blog post ideas to maximise profit in your flower business

Maximise Profit in Your Flower Business – 8 Tips

Let’s talk about makin’ money!! In fact, let’s talk about how to make more money in your flower business. Here are 8 ideas to help you maximise profit in your flower business.

WHAT IS PROFIT?

First things, first, let’s all agree on a definition of “profit”, can we?

There are a few different ways to define profit, but for simplicity, I’m going to define it as follow: 

Profit = the money left over after you’ve paid all the bills.

In most cases, profit is defined over a timeframe – you could define it over a week, a quarter, a year, or you can evaluate it on a per-project basis.

Let’s get into a real-world example, with the last design project you did, you’ve got bills from growers, invoices from suppliers, labour costs as well as operational costs (petrol, insurance, rent, heat, electricity, etc.).

Once you pay all those invoices, there should still be money left in your bank account (this includes after you pay yourself).

Most florists are gobsmacked to realise they’re barely breaking even. If that’s you, you’re in exactly the right place! 

Getting a handle on your numbers and learning to evaluate your profitability regularly is so helpful!

I know it’s super scary and intimidating at first, but it gets easier! 

Know this: getting comfortable reviewing your profitability is incredibly powerful. That's why I've put together these tips to help you maximise profit in your flower business.

This isn’t about using your numbers as an opportunity for your inner critic to come in and judge, ridicule and beat you up (more than usual).  

Treat this as a science experiment. A pure fact-finding mission. 

Look back at your last project. Maybe you way overspent on ingredients for the event. Or maybe you miscalculated how many freelancer hours you needed.

That’s OK.

Don’t stress. Don’t beat yourself. Don’t dwell on what went wrong.

“When you know better, you do better.”

Maya Angelou

I have lived by this mantra for years and it has served me so well in my flower business. Beating yourself isn’t going to help you move forward. Let that sh*t go, friend. Instead, make notes of what you would do differently next time… and then do it differently.

The best way to improve your numbers is to know your numbers. Once you know your numbers, you can take action to change them, to always improve.

Now, with all that said, here are 8 ideas to maximise profit in your flower business:

IDEA #1 – REVIEW YOUR PRICING

And do it today. I spent far too long putting this one off when the reality is, there is no reason to hold off. Just go in there and update it straight away. And no, you don’t need to gradually increase your prices. Embrace the discomfort, peoples! Don’t dilly dally. (Need help? Check out this recent blog post How to Price a Bouquet.)

IDEA #2 – KNOW YOUR COSTS

When I first started, I had no idea what was involved in running a flower business. Just becoming aware of money in, money out is helpful because that increased awareness will help you measure your progress. You will feel more in control and have a more complete picture of what’s happening (rather than just hoping you have money in your account to pay for the next bill that comes in your inbox).

Your homework: how much money does it take for you to just have your business “open”? Grab a worksheet and add up your rent, insurance, website hosting, accounting software, electricity, water, internet, phone, etc. Whatever you spend money on just to keep the lights on.

IDEA #3 – SHAVE 10% OFF YOUR NEXT WHOLESALE FLOWER ORDER

I used to overbuy at the Sydney Flower Market all the time. $100 there. $200 here. It adds up so quickly and is one of the simplest ways to eat up your profitability. 

Shopping for flowers is like being a kid in a candy shop. Building the discipline to stick to a budget and work through the urges to buy the things, not on your shopping list takes practice but it’s doable. It made a dramatic difference to our bottom line.  So, put your list together and then cut it back by 10%. Keep shaving a little bit off here and there, push your design skills and watch your profitability increase. It’s so good!

IDEA #4 – PUSH YOUR CREATIVITY + DESIGN SKILLS FURTHER

In the shop, we used to have little design wars. We’d grab the bucket of orphan stems (the leftover from full bunches) and we’d challenge each other to make something look good with an imperfect set of ingredients.

I used to be so impressed by what we could create using three mismatched gerberas and one snapdragon.  Learning to create beautiful designs with an imperfect number of stems is a valuable skill to learn and helps you push your creativity to the next level.  

It makes you a better designer and teaches you how to make more money.

IDEA #5 – REVIEW YOUR DELIVERY CHARGES

Free delivery isn’t a tactic you have to adopt. If the relay services and networks can charge $12.95 for delivery, you can too. 

In 2017, we sat down and did the math, adding up the total cost of just doing deliveries. Once it was all said and done, we saw that it cost us $25,000 to do deliveries PLUS, adding on the labour charges to then make the deliveries happen. 

When you look at those costs on an annual basis, the numbers become very real. It is a sort of tedious job to do, but it’s so worth it.

And if you need any evidence to see that you can charge for delivery, check out one of the national wire services or relay networks.

IDEA #6 – STOP OVER-STUFFING

We have high expectations of our work. We want everything that leaves the bench to look good. It’s super tempting to add in one extra stem of this or an extra stem of that. Don’t! 

Multiply that one stem x orders per year and watch the money just walk out the door. 

So, it’s time to solve this problem a different way: set your prices so your designs reflect your expectations. Then you won’t ever need to worry about overstuffing designs.

IDEA #7 – CHARGING OUT YOUR STAFF

When it comes to quoting for set-up and pack down, double-check your staffing mark-ups. (Yes, like we mark up our flowers, we also mark up our staff).

I take the hourly rate we pay our staff/freelancers and multiply it by 3. That becomes your per hour charge for each staff member.  

In Australia, we also have rules around staff rates for after hours and weekends. So be sure you’re keeping up with proper staffing requirements when you’re quoting per hour for the projects.

IDEA #8 – BEFORE YOU BUY THOSE CONTAINERS…

I spent so much money on stuff I never used. Honestly, I had an entire shed of containers and stuff that I might have used once.

Today, my rule is that I don’t buy the thing until I get the project. I’ve also told myself I need to give myself 7 days before I hit “buy”. This ensures I don’t waste my money on things I don’t need or won’t use.

FREE COURSE #FORFLORISTS

Want to go deeper? Want more than these 8 tips to help you maximise profit in your flower business? Learn the secrets of successful florists – sign up for my Ultimate Guide to Building a Thriving Flower Business. CLICK HERE

5 things I did to grow my flower business

5 Things I Did to Grow My Flower Business

In November 2017, I had a total meltdown. It was early on a rainy Monday morning and I had had enough. I wish I could turn back the clock and do things so differently. I wish I had this list of 5 things I did to grow my flower business

On that Monday morning, I had just wrapped up an epic 5-wedding weekend and I was going through the motions of setting up a beautiful funeral service.

I will never forget that moment because what was happening around me was so beautiful, so perfect. 

We had the honour of creating a custom funeral design using flowers from the family’s garden. He was an avid gardener and I had free reign. This was every florist’s dream and was such an incredibly special moment.

I was so overcome by the emotion of this experience, touched by this opportunity and the beauty of the situation. And absolutely rocked to the core by the weekend I had just wrapped up.

I was standing in the centre of the garden thinking, “Kathleen this is what you want to be doing. This is the magic of floral design.” Simultaneously I was feeling so deflated by the weekend that has just passed.

The truth is, I had taken on too much. I was saying yes to every client that came my way and I felt pulled in 15 directions. 

I knew I couldn’t go on like that for much longer. I was exhausted. I didn’t like most of the work I was creating. I barely knew my clients. I couldn’t remember one bride from the next.

It was too much. I told myself, “Enough is enough, Kathleen. You’ve been chasing someone else’s version of success for too long. It’s time to step up.”

And step up I did. From that moment forward, I knew I needed to change how I approached my business. I needed to get clear on my vision and take action.  In other words, I needed to become a Flower Boss.

5 THINGS I DID TO GROW MY FLOWER BUSINESS

If you’re feeling frustrated in your flower business, you’re not alone. I’ve been there. And I’ve seen it happen to so many of my peers.

We find ourselves following the crowd, doing what we think we’re supposed to do to build up our flower business and then one day you wake up and wonder, “How the heck did I get here?” 

It’s so easy to see why we’re called to work with flowers. Our passion and drive get us going. But before long, we realise we’re travelling a path that isn’t what we actually want. You’re exhausted, deflated and wondering if you have what it takes to figure this out.

Looking back now, I realise I didn’t have the full picture. So much of what is talked about in our industry is the beauty, the design, the flowers. 

But the business of flowers, how to make money as a florist, that is kept under lock and key. I know now, that was what was missing for me. 

I had to learn how to build a business for longevity rather than riding the high from week to week, pushing myself beyond exhaustion and crossing my fingers it would all work out.

Of course, if I could wind back the clock and have a do-over, there are so many things I would do differently. 

Here are the 5 things I did to grow my flower business, to go from a totally burned out exhausted floral designer to the CEO and Flower Boss of a thriving business.

#1 – GOT CLEAR ON MY VERSION OF SUCCESS

I stopped trying to live up to someone else’s vision. I took time to reflect and asked myself, “If I could wave a magic wand, what does my dream flower business look like?”

Then, I slowly untangled myself from everything that wasn’t on that list.

It wasn’t an immediate shift. It took a while. But within a matter of months, I finally saw the light. I stopped saying yes to weddings that didn’t fit a specific set of criteria. I sorted out my ingredients selection and stopped allowing my customers to drive the designs we created.

#2 – SORTED OUT OUR PRICING

I had never sat down and actually done the math to figure out how much I should be charging for a bridal bouquet or how much those hospital arrangements should be priced at.

I had been running in reactive mode for so long and I knew I was undercharging and over-stuffing.

I took the time to properly price out every stem in our shop, to create a price list for the kind of wedding work I wanted to be making and we did the math on what we should be charging for deliveries.

The beauty with this is, although it was tedious at the time, you only have to go through that process once to see you’re missing out on a lot of money. Those numbers stick with you for a long time and make it easy to step up your game.  

#3 – LEARNED HOW TO SELL LIKE A BOSS

I used to believe all my customers cared about was the price. I thought being cheap was how you got clients and built a portfolio.

Once we got our pricing sorted, I realised why I wasn’t making money. I embraced the discomfort of raising our prices, which then forced me to learn how to become better at sales.

It turns out, yes, customers do have a budget in mind, but getting the lowest price isn’t their biggest concern. 

What do they care about? Value. Quality of service. The reassurance you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do and show up when you say you’re going to show up.

Learning how to sell anything to anyone is a must for every floral designer. It’s what changed the game for me and allowed me to book wedding clients without doing formal consultations and easily navigate sales conversions with our customers. 

#4 – DOUBLED-DOWN ON DIGITAL MARKETING

Yes, we had a fancy shop front. Yes, it was beautiful and an amazing space to connect with our local community.

But it’s also a money pit. If 2020 has taught florists one thing is that’s having a shopfront isn’t a guarantee for making money.

More people are connecting with businesses online and that means your digital marketing presence is more important than ever.

We invested a huge amount of time learning about Google Ads, search engine optimization, Instagram hashtags and making it easy for our customers to buy from us online.

We even learned how to sell wedding flowers online and how to get found by our dream clients on Instagram, without stressing about the algorithm or chasing after followers.

#5 – FOCUSED ON CREATING SCALABLE SYSTEMS + HIRING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

At one point in my business, I assumed growing my team meant having more qualified florists around. Once we started to document our processes and map out our systems, I realised how much more important it is to hire for fit than to hire based on experience.

Having the right people around you, with the right training programs and clear expectations makes a world of difference.

I stopped caring about people’s work experience or qualifications and started connecting with potential staff members based on their alignment with our values and support of our vision.

We then got to work documenting as much as we could in our business – how to do the market unpack, how to process flowers, our go-to recipes for a $60 shop bouquet, an example phone script, our suggested formats for event table arrangements and how to navigate wedding enquiries.

We spent a year pulling all this together and mapping out our own expectations so everyone on our team knew what was in my head. Yes, it took a while but it was worth it. It made everyone’s job so much easier. 

WANT MORE? I GO EVEN DEEPER ON THIS WEEK’S PODCAST EPISODE

If you like these 5 things I did to grow my flower business, you'll love this week's podcast episode.  I’m sharing more helpful guidance on building a successful flower business and teaching you how to create a thriving flower business. Listen to the episode using the Spotify player below. 

STOP WONDERING WHAT ALL THE SUCCESSFUL FLORISTS KNOW THAT YOU DON’T.

You can do this. I know you can. Stop second-guessing your abilities and limping along from week to week.

You don't need to keep giving away your work or stretching yourself too thin.  You are a good enough designer. You can make this work. You just need a blueprint to make it happen.

My Flower Boss Bootcamp teaches you exactly how to do that.

It’s time to put yourself back in the driver’s seat, get back in control of your business and unlock your potential. Sign up for my Flower Boss Bootcamp and get my blueprint for creating a successful flower business. 

You can do this. I can help.

LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S PODCAST EPISODE

Go beyond the 5 things I did to grow my flower business and learn even more helpful, practical advice to create a better flower business. Listen using the Spotify player below or click here to jump over to Apple Podcast.

blog post: how many stems in a bridal bouquet

How Many Stems in a Bridal Bouquet?

Have you ever ask yourself, “How many stems in a bridal bouquet?” 

I have. In fact, I spent months wandering around trying to find the answer to this question.

Now, someone else might immediately jump in and say “34” but I want to go deeper. I want to give you the tools to help you come to the right conclusion for your business.

YOU ARE THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF YOUR FLOWER BUSINESS

When I used to work in advertising agencies, the person who lead the creative development process was the Creative Director.

That means, when you start a flower business, YOU step into the role of creative director; it means you get to decide your aesthetic, your vibe and the kinds of ingredients you want to use. Yep. All of it can be up to you.

It also means you get to decide how big or how small your designs are. So, in response to the question, how many stems in a bridal bouquet, the real answer is: How many stems do you want to put into your designs?

One of the things no one tells you about being a floral designer + business owner is that you are in charge of everything. That includes being the creative director.

Every floral designer has their own preferences in terms of shape, size and ingredients. So there is no right or wrong answer here. You get to decide. 

EXPLORING ALL THE OPTIONS 

One of the unexpected lessons I love teaching floral designers is how to be selfish. I know, it’s an unexpected topic. 

Being selfish is seen as a bad thing in so many cultures.  But not being selfish, gets us into trouble in our flower businesses. I spent years creating work I didn’t even like. I didn’t know there was a better way, a different path and a different option on the table.

I want to give you permission to explore, to take some time and ask yourself what kind of work do you want to be creating? 

You know all those famous florists you follow on Instagram, if you could pick up design queues from any of them, what would your aesthetic look like? What kinds of ingredients would you use? How abundant would your designs be?

Not sure? Don’t stress. I’ve got a great exercise to share with you.

The next time you find a photo of a design you love, take time to create your own design recipe. (You can follow me on Instagram for more inspiration.)

I’ve spent years doing this and it’s one of my favourite ways to learn and deconstruct different colour combinations, textures and ingredient selection. And you don’t even need to leave the comfort of the sofa. That makes it even better!

Here is my exact approach to this creative deep dive:

  1. Find a photo of a design you love
  2. Identify the ingredients
  3. Count the stems

Once you have your basic recipe, you can make specific adjustments to the ingredients, textures and colours to make it your own or give allowance to what’s in season at the time.

Finally, with your recipe in hand, make a date, pick up your flowers and have a play. Be sure to take notes and reflect on what you’ve created.

Do this exercise a few times and within no time, you’ll have a great sense of how many stems you want to put in a bridal bouquet based on your aesthetic and preferences.

EMBRACE BEING IN CHARGE

I spent years letting my clients dictate the work I was making and the specific ingredients used. They’d provide me with a photo and I’d do everything in my power to make that exact design.

It causes me so much stress and it took me years to learn there is a better way.

It took me a long time to learn I was the Creative Director of my flower business. No one tells you that bit when you start a flower business and it feels very unusual for us to be in charge. Embrace the discomfort; you are the captain of this ship!

When it comes to managing your client’s expectations, it’s important to remember your customers don’t know how the whole “flower designing” thing works. That’s why they’ve come to you. They see you as the expert and need your help. In many cases, your clients are going to be more open-minded than you first imagine.

Of course, there is a lot to think through when it comes to stepping into the Creative Director role in your business. 

I’m here to help. I’ve recorded a podcast episode on this exact topic. I’m passing along my exact approach to defining your kind of bridal bouquet and giving you my best tips! Listen to the full podcast episode using the Spotify player below.

FRUSTRATED IN YOUR FLOWER BUSINESS?

I spent years feeling like I wasn’t in control of my business – my customers were driving the design process and I was second-guessing everything. I felt trapped. And totally alone.

I am on a mission to show floral designers a better way, to save you from the same frustration and exhaustion I felt.

Peoples, it’s time to put yourself back in the driver’s seat, get back in control of your business and step up your marketing game. Sign up for my Flower Boss Bootcamp and get my blueprint for creating a successful flower business. 

You can do this. I can help.

Check out my Flower Boss Bootcamp here.

How to promote your flower business on Instagram

How to Promote Your Floral Business on Instagram

We all agree: most floral designers know Instagram is a “thing”.

Very literally, using Instagram to promote your floral business makes sense. Instagram is a visual platform. We are visual creatures. 

Designers and flower lovers flock to Instagram every day. Every time you log on to Instagram, you’re inundated with beautiful photos of perfect designs, perfectly coordinated styled shoots and perfect flower studios. 

No doubt, you as an Instagram user, quite enjoy seeing all the pretty pictures and perfect details.

Then, when you shift into our role as flower business owners, you think, “This must be what is required. This is how it’s done.”

The truth: that approach doesn’t always work.

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR FLOWER BUSINESS ON INSTAGRAM

When it comes to using Instagram to promote your floral business, most florists buy into the idea that those perfect flowers, perfect photoshoots and perfect studios are what really matters. 

Every one of us, at some point or another, jumps on the hamster wheel, chasing after Instagram followers, craving validations, and chasing legitimacy. 

We post to Instagram, dreaming of the day someone will finally notice us. We want to be showered with praise and recognised by our peers. 

Every time we post, we’re saying a silent prayer, “Let this be the one. Let this next post be the one that will help me breakthrough.”  

Over time, you start to realise it’s not working. You’re not getting many new followers, no one is noticing you and you’re not making money.

So you stop posting.

And before you know it, it’s been forever. It’s been weeks (possibly months) since you posted anything to your feed.

Every day, you wake up telling yourself, “OK today is the day I’ll muster up the courage and finally break the silence.”

You search your photos for the perfect image. You spend an hour crafting the right caption. But then you freeze up. 

That little voice in your head has you second-guessing everything.  You hate that picture and those words aren’t enough. 

You end up closing the app falling into a spiral of “I’m not good enough. I’ll never figure this out.”

How do I know this experience so well? This story is my story. For years I walked around thinking Instagram was all about getting famous and getting more followers.

I assumed more followers meant more customers. More followers meant more money.

Turns out, I was wrong.

It just so happens that we floral designers get to approach Instagram from a totally different perspective.

And that Instagram can be very easy.

WHAT MATTERS MOST – INSTAGRAM FOR FLORISTS

Here is the most important thing to remember when you’re wondering how to promote your floral business on Instagram:

Your next post isn’t for your peers. 

Your next post is for your customers.  

At the end of the day, Instagram isn’t about showing off your design skills to receive praise from your peers.

Instagram is a marketing platform – as in, Instagram is an opportunity to connect your business with your customers. (You know the ones who buy your stuff and pay you money? Yeah, them.)

Once you shift your perspective and understand the point of posting to Instagram, you will experience newfound freedom. You will see how easy Instagram for flower shop owners can be.

INSTAGRAM FOR FLORISTS – 3 TIPS TO MAKE IT EASY

The truth is, how to promote your floral business on Instagram is as easy as 1-2-3. Here are three tips to help you promote your floral business on Instagram:

  1. Your captions: You know how you see florists post a photo and then in the caption write “Tim & Ty 🌼  ⭐ 💛 ” Don’t do that. You’re missing out on the opportunity to educate and inform, to separate yourself from the competition. Remember, Instagram is all about your customers. And your customers are looking for help. They have so little experience or understanding of how flowers work that they want you to take the lead. Your captions are the perfect place to do that.
  2. Repetition is key: There is no rule that says you cannot post the same content, the same captions or the same photo more than once. Seriously. There isn’t. Repetition is, in fact, super helpful. We use repetition in our floral designs to create rhythm, you can do that same thing on your Instagram feed. (Yes, all those design skills you’ve got, you can use them in so many other areas of your flower business, including Instagram!)
  3. Focus on the future: your next post is about your next customer. Stop posting work from your past if that’s not the kind of work you want to keep creating. Set your sights higher and dream bigger, peoples!

If you are wondering what to post on Instagram, then this YouTube video will help you out.

NEED HELP WITH INSTAGRAM FOR YOUR FLOWER BUSINESS?

I promise you, Instagram can be easy. It can be way simpler than you think.

Coming up with a strategy for how to promote your floral business on Instagram is super straightforward.

Why? Because of how our customers shop for floral designers on Instagram.

It means we get to break all the rules. You don’t need to chase after followers. You don’t need to worry about the algorithm and you don’t need to waste time on IG Live or Reels.  

There is a better way.

And I pass along my exact approach inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp (click here).

I teach you how to show up on Instagram with confidence, how to play a smarter game and how to get found by your dream customers.

Instagram isn’t as hard as you think.

Inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp, I’ve packaged up my exact approach to conquering Instagram. 

My Flower Boss Bootcamp is like a 90-day online business school for florists. It’s the perfect program for florists who are on a mission to make money and build a better flower business.

We’re here to make it easier for you to make more money in your flower business! You don’t need to have a flower shop or qualifications. Don't even need to have thousands of Instagram followers or worry about being featured on a fancy blog. 

All you need are the tools to get you focused and pointed in the right direction. That’s where our Flower Boss Bootcamp comes in. We’re here to fast track your progress, to give you the tools you need to change the trajectory of your flower business. Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and we’ll see you on the inside.

Wedding Proposal Template for Florists

Wedding Proposal Template for Florists

I used to assume wedding proposals needed to be some fancy, flashy, complicated thing. Turns out, that’s not true.

How did I figure it out? Ummmmm the super hard, really awkward way. 

I was getting enquiries, hosting formal consultations but I wasn’t booking many of these customers. 

I was being ghosted a lot. Like every single week, even though I had invested a lot of time and energy into the relationship.

Because I wasn’t getting the result I wanted, I started experimenting with different formats and processes.

Lesson learned! It turns out, a complicated, detailed proposal isn’t what’s needed to book more clients.

Wedding Proposal Template for Florists - The Basics

In 2018, my calendar was packed with wedding consultations. Back then, my process looked something like this (1) enquiry (2) consultation (3) detailed proposal and quote.

I booked less than 10% of the clients I met with. From a pure numbers perspective, it wasn’t working – my effort “in” wasn’t matching the outcome I wanted.

In a traditional sales context, the objective is to set up an enquiry process that enables you to effortlessly book25% of the customers who enquire. If you’re receiving 20 enquiries, your mission is to set up a sales process that lands 5 of those clients.

5 / 20 = 25%

A 25% close rate is awesome. My close rate in 2018 wasn’t awesome.

I knew I needed to change my approach.

Three Tips for Booking More Clients

In the end, through a lot of trial and error, I’ve finally figured out a process that works. The system we’ve created is built on three key insights:

  1. Be quick to respond – more than 50% of clients go with the vendor who responds first. So, set up a system that gets you back in their inbox within 48 hours. And I don’t just mean an autoresponder. I mean providing real, tangible value to your clients quickly.
  2. Talk about budgets first – yep. One of the best things we did to increase our booking rate was to flip our entire system on its head. We learned that being upfront about budgets, being open with pricing and making that our first step in the consultation process got us from enquiry to booking with way less effort. As a matter of fact, we started booking $8-$10,000 clients in just a few emails.
  3. Skip the complicated proposals – you bet. I give you permission to break all the traditional approaches. We don’t use fancy software, we don’t do fancy mood boards. We keep it all unsexy and boring. Why? Refer to point #1.

I know it’s typical in our industry for florists to invest in expensive, complicated software. I used to think the prettier the proposal, the more legitimate we’d appear.

It didn’t work. Fancy wedding proposals templates for florists slowed us down.

When we followed the traditional approach, I wasted a lot of time talking to clients about colour palettes, flowers and big visions for their wedding. And spend a lot of time putting pen to paper, resting fancy proposals and quotes.

And eventually, when it came to $$$$, we’d be so out of alignment with what our clients were expecting that they would just run the other direction. Literally. We’d never hear from them again.

Start Here - Wedding Proposal Template for Florists

Your wedding enquiry process is one of the most important systems to create in your business. And it’s something that takes time to finesse but it’s worth every ounce of energy!

To begin, the best thing you can do is sit down and put yourself in your client’s shoes. What would they like to see/hear/have access to that would be helpful?

Forget about what is normally done in this industry or what your flower friends focus on. What does your client need?

Yes, question all of your assumptions. I know it sounds crazy, but don’t assume that the traditional fancy proposal approach is required. In fact, our enquiry process is so streamlined these days that, most of the time, we don’t do formal consultations.

Instead, we focused on dialling in our marketing messages, our enquiry form and our planning tools – to a point where clients are sold on us by the time we send them the first quick quote.

Our enquiry process has been refined over thousands of enquiries and I’ve spent so much time thinking about my clients that I can almost predict their behaviour.

[As an aside, if you decide, having a pretty PDF or cute mood board is a helpful part of your progress, jump over to Canva.com and check out their templates.]

Our approach is awesome because we don’t worry about custom quotes, detailed mood boards or a fancy wedding proposal template for florists until after they’ve made their first payment.

It works for us.

We got to this place because we questioned all the assumptions. We focused on what mattered most to our customers and kept tweaking and refining our approach.

Need Help?

Want to fast track your progress? Want to get access to our exact enquiry process (including all our planning templates, emails and the exact questions we ask our clients)?

Sign up for my Flower Boss Bootcamp (click here).

Inside my program, I have created specific training on our wedding enquiry process. We include all the templates and tools you need to get real good at responding to clients – and show you what really matters when it comes to attracting better clients.

It’s not as complicated as you think.

Your Current Knowledge + Experience are Enough.

We’re here to make it easier for you to make more money in your flower business!

You don’t need to have a flower shop or qualifications. Nor do you need to have thousands of Instagram followers or worry about being featured on a fancy blog. 

All you need are the tools to get you focused and pointed in the right direction.

That’s where our Flower Boss Bootcamp comes in. It’s like a 90-day business school for florists. If you’re on a mission to make more money in your flower business, this is the program for you!

We’re here to fast track your progress, to give you the tools you need to change the trajectory of your flower business. Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and we’ll see you on the inside.

Imagine where your flower business could be in 90 days? Learn more here.

Florist Wedding Contract Terms and Conditions

Florist Wedding Contract Terms and Conditions

It used to scare me to talk through our wedding terms and conditions with our clients. I thought our clients would see right through me and call me out for not having a clue about what I was talking about.

I was afraid of getting called out. Of being told we were doing it wrong.

Cause the truth is, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I didn’t have a clue why wedding terms and conditions mattered or how to structure a florist wedding contract template.

That is until I had my first client cancel their event. This was back in 2018. On an otherwise-uneventful Thursday afternoon in September. We received the heartbreaking update that the couple were not going through with the wedding. The event was being called off.

I still think back to the day, talking to the bride’s mother. She called just to let us know Stephanie and Tom had decided to call off the wedding.

She was in tears. The bride's mother could barely get words out. It was had to console her. I didn’t quite know what to tell her so I said, “I’ll send you an email so you have the formal confirmation from us.”

Of course, I was heartbroken. Yes, my heart goes out to the couple, to the family navigating this experience. I don’t want any human to have to navigate this experience.

But I also know, as a business owner, I have an obligation to do right by my business. That’s part of what we are required to do when we start a business.

Being a Human vs Being a Business Owner

It’s the ultimate tug of war: the experience of being a caring human and the experience of being a flower boss. Sometimes, the two things don’t perfectly align.

As a human, I was heartbroken. As a flower boss, I knew I had to say the uncomfortable thing.

Emotionally, I find these situations very challenging. I care a lot about my business and I care a lot about our clients. I don’t want to go through these experiences. It has to be sunshine, rainbows and lollipops for me. All. The. Time.

Here’s the most amazing thing about being a business owner: you are the authority. The biggest downside of being a business owner? You are the authority.

As a flower boss, we have to make hard calls, unpopular decisions and do the best thing for our business. Many times, that might mean saying the unpopular, uncomfortable thing.

In this case, I was heartbroken for our clients. And I advised the family in writing, the 25% payment made is non-refundable (as per the wedding contract terms and conditions they signed).

It’s not about having to decide between one thing or the other. We can feel sad AND stand our ground.

And, in my experience, this is where the real value of florist wedding contract terms and conditions come into play. 

Mapping out a formal set of booking terms and conditions for your clients requires you, as the flower boss, to think ahead, to decide now what you’re going to do if the wedding gets called off, postponed or rescheduled.

Do that in the cool calm light of day and then when shit hits the fan, you already have a plan to follow. And then, all you need to do is follow the plan.

Florist Wedding Contract Terms and Conditions - The Basics

Why create florist wedding contracts? There are three main reasons to have clear wedding terms and conditions in place:

  1. To get clear on what your plan is when things don’t go to plan
  2. It helps protect your business
  3. It also protects your clients 

Yep. You read that right: your florist terms and conditions are of value to your business and to your clients. 

Technically the word “contract” comes from the Latin contractus, meaning ‘drawn together’. As in, ‘two things tied together’.

Your florist wedding contracts aren’t created as a defence mechanism. 

Booking terms and conditions aren’t something we need to use to intimidate or bully our clients. It’s not about threatening a lawsuit and being aggressive.

In fact, in my experience, I found the exact opposite to be true: walking our clients through our booking terms and conditions is an amazing opportunity to demonstrate our professionalism and care.  To educate our clients and show them how methodical we are in our approach.

It shows your clients you’re looking out for their interests and demonstrates that your business has a plan in place should things not go to plan. 

As a result, your clients walk away feeling reassured, cared for and know they can trust you.

An added bonus, when you take the time to walk your clients through your wedding florist booking terms and conditions, the trust factor increases. Better yet, this increased trust leads to more creative freedom on the day.

This is the most surprising outcome of having a set of terms and conditions: when you take the time to talk your clients through your wedding terms and conditions, they trust you. That increased trust leads to more creative freedom. What an amazing outcome for all involved!

Florist Wedding Contract Template - Start Here

I know exactly how overwhelming and intimidating the world of booking terms and conditions can feel. 

We’re here to help. We’ve created a set of booking terms and conditions for you to follow. For FREE. 

Yep. Our wedding florist contract template is inside our Big Ass Folder of Free Shiz #ForFlorists. 

👉  CLICK HERE TO GRAB YOUR FREE FLORIST WEDDING CONTRACT TEMPLATE

Use these florist wedding contract terms and conditions as your foundation. Be sure to engage a contract lawyer who knows the laws in your state. 

Hire a professional contract lawyer to help you formalise your agreement and account for the laws in your area. They will help you navigate the ins and outs of the details. 

I know the idea of talking to a contract lawyer feels scary. But I promise it’s nowhere near as intimidating an experience as you think. And it’s nowhere near as expensive as you’re imagining (particularly if you start off with this free template – click here to grab it).

Focus On The Future

If you don’t have a formal set of terms and conditions in place, you’re not alone. Don’t waste a minute beating yourself up or wishing you could turn back the clock.

As Maya Angelou once said, “When you know better, you do better.” This is precisely how I think about wedding florist contracts.

All that matters is that you know you can adjust your approach today. Stop stressing about what you did (or didn’t do) yesterday and get to work on making things better.

Today is a great day to get yourself sorted. 

Jump in and grab our free wedding event booking terms and conditions (click here) and get to work on implementing them in your business.

Your future self will be so grateful that you did the uncomfortable, boring thing today.

Do you struggle to show up with confidence in your flower business? Check out my Flower Boss Bootcamp – it’s the only program available to floral designers focused entirely on the business of flowers. Click here to learn more.

Want More Help?

Want more guidance when it comes to florist terms and conditions? I recorded a podcast episode all about it – jump in and listen to it today.

this is Google Ads Tips for Florists

4 Google Ads Tips for Florists

Focused on daily deliveries? Wondering how to increase your sales volume?

Google Ads is the secret to increasing your orders and getting customers to your flower business. 

Google Ads changed the game for our flower business. It’s how we got the volume required to turn over more products, grow our team and make more money.

GOOGLE ADS FOR FLORISTS – THE BASICS

If you’ve ever set up a Google Ads campaign, you know it’s super easy to waste money. A lot of money – it’s easy to spend hundreds and thousands of dollars with no return.

Yes, Google tries to make it easy to set up a campaign. After all, it makes good business sense for them to encourage you to spend money. But if you’re not seeing the return on investment, you’ll quickly wonder why you’re spending this money in the first place. Is Google Ads worth it? Absolutely yes. But you’ve got to learn how to approach Google Ads for your flower business, otherwise, you’ll end up wasting a lot of money very quickly.

We’ve gotcha covered. Here are four Google Ads tips for florists you can use to get your advertising campaigns pointed in the right direction. 

GOOGLE ADS TIP #1 – USE EXPERT MODE

When you first set up a campaign in Google Ads, you’ll be inclined to follow the obvious path and go with what Google suggests: a Smart Campaign.

Don’t do it. Look for the little line of type that says “Switch to Expert Mode”.

If we take the 10,000-foot view, for most small businesses, a Smart Campaign is the right answer.

Except flower businesses aren’t most small businesses. Our customers shop differently. There are some nuances and subtleties to our customer sales process that require us to set up more sophisticated Google Ads campaigns. Therefore, a smart campaign falls on its face with flower businesses. 

A mart campaign works if your business fits into one of two traditional categories:

  1. Your business only caters to local customers. You don’t care about advertising internationally. This works for electricians, catering businesses, restaurants, massage therapists, etc.
  2. Your business caters to customers around the world and can deliver around the world. This captures most clothing stores, giftware providers and product-based businesses.

But what about florists? You’ll notice we don’t fall into either of these categories.

Our business model is different to either one of these categories. We will take orders from customers internationally, but we only deliver locally.

This means we don’t fall into the traditional categories of Google Ads campaigns. For this very reason, you need to set up a more sophisticated approach to our campaigns. That requires the use of Expert Mode. 

HOT TIP: If you’ve already got a campaign up and running and it’s set up as a Smart Campaign, you will need to start over again. I know it’s a pain, but it’s worth the short term irritation. It really is!

GOOGLE ADS TIP#2 – SET UP CONVERSIONS

Conversion is how Google knows there has been a successful purchase. The ultimate goal is to get Google to be able to serve up your ad to users that will actually turn into paying customers.

The best way to make that happen is to set up conversions.

Now, I ain’t gunna tell you it’s a super simple tech thing to sort out. In fact, it’s probably something you need to outsource. But that’s super easy to do these days.

My go-to suggestion is to jump on Fiverr.com. Search “Google Ads Conversion + Your Website Platform” and connect with a freelancer who can help. For as little as $10 they can get the job done within 48 hours. It’s so amazing! 

Once you have conversions set up, you can adjust your Google Ads campaign to optimise for conversions. That means Google will make sure it’s showing your ads to customers who are more likely to buy – it will shift the emphasis to customers who are likely to deliver a conversion.

What does this mean in plain English? You stop wasting money on junk leads.

GOOGLE ADS TIP #3 – INCLUDE YOUR DELIVERY AREA IN YOUR KEYWORDS

One of the greatest marketing advantages we have as floral designers is that our services are location-specific. Your business only caters to deliveries within a certain footprint. Because of this, we can focus on a super targeted set of keywords 

When it comes to setting up your Google Ads campaign, this is a really important detail. Like REALLY important.

You need to teach Google to hone in on your footprint – you don’t want to attract any old “flower delivery” customer. You only want customers who need flower delivery to a specific area (the area you deliver to).

So, when you’re setting up your keywords, be sure to include the names of the suburbs, neighbourhoods, cities, counties you deliver to. For example, if you are a florist who delivers across Perth,, then your keywords should be “Flower delivery Perth” not just “flower delivery”.

Other keyword options include:

  • “your location florist”
  • “flowers your location”
  • “flower shop your location”

This one adjustment can save you hundreds of thousands of dollars over time. 

GOOGLE ADS TIP #4 – KEEP AN EYE ON NEGATIVE KEYWORDS

A Google Ads campaign is the exact opposite of “Set it and forget it”. It can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months to get it humming. It needs babysitting. You'll have to keep refining it. It'll need tweaking. 

One of the specific areas to keep checking in on is Negative Keywords. This is where you show Google the keywords you don’t want to pay for.

Identifying negative keywords tells Google to ignore any searches that include specific not-relevant keywords. The specifics will depend on your business and what you offer, but a few examples might include “artificial flowers,” “hampers,” “dried arrangements,” as well as towns, cities and countries you don’t deliver to. 

A good rule of thumb to follow is checking in on your ads and keywords every 7 to 14 days. 

If you need more tips on How to Use Google to Grow Your Floral Business then check out this blog post.

NEED HELP?

Google Ads for florists can be super confusing. Even the people who work at Google don’t know the subtleties of what we floral designers need to navigate.

This is because our marketing is different to other kinds of businesses – we want to accept orders from anywhere in the world but we only deliver to a specific area. It’s a totally different model to restaurants or electricians. Or clothing brands.

There are so many advantages we florists have when it comes to marketing but when it comes to Google, we don’t really fit easily into one of their pre-set categories. This is what makes setting up a campaign complicated (that and the generally overwhelming Google Ads interface).

It’s easy to waste money on Google Ads for florists.

If you want step by step instructions and our expertise, sign up for our Flower Boss Bootcamp

We’ve developed a specific training outlining our exact approach (including the ads to set up, key watch-outs and how to optimise performance once the ad is up and running).

We’re here to make it easy, to show you exactly what you need to focus on (and what to ignore) when it comes to making more money in your flower business. We want to give you the exact tools you need to set up a successful online shop for your flower business.

And it’s all waiting for you inside our Flower Boss Bootcamp.

MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE

As a matter of fact, we feel so strongly about what we teach inside this program and all the resources we provide, we’ve even set up a money-back guarantee. You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Imagine where your flower business could be in 90 days if you signed up today. Together, we can change the trajectory of your florist business. 

Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and we’ll see you on the inside.

Are flower shops a dying business?

Are flower shops a dying business?

Almost every florist I’ve met once had a dream of running a beautiful flower shop.

It’s so easy to fall in love with the dream of a flower shop. To look at those perfectly posed photos on Pinterest and see the beauty of the abundance on display when flowers are so wonderfully presented at the front of a flower shop.

I also remember having hundreds of customers just swoon at the smell of flowers. They would always tell us they could smell the flowers before they could see them.

It really is magical. It’s a gift to all the humans in your area.

But it’s also really expensive.

Like really really expensive. Once you account for rent, electricity, internet, phone, the shop fit-out AND having to keep the shop staffed and well-stocked during normal business hours, it becomes a “thing”.

Running a flower shop isn’t a decision to be taken lightly. 

It’s not for everyone. And, in my experience, it’s no longer a “must” in terms of running a successful and profitable flower business.  

Do I Need A Flower Shop?

I realise now, the decision to have a shopfront is much more of an operational decision, rather than a marketing decision. 

I see so many florists make the commitment of opening a shopfront in hopes it will increase sales and drive revenue.

In addition to that, so many florists assume having a shop front will make them feel more legitimate. (That was totally me!)

2020 changed the game for florists. With so many customers not able to come into a physical shop space, the need to get your business online has become the only way to thrive as a florist.

No longer is having a shopfront required if you want to run a successful florist business.

In my experience, the vast majority (like 99% of our customers), never bought flowers on impulse. Of course, it happens now and then, but it’s so unpredictable and makes it a real challenge to maintain a sustainable revenue stream.

In reality, even if you have a shop front, having a strong online presence is mandatory. This is why I think having a shop front is as much an operational decision as it is a marketing decision.

Being able to have a place for efficient production and storage of your product is the most important thing to consider. And whether or not you want to offer a place for customer pick-up becomes the next decision. Socially distanced, of course.

Are Flower Shops A Dying Business?

Let’s cut to the chase: are flower shops a dying business? Hmmm…not necessarily. 

In the end, it’s totally worth doing the math. Look at the cost of running the shop front and the financial commitment of committing to a 3, 5, or even 10-year lease and see if you can make it work.

Having a strong digital marketing game is where the sales growth is going to come from. 

Right now, that is being eaten up by many of the relay networks and wire services. Yes, it’s the local florist who eventually receives the order, but with many relay services, they’re taking 25-30% of the revenue. Over time, and with the volume required to maintain our shop spaces, that percentage quickly erodes your profitability.

That’s precisely why we made the decision to create our own website. Yes, it was an undertaking. Yes, it took time, but that investment continues to pay off week after week after week.

During 2020 that same website still continues to generate a lot of revenue for the business. It’s the gift that keeps on giving and is way more reliable (and profitable) than having to worry about having a fully stocked and fully staffed shop front.  

2020 broke all kinds of sales records for so many florists – with people not able to be together and the continued uncertainty through 2021, being online is where your incredible sales revenue is going to come from. So, having a strong digital presence is mandatory for running a successful and sustainable flower business.

Let's Do A Little Bit Of Math, Shall We?

Grab your calculator and let’s do a little number crunching. Here’s what you’re going to want to look at, to decide if a flower shop is right for your business. Do some Googling and find a few bits of info:

  • Rent (in a location with great parking, and the right amount of space)
  • Insurance
  • Electricity, water, internet, phone
  • Shop fit-out (painting, counters, storage, flooring, lighting, cool room, signage)
  • Staffing (assume you need to pay at least one person to be on-site during opening hours)

Then, look at the numbers over a 12 month period. As well as 3 to 5 years. The length of the rental agreement or lease you sign varies but it’s always worth looking at the costs over the long term. It gives you a great deal of perspective.

Now, if you want to get a sense of the revenue required to cover that operation, take your 12 month total and multiply it by five. For example, if your operational costs listed above for a full year are about $100,000, then your mission is to generate at least  $500,000 in sales.

No, it’s not an exact approach but it helps paint a picture of the scale of the operation you need to create. You might want to talk to your accountant for further clarity. 

In the end, creating a successful flower business focused on daily flower deliveries is all about having the volume to sustain your business. In today’s world, that volume is going to come from being online and playing the right digital marketing game.

Need Help Getting Your Flower Business Online?

You’re not alone. 

It can be super confusing and overwhelming to understand the world of digital marketing.

And we’re here to make it easy. To show you exactly what you need to focus on when it comes to making more money in your flower business. We want to give you the exact tools you need to set up a successful online shop.

And it’s all waiting for you inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp.

My Flower Boss Bootcamp is the only program available to floral designers, flower lovers and farmer florists focused entirely on the business of flowers. The program is run entirely online, so you can join in no matter where in the world you’re located. It’s the perfect plan to help you transition your business online and make more money. 

Inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp, you get access to all my tools, templates and resources so you can build a flower business you love.

The program includes templates and training for everything you need to get your flower business set up online, including:

  • Making your website your #1 sales tool (we’ve even created a replica website for you to use as inspiration, giving you the exact roadmap to follow)
  • Sorting out your online catalogue (including a step by step guide to covering off all the details)

We even give you the exact approach to outlining your top marketing priorities including 

  1. Playing the Google game and understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
  2. Step by step tutorial for setting up your Google Adwords campaigns
  3. How to use Instagram to successfully attract more customers

Peoples, we’re here to help you build a better flower business, to show you how to get more customers, make more money and show up with more confidence. It’s time to shortcut your way to success.

I feel so strongly about what we teach inside this program and all the resources we provide that we’ve even set up a money-back guarantee. This means you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and I’ll see you on the inside. 

Do I need a flower cooler for my flower business?

Do I Need A Flower Cooler For My Flower Business?

As our business has evolved over the last few years, so have our flower cooler requirements.

In the early days, I assumed investing in a flower cooler was mandatory. Looking back now, I realise it’s not always a requirement and isn’t always the right solution for every floral designer.

Of course, no one tells you that. So, like everything else I do, I wanna make sure you feel armed with the right information. So that you can make the right decision for your business.

The reality is, the answer to the seemingly simple question, "Do I need a flower fridge for my flower business?" isn’t really just ‘yes’ or ‘no’. It’s more of a vague ‘it depends’ sorta thing. 

Today, I want to break it all down for you and give you a bit of guidance to empower you to decide if a coolroom or flower fridge is required for your flower business.

Do I Need A Flower Cooler For My Business?

At the end of the day, every business owner needs to decide on their own, whether a flower cooler is required or not. Evaluate your needs and make the right decision for your business.

To help, here are four key considerations, when weighing up your options.

Your studio or shop set-up

Flowers last longest in dark, cool environments. So, if your workspace is filled with natural light and has the sun shining through skylights or front windows for a big portion of the day, it’s safe to say you need to do something to adjust the conditions.

Having a way to control the light and the temperature is really important in making sure you can manage your inventory. But it doesn’t always mean a flower fridge is a right solution.

Your workspace and operational budget will impact how you solve the problem of lighting and temperature controls. If investing in a solution to fit out air conditioning and lighting controls throughout your entire shop or studio space isn’t feasible, then a flower fridge or cooler might be the way to go.

It’s also important to keep in mind the weather in your local area. Here in Australia, we have to navigate blazing hot summers. So creating the right infrastructure to control the temperature and light in our shop and the home-based studio was a must.

Alternatively, if you live in the Pacific Northwest of Washington or Oregon, your weather conditions will be different. Thus your flower cooler requirements might be different. So, think about your environment and workspace and consider your options.

Your local floral supply

Many florists decide to invest in a cool room or flower fridge for one of two main reasons: (1) extend the shelf life of the blooms they have on hand and/or (2) ensure they have enough supply to fulfil orders between wholesale visits.

If your flower business is down the road from a local grower, wholesaler or flower market and it’s easy for you to pick up flowers every 24 hours, then that second aspect may not apply to you. In this instance, you might not need to invest in a flower fridge or cooling system.

On the other hand, if you’re like us, and you’re a few hours away from your wholesaler, investing in a coolroom might be the right solution for your business. It can help maintain your inventory to manage orders for 48-72 hours (i.e. the time between wholesaler visits).

The ingredients you use

Every floral designer has their own personal preferences of ingredients. It’s a major part of defining your design aesthetic.

If you’re the type of designer who uses lots of tropicals and orchids, these flowers actually don’t need to be put into a coolroom. In actual fact, you’ll shorten their shelf life if you place them in a flower cooler. In this case, a flower fridge or cool room might be a total waste of money.

If, however, you’re the kind of designer who uses delicate ingredients like sweet pea, roses, stock, and hyacinths, then having a cooler can help extend the shelf life of these kinds of flowers and might be worth the investment.

Take a look at the kinds of ingredients you’re using (and want to be using) in your designs and decide for yourself whether you need a cool room to extend their shelf life.    

The service you offer

If you’re focused on weddings and events, you need your designs to feature flowers that are at their peak. And you need to do so for a specific moment in time. 

For example, if you’re working on a wedding, then you need to plan your buying and production schedule so your designs look perfect for the ceremony for 3 pm Saturday or for the kick-off of the reception at 6 pm that night.

With that in mind, depending on your production schedule, having a cool room might not be necessary. Remember, putting your designs in the cool room will slow down the blooming process and actually prevent your flowers from being at their peak at the right time. 

On the other hand, if you’re a one-woman show and want to kick off production earlier in the week, having a cool room gives you the flexibility of starting your production a few days early. This allows you to take the pressure off, not having to do everything at the last minute, because you can put your designs in the cool room and extend their life 24-48 hours (or more).  

If your flower business focuses on daily flower deliveries, one of the biggest selling points of your offer is the extended shelf life of your blooms. This means you want your ingredients to stay as fresh as possible. 

In this case, extending the shelf life of your ingredients by placing flowers in a coolroom works well. Thus, having a flower fridge might be worth the investment. 

Flower Cooler Options (For Your Flower Business) And Alternatives

What to look out for in a commercial fridge?

Commercial flower fridges are available in many countries around the world. Prices, sizes and functions vary depending on the manufacturer so definitely do lots of research before you invest in one.

There are two super important things to look out for in your research. Make sure you have the ability to (1) adjust the temperature and (2) manage airflow.

The ideal temperature for storing most flowers is around 7℃ or 45℉. Most commercial cool rooms will have the option to adjust the temperature so finding a flower fridge with temperature control is a must, in my opinion.

NOTE: this is one of the big differences between domestic and commercial refrigeration systems. Most home refrigerators are set too low for flower storage and can ruin your flowers. 

If a commercial flower fridge isn’t right for your space, you can also look into having a custom coolroom built. Again, you will want to make sure the temperature is set correctly and that there is a fan built in to ensure adequate airflow. 

Alternatively, a lot of designers opt for a more traditional air conditioning unit and then have creative ways for blocking out natural light. Blackout curtains, blinds, and even covering up windows with paper are all good DIY options.

HOT TIP: Light has a dramatic impact on the shelf life of your flowers. So be sure to stay mindful of that as you sort out your studio or shop set-up. 

CoolBot - floral cooler

Over the past few years, the CoolBot has grown in popularity with both studio-based and shop-based floral designers. CoolBot is a simple system that allows you to modify a traditional air conditioning unit and drop the temperature control to below its “out of the box” setting. This gives you the option to cool the air much closer to the ideal flower storage temperature (around 7℃ or 45℉).

I'd like to conclude by saying that every florist's business is set up differently. Every florist has different access to fresh flowers and caters to different customer groups. So it’s best for you to do your own research and find the solution that’s right for your business.   

Totally OverWhelmed By All Things Flowers + Business?

You’re not alone. 

It can be super confusing and frustrating to sort things out when it comes to creating a successful flower business.

I’m here to make it easy, to show you exactly what you need to focus on (and what to ignore). I will teach you how to make more money in your flower business. 

It’s all waiting for you inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp.

What's inside the Flower Boss Bootcamp?

My Flower Boss Bootcamp is the only program available to floral designers, flower lovers and farmer florists focused entirely on the business of flowers. The program is run entirely online, so you can join in no matter where in the world you’re located.

If you’re dreaming of making more money in your flower business but feel totally overwhelmed with the business and marketing side of things, I’m here to help. Inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp, you get access to all my tools, templates and resources so you can build a flower business you love.

Peoples, I’m here to help you build a better flower business, to show you how to get more customers, make more money and show up with more confidence. It’s time to shortcut your way to success.

Better yet, this program will change the trajectory of your flower business. I promise. 

I feel so strongly about this program that we’ve even set up a money-back guarantee. This means you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp and I’ll see you on the inside.

blog post how to create a social media plan for your flower business

Creating a Social Media Plan for Your Flower Business

Now, y’all already know social media is a powerful tool for marketing our flower businesses. But, it’s so easy to get sucked into all the wrong things when it comes to creating a social media plan for florists.

When I was first getting our business off the ground, I thought chasing after followers on Instagram and having lots of likes on Facebook was how to get more customers. I assumed there was a direct correlation between likes and income.

Turns out, I was wrong.

In an industry obsessed with beautiful photos and effortless designs, it’s easy to see why so many florists think this is true. We all look to the famous florists for guidance and inspiration, including indications on how to make money. We assume more followers equals more income.

Turns out, that’s not the reality of the situation.

In the early days of my floral career, I used to believe Instagram was all about getting famous and having our work featured on one of them famous blogs. 

I’m so glad it only took me three years to see I was wrong (and as of this blog post, I’m still sittin’ here waitin’ for that opportunity to come my way #unfamousflorist).

It turns out, we floral designers get to play a totally different social media game – a game that doesn’t rely on chasing after more followers, more likes or more famous-ness. That makes it way more fun, in my opinion.

What Matters: Social Media Plan for Florists

One of the greatest advantages we have in our industry is that our customers have no idea how the heck this whole “floral design” thing works.

They have no idea where flowers come from or that peonies aren’t available 52 weeks of the year. Heck, they don’t know how much to budget for wedding flowers and they don’t even realise there are 8234 other options beyond roses and lilies.

As frustrating as all that is, it actually is our single greatest marketing opportunity – particularly when it comes to effective social media for flower businesses.

I know how overwhelming the whole world of social media feels. So, here’s four things to keep in mind when it comes to creating a social media plan for your flower business :

Know Your Audience

Your audience is not your peers. It’s not that flower friend down the road and it’s definitely not that famous florist on the other side of the world. 

It’s also not the editor of that famous blog. 

Nope, the whole reason you have a social media presence in the first place is to attract more customers to your business. As in paying clients. People looking for a floral designer.

So, the most important thing to remember is that the next time you’re posting to Instagram, post with those paying clients in mind. Talk about the things you know your customers need help with and be open with your expertise. Lead with phenomenal customer service and be helpful.

... This leads me to point #2:

Be Open with Your Expertise

This probably sounds too simple, I get it. But because our industry is so secretive, being helpful and open with your knowledge is the easiest way to get customers to buy from you.

At the end of the day, your customers have come to you because they have a problem. They see you as the expert. So be the expert. Be the guide. That one floral designer who talks about the things that no one else talks about.

Be open with your pricing. Talk about seasonal availability. Tell your customers there are 8234 other options beyond roses and lilies. Demonstrate your expertise and share your knowledge.

This approach makes it so easy to come up with a content strategy for your flower business. Because it can be as simple as just answering your customers' questions.

All you need to do is write down the last 20 questions you got from your customers (yes, even the super simple, seemingly obvious questions).

Then, answer one per post. When you finish answering those 20 questions, go back to the beginning and start over at Question #1 again.

Yep. So easy!

I promise you, it works. I know it seems too simple but this approach is exactly how we did it. It made one of the biggest differences in going from “nobody-florist” to “making-a-lot-of-money florist”

Our clients fell in love with us because we were helpful. Because we answered their questions ahead of time and because we talked about the things that were relevant to themHere’s a great example of a post from a few years back to give you an idea.

Consistency over Quantity

We flower bosses have an ever-expanding to-do list. (It never gets any shorter, does it?). To that end, don’t make your content strategy harder than it needs to be. 

In the beginning, make it your goal to post once per week (any less and your customers might think your business is closed). 

Once you’ve settled into that rhythm, build on that momentum. Your business is better off posting twice per week 52 weeks of the year rather than 52 times in a row and then missing out on the other 313 days.

As an aside, if you want to make planning even easier, I love using Planoly. Click here to check it out (affiliate link)

Repetition is Your Bestie

When I was workin’ in my fancy pants corporate gig, any time we were creating a marketing plan, we knew we had to have a certain level of repetition in our media schedule. 

Why? Well, the average human needs to see something 8-16 times for it to register and take action.  That means you could talk about the same thing every day for 8-16 days and only then will it just start to register with your clients...

So many of my clients inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp laugh when they tell me, “Hey Kathleen, I just talked about my new wedding process for 14 days straight and it’s generated so much more interest than ever before.”

Yep. You bet. Repetition is indeed your bestie.

I know it feels boring and mundane and it’s not how the famous florists do it, but it works. 

It also means the framework you follow for a social media plan for flower businesses can be super simple. Make a plan for 30 days and just repeat that plan for 12 months. Kapow, a year’s worth of floristry social media content sorted.

Embrace the power of repetition and be relentless in your approach and you will see a difference.

Facebook + Instagram + Floristry

The very last thing to keep in mind when it comes to creating a social media plan for flower businesses is, depending on your audience, you might be catering to different clients on different social media platforms.

A one-size-fits-all approach might not be right for your business when planning social media for flower businesses.

I see it time and time again for my Bootcamp clients as well and it’s certainly the experience we had with our floristry business. 

In fact, in most cases, Instagram is a great platform to easily attract new, higher-value clients to your flower business. Whereas Facebook provides a wonderful opportunity to engage with local businesses and local residents, creating a sense of community and connection.

For our wedding business, we actually made the decision to just stop posting to Facebook altogether. 

We found Facebook attracted lots of low-value customers and budget clients. So, in order to make the most of our marketing time and energy, we just stopped worrying about it at all. (Quite literally, our last post to Facebook says “If you’re looking for us, jump on over to Instagram.”)

Moral of the story? Don’t assume Facebook and Instagram are the same things. Yes, it’s super easy to push your Instagram posts over to Facebook and think you’re making more impact. But, it might not be serving your floristry business.

Every social media platform available has different opportunities, different strengths and different challenges. Don’t assume you need to do it all.

And if you do decide to use both Facebook and Instagram to market your flower business, it’s quite likely you’ll need to cater to two different audiences. So, start experimenting to see what works for your flower business and dig into the nuisances of each. Track your data and keep adjusting.

Totally Overwhelmed by Social Media for Florists?

You’re not alone.

It can be super confusing and super frustrating to sort out a social media plan for your flower business.

I’m here to make it easy, to show you exactly what you need to focus on (and what to ignore) and how to make more money in your flower business. That includes my exact approach to effortlessly conquer Instagram.

And it’s all inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp.

My Flower Boss Bootcamp is the only program available to floral designers, flower lovers and flower farmers focused entirely on the business of flowers. The program is run entirely online, so we can work together no matter where in the world you’re located.

I’m here to help you build a better flower business, to show you how to get more customers, make more money and show up with more confidence.

Inside my Flower Boss Bootcamp, you get access to my Instagram Masterclass. I show you my exact approach to sorting out Instagram, including the right hashtag strategy to use, how to level up your feed and what to write in your captions. I want to show you just how fun Instagram can be.

Friend, if you’re dreaming of making more money in your flower business but feel totally overwhelmed with the marketing side of things, I’m here to help. 

Click here to learn more about my Flower Boss Bootcamp. 

This program will change the trajectory of your flower business. I promise (yes, there is a money-back guarantee).

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