so you want to be a florist?

so you want to be a florist?

I took this post from my Floral Design by Erin website.  I have slowed down quite a bit on the floral end of things, but I still get asked about floral and how to become a florist, so I thought this was worth revisiting!  Hope this helps.  As always, feel free to email me with your questions!


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So you want to be a florist?  Obviously you have a little bit of knowledge about how to care for flowers and arrange them.  (or maybe you don't quite yet?)  Either way, here are 3 skills that are absolutely essential if you want to pursue a career in floristry that maybe you hadn't thought of! 

photo by Evelyn Eslava

1.  You have to have vision.

When you're meeting with clients about their floral, you aren't just taking into account the colors of their wedding and the season of the particular event.  While those things are important, there's much more to it than that.  

You're also taking into consideration the personalities of the bride and groom, their story, their idea of how things should look at their event, and the overall feel.  You have to think of things that they hadn't thought of.  Your clients will ask you styling questions.  You have to be prepared to think outside the box and come up with personalized solutions.  Every person is unique, and thus every floral order I take on is catered to that particular person.  

You have to be able to see the big picture when doing floral.  When you're putting together the recipes for their floral you must also think about things like vessel choices, ribbons and trims, linens and other details that will relate to the flowers!

Along with having a vision for your clients, you must have vision for yourself and your business.  You will fail at times.  Does that mean it's the end of the world?  Not at all!  Failing means you are trying.  Learn from your mistakes and set higher goals for yourself the next time.  See the big picture!

2.  You have to have a business mindset.

This is huge.  You need to be professional; after all, this is a business you're running!  You need to think about marketing, social media, taxes, networking, business licenses, time management, and how/when/where to meet with clients.  You need to know how to set up invoices, how to price, and how to write emails to clients.  You need to have organizational skills!  Oh, do you need to have organizational skills!  You meet with so many people that everything can blur together really quickly.  There is just so much that goes into the business side of a floral business that I won't get into here.  They need their own posts which are in the works!  

3.  You have to be a people person.

You have got to feel comfortable talking with strangers.  You have to be really good at reading people.  You have such a short amount of time to meet with clients and get a feel for their personality and individual style.  You need to make that client feel like they are the only client in the world!  It is absolutely essential you don't mess up in this area.  If something goes wrong (heaven forbid!), make it right!  While we are talking about the subject of making something right, there is also a fine line between making things right and being walked on.  You must stand up for yourself always.  Never ever compromise your standards for a client (or for anyone for that matter).  Make sure they know where you stand, and make sure you know what their expectations are.  If someone isn't a good fit for you, you will not be a good fit for them! (more on this later, too!)

The other part to being a people person is networking.  Networking is huge, especially in the wedding industry.  There are so many brides and vendors who will refer their friends and clients to you if you are talented, but especially if you're kind.  I believe in treating others how you would like to be treated.  I try to treat everyone I meet with kindness and courtesy.  Unfortunately, not everyone you meet will reciprocate.  Even though it may really stink to resist the temptation to be rude to those people, others will remember that you are nice and it will pay off.  I promise!

 

If you are just starting out, let me know!  I love to answer questions, because I love when people answer my questions.  (I think it's silly when people keep things so secretive about their business, so I promise to be open with you!  We're all in this together!)  If you have any immediate questions you want me to address, feel free to comment below or email me at floraldesignbyerin@gmail.com!

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