Making Money From the Floral Business

Flowers have always been closely associated with our lives. We use various floral arrangements for many occasions such as weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations such as Valentines Day and Mothers day. The gift giving art of floral decorations is an age old gesture practiced all over the world. It is still a popular custom and will remain so for centuries to follow. Because flowers are a unique gift that will undoubtedly touch the heart of the receiver and make them feel special and loved.

The floral arts industry is a huge industry today. From small scale to large scale, from internet marketing to over the counter sales; the potential niche market is very high. Become a part of this popular income generating venture, start your own floral arrangement business and earn immediate profits doing what you love, making wonderful creations with these beautiful offerings of nature...

Where as a knack for the floral arts can take you places in this industry, basic skills can always be improved through experience to make your business the most unique in town. An eye for color, texture and a vivid imagination is always a plus. Master the skills of cutting and treating flowers, color coordinating them beautifully and marketing your products in the most eye catching manner, and your business is sure to succeed.

You can make various floral decors such as bouquets, centerpieces, potted flowers, corsages, garlands, boutonnieres, wreaths and posies. Different occasions call for different decorations and sometimes, different flower types. For example Valentines Day symbolizes red roses, and the variety you can create with them is endless. The trick is to make your creations unique and the most appealing to the customer. You can use various adornments such as ribbons, bows, creepers, sprigs, baskets, wrappers and various other artificial products to embellish your creations and increase the aesthetic value.

Most flowers are seasonal, so you can organize your selling themes according to their availability. But there is always more than a few varieties available at one time period, so your choice is never restricted to few. Most popular flowers used in the floral design industry that brings in high revenue are roses, tulips, lilies, orchids, daisies and gerberas. You can also sell gift baskets arrangements of fruits and chocolates along with your floral designs and expand your venture into other avenues.

The corporate world also makes a significant contribution towards income generation in this industry, with many companies ordering floral décor for special events such as meetings and conferences, as well as on a more regular basis to decorate their offices. Arrangements they require include decorations for entryways, reception areas, working desks and lounging areas. Commercial buildings, offices, shops, malls, hotels, hospitals, clubs and restaurants are a few such places that use floral décor on a daily basis.

Although most floral businesses run on a large scale, many small scale entrepreneurs run very successful ventures that are almost as popular. It doesn\'t take much initial investment to begin your own floral design business, especially since it is a business that can easily be operated from the comforts of your own home, cutting down on expenses such as office space rentals and overheads. It is so much easier to run a flower delivery service from home, with basic equipment, on your own schedule as opposed to running a floral boutique. You will be surprised to learn how easily the money will flow and be amazed at the net profits you can make within a short period.

Based on your talents, available resources and time allocations for the business, you can choose an area of specialization. A few examples are below:

o Wedding arrangements

o Family events and functions such as funerals, christenings, baby showers and birthday parties

o Commercial or business events

o Retail florist shop

o Home floral/home decoration business

Whichever field you select, what matters is that you give it your best spirits, and success is not hard to achieve. Think about it, start today and make your floral business the best small scale décor store in town.

Summary

The floral décor business is a sure way to succeed in the home business industry by converting your artistic ability with flower arrangements into a money making venture, catering for various sectors and occasions such as weddings, family events, corporate events, office/commercial décor and home décor.

Why Even Open a Flower Shop?

Why even open a flower shop? Has it been your dream? Maybe you have worked for a shop and decided you want your own store. Perhaps you want to own your own business and not work for others. Possibly the flower business is a business you think you can do. Many people would like to own their own flower shop.

Owning your own flower shop is a business that is very achievable. With a little money and hopefully a lot of talent opening that store can be realized. Dreaming of opening your own flower shop is probably the result of many factors. Here are some reasons of why you may want to begin a journey of designing beautiful flowers and serving people.

1.       The flower business is a service industry. Helping and sharing with people their life situations can be rewarding. Helping your customers create the perfect birthday or anniversary or celebrating the birth of a child is satisfying and most definitely a worthwhile job if we are going to do any.

2.       Becoming a florist allows us to become a part of our community in which we live. We are all human. Florists are there to help with the human factor of our customers. It is gratifying to be able to help others in the moments of their lives.

3.       It is very rewarding to see the happiness of people receiving flowers. Observing the surprise, the awe, the beauty that we get from these people is just a wonderful part of being a florist. We get to add cheer to the lives of those to whom we deliver.  What better way to spend your time and vocation? People want to see us! They want our delivery van in front of their house.

4.       Creativity is a big part of being a florist. The work we do allows us to be creative and have our creativity serve a purpose. It is like selling our art and creations on a daily basis. No starving artists in this business!

5.       As a florist and designer we get to work with different mediums. We work with fresh flowers, dried flowers, silk flowers, or a combination thereof.  Live green plants, blooming plants, cacti, succulents, even silk plants are part of our repertoire of materials with which we get to work. Our designs and “artwork” are limitless. Every day is different in the flower business.

6.       People in our community rely on us to bridge their problems with others. Somehow, sometimes, flowers do say it all. We can help. Furthermore, along with people’s problems, there is a trust issue people have towards florists. We deal on a day-to-day basis with other people’s “sticky” situations and we have a duty to keep an understood silence. Most florists are trusted and relied upon to help work out the issues of others.

7.       What's more, let’s not forget the beauty in which we get to do our jobs. Even though a flower shop can get very busy and hectic, the beauty within which we work is extremely satisfying in itself.

The flower business is a win-win business; for us as owners and for our customers. This business is hard work. It takes time and devotion to build your shop. The hours in which you work may be long. All in all, the flower business is a great business to work, to live, to build friends, and to be part of a community. It is a worthy goal and a worthwhile vocation.

Boosting Your Business When the Economy is Slow

When the economy is slow and you need to boost business, it is the little things that can make the biggest difference for your flower shop. Little effects geared toward making it easier for your customers to shop at your store. In a slow economy competition is fierce. Give customers a little more attention and ease of shopping your flower shop and they will appreciate it and keep coming back. Little things definitely will increase the value of your reputation.

Have you ever sat outside a store, forced to wait for the next 5 or 10 minutes until the store unlocks the door? You know the employees are right there and they could let you in. They are on the clock already getting paid, what are they waiting for? A magical time? They wait until straight up at 9:00, or whatever the magical time is, then unlock the door. Already animosity has set in and how is that customer going to have a positive shopping experience? Have a 10 minute rule. Open your business 10 minutes before scheduled opening time and close 10 minutes after your scheduled closing time. Your employees will be answering the phones and have the doors opened 10 minutes before your floral shop is scheduled to open. The doors will remain open and the phones will still be answered 10 minutes after scheduled closing time. As a customer and a shopper, how many times would this have helped you? Many, I am guessing. Great tip for success, that will make customers very pleased. The next time they need a floral product, your flower shop will be remembered. It will be a small, extra expense for your shop, but the additional orders and goodwill you will receive will worth the effort.

In times when money is tight, you and your flower shop are still trying to make a buck. When a customer comes in to order flowers, do not sell them the cheapest arrangement you can find just because they are on a budget. This could be insulting to your customer. Offer them 3 different choices; a sort of price range if you will. If you offer your floral customer a choice of price ranges they will most often take the middle price. Therefore, you have not sold them the cheapest costing product. You have already made more money than you would have on the sell. Furthermore, your customer felt like he/she had options, and they selected the option that did not appear to make them feel like the cheapest, leading them to feel better about the whole sale. By giving the customer several selections, it subtly directed them away from the least expensive purchase. Everyone wins!!

What about your customer satisfaction policy. Have you reviewed it lately? Maybe you should. Happy customers are vital to a business in a slow economy. It means their limited dollars will get spent in your flower shop when the need arises, versus the shop down the street or the supermarket. You definitely do not want to steer your customers to the grocery store for flowers!! So develop an iron-clad satisfaction policy. Make it hassle-free, to the point, and the customer is always right. If you have been in business for a long time, or plan to be, sooner or later you may have a customer satisfaction problem. If you want to keep that customer you need to quickly turn their dissatisfaction into a gratified patron.

This is where you can set yourself apart from your competitors. Now would be the time to show that you are willing to do whatever it takes to make a contented customer. You also want to express to them that they are valuable to you and you will keep them at all costs. Adjustments to the client’s negative problem will actually become a positive, because you will have displayed your shop’s creative ability to solve problems and hopefully create goodwill. This will actually strengthen customer loyalty and increase spending. A hassle-free satisfaction policy can add monies to your bottom line. Whatever the problem, fix it quickly, at all expense!!

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