Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Alison Ellis, Founder of Real Flower Business, located in Jericho, VT, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Real Flower Business provides online courses, coaching, and a community for floral designers and farmer florists who want to maximize their profits, book great clients, and find more freedom in their business. Florists enroll in my courses from all across the globe and range from first-year start-ups to designers with 25+ years in the industry.
Tell us about yourself
I actually took my first floral design class when I was in 5th grade, and I've been working as a florist professionally for almost 30 years. I started my own home-studio floral design business in 2002, specializing in weddings, and I've been teaching florists how to run the business side of their business since 2015, when I released my very first course, Flower Math, The Florist's Guide To Pricing & Profitability.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
I wrote a book! Falling Into Flowers, A step-by-step guide to today's modern wedding business, was published by Wildflower Media in 2020. That absolutely felt like a huge accomplishment, and it's a beautiful book that I'm very proud of.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being a decision-maker is one of the hardest parts of owning a business. The number of decisions required to create one social media post or infographic can feel overwhelming, let alone the need to make bigger decisions like whether or not you should invest in a new marketing campaign or business coach, so resilience is important when it comes to decision-making.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Never stop learning. There will always be something more to learn because things are always changing. After 20 years in business, I am still learning constantly because I seek out new knowledge to keep my business sharp.
- Get to know your customers. (What do they care about, what motivates them, who are you selling to?)
- Your website is still your most powerful marketing tool--it's your online hub! That's why your website has got to be even better than your social media presence so you can establish authority, engage customers with your brand content, and provide a path for them to buy from you.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://realflowerbusiness.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/realflowerbusiness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realflowerbusiness/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/realflowerbusiness/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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