Florist News

Excellent....

I have no idea why you need a shop with the internet really. We're different from shop florists, offering something completely different.Complimentary perhaps.
And thankfully I don't have to do triangles!

Greg

Hi Greg

I agree with you 100% and welcome your response. I can offer my customers something different by visiting them in their own home even at their wedding/event venue. I am currently designing a digital portfolio with some classic wedding music playing in the background.......... and it's not here comes the bride.

Regards
Ian

Well good luck to all you 'homeworkers' just hope you didn't pull a fast one to get your experience like someone we had on work experience. It was their 'dream' to work in a florists, spent lots of time on her, she was good, would have been a real asset, while we taught her she was secretly having her garage converted ready to set up her own business. She just stopped coming for her work experience and when asked why, brazenly, admited that she had set up on her own and had had no intention of working in a shop!! She has since managed to 'steal' some of our corporate clients because she is sooo much cheaper and is now apparrently doing weddings. Needless to say we are a bit miffed!!

And Greg we positively discourage triangles in our shop - our motto is 'now for something completely different!' We have even managed to convert some of our old 'wrinkleys' into having something different, the odd feather, a few beads.............

Hello Breezy!

Looks like you've had an unfortunate experience....but the work experience is just that isn't it?Was it a college placement? However, stealing clients is bad news to all of us, but again, happens in all business. My 'home working' is actually my own flower business, been doing it for over 10 years, flowers since I was 15, now 39...!

Triangles was just a joke at the expense of one of the large multi nationals, that's all!

G

Hi guys. just a question for both of you really...how on earth do you make a living in floristry at home? maybe you don't have such a big mortgage like i do!!!! I know for starters you need a fridge! where on earth would you store one in your home? Are your customers only friends and family? Where do you store all your stock? Please inlighten me!!!!!

Yes, it's an interesting subject and not only for those contemplating a new career and faced with the decision of which way to go. I would love to see some more input from home workers giving an insight into how they manage to make a living out of it, i.e how the figure stack up. I'm very open minded about all these things because lets face it, unless you've been there and done it, it's very hard to pass judgement. Things that spring to mind..you don't have all the overheads like rent, rates, insurance, maintenance etc, so that amounts to a lot of work you don't have to do just to stay in business. If you have a slack week, you're not actually losing money, just not making it. You don't have to be standing around 'just in case someone comes in'.
On the other hand, you need to do a lot of work establishing your credibility. With a shop front, most of this is automatically achieved. You haven't got the economies of scale when it comes to time spent buying etc. If i'm doing a wedding say, i'm buying the flowers along with everything else, so i'm not really factoring any buying time into the budget. If wholesale quantities are more than i really need for that job, i can work everything else into other jobs in hand. I can get far better prices buying in volume (although i still need to sell it all!)
I suppose the list would go on and on, for both side of the argument. However, they are all valid considerations for anyone trying to reach a decision.

i too had a similar experience, we have a college close by, so any student using us, we help, big time.!! When they are choosing their flowers for whatever, we suggest, help, whatever. On this occasion,I personally helped this particular 'student'. About a year later,she had a billboard outside her house ,advertising her business. I phoned the rates people,mainly because I did not think it was fair,only to be told, she was ok to trade from her house, so I told them I was going to turn my shop into a living space after 20 odd yyears of paying business rates. Needless to say,she has gone,I still pay all the rates. It was just the principal. Would you like a second hand car lot outside your house. I state my case,[I think]

Since me last posting have been approached by a couple of local colleges asking me to give students work experience over Christmas - needless to say I am wary. I don't know about anyone else but where I am there seems to be a real shortage of florists, the colleges tell me they have full classes and plenty of people completing courses but where do they all go after, are they all working from home, doing floristry on the side or just ladies that lunch and dabble now and then to impress their friends? When my right hand girl left me to move up north to be with her boyfriend I really struggled to replace her, in the end I tried the colleges (although I really needed someone with experience) but there was nobody interested in working full time, they only wanted part-time, didn't want to work Saturdays and certainly couldn't do overtime when needed. I eventually had to compromise and take someone who had just finished her 1st year and had no shop experience but was keen and wanted to change career paths, she is doing her 2nd year now and from her feedback most of her classmates will complete their courses, carry on their day jobs and do floristry on the side -from home! Thats fine but NIMBY Not sure I could be as ruthless as you flowerfairy but love the thought of turning me shop into a lounge and have decided to use the idea as window display for after Chrismas, may even sit meself in the window supping a glass of wine during the quiet times, can see it now a nice easy chair and a coffee table with a triangle arrangement on it (just for you Greg )

I suspect it's the same in a lot of trades, e.g. hairdressers, builders etc. If someone is keen, capable and competent, their ultimate goal could be to run their own business. So in effect, you are teaching them how to do that, in return for helping you do the same thing. If you view it as 'teaching someone how to put you out of business', then you have a problem, and judging by some of the posts, a very real problem. I know of a hairdresser who lost a member of staff. On her last day, she copied the client database to a cd and proceeded to work through it from home. So I can see why business owners are very wary when it comes to employing staff and it should also explain to people looking for positions why this is so.

I have tried and failed for the past 6 months to get a job in a local florist - most of them wont even see me to look at my portfolio. It would appear that most want to employ younger inexperienced staff they can teach (im only 28) the fact ive done three city and guilds certificates and am very willing to learn more doesnt seem to matter.

So despite believing that I really need to have shop experience I have decided to go it alone and have my first wedding booked in march. I will probably over order in my panic not to disappoint and make a loss but at least I will be doing what i love!!