{Ask Nancy: What kind of advice...}

Dear Brown Baggers, I made a few more additions to this article so I'm reposting. Thank you for your patience on this. It's such an explosive subject that I felt it necessary to add a few more details and highlight key phrases and words.


StartingOut recently asked, "What kind of advice would you give to someone who is just starting out in this business? I just started my floral business about 5 months ago so I am still very new to all this. I am having a difficult time attracting the right clientele. "

Wow, that's a whopper of a question. Where to begin? Keep in mind this is the ramblings of one person so don't think this is the final word.

First and foremost, anyone who is thinking about starting a floral business needs to love working with people, love flowers, love juggling projects and much more. You can't do it for the money. If you do it for the money, you are in for a shocking surprise and you probably won't enjoy it after a few years. The margins are low. The days are long. The competition is fierce.

Why is the competition fierce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2006, there were 87,000 registered floral designers of which 1/3 owned their own business. That means, there are roughly 29,000 floral businesses in this country. That's quite a lot. In order to be perceived as one of the better designers, it's an uphill battle because there are so many floral designers who own their own business.

The key is doing consistently good work. To do good work, you need to stand out and have a strong and unique position. Ask yourself, what do you do that no other floral designer can do? What sets you apart? What is your passion? What is your marketing position? What do you stand for?

Believe it or not, I entered this business because I had a hard time finding a floral designer who did modern, American classic floral design. I found many traditional florists. I found many creative florists but I wanted flowers that were timeless, elegant, refreshing modern. Back when I got married, no floral designer in my price range showed a particular look that could be called Martha Stewart meets In Style. Many were overwhelming layered, over designed, and full of contrasting colors. It inspired me to want to create something a bit different from the others.

Today, we have so many designers who offer not only the timeless style that I love but have also created new viewpoints and new techniques including Ariella Chezar, Livia Cetti of the Green Vase, Michael George of Michael George Hybrid, and Nico de Swert. In order to standout, a new business needs to find a niche, an untapped market, you must ask yourself, "what do you stand for?".

New floral designers tend to want to replicate what is out there. I applaud those that are trail blazers, foral designers like Natasha of Waterlily Pond, Neil of Hunt Littlefield, Spiral Hand, R. Jack Baltazar. These designers have very strong, unique point of views that show in their work, their brand, and ultimately, their business.

Ask yourself, what is your unique marketing position? If you cannot set yourself apart from the others, if you can't find what is your unique style, how can you expect a client to understand you.

Foremost, you have got to build a great, concise, beautiful portfolio that people can find. Remember, people must be able to find you, so you must have a website in this day and age. Once you understand what unique opportunities you have, you have got to infuse some personality into your business through building a brand. Advertising is a good start and needed for newer businesses where clients don't know your brand However, advertising is costly if you do it randomly. In order to maximize your advertising, you must understand who your client is and what is she reading.

My gosh, I think I can go on and on about this but I think this is a good start.

Best wishes to your future!

Bottom line: You have got to build a unique identity and personality to your business. Don't replicate. Find your personality.
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