The Floral CEO

This episode highlights some essential factors to consider when sourcing products from overseas factories. 

 - Sourcing is not limited to just China, as factories from other countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Korea, and Thailand also participate in sourcing. 

 - Alibaba.com and the Alibaba sites provide a vast range of countries and manufacturers enrolled in their supplier program, and so do other sites like DHgate. 

 - There's typically a three-week shutdown of Chinese factories during Chinese New Year that buyers should note. To avoid delays, it's critical to place orders early during holiday seasons. 

 - Asking for a real photo from a seller before ordering a sample is advisable, mainly to ensure that the product is not a mock-up and is what it actually looks like. 

 - The shipping time for a product can vary depending on whether it is shipped by air or sea. The processing time also differs, similar to ordering from Amazon. 

 - Checking communication in a timely manner with overseas suppliers is important due to the time difference. Many factories use translators, so clarifying misunderstandings is essential. 

 - Paying through Alibaba guarantees that the factories listed will stand behind the terms of service. Alibaba has guarantees in place for payments made through their platform to ensure buyers are working with reputable factories. 

 - There are reviews on the website to provide transparency on factory performance. A processing fee for payment protection on products is also involved. 

 - It's crucial to remind shippers to use strong packaging to prevent damage to the product during shipping. 

 - Samples are necessary to avoid surprises in size or color when the actual product arrives. It's advisable to request samples to be sent by air for items ranging from $50 to $150. 

 - The pricing on Alibaba is generally more competitive than other sources, but other sources often offer fast shipping and allow customers to buy in lower quantities. 

 - Customizations can be made to items listed on Alibaba, depending on the factory and the product being sold. 

 - Customers can search for specific products on Alibaba and find them on the summary page, which is a collection of items under that search word. 

I hope these tips help you when sourcing from overseas, and I look forward to sharing more insights with you!

The ping in your email is real with requests for your to participate in a styled shoot. Your heart flutters and sinks at the opportunity. With so many florists agreeing to any styled shoot because they think they are supposed to- let me tell you that is not what you need to do. You should be inspired and have the ability to do something that you have been craving to create. When you are inspired the work is often a fun experience to create and it usually is your best work you are putting out there.

Avoid ghosting and spend time with customers that are more impactful and higher probability of closing. First thing I pay attention to is did the customer fill out all the information in your inquiry. If they did not- there is a high chance they are shotgunning pricing requests. I will give them an opportunity to answer the questions by asking again. I then am asking more details of their wedding to get a feel if their budget aligns with the floral needs they have. I also ask for inspiration photos for me to make sure it aligns with your design style.

Social media should not just be pretty pictures. Your social media can of course be a place for pretty pictures but having a place for you to talk and help educate your potential clients. You should be driving your content around driving business, positioning yourself as an expert, showing your potential and help educate your client. You should also be focusing on driving connections with niche’s you target or venues you want to focus on.

Walk through this strategy that will drive connects through your ideal client.

Download our social media guide at thefloralhustle.com/social

Start going all in on the main client you want to attract.

Posting on social media should be centered around who you want to attract. With these posts you should consider also what you love doing and highlighting that so you start attracting what you love to do and what you want to attract more.

Here is one strategy-

You want to attract more clients that are getting married at this venue you love. Clients at this venue have larger budgets and also the style of flowers you love to create.

Step 1. You create a blog post on your website of a wedding you did at this venue highlighting what you can do, how beautiful your work is and more of what you want to attract at this venue.

Step 2. You then make graphics about this wedding you featured in this blog post. You create a Instagram post graphic and take text from your blog post to post on Instagram. Use the venue’s hashtags and tag the venue in the post.

Step 3. You can resize that post and create and Instagram story graphic. Then you can use the Instagram sticker saying - NEW BLOG POST and then link the url from your blog.

Step 4. Resize that graphic again to a Pinterest image. Create a total of 10 Pinterest graphics and use photos from your wedding highlighted in the post and have that link to your blog post. Trickle these out via a scheduling tool.

Step 5. Next level- create a long form video tagging the video talking about areas you can put floral and share your excitement about the venue. Tag the venue and use their hashtags.

Step 6. Make a reel with a quick 30-60 video of you talking about a fun idea for that venue, key floral considerations or something that speaks to that couple and that would benefit them to watch your video. You could also make a reel with trending music with a carousel of images from that wedding.

Some clients are flat out difficult. You struggle to answer why you should even be working with them. How do you stick up for yourself but still try to get business to fill your schedule. Sometimes you will need to walk away from unreasonable clients. Sometimes you will need to stand up to a client with unrealistic expectations and nicely explain that what they want will not work with their budget. Often you will need to educate your client because they have no idea what things cost and you need to show them in a nice way- that they cost way more than the current budget.

Often when you are frustrated it is hard to educate someone who seems impossible. Pricing transparency is part of educating. If they get a brochure before meeting they have part of the education already. Just continue to show them simple math

In this episode I break down the day by day production of wedding week.

Monday- I normally get roses delivered so they have a day to fully hydrate before processing.

Tuesday- Pickup up local wholesaler flowers, process roses, do processing of other flowers.

Wednesday- Start designing- Bouquets first, vase arrangements

Thursday- Greening foam, start personals and hydration chamber them.

Friday- Wrap bouquets, finish foam work, pack things up

When you get an initial consult my first step is to start to help educate a client on pricing of flowers. In my response with asking key questions about their wedding I attach a brochure to help them get an understanding of costs.

Other questions I ask to help understand if they did note a budget so I can get more information to see if their budget is realistic.

1. How many bridesmaids do you have?
2. In addition to personal flowers do you need centerpieces?
3. If you need centerpieces what is your approximate guest count?
4. Can you send me your Pinterest board or 3 images that captures your floral vision?
5. From a floral perspective what is one area you would like to focus on with your floral budget?

If they do not have budget noted- ask again. I see you did not fill out the budget section of my inquiry. Normally peoples budget for basic floral wedding needs is 10-15% with that in mind do you have any initial budget guidance so I can start formulating ideas for your wedding.

If this looks like responses that are in alignment with your design style and the pieces make sense with their budget then I will setup a time to meet to go through and formulate a formal estimate.

Then I make a Bloom board which is a visual proposal in Canva.

I put a deadline of 7-10 days and then followup if I have not received a reply within 3 days.

This process has transparency around pricing that helps you have customers that understand your basic pricing structure before you move forward with investing time in proposals and consultations.

Its a lofty goal to say change your entire business in 3 months, but it is possible I’ve done it.

What needs to change in your business?

Sales? Profits? Not attracting enough leads? Attracting the wrong kind of leads? Are you in survival mode in your business and your life? Logistic breakdowns? Expenses out of control? Does your business feel overwhelming? Lack of fulfillment?

The different sections of change needed need to be broken into sections to attack.

1. Mindset-
2. Your business and life together- Work/Life balance
3. Not enough leads- Wrong type- Marketing issue
4. Sales/Profits - Process breakdown.

Mindset-
Start building habits to support the version of you want to be.

• Start reading 10 pages of self development books a day.
• Positive affirmations
• Meditation
• Exercising

Work/Life Balance-

You need to go and define what success looks like and how you want your business and life to fit together. Define success so you know the goal and vision moving forward.

Not enough leads- Wrong type of leads-

Are you putting 110% of your energy into getting there? Are you taking daily action to move towards your goals. What daily action will help kickstart your business. Start digging into what does your brand say? What is it attracting?

Sales/Profits

• Dive into what your profit margin is and is that where you want to be?
• For your goals what would your weddings need to look like. Average pricing, costs, profit margin and so on.
• What plans or actions can you take to attract sales.
• Are you networking with people that can make a difference in your business? That are in front of your ideal customers?
• Are you processes in place so you are not making last minute ordering decisions? Estimating your orders to not over order and eat away at your profits? Underordering to make last minute decisions.
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What makes people stand out? What makes a business stand out and what makes a business owner stand out?

What do you want your stand out- be bold and different from the competition. How do you want to stand out as a business owner? How do you want to stand out in your life?

Show work that is innovative

Show how your business is different.

Does you business deliver educational value?

Identify what stands out in your business. What makes someone want to book with you?

Communication- Timely and concise

Presentation- Visual proposals that sell!