How to push through discomfort to find new opportunities in floral design.
“The place where your greatest discomfort lies is also where opportunity lives”.
I came across this quote by Robin Sharma recently in a local wedding vendor group discussion. It’s a great reminder that these challenging times are opportunities for new growth both personally and professionally. A positive mindset can be a lot to ask of yourself right now, but it will drive you to seek out the new opportunities in floral design that will propel your business through this period and into the future.
In a 2016 article for Forbes, Sujan Patel wrote, “I can guarantee that scaling and growing a business is going to be a source of discomfort for a lot of entrepreneurs. Change can be a difficult pill to swallow for anyone, especially when the business you started – that’s been operating just fine and growing – suddenly needs to change”.
Did Patel have a crystal ball back then? No, he did not.
He simply understood that sudden change is an integral part of entrepreneurial life.
A part that seems to pop up at the exact moment you’ve settled into a nice routine, when things are finally going smoothly. Yes, the pandemic has thrown a massive curveball to the live events industry. It’s not the first sudden change the floral industry has faced and it won’t be the last. So, how do you push through this period of discomfort and find opportunities for your business? How can you use this experience to better prepare for the future?
Patel’s Forbes article offers insights into how experiencing completely new experiences can fuel your creative spark and ignite opportunities for growth. I know you’ll agree that this pandemic is a completely new experience. Consequently, it’s important to address your discomfort and work through the challenges you face as a small business owner.
You are an entrepreneur. Now is the time for you to solidify a positive mindset within yourself that will facilitate growth for the long-term.
Change is an always-to-be-expected condition. In my experience with floral design, there is an ebb and flow to the industry. The world of floral design experiences an influx when the economy is booming and new businesses enter the market and a cyclical downturn when there is a decline that results in the phasing out of some businesses. However, there is a new uncertainty about how long recovery will take and that depends on how communities work together to limit exposure to the virus. There’s been conflicting information about re-opening the economy. That is causing confusion and uncertainty for consumers. For you as a small business owner, these uncertainties are added stressors. Which makes it even more imperative to keep a level head, concentrate on customer service, and learn all you can from the developments within and outside of the floral design industry.
You can use these developments to offer an advantage to your clients by adapting trends and new technologies that work for your business.
I’ve been observing and absorbing the trends of the floral and wedding industries. I hope some of my insights will help to inspire and guide you in a positive and profitable direction.
One of the biggest trends I’m seeing is a focus on prioritization that is manifesting itself in 3 different ways.
A key trend I’m seeing right now is prioritizing what works specifically for your business.
Pandemic or not, knowledge of your core values is worth your time and effort. There is a wealth of niche opportunities in the floral design industry. When you find what works for you stick with it. The trendiest word of the year is pivot. However, that’s much easier said than done for small businesses.
Creating new opportunities for your business is valuable and important, but please don’t just pivot for the sake of pivoting.
If a strategy doesn’t line up with your ideals and core values, it probably isn’t going to work for you in the long run. Trial and error will always play a role in small business. So, don’t be afraid to try new things, just make sure they align with your values first. To do that you must understand your values. You also need a clear understanding of how you service your customer with those values.
Across the board everyone must prioritize safety first.
Clients, business owners and collaborating vendors all need to work together on this especially when it comes to live events. Prioritizing health and hygiene will be important going forward. Check out the Event Safety Alliance re-opening guide for more information here.
This means you should be establishing policies today on how your business will handle any situations that arise related to illness for you, your staff or your clients.
It’s important to have a business continuity plan in case of emergency. Always be prepared for a situation where you are unable to run your business. All the key details must be well documented so your business can run without you if that need arises. If you don’t have a plan like this in place yet, it’s time to create one.
The last piece of the prioritization trend is self-care.
A huge piece of this is managing feelings like being overwhelmed or lacking motivation during this difficult period. It’s imperative to take time to care for yourself. Also to care for those around you who risk their health to make your team successful. A positive and empathetic mindset will go a long way towards managing your business through these coming months. Although as a business owner you may feel you must power through with no breaks, it’s also key to allow yourself time to relax and express your feelings in constructive ways. This ties directly into knowing your core values and being able to say no to the opportunities that do not fit with your goals. You know this movement isn’t exactly new, but it is taking a front seat in the floral industry today.
Another key trend emerging from the pandemic is flexibility.
Flexibility is and will continue to be a trending aspect when it comes to booking events and managing clients. Currently that’s because of the lockdowns and limitations on gathering sizes, but going forward it will stick around because people want to feel control over their wallets. This trend has morphed into offering flexible bookings, flexible delivery and pick up options, and will give life to hybrid offerings that we haven’t even invented yet!
You can use this flexibility trend to try new innovative ideas for your business.
For example, job security is in question right now for many potential clients and that will continue to trend for a while. This will undoubtedly result in a hesitation to book wedding services. So, consider how to make the booking experience more enjoyable for them with flexible options. Supporting clients in any way you can will place your customer service above others who do not prioritize a customer-centric mindset.
Weddings and events have some major trends shifting the direction of the floral industry.
Small intimate wedding packages are currently flooding social media for good reason. I think many couples will embrace the concept of a small intimate wedding. As a floral designer, you must take the opportunity to find ways to embellish the details of small gatherings going forward. Beauty is in the details and these intimate events will surely have opportunities for embellishment and can be profitable for florists too!
Small weddings offer opportunities for clients to spend more money per centerpiece since there are fewer tables. There can also be more of a focus on premium blooms for the bouquets, installations and centerpieces.
The key is to develop focal points for each individual client. You’ll need to dedicate time with each client to determine what aspects of the event excite them the most. Then, sell them on how embellishing those areas with beautiful floral installations can heighten their overall wedding experience.
Private property will become more popular for weddings because it offers more freedom for clients to decide on the safety procedures for their individual event. Backyard weddings tie in well to being smaller affairs and are clearly more flexible with scheduling as well. This trend and direction will play into both your safety protocols and the ability to become more creative with how to increase floral spending on small events.
Another trend in weddings will be couples having multiple events to celebrate in a safe way.
This can become a string of opportunities for floral designers who offer a bouquet and boutonniere for the ceremony and offerings for future receptions.
Also, sending flowers as a special gift to elderly or immune compromised family members who cannot attend the wedding celebration is gaining in popularity as well. You can easily offer this to all potential wedding clients as an add-on.
A final interesting wedding trend I’ve observed recently is focused on how couples can accommodate all of their invited guests. Larger weddings are now staggering their guests’ arrival and departure in shifts to allow for social distancing during receptions.
Of course, technology will play a large role going forward.
New technology will emerge for social distancing and hybrid virtual/ in-person events. This pandemic will be the origin of many new technological advances and some of those are bound to update and improve our industry. I’ve seen wearable Bluetooth social distancing devices, contact tracing applications and more. I’m excited to see what types of developments will emerge soon and I’ll be sure to keep you updated on what I discover.
New technology has also brought online sales opportunities mainstream. Zoom floral design tutorials that accompany the purchase of grower’s bunches are taking off!
All-inclusive micro-wedding packages have become popular offerings online as well. I know there will be an abundance of new opportunities in this area coming soon!
Tighter B2B budgets will be trending for the foreseeable future.
Business budgets will be reduced and for floral companies who focus on hotel, catering and corporate events these reductions will change the course of events going forward.B2B clients will be cutting back and overhead will be cut. This is a good practical reminder to keep your overhead as low as possible. Space can always be rented out. Trucks and vans can be rented on an as needed basis as well. This also allows for more financial flexibility in the more important employee training and operations aspects of your business. A focus on your core values and customer service will always keep you on track.
In a recent study, Botanical Brouhaha found that floral shop/studio space was the least important factor for couples when choosing a florist for their wedding. It came in last place as you can see in the graph below. This shows us that spending money on improving your team’s customer service, design skills, and client budgeting management will result in a higher return on investment than dollars spent on studio space alone. Using useful industry information like the Botanical Brouhaha study to prioritize your spending and confirm your core values can prove beneficial in the long-term.
What led you to hire the florist you chose for your wedding? (choose all that apply)
floral design traits to drive profits from customers
Retail floral delivery is booming.
Floral shops with delivery-focused businesses are reporting huge increases in sales. Mother’s Day 2020, with restaurants being closed and social distancing enforced, became the year of sending flowers to mom. I called several flower shops in Florida to order flowers for my mother-in-law and aunt. They were all booked solid. I spoke with my local wholesaler who completely sold out of flowers the day before the holiday. That has never happened before. A floral designer friend near Houston told me that all of her wholesalers were sold out too. It was a first.
A great way for customers to express their feelings in a socially distant way is through flowers.
They are not quite as profitable as large weddings, but they are happening. They are trending upwards and are a source of income for florists around the country. I don’t see this slowing down anytime soon. Do you offer retail floral arrangements through your business? I’d love to know if your sales are up and by how much. Leave me a note in the comments below!
Another positive trend I’ve seen is record sales for flower farmers.
Flower farmers are also starting to design florals to help their customers for the first time. Will the flower farmer/florist concept continue to grow? Yes, I think so. The sustainable floral movement is here to stay. Younger generations are taking a liking to locally grown floral subscription services. Every farmer/florist can be earning income by selling their own subscriptions. More floral designers are delving into flower farming each year. This movement has potential to become a much larger segment of the floral industry in the future.
And finally, a supportive and positive floral design network is the most hopeful trend I’ve seen lately.
Many floral design communities have rallied together to support each other. They are motivating each other to push through the discomfort and find opportunities ahead.
Those are some of the current trends I’ve seen in the floral industry. Have you seen any that you’d like to share with our floral design community? Please share in the comment section below.
And remember, as Gail Sheehy once wrote, “If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living”.
Until next time,
LuAnn
