In this episode, I share insights from my recent travels, where I balanced the demands of work with the rejuvenation of vacations. Reflecting on a business retreat in Bali and a family holiday in Hobart during February, I discovered the power of stepping away from routine to spark creativity and inspiration.

The art of balancing professional responsibilities with the joys of holidays hinges on setting intentional boundaries. Whether choosing to disconnect completely or integrating work with vacation time smartly, the goal is to engage fully with both personal development and creating memorable moments with loved ones. This strategy enriches both our work and personal lives, enhancing happiness and fulfillment across the board.

From my own experiences, I've gathered tips on managing work during breaks without sacrificing the restorative essence of vacation. Embracing work with passion, even during holidays, can contribute to a balanced life, provided we make clear and thoughtful decisions to merge work and leisure seamlessly.

Remember, taking breaks and vacations is crucial not only for a satisfying work life but also for a fulfilling personal life. Smart planning and clear communication can transform our time off into a rejuvenating and even healing experience. It's in these moments of pause that we often find our brightest ideas and inner strength. So, cherish these times of relaxation—they're not just breaks but investments in your well-being.

For those looking to channel these insights into their floral business, the Wedding Bloom-Print course offers a perfect opportunity. This self-paced online course is designed to elevate your floristry business by integrating themes of balance and rejuvenation. Covering essential topics like sales, marketing, and systems, it aims to cultivate a business that thrives on the harmony between work and leisure.

If you're eager to turn your floral passion into a thriving business that reflects the balance and inspiration discussed today, the Wedding Bloom-Print Course is your next step. Embark on this journey to build a business filled with joy, creativity, and personal fulfillment. 

Enroll now to access a wealth of knowledge, tools, and templates designed to take your business to the next level.

In this episode we’re joined by our first guest for 2024 - our favorite Accountant (because she also happens to be mine) Diana Todd.
 
Diana is the owner of Balance Tax Accountants and since 2015 she has been investing her Tax Accountant skills, time and energy into supporting entrepreneurs to feel confident in their business money skills, love their relationship to money, PAY themselves WELL, and overflow their business bank account with PROFIT.
Balance Tax Accountants has also been my accountant for about the same amount of time, and I have always truly appreciated the advice Diana and her team have provided to me to help me grow my business. So today I’ve plied her with coffee and my love and affection to have her share her incredible knowledge with you!

In this episode we talk about all thing's money! The key mistakes she sees small business owners making, what it means to know your numbers, the importance of tax, why we need to be paying ourselves a consistent wage, money mindset and how to make more profit and that mystical creature that lives under the sea – tax!
Join me for a beautiful, heartfelt and empowering episode all about money and how to make more in your business.
Follow Diana at @itsdianatodd and @balancetaxaccountants or head to https://balancetax.com.au/ to get yourself booked in with a quality small business accounting firm who’ll give you no BS!

Want to make a seriously smart decision to level up your business in 2024? Enroll in The Wedding Bloom-Print course! These 6 lessons self-paced online course is packed with everything you need to take your business to the next level in 2024. 
We're talking sales and marketing mastery, setting up foolproof systems, nailing those client consultations, working out your baseline when it comes to your business expenses and how much you need and want to make in your business and so much more. Enroll today to dive into an absolute treasure trove of know-how, tools and templates that will set you on the path to creating a banging blooming business. Payment plans available! 

Alright, my lovely listeners, buckle up because this episode is coming to you straight from beautiful Bali! Picture me right now, chatting with you from my cozy hotel room in Nusa Dua. Can you feel the tropical vibes?

So, let me take you on a journey through this incredible business retreat I'm attending with Success School. It's been an absolute game-changer, and I can't wait to share all the juicy details with you.

We're diving deep into personal and professional growth here, and let me tell you, the insights I've gained are nothing short of mind-blowing. We're talking about busting through those self-imposed limitations, embracing empowerment, and crafting a business that truly reflects who you are.

I've got some real gems to share—like, seriously invaluable strategies—that will help you run your business on your own terms. And you know me, I'm all about keeping it real, so get ready for some candid anecdotes and heartfelt reflections along the way.

But wait, there's more! I've got something special for you: The Wedding Bloom-Print course. This baby is packed with everything you need to take your business to the next level in 2024. We're talking sales and marketing mastery, setting up foolproof systems, nailing those client consultations, and so much more. Sign up today to dive into an absolute treasure trove of know-how, tools and templates that will set you on the path to creating a banging blooming business. Enroll today and take advantage of the payment plans available!

So, my friend, if you're ready to embark on a journey of expansion, empowerment, and self-discovery, then you definitely don't want to miss this episode. Tune in, grab your favorite beverage, and let's dive in together!

I run a multi-six figure floristry business, and I don’t do Valentine’s Day.

That’s right, busiest day of the year for the floral community, great 
money-making opportunity and marketing opportunity and you know what? 
I have completely opted out. 

And that’s not the only thing I opt out of. 

In this episode I share with you the many ways of running a successful floristry business by focusing on the things you really want to do, the clients who really want them and getting clear on your business model, so you never feel the pull to jump on a bandwagon just because you see another florist doing it. 

Your business, your choice! 

If you are feeling totally inspired and want more of this sort of strategy in your floral business for 2024. I have the perfect course for you.
The Wedding Bloom-Print course is a self-paced online course designed to elevate your floristry business from the inside out. 
Sign up today to dive into an absolute treasure trove of know-how, tools and templates that will set you on the path to creating a banging blooming business. Including a deep dive into sales and marketing, setting up systems and processes, nailing your consultations and quotes, getting clear on your goals and business foundations, defining your pricing and positioning and all the legalities to cover your butt.  
The Wedding Bloom-Print Course could not be more stacked with value.
Enroll today and take advantage of the payment plans available!

It is no lie that the wedding and event industry is built on referral, word of mouth and connections. But it is really important not to be complacent in the thinking that business will just come to you. Yes, people will find you, yes, previous couples will recommend you – but you can’t rely on that alone to fill up your calendar (and your wage packet). If you’re not promoting yourself, if you’re not building connections and referrals – you don’t have a business. It honestly is that simple. If you’re serious about running a business and earning a full time or even a part time wage from it, there is a base level of marketing you absolutely have to do to drive that business forward. In this episode I share with you the 3 key marketing strategies you can adopt to build your business in 2024. 

Do you have an Ideal Week plan?

 Planning out my ideal week has been a game changer for me. If you are wanting to create space in your calendar, if you are craving a better flow between work and down time or work and family time, get a pen and paper because I promise, planning it out is actually going to make a massive difference not only in getting through all of your tasks but how you feel at the end of each week. 

 And if you’re thinking ‘How do I plan an ideal week when every week is different, when jobs are on different days and when work is seasonal so it might not happen year round?’ Look, I hear you. But that’s exactly why this is called ‘Ideal week’ planning. In an ideal world – how do you actually want your weeks to go? In an ideal world, what do you want to factor in each week? What if you did have a plan? And what if you did try it out for a month using that routine? If you have something to start from, you can start to work in a way that feels a bit more organised instead of chasing your tail. AND you’ll also find that you actually do have the time to exercise or read, or cook a Sunday dinner, or go to that stand up paddle boarding class, or learn pottery or whatever the thing is for you that continues to be pushed aside each week because you haven’t ‘made time for it’. 

 In this episode – El shares her ideal week plan and what adjustments she’s had to make to her general way of doing things to ensure it goes to plan. Make your own ideal week plan using El’s template. Download a copy and create one for yourself. 

 1:1 Mentoring Support

If you feel like you don’t even know where to start or it’s the time in your life and business to enlist some support, I offer 3 mentoring packages perfectly positioned to bring you and your business to a point of thriving, not just surviving. From 1 hour ad hoc problem solver sessions to 6 week and 12 week packages, designed to really elevate your business and processes, you  have the opportunity, right now, to work 1:1 with me to set your business up in the way YOU want to be working, to achieve your business goals and your personal goals. Because the point of running your own business is to give you the freedom to live the life you want. Find out more about 1:1 mentoring today!

Welcome back to The Bloom-Print Podcast, our first episode for 2024.

 If you follow The Floral Art Academy on Instagram, you’ll know that currently I’m experiencing a bit of a period of ill health and to be honest, I’m absolutely hating it. This was not how I was intending to start 2024, but in a way… I think this is actually how I needed to be starting 2024 and we explore that a bit in this episode. 

 Let’s talk about how you’re starting 2024.  

What are your intentions for this year, what do you want to achieve? What will you actively put on your priority list this year? And what needs to change in your current schedule or your current workload to factor this in? Because likely something will need to change if you’re levelling up in your life or your business this year. 

 My intentions this year are around one main concept – my word for the year, my intention and focus is Expansion and this is going to manifest in a few different ways which have been literally smacking me in the face while I recover from this bout of ill health at the moment.

These intentions require changes to my schedule, changes to my processes, changes to the team, changes to my role. I cannot expect to achieve these things, without making changes. What got me here, will not get me to these goals. They will require a different level of commitment from me. And I’m so ready for it. Including my commitment to rest.

 In this episode we talk about intentions, burn out, and thinking outside the box to make the changes you need in your life and business to absolutely smash your goals in 2024.

Introducing The Wedding Bloom-Print  Course
And we introduce you to our new self-paced course The Wedding Bloom-Print - a business course designed specifically for people in the wedding and event floristry industry who want to elevate their floral businesses.  

In this course you’ll look at your foundations + goal setting, pricing, positioning and earning potential, creating solid systems and processes, quotations and consultations, sales and marketing and all the legalities.

For the rest of January you can get 20% off the course  using the code BLOOMPRINT20 with payment plans available also. If you need a bit of a kick start this year to sort out the back end of your business, January has never been a better time to start steering your ship in the direction you want it to go. Start as you intend to finish.  I know I am by starting with rest, whether I knew that was how it was going to go or not.  Hit the link in the show notes to enrol today, my love happy new year and I can’t wait to see you in this course. It’s going to change the game for your year. 

Welcome my loves, to our last episode for 2023. 

Episode 18! I’m thrilled that we’ve been able to deliver 18 episodes for 2023. 18 conversations about your floristry business, about living life better, about all the hacks that make things easier, about setting up your systems and processes and how to be more profitable, including 2 beautiful interviews. I have loved getting a bit more indepth in this space with you, and I definitely plan to continue what we’ve started here through 2024 and have more interviews so you can get different perspectives on how different businesses are run and also some industry and business experts who can help us all change the game!

In this episode I'm giving you a recap of the year that was 2023 for me, Maple & Wren and the Floral Art Academy. 

And before you head into 2024, I want you to think about your year in review. What are you celebrating? What milestones did you hit this year, what blew your mind. What did you find yourself doing that you didn't think you'd be capable of this year? Has your version of hard changed? Are you going into 2024 knowing how incredibly capable you are as a florist and a business owner? If not, you should absolutely enrol to do some courses with us next year so we can help you out! 
But I want you to take stock of what you've achieved. If you’re not sure, check out your camera roll , I guarantee  you will have done more than you can remember! 
Merry Christmas and we'll see you in 2024!

If you follow the Maple & Wren Floral Art Academy page, you’ll know that at the end of November, I hosted my first team Christmas party. And I was incredibly emotional about it. Because it meant more to me than just an end of year celebration, it was a reflection on how far I’ve come and what brought me here and I felt absolutely honoured after 8 years in business to have a team of amazing humans to throw a party for. 

Ending this year, we have a really good team and I value everything they do in this business so celebrating them was high on my priority list this Christmas.

In this episode we talk all about 'Team' – what ours currently looks like, the aspirations I have for our team, when you know it's the right time to start building a team and how to go about it if that's something you are also wanting for your business.

If you're wanting support to work on your business - I offer 1:1 mentoring which you can book ad hoc with our Problem Solver Sessions or through our 6 week Bloom or 12 week Flourish packages to work through the rough patches and get some real clarity on what your business needs to move it forward. Head to our website to book in your 1:1 mentoring for 2024! 

Intuition is the ability to know something instinctively without the need for conscious reasoning. It’s often described as a gut feeling, a hunch or if you’ve ever heard your Grandma Joan say ‘I can feel it in my waters’ she was talking about her intuition not the plumbing in her bathroom. Intuition is an integral tool in your business toolkit. It's not the only tool but it should be a prominent one in the right situations.

Studies show you conscious mind only makes up 5-10% of your brain where the other 90-95% is unconscious. That conscious mind of ours can process about 40 pieces of information per second, where our unconscious mind processes around 11 million pieces of information per second.  Trusting your intuition, the voice and signals of you unconscious mind is so important in business. Your conscious mind might be the captain of your ship, but the unconscious mind is the autopilot getting shit done behind the scenes that you literally can’t even comprehend.   

In this episode, El shares 2 examples recently of when intuition came into play in her business decision making and when she has and hasn't listened to it. She also gives you some direction on how best to harness perceived opportunities and set yourself up to align with your intuition on business decisions.

If this episode has got you feeling like you might need a bit of help with your boundary setting, establishing your ideal client or refining your marketing strategy - enrol in mentoring with El today! Our 6 week Bloom package and 12 week Flourish package are designed to help you move through the road blocks and the rough patches to a place of clarity and direction. Head to the mentoring page on the Maple & Wren Floral Art Academy website and book a 15 min call to find out more and elevate your business for 2024.