Mother-Daughter Team - Poppies Floral Art

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in floristry but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Andrea Walker, co-owner of Poppies Floral Art, located in Victoria, BC, Canada.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

We are a full-service flower shop offering a large selection of bouquets, floral art arrangements, plants, and planters to offer as gifts for every occasion. We also specialize in wedding and event florals, including rental items such as arches, pedestals, and various vases and urns. We haven't forgotten about the DIY customers and have recently added a bulk flower market to our offerings. In addition, we hold regular floral design workshops to teach and share the love of our craft.

Tell us about yourself

I am a third-generation florist that was initially trained in our family business in London, Ontario, from the age of 16. I started the shop in Victoria in 2006 with my stepmom, who has also been working in the industry for more than 30 years. Mary-Jane has since retired, and I am currently expanding our business to accommodate more volume and better customer service. I am motivated every day by the challenge to train and employ talented floral artists to provide a skillfully designed, beautiful product that our customers appreciate and love.

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

Our biggest accomplishment has been to continue to grow and evolve in an ever-changing world, with constantly changing trends and economics providing ongoing challenges that I feel we have been successful in managing for the past 17 years. Our business has seen a transition to having a large e-commerce focus, and our website is now considered to be our primary "location." Our recent expansion to acquire more physical workspace opening a "design center" in a warehouse has been our biggest challenge yet- and we are hopeful it will give us even more opportunity in the future. In the past two years, managing the difference in buying habits with the pandemic has been especially significant.

What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?

The hardest thing I do revolves around staffing. Because we are all creative individuals, it can be challenging to maintain a brand and not micro-manage. Fortunately, we have a wonderful group of talented and hardworking floral artists here at our shop. I try to give everyone an opportunity to explore all areas of the job- everyone designs, but everyone also takes the garbage out. We rotate our responsibilities to keep the creative energy high and keep a feeling of equality amongst the staff.

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Be willing and able to do every job. People will respect you if you work alongside them and can step in to help at any time. Find people who have a passion for the work, and want to see the business succeed. Pay well. It's much more cost-effective to have retention of staff than to have turnover and training.

It's important to think of the little things you can do to make your business more sustainable. We are constantly looking for ways to minimize our environmental impact. Luckily our product is compostable, renewable, and, whenever possible, locally sourced.

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.poppiesfloralart.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PoppiesFloralArt
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppiesfloralart/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-walker-78b968187/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur 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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