Today we're catching up with Sylvia Bustamante Gubbins, owner of Madrid Flower School. You may remember our conversation with Sylvia in Episode 42 (2019) when she had just opened MFS. So much has happened since that conversation, we thought it would be fun to sit back down and see how Sylvia has guided the school through growth in the midst of a pandemic and where she's headed in 2022.

JOIN US AS WE TALK ABOUT:

• the new English Professional Program at Madrid Flower School
• the importance of ambiance and hospitality in an educational space
• building an inclusive learning environment
• changes that Sylvia has observed in Madrid floral trends since opening MFS
• creating a community where all people feel comfortable
• attributes of a great instructor
• how the pandemic has affected day-to-day operations at MFS

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 90:

• New York Botanical Garden
• Flower School New York
• Holly Chapple | The Chapel Designers
• London Flower School
• Putnam & Putnam
• Milena Orlandi

LEARN MORE ABOUT MADRID FLOWER SCHOOL HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Spring 2022 English Professional Program

Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) and Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music & Voiceovers: Landon McGee

Today we're continuing our conversation with Twyla Reimer, owner of Remi + Gold in Austin, Texas. We were nowhere near done asking questions when our last conversation with Twyla concluded, so we asked her to come back and tell us more! We hope you find the second half of our visit helpful and encouraging — especially if you're wanting to break into the destination wedding market. Twyla doesn't hold back on sharing the ins and outs of the weddings she's flowered from Paris to Hawaii!

JOIN US AS WE TALK ABOUT:

• how the Remi + Gold team is structured and how each team member contributes to the brand
• developing brand recognition
• sourcing flowers for destination weddings
• choosing a workspace when designing a destination event
• hiring freelancers for destination weddings
• destination event transportation and lodging
• memorable Remi + Gold events from 2021
• the Remi + Gold minimums method

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 89:

• Gusto
• Landmark Beadwork (beaded jewelry by Lauren Palmer / BB Podcast guest Episode 80)

EARN MORE ABOUT REMI + GOLD HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

This episode of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast is brought to you by: BLOOM TRUST CO. A curated collection of floral resources you can trust. Click here to learn more.

Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) and Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music & Voiceovers: Landon McGee

Today we're visiting with Twyla Reimer, owner of Remi + Gold in Austin, Texas. From a slight obsession with TLC wedding shows to working behind the scenes on events along the Las Vegas strip, flowering in California, and opening a business in Texas, you'll want to fasten your seatbelt for Twyla's story. She's not afraid to follow a dream. But, her love of people and the intentionality she shows in the way she cares for those around her are the heart of the story. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we enjoyed having it...and watch for Part 2 coming January 2022!

Join us as we talk about:

• finding her stride in floral design
• moving from freelancer to business owner
• the flower order that gave her the confidence to go out on her own
• the impact Instagram had on the early success and growth of her business
• why she prioritizes her team over everything else
• creating company culture
• why creating a safe work environment for her team is her 1st priority
• how she takes care of her team
• the importance of having an ethos in business
• how she makes time to support people and causes she believes in
• how being a first generation American has impacted her business journey

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 88:

• Jesse Camargo | BB+ Episode 20
• South by Southwest
• International School of Hospitality
• Lauren Palmer & Leah Palmer | The Wild Mother | #sendflowerstogreenwood

LEARN MORE ABOUT REMI + GOLD HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast is brought to you by: BLOOM TRUST CO. A curated collection of floral resources you can trust. Click here to learn more.

Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) and Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music & Voiceovers: Landon McGee

TODAY'S GUEST: Jesse Camargo | Flo.ReaL | IG: @jesse.flo.real

TOPIC: Becoming a Floral Freelancer

Join us in this episode as we talk about:

• landing his first freelancing job
• negotiating freelance work while maintaining a full-time job
• the moment he realized he wanted to pursue floral freelancing
• the importance of setting boundaries and saying no
• the perks of being a freelancer
• what it's like to be a freelancer behind-the-scenes
• the importance of having a mentor
• freelancer specialties
• skills required to be a successful freelancer
• the key to his success in business & life

FOLLOW JESSE'S ADVENTURES:

On Instagram

TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

EVERYSTEM

A SPECIAL EVERYSTEM OFFER FOR BB LISTENERS:

Enter referral code: flowerwithpurpose when you create your EveryStem account to receive a free month of service.

Monthly members receive their 2nd month free. Annual members receive 13 months for the price of 10.

Join today with EveryStem's risk free 90-day money back guarantee.

Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) + Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

Today we're visiting with Hannah Bonham Blackwell of Southside Blooms in the Englewood community of Chicago, Illinois. Southside Blooms, which is a project of Chicago Eco House (a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission of using sustainability to alleviate poverty), is a farm-to-vase florist providing unique and fashion-forward arrangements, while maintaining an uncompromising dedication to both the environment and the surrounding communities. One hundred percent of their money goes directly towards fulfilling this mission. That means every flower purchased from Southside Blooms creates jobs for at-risk youth, converts vacant lots into safe and productive community assets, and actively contributes to the health and resilience of the environment through regenerative farming practices.

We hope you'll join us for this conversation as we talk with Hannah about:

• using sustainable practices in flower farming
• unlocking creativity in the youth who work at Southside Blooms
• the importance of being based in the area where Southside Blooms employees live
• how Southside Blooms acquired land for 4 urban farms in Chicago (plus another in Gary, Indiana)
• thoughts on expansion
• staffing wins and challenges
• finding farming techniques that work for the Southside Blooms business model
• the key to offering opportunities that are compatible with the community you serve

LEARN MORE ABOUT SOUTHSIDE BLOOMS HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook

TODAY'S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

EVERYSTEM

A SPECIAL EVERYSTEM OFFER FOR BB LISTENERS:

Enter referral code: flowerwithpurpose when you create your EveryStem account to receive a free month of service.

Monthly members receive their 2nd month free. Annual members receive 13 months for the price of 10.

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha + Bloom Trust Co.)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

TODAY'S GUESTS: Corrine Heck (CEO) + Parie Donaldson (Certified Design Associate) Details Flowers Software

TOPIC: Do More and Earn More with the Help of Details Flowers Software

Details Flowers Software is a platform specifically designed to help florists and designers. The app streamlines proposals, ensures profitability through careful attention to each arrangement, and simplifies the payment process.

Details is an elegant and easy-to-use floral design system – an absolute must-have for your floral business. The world's best designers are growing their bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing with the all-in-one platform. As an event designer for over 15 years, CEO Corinne Heck planned and produced over 800 events. Through her experience she identified the many challenges that come with running a floral business; challenges like over-buying, under-charging, and coordinating an abundance of floral and supply data. The Details Flowers Software solution helps professional florists and event designers tackle these issues and more.

Join us in this episode as we talk about:

• Why and how Corrine developed Details Flowers Software
• Using Details for visual presentations with clients
• Timesaving features for busy designers
• Details documents that assist with keeping freelancers informed and organized
• Their commitment to adding features according to clients' needs
• Details Flowers tech support
• Details Flowers proposal, invoice, and payment capabilities
• Using Details templates (ex. the new Holly Chapple templates)
• Compatibility between Details and other platforms
• The Details Color Picker
• Utilizing the Collections feature
• Using Details for retail and holiday sales
• The beautiful community-over-competition backstory to the friendship Corrine and Parie share

Membership to Details Flowers is $150 a month for 2 users or $1500 a year.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DETAILS FLOWERS:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | YOUTUBE

SPECIAL OFFER: BB Podcast Listeners can use CODE: BB2021 for 20% off a one year subscription. You'll need to create an account, log in, and enter a credit card number, BUT your credit card won't be charged until the end of your 7-day free trial. EXPIRATION DATE: 12/31/2021 Today's episode is brought to you by:

BLOOM TRUST CO.

Looking for floral resources you can trust and a safe place to ask questions? Check out the carefully vetted and curated resources available at Bloom Trust Co.

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB+ Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

Today we're visiting with Paulina Nieliwocki, owner of Blue Jasmine Floral in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Paulina was a high school language arts teacher and translator looking for a new adventure that challenged her while still feeding her creative soul. Remembering her love of flowers as a young girl, she made a plan, took a risk, opened Blue Jasmine Floral and never looked back. Her love of flowers and teaching are contagious. Grab a drink and join us as we talk about:

• how she managed the quick turnaround between resigning her teaching job and opening a flower shop
• her go-to floral design principles
• the blooms she considers to be "the most special"
• the mechanics behind her recognizable compote arrangements
• how she successfully juggled a retail flower shop and an wedding/event business
• how she designed her studio space
• how she restructured her business during the pandemic
• how she trains her staff to design in the Blue Jasmine aesthetic
• one thing she'd like to see change for the floral design profession
• a niche she's hoping someone will take advantage of by starting a business to help wedding/event florists (hint hint!)

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 86:

• Ariella Chezar
• Flower School New York
• Florists' Review Best in Blooms Winner
• Restoration Hardware

LEARN MORE ABOUT BLUE JASMINE FLORAL HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest

Today's episode is brought to you by:

EveryStem

A special EveryStem offer for BB listeners:

Email LuAnn at [email protected] to schedule a one-on-one demo of EveryStem and receive a free month of service when you become a member.

Co-Hosts: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha) + Maggie Bailey (Bramble & Bee)

BB Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

Today we're visiting with Sarah Diligent, owner of Floribunda Rose in Hampshire, England. Sarah describes herself as a Flowerist, author, and teacher. She believes deeply in the value of British flowers and her interest in sustainable floristry inspired her to write A Guide to Floral Mechanics with William Mazuch. Grab a seat and join us as we talk about:

• the surprising reason she started her own floral business
• her unique business-building experience with a private tutor
• the advantages she finds in designing with local grown flowers
• following her intuition regarding the use of floral foam and how she transitioned away from using it
• her experience writing a book from idea conception to printing and selling
• her commitment to elevating British Grown Flowers to a luxury product

LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 85:

• Green & Gorgeous
• The Garden Gate Flower Co.
• Buckets of Blooms
• Flowers From the Farm
• New Covent Flower Market
• GB Foliage
• British Flower Week
• Kickstarter
• GF Smith Paper
• Shane Connolly

LEARN MORE ABOUT FLORIBUNDA ROSE HERE:

Website | Instagram | Facebook | Floribunda Rose Flower School

Sarah's Private Facebook Group: Eco Friendly Florists & Flower Growers Collective

This Facebook group is a friendly & supportive place for florists & flower growers who have an interest in using British (or home grown) flowers, 'green' floristry techniques and are interested in generally reducing our collective carbon footprint. A place to shout out for an extra set of hands or to borrow or swap floristry related equipment/paraphernalia.

This is also a place to ask questions, support one another & help one another out. Click Here to join. Today's episode is brought to you by:

BLOOM TRUST CO.

Looking for floral resources you can trust and a safe place to ask questions? Check out the carefully vetted and curated resources available at Bloom Trust Co.

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB+ Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee

TODAY'S GUEST: Natalie Gill | Native Poppy TOPIC: Introducing the Bloom Trust Co. CIRCLE

Natalie's mission to work hard and be nice resonates with me, so it's no surprise that she's made several guest appearances on the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast over the years talking about everything from Finding Your Mojo to Pricing & Delivery Charges to Marketing tips.

But today she's on the BB Podcast so we can let you in on a little dream we've been working on together. While this dream is taking shape under the Bloom Trust Co. umbrella, we want to make it perfectly clear that you do NOT have to be a Bloom Trust Co. member to join Natalie and me in what we're talking about today. Every single one of you is invited!

In this episode, we're unveiling Bloom Trust Co. CIRCLE — why we created it and our wildest dreams for how it will serve all who choose to sit with us over the coming months.

What is Bloom Trust Co. CIRCLE?

The circle is a place to lay down the day-to-day pressures of running, building, or anticipating a flower business. For 8 weeks, you'll be surrounded by encouraging peers as you relax into the transparency facilitated and modeled by your hosts, Amy (Botanical Brouhaha + Bloom Trust Co.) and Natalie Gill (Native Poppy). Bring your challenges, dreams, and questions. We'll tackle them one-by-one. Feeling lost and unsure what to even ask? No worries. Listening to your thoughts, understanding where you're coming from, and helping you formulate a plan that's true to who you are is our strength. We can't wait to chat flowers with you!

As part of the CIRCLE, you'll find:

• access to the collective knowledge of your hosts and your CIRCLE peers
• fluid topic discussions based on your current needs and challenges
• unhurried time to listen and be heard
• connection with others in the floral profession
• a wide range of backgrounds and experiences represented by members
• a culture of encouragement: When You Win, We All Win!

Details

• Dates: September 27, 2021 - November 19, 2021
• CIRCLE will meet 2 hours per week for 8 weeks (exact days to be chosen by the group)
• We will keep the CIRCLE small with just 7 members to ensure each CIRCLE member feels supported
• One full scholarship will be awarded to the CIRCLE

BTC CIRCLE is right for you if you've ever said:

• "I just can't seem to get ahead."
• "My mind is all over the place."
• "I need answers, but I'm overwhelmed by all the options."
• "I want to learn, but I don't have time to take a course, read a book, or attend a conference."
• "I'm too busy!!"
• "As much as I want to do something for myself, I just can't take on one more thing."
• "There's too much going on in floral education these days. I give up!"
• "How am I supposed to solve the problem I'm having today while I'm in the thick of it without an extra hour to look for the answer?"
• "I'm tired of the break-neck pace. How can I slow down and still impact the world through my flowers?"

TODAY'S GUEST: LuAnn Dickson

TOPIC: Pricing & Ordering Flowers for Profitability

LuAnn Dickson was the owner and lead designer of Verbena Floral Design in Austin, TX from 2006 to 2018 before she ventured on to become a freelance floral designer and tech entrepreneur who helps floral designers minimize waste and maximize profits through her internet-based flower recipe platform, EveryStem.

In this episode, we talk about pricing challenges commonly faced by floral designers and discuss some of the benefits of using LuAnn's new software, EveryStem. Join us as we talk about:

• How pricing with confidence and accurate ordering can lead to a financially sustainable business
• Why frustrations with retail math can lead floral designers into a cycle of emotional pricing
• How her experience as a floral designer and retail business owner led her to build an online tool that ends the cycle of emotional pricing and hit-or-miss profitability
• Why each designer needs to determine the markup that's right for their floral business and how that leads to financial sustainability
• How she recognized there was a lack of tools when it came to pricing and ordering in the floral industry
• The process of starting a software program that works the way florists think and helps designers make the best decisions for their individual businesses
• Why we should make profitability a priority rather than an afterthought
• How using the right tools to price and order your flowers can end your fear of looking at your financials
• The freedom you have as a creative artist when you use a program to assist you and do the math for you
• How using a tool like EveryStem can help to build up your pricing muscles
• How EveryStem fits into the workflow of floral designers and helps them save time
• How to feel confident that you are giving your clients maximum value while achieving your profit margin goals

EveryStem is an internet-based software program for floral designers. It streamlines the difficult process of pricing, recipe-building, and flower ordering. Floral designers use it to track their profitability on every event, prevent pricing errors, and avoid over-buying.

Memberships are $24.99 a month or $249.99 a year accompanied by a 90-day money back guarantee.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EVERYSTEM:

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

YOUTUBE (HELPFUL EVERYSTEM TUTORIALS)

CLICK HERE to see what floral designers are saying about EveryStem

Today's episode is brought to you by:

BLOOM TRUST CO.

Looking for floral resources you can trust and a safe place to ask questions? Check out the carefully vetted and curated resources available at Bloom Trust Co.

Host: Amy McGee (Botanical Brouhaha)

BB+ Podcast Sound Engineer: Grayson McGee

Music Written & Performed by: Landon McGee