How to Set Up your Own Floristry Business

January 16th, 2018 Career AdviceDesign Careers

Opening your own floristry business is a rewarding experience where you can express your creativity and bring joy to people every day. In this article we look at some of the tips and tricks that will make starting your business easier, so you can focus on doing what you love.

Get to know your market

Where you setup your floristry business will significantly influence it’s potential success. Even in this age of online orders and on demand deliveries, a storefront in a location with high foot traffic is essential. Think about your customer’s needs:

• Customers buying flowers for a loved one
• Customers buying flowers for their home
• Customers buying flowers for a particular event
• Customers buying flowers for their workplace
• Customers buying flowers on a whim

Who are the people that will buy from you? How much do they want to spend, and how often will they spend it? It’s important to do bit of research into the neighborhood and its demographic before you open a business.
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Choose the right location

How many of the above customers are going to purchase on a whim, enticed by your gorgeous arrangements?

Many floristry stores find success setting up their business near train stations for commuter foot traffic. Locations close to ‘essentials’ stores like grocery stores also help.

Alternatively, areas with a fair amount of free parking and high car traffic are also favoured by consumers, particularly if you’re starting your business in an area without a lot of foot traffic.

Study your shopfront

Don’t just grab the first storefront you find. Know first if it’s suitable for your business.

• Is your store legally compliant and does it meet all the relevant government regulations?
• Is it easy for customers to see your business and is it enticing to enter?
• Can suppliers easily drop off materials?
• Can you visualise how it will look?
• What about connections? Online ordering and electronic payments might be key to the management of your business.

Know your floral design

Unless you’re starting a wholesale business to supply to retail outlets, every floristry business needs to create a unique floral design.

Even if you plan on adopting a management focused role in your business, as the business owner you’ll still be expected to set the standards, train staff and fill in where needed. In the first few years especially it’s unlikely everything will run according to plan. You’ll probably find yourself stepping into many roles, so before starting your business ask yourself, are your design and arrangement skills up to scratch?

If not, consider getting educated. Undertaking a course or even working in another floristry store are great ways of broadening your skill set.

Hire and train the right employees

Your employees are the face of your business. On a daily basis they interact with your customers, handle payments, and provide the essential services to keep your business running. That means you need to:

• Hire the right staff, and
• Train them properly

Staff should be trustworthy, presentable and have a passion for floristry.

Customer experience comes first

This is true of any business, but as a floristry store you’ll have to meet some pretty high customer expectations. Businesses thrive on repeat customers, so if you’re not providing an excellent service and compelling customer experience every time, you’re not doing the best for your business.

• Are your staff friendly, courteous and helpful?
• Do you cultivate relationships with customers
• Do you provide any additional value for repeat customers

Balance business with the creative

Many floristry business owners began their journey with the intention to express their creative flair and spend their days creating beautiful arrangements. However, running a floristry business entails a lot more than selling aesthetically pleasing floral arrangements. Remember, as the business owner you will be responsible for everything from legal compliance to supply, logistics and recruitment. You’ll also need to diffuse customer complaints, workplace conflict and other potential hazards. In truth, you may find there’s not all that much time to be creative.

Know the competition

Competition in business is healthy. Know who else is in your area. They could be other flower shops, popular online players or big box stores that offer floral arrangements during big events like Valentine’s day. Study them and consider the following:

• How do their designs and arrangements stack up against yours?
• What do they offer that your store doesn’t?
• What do you offer as a point of difference?
• What is the tone, look or feel of the competition?

It’s important to deliver on baseline expectations, but differentiate your business with some unique selling points so you’re not just ‘another flower store”.

Start your journey today

Start your floristry business the right way with a proper education in floristry and design to ensure its success. Let ICI help you get there faster. Check out our industry approved floristry course and learn everything you need to know to make your business a success.

by Gladys Mae

Gladys serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute.