Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in floristry, but not sure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with the florist, Georgia Butcher
owner of Freckles and Flowers, in Liverpool, England, UK.

Tell us about yourself and your journey to where you are today...

My journey in the world of flowers began when, unfortunately, I had to go through the process of arranging funeral flowers for my beloved Nan who adored all things floral. I was surprised at how much comfort choosing the flowers and designing what I envisioned bought me and looking at all the beautiful creations bring such brightness to such a sad day inspired me to start looking into how I could train in the industry.

I knew I didn’t want to attend university and I wanted to try and find something creative I could work my way up in, it was at that point I found a college that offered a diploma in floristry course, and I applied immediately. After completion of the course, I was lucky enough to find a florists shop that offered me a job with them and I worked my way up there for three and a half years before I decided I needed a little break to decide where and how I wanted to grow as I felt like my progression was starting to become limited and I wanted to keep learning as much as I could.

I took a little time out to focus on myself and once I saw that it was very difficult to find other florists positions available in my rural area I took an apprentice position for my local council, unfortunately, I had to leave my job there for my mental wellbeing, and it was then that I moved to Liverpool to be closer to my partner and to give myself a big fresh start. Working environments can be incredibly toxic and damaging to your mental health and I don’t think it’s spoken about enough, spending more time at work than at home when you are not properly looked after nor appreciated can be so draining so I decided that I needed to go back to what I was passionate about and give myself a chance to create a career in something that I knew I could do happily every single day. After lots of encouragement from family and friends, I decided now was the time to launch my own floristry business and Freckles and Flowers was born in October 2020.

What motivates you each day?

My main motivation comes from the understanding of how important it is to create a happy, and healthy career for yourself. You are allowed to acknowledge you are worth more than how you are being treated and if you have a passion that you can share with others and call it to work then in my mind you’ve won. I want to focus all my energy on creating happy safe spaces for people to come to me and have their dream floral creations come to life.

People do not always realize how flowers can be a part of such intimate times of your lives and I feel so honored and grateful that people choose me to make their designs at such special moments. Seeing how happy my work makes people and sometimes just seeing the small bit of comfort it can bring will always serve as my main motivation.

What makes your flower business stand out?

Freckles and Flowers all revolves around being a bespoke service where absolutely everyone can come, in a safe and happy space and have their floral dreams come to life. I am both a proud feminine and queer woman and my biggest aim is to make sure that all my clients feel completely comfortable and respected by me during their journey of creating their ideal floral designs. I have a very organic way of working and my floristry style is just like a contemporary country garden, with beautiful textures, colors, and scents, every stem is specially chosen and my utmost care and attention to detail goes into everything I create.

I will happily work to any budget to create your flowers for absolutely any occasion and will always do my best to guide you through the process in a friendly and flexible manner, so you always leave with your dream flowers. Being a small business is hard especially in these current times and I always try to shop and support local and hopefully as Freckles and Flowers grows, I can make a commitment to becoming more and more sustainable and give back to my own communities that have helped me get to where I am now.

To what would you attribute your entrepreneurial success?

I am still a new business, so I still have a long way to go to make sure I can cement this as my full-time career; however, I do believe that the success of Freckles and Flowers all stems from my passion and love for what I do.

Every design I make has its bespoke thought process behind it from what my client asks for, to my flower choices, to the design itself, to the wrapping and delivery. I am committed to making sure that everything that leaves my little workshop (my kitchen) is of the utmost quality and is exactly what my client has asked for.

I will always focus on the small details and make sure that all my customers are happy with their flowers, after all, it is my customers that allow me to be successful in this industry, without their customs none of this would be possible. I hope everyone that has bought from me can see the love, time, and care that has gone into all their designs.

What's been your biggest accomplishment to date as a business owner?

I think my biggest accomplishment is just being able to see my work in people’s homes, offices, and being a part of their special moments. Seeing something that has come from me in every sense makes me realize that even though I have a lot more to achieve I’m currently living what I’ve been dreaming of for years, I have a running business that I adore, and I have a growing customer base that chooses me every time for all their floral needs.

What is the hardest thing that comes with being a business owner?

I think one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner is trying to stay competitive and current in your industry. There is so much competition now from big online retailers and supermarket chains that sometimes it feels almost impossible to keep going let alone grow.

The mix of COVID, and Brexit has meant a huge rise in prices. The supply chain and as such my prices have to rise for me to stay afloat, I struggle with implementing this sometimes as I worry customers may think my prices are too high when they can get something from a supermarket for half the price. I have to remind myself that my work is entirely bespoke, hand made and designed by a qualified florist, you could never buy anything close to my designs from a supermarket nor big online retailer.

Where can people find you online?

Website: https://www.frecklesandflowers.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frecklesandflowers_-104152664993274
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frecklesandflowers_/

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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