Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in floristry, but not sure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Johanna Orellana, the founder of Estigma Floral Designs, a floral design business, in Queens, New York, USA.
Tell us all about your business...
Estigma Floral Designs is a small business oriented towards floral designs, creating palettes with unique colors, asymmetrical, modern, elegant, and designs, mixing different styles.
Estigma makes the designs speak for themselves, each flower and detail are carefully placed creating stories, feelings, and joy when our customers receive their arrangements. My customer portfolio includes a law firm, restaurants, regular clients and friends.
Estigma is just spreading its wings and I believe that it’s indispensable to continue learning new techniques to provide the best service to my customers and continue to grow in the floral industry.
What's your background and motivation to grow as a business owner?
For many years I had been thinking of starting my own business, I thought about different alternatives but I was always allured by the natural beauty that we have all around us, the flowers, trees, plants, their colors called out to me, attracted me.
I started to study Floral Designs, I follow many designers on Instagram and admire the beauty that they can create, until I went out, bought some flowers and started to create my own floral designs for family and friends for special occasions and they loved them. I studied and am continuing to study to offer different types of floral arrangements with a little touch of me.
Currently they are simple arrangements but unique, they aren’t the typical arrangements that you see at the florist, my family motivates me everyday, believing in me and my creation of designs. Every time that I see a flower I’m already thinking about how I would use it in my next arrangement.
As an entrepreneur, what does success ultimately mean to you?
My greatest achievement is working side by side with other professionals, now I work with an interior designer and together we create the design according to the client's personality. When the arrangement is ready and I deliver it, I love the fact that I’ve surpassed their expectations and that fills me with joy. It motivates me to continue creating more unique and beautiful designs.
What's one of the hardest things that come with being an entrepreneur?
The competition in the floral industry, attracting new customers and reaching out to more people who don’t know that Estigma exists.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run or grow a small business today?
Starting off it’s hard, my advice would be to put together a business plan for the future, start with your family and friends promoting your business, be disciplined and have perseverance. I think these are the foundations to run any business, to grow I think we have to knock on doors demonstrating and presenting our products or services.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Always believe in yourself, there are times when I think that this is not for me, but when I finish a design and I see the eyes of the people that shine and say wow, I tell myself that I am on the right path. We will always make mistakes but the practice and perseverance make us greater every day, we learn from our mistakes. If it’s what we love, let's keep moving forward and never throw in the towel due to some negative feedback. Every “NO” that we receive help us to value and drive ourselves every day in any business.
Where can people find you online?
https://www.instagram.com/estigmafloraldesigns/?hl=en
https://www.facebook.com/Estigma-Floral-Designs-109777851502573
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as an entrepreneur or business coach that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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