Florist News

Hi Helen

Are you planning on working in the shop even on a part-time basis? There are always loads of things a non-florist can do whilst learning the ropes eg deliveries, cut/conditioning flowers, paperwork (!!) freeing the florists time up to produce. If not, I'm not convinced that there is much extra profit in any florists no matter how well run to pay someone who doesn't contribute in some way.

I have known of business people (not like you Helen - I mean someone buying the shop purely as an investment) who have bought florists thinking they could hire staff, leave them to it and be left with a healthy profit at the end of the year. They have been very disappointed !

Flowerfool

Thank you for your very helpful comments.

I am planning on doing all of the non floristry stuff (paperwork, cutting, cleaning) to start with (atleast 6 months), so I can free up the florist.

I definatley have the passion for floristry, a little more than owning my own business. It just happens that I am an accountant at the minute, which I hope will help with business and finance skills.

I am so excited, need to actually find a place but I can definatley see me moving careers!

Thanks again! Helen x

do it, nothing ventured nothing gained as they say

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I've been on the other side of this question......the florist who's managed 2 shops for non florist owners.......one was fine, but the last one was a nightmare!!!

He'd bought the shop, then employed the staff....the shop was an empty shell so we obviously needed to start with stock. Myself and the other florist made a list of things we HAD to have, the basics.....we weren't allowed to go to wholesalers with owner, he wanted to keep his purse tighly closed to us! He returned from wholesalers with one pink ceramic teddy, one blue one, 3 wreath rings, a box of oasis, 2 spool wires and 6 buckets. If we wanted ribbon he told us we could go and buy a yard of the colour we needed from curtain shop......the other florist gave up after one month, and I lasted for about 6. It was impossible, I had to beg every morning to get him to go and buy what I needed to complete orders......and he questioned all the time if I really needed it. He, obviously having no idea about floristry, kept asking why I couldn't do it with what was in the shop.

I eventually lost the will to live and couldn't face the daily battle.....

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has he still got the shop mardy

Oh my god, that sounds like a nightmare!
Thanks for advice though- I'll def make sure my staff are happy with (most) of my decisions!!
Helen x

I am an IT consultant by trade (since 1979), set the shop up for my girlie, used my computing money to start, so borrowed nothing from bank. Girlie passed away in Jan as most on here know, so gave up IT and now work in the shop. I'm the boss so to speak till the girls tell me what to do then I do as I'm told. I do the deliveries paperwork, go to wholesaler with my girls in tow sometime. They don't have a budget, I say if you can sell it for a profit I'll buy it..simple as that...they know as long as shop makes money they have a well rewarded job. My own choice would be to stay in IT and earn 20 x as much, but on sunny days its nice to be delivering flowers in the fresh air. If you have large household bills and a large morgage, my advice is to continue with accountancy till you only have small bills...

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