Paper Talk

We chat with Amy McGee about how she’s built up a community of florists with her education and resource website.

If the past year has taught us anything, it’s the importance of virtual communities.

In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we talked with Amy McGee of Botanical Brouhaha. Last year we loved learning about how she has pivoted her business over time. In this episode we chatted about one of her newer projects, Bloom Trust Co. She’s brought together educators and resources in one place that makes it easy for fresh florists to find the help they need—and there’s lots of useful info for us paper florists, as well. 

Amy wasn’t planning on Bloom Trust Co. being a virtual community. She envisioned it as a place to grab info and go. But as she listened to feedback from members, she realized that people wanted more. They wanted a place to gather together. 

You can hear all about how Amy has successfully built up that community and what Bloom Trust Co. offers by listening to the episode. Here’s a little sneak peek of three things she’s done that have helped her virtual community thrive.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:
► How to “flower with purpose” and choose work that is meaningful to you.
► When to listen to or ignore feedback.
► Why building a foundation of trust is crucial in business.
► How to nurture an online community.
► Which educators are involved in Bloom Trust Co.

Build Trust

If people didn’t grow to trust Amy over the years, they wouldn’t have wanted her to create an online community. Amy has proven herself trustworthy to countless florists by providing top quality education and advice time and time again with her podcast, blog, and personal recommendations.

“The mission of everything I do is to flower with purpose.”

A community must be built on trust. If you’re trying to nurture a place for people to gather, whether online or in-person, you need to gain people’s trust first. 

Think about why you want to build community. We put together Paper Talk because we want our entire paper flower industry to thrive, just like Amy wants fresh florists to succeed. And people can tell when you stay true to the heart of your mission! As you make decisions that reflect those values, you’ll build trust.

Strengthen Relationships

As Amy mentioned in the podcast, every educator she works with for Bloom Trust Co. is someone she feels comfortable enough with to call on the phone. She knows that people will get quality education and content from them. She trusts them. 

Community is about bringing people together, and that means navigating relationships. You need reliable partners who can help you build your gathering place. We’ve talked about it before, but Paper Talk and the success of our individual brands wouldn’t have been possible if Quynh and Jessie didn’t have each other.

Listen to the episode to hear more about how Amy has built up her relationships with the people she’s worked with, as well as who is involved as educators with Bloom Trust Co. 

Focus on Accessibility

Amy spoke passionately and beautifully about why accessibility matters. You’ll want to hear about how she has kept that focus at the forefront while creating Bloom Trust Co., and how she has been so successful at bringing floral education to a wider audience. 

“If your mission is to help people, and your mission is to get access to people, then you want that for them no matter where they find it. It might be with someone who’s doing something similar to you, then that’s fine, and we’re all better for it.”

To put it simply, a supportive community should be inclusive and accessible to as many people as possible. And sometimes that means helping people find their place, even if it’s elsewhere. As Amy said, “If your mission is to help people, and your mission is to get access to people, then you want that for them no matter where they find it. It might be with someone who’s doing something similar to you, then that’s fine, and we’re all better for it.” 

Join our Facebook group where you can share, connect, and grow with us. Please also consider supporting us on Patreon for even more great content like this.

Learn which social media platforms you should be using, how to improve your photos and video content, and how to find sponsors for your paper flower business.

Attracting sponsors for your paper flower business can bring in extra money and security. But how do you find them? How do you make your brand attractive to theirs?

In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we talked with Sara Kim of Handmade by Sara Kim. She was such a joy to have on the podcast last year. We wanted an update from her since her business has significantly shifted focus during the pandemic. 

With so many big events and weddings canceled, many paper florists have had to find new income sources. Sara went from hosting large in person workshops and creating huge paper flower orders, to now building up a successful online presence across social media platforms. She’s also worked with many sponsors.

Sara shared many tips about how to make your business more attractive to sponsors, and what it’s like working with other brands. Listen to the episode to hear all of that incredible information. 

In the meantime, here’s a little glimpse of what you can learn. Here are the first steps you can take to get your business ready for sponsorships.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:
► Why you should be making videos for various platforms
► How to monetize your YouTube channel
► Which software Sara uses to edit her photos and videos (plus tips!)
► How to approach brands for sponsored content
► Planning out consistent content across platforms

Curate Loyal Followers

Sara would be considered a micro-influencer, and big brands are very interested in them right now. That means that you don’t have to have a huge following in order for big companies to work with you. They know that spending a little bit of money on a smaller creator can have a big impact, often giving them a bigger bang for their buck than investing in a huge, traditional advertising campaign. 

You can benefit from this targeted marketing by building up a loyal fanbase. Those big brands want to see engaged and excited followers. Post consistent and valuable content. Take the time to respond to comments. Build up relationships with other paper florists. 

“Paper flowers are a very marketable thing outside of just the flower itself. We use paper, we use scissors, glue, tools.”

Building a solid base of followers won’t happen overnight, but the effort you put in now will pay off in the end. 

Create Video Content

 Brands aren’t paying for photos as often anymore. They want TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube videos. A year ago, Sara felt very out of her depth making videos. But she learned! She looked up as much information as she could, followed artists who made content she admired, and just kept trying.

As Sara pointed out in the episode, you should constantly be working toward making more polished videos. It’s okay if they aren’t top of the line, professional right now, but you should have the goal to continually improve. 

Listen to the podcast to hear Sara’s specific tips on how to improve and the sources she recommends learning from. She shared a wealth of knowledge about how she creates videos, what sponsors ask for in video content, which software and platforms she uses, and much much more. 

Stand by Your Brand’s Values

 Whether you approach a brand or they find you, your values should line up with theirs. Your loyal followers trust your judgment. You don’t want to break that trust by recommending products that don’t align with what you value. 

You need to know now what your values are. What is important to you? What do you want your brand’s image to be? What do your followers expect from you? If you have a solid understanding of what your paper flower business is right now, you’ll know which sponsors are a good fit for you. 

Once you’ve figured out your values, Sara had some great advice on how to approach sponsors on the podcast.  

“That’s my biggest advice for small business owners in general, is just to be learning and making progress… You wait until you have the perfect photo or perfect video, it’s going to take too long. I do believe in pumping out and being consistent, consistently reminding people that you’re there, but then approve your aesthetics and progress in the quality of your flower, quality of your photo and your video. All of that.”

Join our Facebook group where you can share, connect, and grow with us. Please also consider supporting us on Patreon for even more great content like this.

Listen to our discussion of generating more income with physical paper flower products. We talk about scarcity, branching out your product line, and meeting customer expectations.

Who couldn’t use a little more money? 

As much as we love our craft, we also need to eat. This season of Paper Talk, we’ve been focusing on ways to build up your paper flower income. In our latest episode we tackled generating more income from physical products, meaning anything you can hold in your hand. 

Our conversation covered many different ideas. Some may be a perfect fit for you, others not so much. Listen to the entire episode to hear our breakdown of each so that you can better determine which is right for your paper flower business. 

That said, here’s a little peek at what we chatted about.

Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:
► How to branch out your physical product line.
► Where to sell your products besides Etsy and your website.
► Selling an experience, not just a product, with commissions.
► The ins and outs of using scarcity as a sales tactic.
► How to best manage customer expectations.

Branch Out Your Product Line

This doesn’t necessarily mean “make more of your paper flowers.” Obviously if you made more products, you could potentially sell more. What we’re talking about is trying something new. That may mean that you partner with a wrapping paper printer like Jessie did in the past, and have images of your work printed on things like stationary or greeting cards. The potential for partnerships with other industries is really only limited by your imagination. 

“The days people buy on are the first and the last.” - Jessie

You can also think about new places to sell. Brick and mortar stores present an opportunity to get your products in front of an audience who might not ever encounter you online. Listen to the episode to hear more about stores that feature local crafters’ and artists’ work, plus more about working with brick and mortar shops.  

Create Scarcity

Scarcity sales tactics aren’t for every artist, but they do work very well for some. In the episode we really delved into how to use scarcity as a way to drive sales, and you’ll want to hear all of that discussion to better understand if this is a strategy that would fit your business.

The basic idea behind scarcity is to give customers a sense of urgency. They are encouraged to buy your products because there’s a ticking clock or a limited number of products available. On the podcast Jessie explained exactly how other artists have used scarcity for product launches, and Quynh recommended an excellent book that you should check out, as well. 

Meet Customer Expectations

Customer satisfaction is key to building up your long term income. Why? They’ll come back if they’re happy. They’ll recommend your products to others if they’re happy. Paper flowers are often purchased for special events, so people aren’t always on the lookout for buying something new from us. You need to make a great impression so that they remember you for next time. 

“I build up on other people’s anticipation of shopping. In the United States, Black Friday is a huge shopping date.” - Quynh

As we’ve discussed before, communicating with customers can smooth over almost any problem. If you know that you won’t be able to ship something for a week, let the customer know. They’ll probably be okay with it. If you don’t tell them, though, they’ll start to worry and eventually get upset.

During our discussion about scarcity, we talked about how important meeting customer expectations is for building up your loyal customer base and for handling things like big product launches. Listen to the episode for more details about how to best manage these issues.

Join our Facebook group where you can share, connect, and grow with us. Please also consider supporting us on Patreon for even more great content like this.

We chat with Liliana Lytvyn and Krista McPhee about why paper flowers matter, Paper Florists Against Racism, and #sendflowerstogreenwood.

Do paper flowers matter? 

You can probably guess our answer, but you don’t have to take only our word for it. In our latest episode of Paper Talk, we chatted with Liliana Lytvyn of Lilies and Art and Krista McPhee Petal and Finch. Like many of us, they come from different backgrounds but fell in love with paper flowers all the same. Our conversation covered a range of topics, including our work with Paper Florists Against Racism and #sendflowerstogreenwood. 

At the heart of our discussion was this truth: paper flowers matter. What we create is important. Our art can make a difference. 

You’ll want to listen to the episode to hear Liliana and Krista talk all about their paper flower journeys and much more. For now, here are three reasons why our artform matters.

Create Magic

On the podcast, Liliana told us about how she first came to work with crepe paper flowers. She, like Krista, was a crafter of many mediums. But paper flowers were different. The word Liliana used to describe this difference is “magic.” We know exactly what she means. 

“A flower arrangement can tell a story.”

All of us are here because we fell in love with paper flowers. They call to us in a way that no other artform or craft does. That’s magic! And when we make something that we’re passionate about, people can feel that magic. In a world with so many problems, creating a little magic for someone’s tabletop is a special talent. 

Listen to the episode to hear Liliana describe how she feels when she sees her paper flowers in her house. It’s beautiful! 

Here’s what you’ll learn when you listen to our conversation:
► How Liliana and Krista started their paper flower journeys.
► Why paper flowers hold a magic for us that other mediums don’t.
► The story behind Paper Florists Against Racism (PFAR).
► Behind the scenes of putting together our community’s contribution to #sendflowerstogreenwood.
► How to show up and take action against racism as an artist.

Learn the Basic and Advanced Techniques

Krista brought up how we use flowers as a language. We send flowers to those who have lost a loved one or are celebrating something wonderful. We buy flowers for special occasions like prom or a wedding. And as Lilianna put it, “A flower arrangement can tell a story.”

Flowers have long held a special importance to people from all over the globe. Being able to recreate that in a longer lasting form is powerful. We can say “sorry” or “I love you” with our art. We can tell a story.

Make a Difference in the World

Our paper flower community had the opportunity to work with The Wild Mother and other groups who organized the commemorative events for the 100th anniversary of the Greenwood Massacre. If you aren’t familiar with that horrific event, check out The Wild Mother’s website and episode 91 for more information.

“If you’re in a group, put yourself out there. Contribute more than you take.”

The short of it is that African Americans in Tulsa, Oklahoma were massacred and even more had their property destroyed in an event that decimated the most successful black community in America at the time. Most people today have never heard of it, and that was very much done on purpose. 

Through the 100th anniversary commemoration, our paper flower community worked together to send hundreds of white lilies to Greenwood. A team of paper florists then put together the installation for the new museum there about the massacre.

“Paper flowers, maybe because we’re still a smaller community...  it’s such a supportive, such a positive community.”

Making those flowers and traveling to Tulsa provided countless opportunities for people to learn more about the massacre. As Krista said in the episode, she was able to invite people in her life to make the lilies with her and learn about something they had no idea ever happened. 

Paper flowers made that happen, and we hope they can do even more in the future as we continue our work with Paper Florists Against Racism.

Learn what affiliate marketing is with Rick Magennis, and how easy it can be for paper florists, and how you can start earning passive income.

What is affiliate marketing? 

If you’re unfamiliar with it, it might sound like a very complicated business term. In reality, it can be a fantastic and simple form of passive income for paper florists. To put it simply, you can make a little bit of money by recommending products you already use and love. People click your link, buy a product, and you get a portion of that sale.

In our latest episode of Paper Talk we chatted with Rick Magennis of Bearcat Media. He helps businesses set up their affiliate marketing programs, and he shared so much valuable insight into this often overlooked form of marketing. As he said, “I’m actually shocked that it’s not as mainstream as those other marketing channels because it’s really the lowest cost, but also possesses the highest return on investment as well.”

Listen to the episode to learn about how and where to start as an affiliate. For now, here are three reasons to convince you why you should sign up for your favorite brands’ affiliate programs.

Listen to our conversation to hear:
► How affiliate marketing works for both the brand and the affiliate.
► Where to start if you want to be an affiliate.
► Tips on how to be more successful as an affiliate.
► How to set up your own affiliate program, and how Rick can help.
► Why affiliate marketing works so well.

Recommend Products You Already Use

 As paper florists, we use many tools and materials, and we have our favorites. As small business owners, we also utilize apps and programs that make it easier to keep things running smoothly. You’re probably already recommending certain products to people. 

The most successful affiliate marketing isn’t pushy salespeak. It comes from people who are already loyal users of a product. You don’t need to go out of your way to push for sales. Most of the time, you’re simply adding in a link directing people to buy the thing you’re already recommending. 

As Rick said,

“It’s not as scary or as much work as you think.”

Listen to the podcast to hear our recommendation for where to start when you’re first wading into the affiliate world.

Help Others Find Great Products

Affiliate marketing is really a win for everyone involved. Brands win because they increase sales. Affiliates win because they earn a little extra income. And customers who purchase through affiliate links also win because they’re connecting with products that have been vetted by someone they trust. 

Not all materials we use are of equal value. It’s no secret that some are of better quality than others. But if you haven’t used the two different brands of pastels yourself, how are you supposed to know which one to buy? Is the higher priced one really worth it? If a paper florist you trust tells you which one they use, that helps you make a better decision. 

Help Others Find Great Products

Affiliate marketing is really a win for everyone involved. Brands win because they increase sales. Affiliates win because they earn a little extra income. And customers who purchase through affiliate links also win because they’re connecting with products that have been vetted by someone they trust. 

Not all materials we use are of equal value. It’s no secret that some are of better quality than others. But if you haven’t used the two different brands of pastels yourself, how are you supposed to know which one to buy? Is the higher priced one really worth it? If a paper florist you trust tells you which one they use, that helps you make a better decision. 

Earn Easy, Passive Income

This season of Paper Talk is all about earning passive income—money that you don’t have to actively work to bring in. Every penny counts when it comes to running a creative small business. 

Affiliate marketing is great for this. As Rick shared in the episode, “It’s not as scary or as much work as you think.” Most brands will even provide graphics and copy for you to use. With just a small amount of work upfront, you can start bringing in money.

Rick covered much more info on the podcast. If you’re at all curious about becoming an affiliate, you should listen right away.