A new blog. For Florists. That's not about Design.
Do you feel weighed down by the business of floral design?
It's ok to say yes. If that's how you feel sometimes.
I did, especially early in my career. I felt that sinking feeling when a customer would complain about how long their flowers lasted. Even though I knew for a fact those flowers lasted over two weeks! I often felt defeated because 1% of my customers made me feel like I was simply not good enough. I struggled with balancing my customers' wants and their budgets. Customers pushed back on prices and delivery fees. I was struggling to become a profitable floral design business and making mistakes. I was learning the hard way that this industry is not for the faint of heart. But what exactly is the hard way? I pushed myself to learn the hell that is QuickBooks. It was a battle to keep flowers and employees from meltdown at outdoor weddings! What's more, I spent many late nights creating proposals, ordering flowers, and managing my workflow.
And on top of that, I was spending tons of time searching online for specific business tips for floral designers to help me make sense of it all. But, then it dawned on me I was making things so much harder than they needed to be. I decided to care as much for the business side of my world as I did about the artistic floral design side. With this intention, everything changed. I started to put into place real policies and force myself to enjoy the challenges of making my customers' dreams come true while keeping to their ideal budget. That simple realization was my pivot point. I'm going to show you how I did it. So you can too!
A peek inside my retail storefront at Verbena Floral Design in Austin, TX - circa 2009
You can learn from my mistakes to maximize your potential as a floral designer and business owner.
Let me walk you through what can you expect from my new blog Profitable Floral Design.
Stick with me here because I know these are pain points we can agree on as floral designers.
Focus on profitability and pricing strategy
My posts will focus on profitability through effective pricing strategies. I'll discuss how to markup your flowers and hard goods. How to account for labor and delivery time. And on top of that, how to increase the perceived value which is key to customer satisfaction!
Focus on a customer-centric mindset
I’ll also focus on helping you build a customer-centric mindset. This is huge because the floral business is all about how to find and solve your customers' problems. How can you think strategically to find a solution that benefits them and is the most profitable for you? We're going to talk about it here.
Once you've embraced that mentality your customers will be delighted. You'll learn how to use it to your advantage. It's called user generated content and we're going to make it work in our favor. I'll be covering negative customer feedback too. But that's not all, I’ll show you how to shock those complaints with a dose of calm and empathy! How awesome is that?
Focus on communication and education
I'll also discuss open communication with your customer. Just being honest is a victory, am I right? It creates a bond with your client that goes deep. I'll teach you how to harness that power and use it to increase sales and profitability with no advertising budget at all. This goes hand in hand with educating your customer. I'll discuss the value of teaching your customer about floral design, cost, labor, and sourcing flowers. Work in public and share your process. It's a powerful concept that draws clients to your brand. I'll cover that too!
Focus on leadership and teamwork
Last but not least is your crew. They keep the business alive, but they can certainly bring the drama sometimes! Being a boss is hard, isn't it? I'll cover topics that include offering clarity, honesty, commitment, respect, and standing up for your team. All the floral design business leaders I've ever met struggle with this one, so you are not alone. We are going to figure it out together, how does that sound?
No less than 100% concentration while fluffing a centerpiece!
So, what results can you expect as a reader of Profitable Floral Design?
The challenges you face as a small business owner or independent floral designer are legitimate. Coupled with the current COVID-19 pandemic, it's even more challenging. Customers are unsure of the future. No one knows how the ongoing pandemic will unfold. As shutdowns cause financial strain, it's important to stay positive and focus on what we can control. I'll discuss how we can motivate customers to shop locally first. Thereby, keeping money close to home and building lasting relationships.
To sum it up, I plan to cover the tough topics about your business mindset. These include firming up your pricing strategy, educating and communicating clearly, and bringing the most perceived value to every customer. I want to help you think strategically, enjoy the business side of floral design, and focus on the long-term. Lastly, I know we can tackle the issues of working relationships because they can affect your profits greatly.
Do you want to ignite, or re-ignite your passion for business?
Then read along! Sign up below to receive an email when I share a new post! Let's take the craft of artistic floral design up a few notches and run smart businesses.
My dream is for this community of floral designers to find unexpected ways we can learn from each other. With this in mind, I invite you to comment and discuss the topics posted here in a constructive way. I'd also love to hear from you. You can contact me through the contact form on this website or you can reach out to me on Instagram @everystem_ with questions, comments, or your topic ideas anytime!
Until next time,
LuAnn