Team Flower

Raysa is an independent florist (and mummy to two young boys) committed to offering timeless, fun, and unique floral arrangements. Her most special moments within her career have been her Vogue and Grazia features, but her everyday job of creating and delivering to her local community brings her so much happiness! Raysa and Kelly are chatting about working within the season, using David Austin garden roses in arrangements, and some of Raysa’s favorite must-have tools. Raysa recently launched a letterbox floral shipping business called FlowerFix where she also released a pair of specialty floral snips/scissors! She’s sharing tips on setting expectations with clients while also allowing for collaboration with the customer. This conversation leads right into a discussion on relatable branding and learning who you are—and who and what your business is. You can find Raysa online at www.lkverdant.com or on Instagram at @lkverdant.

Louise has been told that her design process is quite unique! When working with a client, she hosts a “color consultation” where the bride comes in and chooses colors that speak to them from a box of ribbons and a taper candle color chart. Focusing in on the color gives Louise an opportunity to be even more creative with the flowers she chooses for each event. She also believes that the bridal bouquet should pair accentuate the bride’s dress, and she’s chatting a bit about what factors she takes into account when matching her clients with the perfect flowers and design. You’ll also hear about one of our favorite topics at Team Flower—community—and how the floral community has impacted Louise’s floral journey. Lastly, Louise is sharing more about her philosophy behind event floral design and the skills she believes floral designers should develop. Louise is a Wedding & Event specialist working in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom with a romantic and wild style of floristry. She believes it is important to maintain the balance of nature when she is so dependent on it. Being mindful of the environment is at the heart of what Louise does whilst nurturing a sustainable business. You can view her work and follow her journey at louiselangdonflorals.co.uk or on Instagram @louisejlangdon.

Katie is the founder and owner of Kate Ryan Design, a luxury floral design company based in Phoenix, Arizona. She isn’t just an expert in flowers, though — she’s also a sales and marketing coach who works with small businesses throughout North America on developing their sales prospecting, growth strategy, and client experience. With a background in interior design, she launched her floral design company in the throes of the 2008 recession and built her business to sales of over a quarter million dollars a year. In 2012, she was awarded “Marketer of the Year” by the Society of American Florists.

We’re so excited to have Gilberto and his fun, peppy personality with us on this episode of the Team Flower Podcast! He made the brave decision to start his floral company in the midst of COVID-19, and it has truly blossomed. Gilberto is talking through the importance of creating content for your website. It’s your storefront in an industry where everything is visual. He’s also walking us through his entire client process—from inquiry to delivery! Finally, you’ll be able to relate as Gilberto chats about how life changes when you become a business owner—both the lessons learned and dreams come true. Dogwood and Fir is an event and floral design company located in San Diego, California, and flowering wherever needed. Gilberto and his team love to curate and create floral pieces for weddings, events, or just because. Dogwood and Fir was created when COVID-19 hit and is now celebrating one year of bringing joy! Follow Gilberto on Instagram at @dogwoodandfir, and visit his website at www.dogwoodandfir.com.

Joining Kelly on this episode of the Team Flower Podcast is Liz Inigo Jones from London, England. Liz has an abundance of experience in the floral industry, and she’s here sharing all kinds of tips and tricks of the trade. Tune in to hear the following: - Tips for those who are setting up their own studio for the first time - The wedding client process—from inquiry to design and everything in between - Things to consider when choosing flowers for a bridal bouquet - Favorite clippers - Items & tools Liz never leaves without and more! Liz has been a wedding florist for around 20 years and loves her job! She's lucky to have a studio and be based at New Covent Garden Flower Market where she has access to flowers from all over the world which she supplements with British flowers from local growers. Liz designs for weddings all over the UK but typically concentrates on the Southwest/Southeast and London. Her style is natural but elegant, luxury but not over the top. You can check out her work on Instagram @blueskyflowers.

This episode is full of takeaways for everyone in the floral industry! Aleya Harris of Flourish Marketing is joining us on this episode of the podcast today. She is a marketing genius, and is incredibly passionate about helping you market your business in your own unique way. In this passion, Aleya is sharing tips on building a website—questions you should answer as well as techniques to try. Have you ever felt out of control of your business (and/or your life)? We’ve all been there a time or two, but with the right counsel, you can come out on the other side with a stronger and more organized business. Aleya is illustrating how excavation and replenishing are great steps to take in reframing your mindset. Finally, you’ll hear about the steps you can continue to take to ensure you and your business are thriving and reaching the audience you need to reach!

This week, business partners Dustin Saunders and Kate Davenport of Little Hollow Flowers joins Kelly on the Team Flower Podcast. They pride themselves on incorporating native plants and flowers that grow best in their climate (perennials and woody shrubs). These native plants also use less water, which makes the farm more sustainable. You’ll also hear many other reasons why you should consider growing native plants. Dustin and Kate are incredibly passionate about the growing community and joining forces with other farms for both community and the sharing of knowledge and resources! You’ll hear the following on this topic: - How to facilitate flowers for one another - Collectives: Centralizing the industry - How to start a collective - Opening the conversation between florist and farmer Finally, the pair is chatting about who their clients are and how the relationship between designers and growers can be expanded and built on. They’re even including their ordering process for floral designers and how they communicate substitutions if necessary! Located in Berthoud, Colorado, their 5-acre farm hosts a variety of annuals, perennials, woody shrubs, and fruit trees. They are proud to supply their region with locally grown flowers, and they are equally focused on both the quality of their products and the impact of their practices.

As a second-generation florist, Alexandra Scholtz has so much insight to share with the floral industry, and today we’re focusing on what it takes to create a team. When you’re choosing a team, what do you look for and how do you know if it’s a good fit? Here are a few things Alexandra keeps in mind when hiring employees: - Ensure all employees receive training - Hire your weaknesses - Bring people on who understand the behind-the-scenes aspect of the floral industry - Be sure your team can receive constructive criticism You’ll also hear all about Wildflora Design’s unique business model as Alexandra walks us through the Wildflora shop. From the smell of refillable candles and fresh flowers to the absolute abundance in each display, Wildflora truly captures the traditional flower shop model with a modern twist (and brightly colored walls!). Finally, Alexandra shares a few recent magic moments with flowers and gives heartfelt encouragement to all of us in the industry. Tune in and receive the warmth and love she has to offer. Wildflora is on a journey to highlight natural beauty through their assorted services and goods, ranging from floral design to home décor and plants. They handcraft every floral arrangement with a wild touch, prioritizing seasonal blooms, unique colors, and textures. By combining their own handmade Wildflora products with other small businesses, they hope to create an inviting and truly Californian vibe for everyone who comes to visit their shops. Check out their gorgeous designs on social @wildfloradesign or on their website!

You are bound to learn something AND be inspired on this episode of the Team Flower Podcast. Becky’s work was recently featured on The Knot, and we get to hear the behind the scenes of that wedding! In addition, you’ll hear all kinds of tips and tricks on repurposing flowers from the ceremony to the reception—what to look for and processes to implement when flipping a ceremony. Becky is also talking through what it means for her and her team to “Frame a Moment” as well as assessing your work and knowing when it is “done.” Finally, you’ll hear how you can make the most of your clients’ budgets and guide them in making decisions that will emphasize the flowers at an event. Becky and her team mainly focus on floral design for weddings and larger events. They serve and celebrate any amazing authentic humans in need of our brand of floral art. They are proudly featured in the Fall 2021 issue of The Knot for the wedding of Michele and Amy (also my sisters-in-law). You can follow Becky on Instagram @ramfloral and visit their website at Ramfloral.com.

Have you wondered what types of challenges you might need to overcome as a newbie in the floral industry? Zuzana is here sharing her experience in just that! She’s talking through her journey—from a design background to floral design work—and all the stuff in between. You’ll even hear about a time she was literally blown away in light of new lessons learned (lots of laughter around this one)! Fig & Flower is a weddings and event studio led by Zuzana Hewer. She's passionate about creating flowers with soul—always romantic, abundant, and untamed. Beautiful floral fragrance is a must for her! Zuzana's designs echo the beautiful English countryside, the nostalgia and the old-world feel of historic venues and beautiful garden marquee celebrations. The year 2020 was tough for all of us, and she's particularly happy about the fact that we are returning to work and creating beauty for beloved couples who have waited so long!

In an industry where so many people begin their floral journey later, it is always a treat to chat with someone who has seen it all! Derek has been in the floral industry since the age of 16, and he has experience in almost every aspect. From retail floristry to event design and everything in between, Derek has taken all of his knowledge and combined it with his passion for teaching to create an incredibly unique business model—a flower subscription box! He’s not only explaining how this works, but also chatting with us about how he’s navigated the changing industry landscape due to the global pandemic. You’ll also hear about a few of the joys he finds in the floral industry. The first of these is a love for competition floristry! Derek is walking us through what it’s like to be in a floral competition (and boy does it sound exciting!). The second joy Derek finds is in working with his particular consumers. His passion for encouraging floral first-timers and guiding them in creating something with flowers is contagious! We dare you to not get all the feels while listening to this episode. Floral underground is a regional subscription box service that sends flowers to the DIY consumer. They ship flowers all over the Great Lakes region and educate consumers on how to easily arrange with fresh flowers. Find them on Instagram at @floralunderground.

Lauren Palmer from The Wild Mother joins Kelly for a sweet and necessary conversation about reframing one’s mind and business to be inclusive and equitable. You’ll hear tips from Lauren on how to go about acknowledging why one might experience shame and how to overcome it. You must hold to the belief that justice should prevail above all and continually ask, “What is the truth?” You’ll hear about genetic memory—what it is, how it works, and how to recognize and articulate your origin story.

Andrea is a self-proclaimed “geek” when it comes to business organization. She is #goals. She’s put a lot of thought and effort into making her business as efficient as possible, and she’s sharing her three pillars of organization. It may sound like a lot, but these concepts, when they work together, will help you wrap your mind around how to systemize your business. It has been quite a journey for Andrea over the past couple of years. In her vulnerability about the pause she’s taking on her business, she’s also giving some insight and pointers into what it might look like for others to pause their business too. Trust your gut. Have a realistic plan of what you hope to achieve in your “pause.”

In this episode, you’ll hear from Ferrell Richardson of The Cottage Rose. We’re diving right in as she describes her design process and moves to the topic of installations. Ferrell is an architect turned florist and has so many translatable skills across the two industries. You’ll hear about some key things you need to consider mechanically when creating a large install. Ferrell is walking through how to create an arbor step by step, including a few tips on covering your mechanics. The Cottage Rose is a boutique floral studio, specializing in Wedding & Event Florals, design, and custom installations. First and foremost, The Cottage Rose are designers and flowers are their medium. They feel a lot of love for the process of design and the way that each bloom lends us its beauty to create something unique and beautiful for every one of their clients. IG: @thecottagerose

With her background in horticulture, Lyndsay has so much knowledge to offer, and she’s here on the podcast to share some of it with us! Lyndsay’s passionate about bringing agriculture to the community through various avenues, but her favorite is through their flower farm workshops. Lyndsay is chatting about what makes a flower farm workshop successful, as well as some marketing tips for getting the word out. Wildroot Flower Co. usually has so much going on, so it’s imperative for them to stay organized amongst their team. Lyndsay is sharing a few things that have made a huge difference on the farm on the business side of things, from using Google Sheets to planning for the future. Finally, you’ll hear some practical growing tips from a pro! Lyndsay is the owner of Wildroot Flower Co., a naturally grown cut flower farm located in the rolling hills of Southeast Ohio. Lyndsay is passionate about connecting her community with nature and filling lives with more beauty. We share our flowers through our seasonal U-Pick, on farm workshops, and event design. We also sell our flowers at our local farmer's markets, grocery stores, and through our CSA. Give Lyndsay a follow on Instagram @wildroot_flowerco and on Facebook @wildrootblooms!