Proposal
  • Walk through a customer’s Inspiration board and then, see what I made in real life
  • #1 Tip To Stop Writing Quotes For Clients Who Cannot Afford You

Join Real Flower Business as a Patreon Member today!

Patreon truly is like a buffet of booking and brand building tips, but you can choose the membership tier that works best for you.

Breakdown of Patreon Membership Levels:

  • The most popular membership is the Marketing Maven Tier at $29. You get access to every single lesson ever posted, plus a Transcript of a Real Wedding Consultation so you can be a fly on the wall for an initial call, plus monthly blog and social media prompts to help you post with intention and attract the best clients. Marketing Mavens get 5 Blog and Instagram prompts on the first Monday of every month!

 

  • Consultation Closer at the $19 Level get access to everything in the above tier, minus the monthly branding prompts.Patreon Members at this level can also access:
    • A Transcript of a Wedding Consultation
    • Over a dozen videos on the 3 Keys to Booking
    • 5 Website & Branding Tips
    • Build your dream into a business plan: LIVE session replay
    • Blog Challenge (Days 1 & 2 PLUS Workbooks)
    • Tips on Creativity & Discipline
    • Replay: Live Chat on Setting Minimums

 

  • Members in the Booking Basics Level at $9 can access over a dozen video lessons in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, and access all new monthly lessons.

 

  • For just $3 Floralpreneur® Foundation Subscribers can access the first 3 videos in The 3 Keys to Booking Great Clients Series, plus you get limited-time access to new monthly behind-the-scenes lessons.
A few notes:
  • You can upgrade or downgrade your subscription at any time and there is no obligation, so you can cancel any time.
  • New members are billed on the day you sign up and then on the first day of each month moving forward.
  • When new lessons are posted, you’ll get an e-mail notification so you can click over to check it out and there’s even a mobile app for easy access to your Patreon feed from anywhere.

Whether you join me as a Patreon supporter or you continue to partake in my free resources here on my blog or over in my Facebook group, on YouTube or Instagram, thanks for being on this floral journey with me!

Keep doing beautiful work!

xo. -Alison

Learn More About Alison:

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Proposal Writing Tips for Florists

Do you spend too much time writing proposals before a client books?

HERE’S THE TRUTH…

I know that many florists are STILL giving away TOO MUCH DETAIL in your initial quote:
  • Pictures on every line item = Too much detail
  • Descriptions of what’s in every bouquet = Too much detail
  • 3 Pages of financial breakdowns on labor, supplies and taxes = Too much detail
Too much detail doesn’t just waste your time and energy, but it’s a turn off for potential clients as well!
Click below to watch a replay  of my livestream with 3 Tips on Writing Proposals Quickly!

Takeaways from today’s chat:

  • Schedule the time to start writing the quote.
  • Use a template. Don’t start from scratch. (However, consider how much information is too much?)
  • Set an expiration date. (Click here for more on this: Should you set an expiration date?)
  • See additional resources below to help you book clients more quickly!

Today’s chat was inspired by a question that was asked in my Facebook group last week: Does anyone outsource their proposals?

I know that writing proposals can be a chore, but a good proposal is what helps you CLOSE THE SALE and that’s why it’s important to manage that “in house”!

Last week, I wrote 3 proposals and booked all 3 new clients! (2 of them accepted my quote within 5 minutes of receiving it! The other booked within 1 day.)

Then, this week, I got 2 new inquiries, sent out both proposals and already got another “yes” in less than 24 hours!

So whether it’s you (the owner) writing the proposal or a trusted employee, it’s part of your sales process and you should have systems in place for getting it done quickly.

I hope today’s tips are helpful to you the next time you sit down to write a proposal for a new client!

xo. -Alison

Additional Resources

Want direct answers to your questions on booking clients and closing the sale?

Become a Patreon Member HERE to get the 3 Key To Booking Great Clients.

As soon as you join you’ll get instant access to ask me anything plus dozens of my best behind-the-scenes booking strategies.

It’s like an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet of tips to close more sales and lead the client to “yes”.

You’ll get my best booking strategies including:

  • All the steps I take before booking a wedding
  • How to prescreen with a phone consultation (Including a transcript of a REAL consultation so you can be like a fly on the wall!)
  • Up close and personal tutorials on booking GREAT clients
  • Answers to your questions–I create monthly lessons that answer YOUR specific questions

It all takes place inside my Patreon membership where I offer multiple tiers of access starting at just $3. The higher the tier, the more that comes with it, of course. You can choose what works best for your business goals and budget and can cancel anytime. There is no commitment when you sign up!

Learn more HERE!

Want to see how I write wedding proposals without sharing too much detail?

How To Write Proposals That Sell is a downloadable pdf that shows you how I write wedding proposals and book clients within 7-10 days.

*Plus you’ll get 2 Bonus Videos that show you:

  • 3 Quick & Easy Ways To Make Mood Boards…
  • How I Present A Quote Without Coming In Over Budget…

This course walks you through my booking process, so that you can build a wedding proposal without giving away too much detail before you’re under deposit.

Testimonial:

“I have been hating proposals for five years now because I put so much work and detail into them. Your templates have inspired me to just simplify and I love it!”  

-Allison Schrade

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Should Florists Charge for Proposals?

A question I’ve seen florists ask more often than usual this year is: Should I charge for proposals?

This is a BIG question and there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, but in today’s livestream I tackle some of the things you’ll want to consider before implementing a new proposal fee. Click to watch!

A few key points to consider:

[Read more…]

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6 Week Coaching For Florists

How can I take my floral business to the next level?

Floralpreneur® Fastrack is a 6-week private coaching course with Alison Ellis designed to help you maximize your branding potential and reach the best clients.

It’s not enough to be a talented floral designer, you have to know how to attract clients, close the sale and turn a profit to truly succeed in business!

I’ve been asked for private coaching packages this year and while the word “package” never felt quite right, I developed a custom coaching course for a few floral designers recently that I’m certain can help you in your floral business, too….so now I’m rolling out this unique opportunity to work 1:1 with me for up to 2 designers per month.

There has arguably never been a better time to buckle down and get to work on your branding and marketing, but you can get there a lot faster with my Floralpreneur® Fastrack Program! (Fill out the Inquiry Form below!)

While it can be tempting to keep doing the same thing you’ve been doing, here are some actions I suggest you take if you want to take your business to the next level:

  • Create a more compelling story for your About page.
  • Streamline your contact form and intake process to help lead clients to “yes”.
  • Get A Social Media Strategy! Blogging, pinning and sharing to IG so you’re posting on all the platforms where your clients are looking for you.
  • Update your website so it reflects your brand’s story and unique awesomeness.
  • Add more of your own voice to your sales copy.

This may sound like a lot of work, but together, we can make it a lot easier! I can help you with all of the above!

Scroll through this survey below to get in touch and find out if this program is a good fit for you and your business! It’ll just take a moment!

 

Create your own user feedback survey

 

Want more details? You’ll find pricing and interest free payment plan options if ya scroll on down….

Here’s what a custom coaching package looks like:

  • Three 1:1 Calls with Alison: 1. Initial call to get acquainted & set agenda (45-minutes), 2. Brand Story and Website “stuff” (90-minutes), 3. Sales Coaching & Consultations (up to 90-minutes). ($750)
  • Website Review: I’ll create a custom screenflow to help you quickly improve your website with some key tweaks, changes and edits that you can make asap. This recorded private video allows you to watch, pause, take notes, make changes, and repeat! ($195)
  • Write/Edit Sales Copy for: Home page, About, Testimonials, Contact Form, and 2 Additional Pages or Blog Posts (you’ll write them, I’ll edit and help punch them up!). ($1,000)

Plus you’ll get these Bonuses:

  • 6 months worth of weekly Blog Post Prompts/Social Media topics that you can write about to help develop your brand’s voice. (30 Prompts/$50 value for free!)
  • How To Write Proposals That Sell pdf with a behind-the-scenes look at how I create free mood boards & 3 Ways I Present Pricing In Proposals. ($99 value at no charge!)
  • Real Life Transcript Of A Phone Consultation. ($50 value at no charge!)
  • Online Toolkit with additional lessons and tutorials on how to improve your marketing & attract the best clients on your private dashboard at realflowerbusiness.com ($300+)

This sounds great! Sign me up…

You can join my Floralpreneur® Fastrack for $1,800 (you’ll save $600 Off)!

  • The total price for the custom coaching and website revamp comes to over $2,400 with the bonus prompts, transcript and proposal training.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, we can do an interest free payment plan! Take advantage of an 8-month payment plan or 12-month payment plan.

That’s $225/8 months or $150/12 months and zero interest.

Prefer to pay upfront?

You can save an additional $300 OFF with a one-time payment of $1,500 HERE. (That’s $900 in savings!)

Later on:

  • If you feel like you need more 1:1 time with me you can add on an additional call at another time for $200 if you’d like. 6 months from now, or whenever you’d like a check-in if needed.

If you’re not sure if this coaching program is right for you, you can reach out anytime! Just shoot me an e-mail at floralartvt@gmail.com

And hey, if you’re not comfortable answering the survey questions above or shooting me an e-mail, then you’re definitely not ready to join me in this coaching program!

Before you buy a course or hire a coach ask if they have the qualities of a great mentor:

  1. Is this person getting amazing results in their business?
  2. Do they get those outcomes by doing what they teach?
  3. Are their clients getting amazing results, too?
  4. Are they willing to share real numbers?
  5. Is there real support and real accountability that comes along with this purchase?
  6. Will this information shorten my learning curve?

The answers should be “yes” to all of the above.

Ready to sign up? Click here to make 1 payment of $1,500 and save $900 today!

Want to learn more about Alison? Click here!

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