Team Flower

You are in for forty minutes of fun, laughter, and practical advice for florists on this episode with Canaan Marshall! He is a ball of sunshine in a dark world! In addition to the joy he spreads, he has an abundance of knowledge to share. You’ll hear all of the following: Tips for taking care of your cut flowers (including hydrangeas) Necessary design skills for a florist to develop Go-to mechanics for arrangements and installations Elements to consider for design process Delivery tips and more! Canaan Marshall is the owner of Canaan Marshall Designs located in Atlanta and Macon, GA. An old soul, he has had a natural knack for all things growing and green since childhood. He is best known as the vibrant, young fellow to turn your everyday into elegant. He has a seemingly effortless way that he creates and often makes his fans feel as though they could create something just as wonderful too! Give him a follow on Instagram @canaanmarshall.

The Tomas De Bruyne is talking with us all the way from Belgium to share his passion for flowers and extensive knowledge of the principles of design. He’s chatting about a few core tenets of developing your creative mind—from looking past your own industry to being openminded (and several things in between!). He’s also expounding upon the importance of being mindful and away, focussing on why rather than what. Finally, you’ll hear from Tomas on why you should utilize the elements and principles of design. (Hint: it makes magic!). And how do you use these principles? Listen in—Tomas is going to tell you!

Joining us on the podcast today is Team Flower member (and former Team Flower employee!) Meagan Cooley of Meadow House Flowers. Meagan has dipped her toes in many aspects of the industry—from weddings and events to flower shop logistics, and so much in between! She’s sharing the things she’s learned along the way and how they’ve all played a part in her newest venture—a retail flower shop. You’ll hear about the difference between retail and wedding clients. What types of flowers are they looking for? How do their budgets differ? What about design? And on that note, we’re chatting about assessing one’s work when it’s “finished.” Meagan is also sharing some of the big decisions that go into starting a retail floral shop. She’s chatting about choosing a POS system as well as determining a layout for your products within a space. The biggest challenge is pursuing your dreams while overcoming fear! Meadow House Flowers & Gifts is a welcoming world of fresh flowers, plants, and thoughtful gifts. A modern twist on the traditional flower shop, they offer a by-the-stem flower bar, custom arrangements, wedding and event florals, houseplants, and retail gift items. They are celebrating 2 months of being open in their very first brick-and-mortar location! Follow along on social media @meadowhouseflowers or visit their website at www.meadowhouseflowers.com.

Kalin lives in Northern Michigan where Sweetwater North was born out of a love of gifting flowers to people. Kalin is passionate about designing flowers that feel whimsical, natural, organic, and garden-inspired. When she isn’t at a wedding — she and her husband are hosting parties at their lavender farm, swimming in the lake, or pouring champagne. Be sure to follow their journey on Instagram @sweetwaterfloral and @sweetwaterlavenderfarm.

In this episode, Milli Proust joins Kelly for a lovely conversation. Milli runs a small scale flower farm growing crop to use in her design work for weddings and events. She's celebrating 6 months of a COVID pivot to nationwide bouquet deliveries and selling seeds from the field. Milli has been on quite the journey with her 2020 COVID pivot, and she’s sharing some beautiful stories of her experience with new clients. You’ll hear how she coordinates delivery across the nation as well as some of her favorite flower combinations. Milli is also sharing about how she drys flowers and how she dyes flowers! Using only natural dyes, she’s walking us through her process. Be sure you follow Milli on social @milliproust and visit her website here!

Bex, the founder of Botanical Tales, is a nature-loving creative who predominately works with dried flowers in her practice. Having recently quit her corporate job to dive nose-first into her creative business, she has been writing about and working with dried flowers for a number of years. Having spent many years working an office job, she knows firsthand the importance of staying close to nature, and Botanical Tales was born out of a desire to find an antidote to the fast paced, corporate world she was once so entrenched in. Bex runs creative workshops where she teaches people how to dry flowers make beautiful wreaths and dried flower displays, she sells her own dried flower art, as well as writes for her blog and for a number of independent magazines, always accompanied by beautiful photography. You can see her lovely creations at her website and on her Instagram @botanical_tales.  

Regardless of where your business model fits in the floral industry, you experience the effects of the floral supply chain. But what all goes into the supply chain and how exactly does it work? Flower Moxie is a unique business model servicing DIY brides with a unique look into the behind-the-scenes of cut flower supply. Amy McCord of Flower Moxie recently took a trip to Ecuador where she toured over ten mass-production flower farms. We’re talking all about the behind-the-scenes of these incredible farms as well as some fun facts about the trends of rose growing. Speaking of trends—who sets them and where does the floral industry fall in the trend-setting chain? We’re bouncing around some ideas and talking through the role of floral business owners in making these trends truly come to life. Flower Moxie is an eCommerce business that sells flowers to DIY brides. They empower our customers by providing recipes, step-by-step instructions, and video tutorials. Check out their website at flowermoxie.com and find them on Instagram at @flowermoxie.

Do you ever have an itch to create something outside your comfort zone? What about to change the design expectations of your clients and customers? Sarah Wahab of Mulberry and Moss has implemented pushing the boundaries of creativity into her business model, and it works! She’s joining us on the podcast to chat about how to do this within weddings and events as well as in everyday design. She is also giving some tips on how to communicate these expectations to your clients. Sarah is passionate about simplifying the backend of a floral business. So much so that she’s created a product suite for making these processes more efficient! We’re talking about the details around all of that entails. We’re talking about creating recipes and keeping track of them so they can be referenced later. Mulberry and Moss is an orange County florist specializing in luxury wedding & event floral design with a romantic, natural and timeless garden aesthetic. She offers digital resources and online courses with the goal of helping other florists streamline their businesses and create more space for the work they enjoy. Find Sarah on Instagram @mulberryandmoss and check out the website at www.mulberryandmoss.com.

Maggie has had to navigate obstacles on her floral journey and has worked hard to find the silver linings through each of them. Her story is so relatable, and we can all take note of her ability to wrestle the struggles of life with a positive outlook. She is sharing all kinds of farming tips and techniques! You’ll hear everything from growing lisianthus and harvesting dahlias to which tools she can’t live without on the farm, and more! At Petal Back Farm, they offer fresh-cut flowers locally, bulbs and dahlia tubers nationally, and photography presets and educational material worldwide with much more to come! "Petal Back" is an ode to the flowers, but also to their inclination to get back to the land with their "old-fashioned" hobbies. like gardening, herbalism, producing maple syrup, raising chickens/honeybees, hunting, and foraging. Find Maggie online at www.petalbackfarm.com or on Instagram @petalbackfarm.

If you’re anything like us, you’ll be inspired and touched by today’s conversation with Sierra Steifman of The Floral Society. She has a heart of gold and it’s all geared towards the industry! Our conversation on the podcast covers a multitude of helpful topics, starting with Sierra’s go-to studio tools (all of which you can find available on The Floral Society website). We’re also going into the maintenance of clippers and various types of flower frogs. AND, you’ll hear a topic we haven’t discussed much—tablescapes! Sierra is sharing a few tips on enhancing a tablescape with other decor items, namely candles. Candles have so much diversity in height, width, design, and even in the holders! Listen in to hear Sierra’s favorite designs. At The Floral Society, they create thoughtfully designed floral, garden & home goods inspired by nature. Founded by Sierra Steifman of New York’s boutique floral house Poppies & Posies, they are driven by a love of flowers and dedicated to sharing our expertise with others. Established in 2018, The Floral Society designs and develops tools and objects to awaken the inner creative, encourage the budding florist, and inspire communities to gather. There’s a seat for everyone at their table. Follow them on Instagram @thefloralsociety and shop the site at thefloralsociety.com.

Nicole Rossi of Texture Florals (find her on Instagram at @textureflorals) joins Kelly on today’s episode of the Team Flower Podcast! Nicole is an architect turned floral designer, and she founded Texture Florals which provides floral design and styling services for weddings, events, and photo and video production. She views floral design as an art form, and her work is largely influenced by a desire to create the unexpected.

Heather is sharing the ins and outs of photography and the editing process. We are talking through how florists and photographers can interact and work together to streamline processes. Heather is sharing her thoughts on how to choose publications and how florists can collaborate with photographers to submit their shared event.

There is no doubt that flexibility is a necessary attribute within the floral industry, but often what must accompany it is resiliency. Paige has had to live this out within her business and is sharing all that she’s learned, including, but not limited to: A continual willingness to shift your dream The importance of listening to your customers Even if you don’t feel fully ready, just do it—one step at a time We’re finishing off with some practical advice about shipping plants (how does one even go about it?!) and plant inventory (what plants should you carry?). ReRoot is home to the magically chill jungle! They are a creative houseplant shop that focuses on connecting and inspiring people with nature. And they just celebrated four years of business! Check out their beautiful shop on Instagram @rerootgardens and order some plants to go at www.rerootgardens.com.

Joining us today on the podcast is Sarah Gray of Bloom and Gray from Yorkshire, UK. She made the jump from marine biology to flower farming when she grew a few flowers for her wedding. The rest is history! Everything we’re talking about in some way circles back to her passion for biology and how the earth is meant to function. Recently, Sarah has implemented a worm farm. If you’re thinking, “What is a worm farm and should I have one?” then tune in because you’ll find out! On that note, we’re also talking about some of the critters and pests Sarah has to battle, like thrips on dahlias. This is 100% the best episode for flower nerds. We ask Sarah to dive into the biology of growing flowers, and she does not disappoint! You are bound to learn something in this episode! Everything from soil composition to seed starters and so much in between. Sarah has a half-acre flower farm in East Yorkshire, UK. She sells hand-tied bouquets and bouquet subscriptions. She runs workshops in her tipi, provides wedding buckets, and runs a growing YouTube channel all about flower farming. AND, she’s about to launch my first online workshop! Find Sarah on Instagram @bloomandgray and online at www.bloomandgray.co.uk.

Juliana McWilliams has such a sweet perspective of the floral industry after growing up in a flower shop and taking it over from her mom. Today on the podcast, she’s sharing many of the lessons she’s learned over the years. We’re chatting about: - Changes within the floral industry - Operating a shop out of a studio - How to decide what arrangements to offer on your website - Tips for handling wedding inquiries - Keeping deliveries and weddings separate - Finding the marriage between old school and new school We’re also feeling all the feels as we talk through the beauty of the floral community. Floristry can be a lonely job—even for extroverts—and finding your flower friends is imperative in seeing success in your business and in the pursuit of your life. Juliana is a wife, mom, and lifelong flower lover. Her love for flowers runs deep as her mom, Shelley, owned and operated Sweet Memories all throughout Juliana’s childhood. The business has now passed from mother to daughter and Juliana is full to the brim with inspiration and ideas to bring the joy of flowers to Visalia, California in a multitude of ways. Sweet Memories currently offers fresh, California-grown, floral arrangements to order on a weekly basis as well as full-service floral arranging for high-end weddings both in the Central Valley and the Coast. Find Juliana on Instagram @sweetmemoriesflowers and online at www.sweetmemoriesfloral.com.