How to Start a Floral Design Studio from a 180° Career Pivot

How to Start a Floral Design Studio from a 180° Career Pivot


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Do you ever daydream about becoming a floral artist? Have you found yourself googling how to start a flower shop or design studio, or scrolling instagram for flower content to feed your soul while you plot your escape from a corporate job that you know is out of alignment for you? Have you ever wanted to know if this is possible, or if you are doing it right, or what secrets or advice would help you step forward into owning a successful small business and living a more creative life? 

If any one of these questions resonates with you, you are in the right place. Today, in our very first episode of the Called to Bloom Podcast, I want us to begin from the beginning — and I want to do that by sharing with you how to actually start a floral design business, how to pivot and dive into a floral venture with nothing but your current career experience, and how to know when it’s the right time to make the leap and build that dream. I’ve been there. I did it myself, and I’m laying it all out in this episode for you alongside my favorite strategies, advice from my experiences, and clear actionable steps that you can take now to empower you forward into the creative venture that is calling to you.

Even if you are not an existing or aspiring floral artist, there is a reason you found your way here. Something creative is asking you to bring it into being, and my hope is that no matter what shape that takes, you find tools and guidance here to nourish and inspire you to keep listening and to keep discovering what you are here to bring into being and share with the world. If you are listening to this, you probably love flowers, but you also value creative expansion, and the experience of authentic transformation, and the ability to step into alignment so that you can evolve into a life and career that you love. 

 

In This Episode, We Cover:

  • Exploring the dream of becoming a floral artist and the steps to transition from a corporate job to a creative career.

  • Understanding the importance of aligning your passion with your profession and exploring various paths in floral artistry.

  • The significance of soul-searching, introspection, and journaling to discover what truly excites and inspires you

  • Strategies to manage overwhelm by breaking tasks into smaller, actionable steps

  • A guide to the different paths in floral artistry, from event design to workshops and education

  • Tips on starting small, practicing your craft, and gradually expanding your business

  • Cultivating harmony between creative exploration and business management

  • Overcoming fear and doubt — Understanding these emotions as protective mechanisms and learning to navigate them

  • Essential legal and professional steps to establish a small business and professional floral design studio

  • The importance of protecting a personal creative practice to prevent burnout and stay connected to your love for flowers.

Mentioned in This Episode:

  • Taiichi Ohno’s 5 Why’s Method

  • Poetry of Flowers holistic online floral education

  • In addition to the items mentioned in the Small Business Startup Checklist, you will also need to get business insurance. Add that one to your list after listening to the episode.


Resources:

  • Join the Poetry of Flowers — holistic floral artistry online courses to empower your creative practice from anywhere in the world

  • Explore Workshops & Mentorships — deepen your floral artistry practice in-person

  • Discover Tarot of Flowers — a gift of abundant floral wisdom for any flower-lover or seeker

  • Use code CALLEDTOBLOOM for 10% off your first Poetry of Flowers purchase or your first Tarot of Flowers order

Details from Our Sponsors:

This episode of the Called to Bloom podcast is brought to you by the Poetry of Flowers  holistic online floral education. Use code CALLEDTOBLOOM for 10% off at checkout.

 

Keep in Touch:

Thank you so much for being here, and for being part of this radiant community as we step into these creative callings together. If you enjoyed this episode, I would love to hear from you! Connect with me on Instagram: @nectar_and_bloom and @calledtobloompodcast, and please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify to help other creatives and seekers like you to find their way here too. Your words mean the world to me.

 

Full Transcript:

Do you ever daydream about becoming a floral artist? Have you found yourself Googling how to start a flower shop or a floral design studio or scrolling Instagram for flower content to feed your soul while you plot your escape from a corporate job that you know is out of alignment for you? Have you ever wanted to know if this is possible or if you're doing it right or what secrets or advice would help you step forward into owning a successful small business and living a more creative life?

If any one of these questions resonates with you, you are in the right place. Today in our very first episode of the Call to Bloom podcast, I want us to begin by sharing with you how to actually start a floral design business, how to pivot and dive into a floral venture with nothing but your current career experience, and how to know when it's the right time to make the leap and build that dream. I have been there. I did it myself.

And I'm laying it all out in this episode for you alongside my favorite strategies, advice from my experiences and clear actionable steps that you can take to empower you forward in the creative venture that is calling to you.

*

Welcome to the Called to Bloom podcast. I'm Jen Cavender, founder of Nectar & Bloom and your host as we explore tools and holistic methods that empower you to craft an inspired career and a fulfilling creative life. I am a floral artist and educator who left an academic career to build my dream floral design studio.

Now I empower flower lovers, florists, and creative entrepreneurs like you to find your aligned path and to build your dream. Together we go deep into topics covering creative entrepreneurship, health and wellbeing, sustainability, personal transformation, the art and business of working with flowers, and practices for manifesting a life you love.

If you are ready to feel inspired and empowered as you build your next aligned creative chapter, you are in the right place. Now, let's bloom.

If you know me, you know that doing things holistically with intention, and alignment is key to everything I do and everything at Nectar & Bloom. And as someone who knows how it feels to be ignited with that passion and a desire to create something beautiful, and ambitious, like your own floral design studio, I want to equip you with the tools and guidance that will help you do that with confidence and ease so that you can enjoy the journey and really benefit from your efforts.

You want to start a floral design venture that will nourish your creative being, help you grow, support your mind and body, and your overall lifestyle.

Even if you are not an existing or aspiring floral artist, Something creative is asking you to bring it into being. And my hope is that no matter what shape that takes, that you find tools and guidance here to nourish and inspire you to keep discovering what you are here to bring into being and to share with the world.

In this episode on how to build a floral design studio from a 180 career pivot, we are going to cover one, soul searching and vision building, where to start and how to prepare. Two, creative workspace essentials, essentials you need in order to begin. Three, small business startup, the technical, professional and legal pieces you need for a strong foundation including a checklist to make it very doable.

Four, the realistic outlook for this kind of work. how to know when to make the leap And also advice from my own experience, including some helpful do's and don'ts. And five, guidance for how to make your first booking. Let's get started.

This episode of the Called to Bloom podcast was brought to you by The Poetry of Flowers, holistic, floral artistry courses that you can attend at your own pace from wherever you are in the world.

As a poet and former professor of English, when I found myself called to work with flowers, it was a surprising pivot, even to me, but also an opportunity I hadn't realized before to channel what I studied and knew well into what I now wanted to do. Poetry is a framework, an art form created from language, that allows us to tell stories with emotion and depth. I found right away that flowers are the same.

They are a language, that we arrange into blooming experiences that invite lovers, guests and gatherers to celebrate and that elevate life's most powerful moments and milestones.

Poetry of Flowers encapsulates all of the techniques, guidance, and advice that I teach in my workshops and mentorships into an educational experience that is accessible to all. Inside Poetry of Flowers, you will find a suite of a la carte course bundles on topics from how to begin in floristry to bouquet designs, foam-free floral installation designs, to wedding design and production, and more. Get access to all course bundles with a Poetry of Flowers membership. Go to nectarandbloomfloral.com

and head to the courses tab to learn more. That's nectarandbloomfloral.com and head to courses. And as a Called to Bloom listener,

can get 10 % off your Poetry of Flowers holistic online course or membership with code CALLEDTOBLOOM one word at checkout. And now back to our episode.

*

So how do you start a floral design studio from a 180 career pivot? You established yourself in one field and now you want to jump into another. So how do you begin?

When I started my floral design studio, I was in the midst of a completely different previous career chapter as a professor of English. I was teaching literature and writing courses at the university. I had completed my master of fine arts degree in poetry and becoming a professor like the ones who had inspired me had been my dream. And I loved it. I loved my students. I loved designing a course of study for them. I loved immersing us in discussions on the power of language and storytelling, but something was missing.

I felt like an artist who never gave myself a chance to make my creativity front and center. And I also wanted to build something of my own, something that felt aligned and inspiring, that brought me closer to nature and to color and design that would also give me the freedom to be my own boss and to build something meaningful that could be like a legacy. I knew I was craving a change, something more creative for sure.

I got unexpected inspiration and clarity from our vendors as Carr and I were planning our wedding and I could not shake the awe and inspired feeling I had that kept saying inside of me, I didn't know this was an option. This wasn't on the list of majors! So as you get started, my first piece of advice for you is to do some thoughtful soul searching. You want to start from a clear desire. What are you truly fired up to do? What inspired you?

Why do you want to start working with flowers specifically? Get crystal clear about the vision you have for your floral venture and then ask yourself these two questions. One, what exactly do I want to create And two, what does an ideal day in my new creative life chapter look and feel like? Use these as journaling prompts. When it comes to answering the first question, maybe ask yourself, what exactly do I want to create first? because you may have a huge vision or a bunch of exciting ideas you want to try, which many of my mentees expressed to me and which I experienced myself too. But in order to start, you have to really get honest with yourself about what you are most excited to do right now.

Maybe you want to do flowers for weddings like I did starting out, but maybe you also want to start a shop or subscription service or flower for brand partnerships or healing circles, or maybe you want to host workshops. All of these are wonderful and exciting options. You just need to get really clear about which makes you most excited right now and start with that so you can focus knowing that you can and will grow and evolve over time.

So when it comes to where to start, what to consider, and how to prepare, begin with a few clarity exercises. The first one you've got, journaling prompt, what do you want to create? And what do you want to create first? Two, journal prompt, a dream day in your future floral artist's life. What does it look like? What does it feel like? Use as much detail as you especially when describing how it feels.

What does it look like in detail? How do you feel? Three, finding and knowing your why. There's a version of the five why's techniques that I want you to try.

This technique is attributed to Taiichi Ohno And it essentially has you keep asking why in order to find the issue or the root answer. So for us, I want you to start by stating what you want to do. What is this vision? Then ask your first why. Why do you want to do this? this is also a great journaling prompt. Then continue to ask why at least five times, each time writing an answer, then asking why again, to really discover the root of your motivation. Once you know your root motivation, you can always return to it. When you feel lost or overwhelmed or when you take new steps or build new offerings, this is super helpful. Once you are it's time to get practical with the foundational pieces of bringing that to life.

Start with planning your startup budget and transition time into this new life and career chapter. What can you comfortably invest currently regarding your financial resources and your time?

Go slowly, start practicing in your free time while you assemble the technical and legal pieces you need, which I will share in more detail with you in a moment. And do this while you still work in your old job. Strike a balance between devoted progress and patient pacing. Next, start practicing. Watch videos, take online courses, attend a workshop, or dive in with a one-on-one mentorship to go deep and get supported experience with a guide who you respect and admire.

Find images of work that inspires you and try to imitate what you see. Reverse engineer by studying what flowers and how many and what kinds of configurations are in the designs that you admire. Imitation is a really powerful way to learn. It will expand your skills and will also help you start to discover your own voice as you make changes that suit your style better. Just remember to always credit other artists whose work you imitate when you share it publicly.

Add a note to your caption, super easy, that says something like, "This design was inspired by XYZ artists work. Thank you so much for the inspiration." It goes a long way to build a supportive, respectful community among other artists. And lastly, keep practicing. Your design skills will improve, as will your confidence.

Now when it comes to stepping into floral artistry or any creative business venture, you'll need an initial "studio" or creative workspace with some essential items to begin your work. Here's my list of floral studio setup essentials: Work surface or table, something that you can get wet because you're working with water when you're working with flowers. Floors that can also get wet or tarps that you can put down on floors that can't get wet.

A sink to fill and empty vessels and buckets, very important as well. Floral clippers, utterly essential. This whole list is just essentials. Then a bowl or a vase or a few of each, something to arrange in. You can literally start with a cereal bowl from your cupboard. It doesn't have to be fancy. And later on, you can build an inventory from specialty ceramicists, home goods stores, or florist suppliers. But back to our list. You also need a roll of chicken wire to use for mechanics, wire cutters to cut the wire, simple gloves. to protect your hands, a roll of florist tape to secure your mechanics that's available at any florist supplier,

And lastly, a lazy Susan to turn your arrangement. This is so helpful to be able to set your vessel in one place, but to move the arrangement as you

Keep in mind that a lot of people begin a floral design studio in their kitchen, creating a kind of functional pop-up studio when you need it until you can put together funds to build or renovate or rent a studio space. As a tip, use what you have first. You will grow and expand over time, but let yourself start with what you can reach easily now. That way, you start building right away and don't have to wait and also don't overextend yourself too early.

Over time, as money starts to come in, you will benefit from investing in other goodies like an AC unit to keep your space cool, a floral cooler to keep the flowers cold and also to extend their life, vessels and inventory you love as mentioned for your events and services, things like ribbons, styling extras, shelving and storage. It goes on but I want to get you started with what is completely essential so that there's no barrier to you getting to begin this dream.

Also, it can be helpful to know what is the bare bones functional setup. That way you don't have to overthink it. Personally, my studio is a converted garage. It started out as a simple structure, 17 by 19 feet with cracked cement floors, one tiny postage stamp window, a low drywall ceiling with hideous garage light, and a scroll down garage door. Nothing special. Over time, and this is years,

I put flooring in, I tore out the ceiling and painted the exposed rafters. I hung pendant lights. I added an AC unit to keep it cool in here. I put in glass French doors for the entrance and sliding glass doors on the side. And I added an awning window and a shelf wall to create a little office nook for myself, as well as the dreaming window, a window seat with storage underneath that looks out over the canyon behind the studio. For me, I wanted a functional floral design workspace, as well as an inspiring studio where I could host and teach my workshops and where I would love to come to work each day.

So early on, strike a balance with what you essentially need and keep in mind, what your studio and creative space can become over time that suits more and more specifically what it is that you do, or what you evolve into offering over time.

Early on, I thought I needed to rent a studio in order for my business to be legitimate. It is amazing all of the doubts and self-imposed restrictions we come up with unintentionally while we are building something new. Sometimes that emotional interference is so loud that it's hard to see what's right in front of you, what you already have. It took me a while to realize

I have this garage space and I can transform it into a studio that I truly want. So look around, use what you have and slowly evolve and build it into your dream.

And now that you have a clear vision and a plan for your creative space, let's dive into how to actually start a small business. This is the technical, professional, legal checklist that you need in order to build a grounded, solid foundation so that you can do business with confidence. This is not something to rush, this is not something to skip over, this is not the pretty part, but this is the core essential part. If you want a smart, successful business, if you want to love doing what you do,

and be able to do it over time and have a big impact on the clients you serve, do this checklist from the beginning. So here's your small business startup 101.

First, create a name for your studio or brand. Make sure it makes sense for your industry that it's easy to say and understand, and also that you love to say it because you are going to talk about it a lot. As a note, trust that you can also change it over time if you need to so nothing is set in stone, but definitely put in some work and intentionality in the beginning. Also do your research to make sure that this name is not already taken.

As a funny side story, some of my friends know this, when I first decided to start a creative studio, I didn't even realize I wanted to be a floral design studio. I thought I just wanted to create everything, do calligraphy, signage, styling, I just wanted to do everything even though really what I wanted to do was flowers. And so I created a studio name that is still kind of funny, but I use it as an example teaching wise. And that studio name was the Rare Arrow Studio. Beautiful, especially for a poet, has really nice assonance on the A sound, rare arrow studio and the O's. But the problem was that if you say it quickly, it blends together and it's very hard to say. Rare arrow studio, the rare arrow.

So if you think about it, your first idea might be the one. Your first idea might be a little convoluted in other passions of yours. For me, it was convoluted in my love of sounds and poetry. So I needed to take some time to really iterate what would make sense for my industry, something that indicated it had to do with flowers in some way, and also something that was easy to say and understand and that I loved saying. And I filled up pages of a notebook with words and meanings and ideas that I had, and that was really fun for me. And eventually I came around to nectar and bloom. For me, nectar is a really bright, citrusy word, and it symbolizes the sweetness of life. It's also something that flowers produce, and it felt like what nourishes us, what nourishes our creativity, that inspiration. And bloom felt like a round, blue, deep, resonant word to me.

And that is the act of a flower opening. It's also the act of learning and expanding. So lots of meanings for me. I'm sure the name that you come up with, which could be your name, flower shop. It doesn't have to be anything metaphoric or fancy, but come up with a name that means something to you, that feels strong, that feels aligned, and go with that from the beginning.

Second, create and file a doing business as or a fictitious business name. I can only speak for building a business in the state of California and the United States, but I'm sure that wherever you are has a similar aspect where you come up with a business name, you formulate the business and you need to file it with your city or with your state or with your municipality. So look into how you actually file for a business in your area.

Third, apply for a business license or comparable to your area so that you can legally do business.

Fourth, apply for a seller's permit or comparable so that you can purchase wholesale flowers.

Fifth, apply for an EIN. This is again, specific to the United States, but I'm sure there's something comparable if you are outside of the US. This is going to be with the Internal Revenue Service, which is essentially for us a social security number that's for your business. And you need to have that on file.

Number six, open separate business bank accounts. Don't mix your personal money with your business money. Open up a separate checking account, savings account, and credit card account.

Number seven, hire a tax professional to help you learn the ropes for remitting sales tax, how to pay your tax returns, and how to set up your bookkeeping so that you can track your expenses and your income as you go along. That will make it much easier to do the tax returns.

Number eight, hire a legal professional or a small business lawyer to help you set up professional contracts and agreements for your services. A lawyer can also advise you on how to formulate your business, whether you want to create a sole proprietorship or an LLC or another type of corporation that best suits your needs. You cannot skip this step. If I were to recommend one thing to have a solid, reliable business out of all of these steps, it would be to seek legal advice to create professional contracts for your services. This is so important, definitely worth the money.

Number nine, set up a website and a domain name. The site can be simple at first. Just focus on having a homepage, somewhere to land, maybe an about page because people like to get to know you, a portfolio page where you can start to upload your work so people can see examples of what you do, a services page that lets customers know what you offer, and a contact page.

If you don't have the services page, at least have a contact page where there's a selection option for what type of service they can book with you or inquire about. And number 10, work with a graphic designer to create a logo and brand details, including your colors, typography, other marks that help you establish a brand that looks and feels aligned with you and what and how you serve.

Let's take a look now at the realistic outlook, when to make the leap, and some of the do's and don'ts for building your own floral design studio. Remember as you build this dream that you are not a newborn human being. You have a wealth of life experience, of passions, of education, of previous work experience to enrich and support you. True, you may never have started or owned your own business, and true, you may be brand new to floral artistry,

But your past experiences and areas of expertise are a goldmine of strengths you can pull from as you navigate this new chapter. Even though you may feel awkward or overwhelmed or like you don't belong here, let me tell you, imposter syndrome is real and for all of us. Remember that this is normal in the beginning. And in truth, it's normal all along the journey as you grow and evolve as a business owner.

So if you're feeling that imposter syndrome it's okay, keep going, push through it. Remember that that is part of beginning any great venture. Next tip here, pace your progress. Balance the wave of passion and inspiration with building something sustainable.

There's a saying, "strike while the iron is hot." That's very true. You want to go with the inspiration when it happens. You don't want to put this on the shelf and wait 10 years and then have regrets that you wish you would have gone for it or you never gave yourself the chance. So strike while the iron is hot. But also take your time. You don't wanna strike while the iron is hot at the cost of your health, your wellbeing, your financial security, anything like that.

So balance striking while the iron is hot with taking your time. Prioritize harmony and trust. I learned this the hard way and you don't have to. I kind of jumped in head first went 110 % right away, and if you have a lot of energy and motivation, you can do that too. But I definitely dealt with burn out, I definitely dealt with not feeling great about my work in the middle of the success that I had worked to build, and had to go through some hard learning that actually growing in harmony and practicing trust instead of urgency is much more helpful, and it's really transformed how I do what I do. And make a checklist.

Make the checklist and chunk it down. Make sure each task and what you need to do and accomplish to build this thing is clear on your checklist and that you break it down so that it's not insurmountable. So you can chip away at it consistently over time.

With that in mind, what is the realistic outlook for this kind of venture? I get asked this all the time — and how do I know when it's time to make the leap?

Here's my answer. Yes, you can 100 % make a career out of floral artistry. You will need to work hard and wear many hats. You will need to be willing to keep learning and evolving as you go along. You will need to define what success is for you personally and what amount of your time energy and dependency you can comfortably over time put into this business. When I say dependency, I mean, will this be your full-time job? Will this be your main source of income? Will this be your main career? Will this be a part-time job that supplements your income or lifestyle? Will it be a hobby that you do in your spare time just for the joy of sharing your art?

It could be many things and it can evolve from where it begins too. Just know that you can absolutely make this your job and your career, and it could be beautiful and so rewarding and such an amazing journey. 

Just build it slowly and transition into it so that you don't put too much pressure on your creativity or your small business in the beginning. It is much more enjoyable to build something slowly and to enjoy it flourishing harmoniously. Do a little work on it in your free time, then do a little more as you do a little less of your current work.

Keep slowly increasing one and decreasing the other until you can rely on your floral venture fully.

Don't rush. The only way this won't happen is if you get burnt out and give up. Just keep joyously chipping away.

As a bit more advice from personal experience, here are a few helpful do's and don'ts when it comes to pivoting into floral design.

Do make a plan and a checklist that you consistently work on. Don't expect yourself to build a new successful business in a month. Do strike while the iron is hot, don't wait. But also don't grind or set unrealistic expectations. You don't want to burn out before you even get there. Also, you can do a lot of things quickly. If you work hard, you can learn a trade, you can hone your craft, but you cannot rush a reputation.

You have to build that ethos over time where people around you and in your new industry start to get to know you and your work. Let that take time. Keep doing your part and your reputation will grow. Do have the courage to quote, build the engine while flying the plane. Start small with your first sales. Don't wait until you're 100 % perfect or ready because you'll never feel 100 % perfect or ready.

If you're doing weddings, start with a la carte bouquets and boutonniers. Start small and have the courage to get going before you're ready. But don't sell anything you cannot deliver. Make sure you are confident in what you can guarantee to your customers. So step in, just start small.

Practice your craft and begin where you are comfortable. Then let your business continue to grow.

Do start sharing your work on social media and build an easily viewed portfolio as well as a community network. But don't make social media anything more important than what it is. Don't get lost in comparisons of the work of others on there. And don't make posting more important than your bigger business and craft checklist.

Social media is important, but it can be seductive, where it seems like you're getting things done for your business, but really you're kind of just feeding the beast. Make sure social media complements the vision you have and doesn't control it.

Also, when it comes to seeing other people's work on there, let anything you see be inspiration to you and then stay in your lane. Don't get caught up in comparisons. Don't get lost in what other people are doing. Keep finding your truth and your inspiration. Keep reconnecting with your root motivation and keep enjoying discovering your creative voice.

And lastly, do reach out to your new network and to make new friends in the industry whose work you admire.

Don't wait for business to come to you. Let everyone you know know about your new venture. Share about it from a place of love and joy and trust, not pressure or fear. Then you won't feel weird or salesy. That energy, that loving, joyous, trusting energy of sharing something you're so excited that you're doing, will build connections and help get the word out as you get started. You'll be so surprised. Everyone begins with friends and family and expands from there.

And now before we close, I want to give you bit of bonus guidance regarding how to make your first booking. When you're ready to sell your services but not sure how exactly to start,

When do you actually open the doors for business or cut the ribbon and business is now available? Here's what to do.

Imagine you just received an email or a voicemail from a prospective client, letting you know that they are so excited to have found you and that they want to book you for their event or whatever service you're going to offer. What would you need to have in place to make this happen? This is another reverse engineering tool that is super effective. So let's look a little deeper.

First, you would need to have some kind of emailable PDF or a website page describing your offerings or packages or pricing.

Secondly, you would need to have a legal agreement to customize and send your potential client that outlines the terms of service, the legal obligations and agreements, and also other details that help you to clearly articulate what the client can expect, what protects you as a business, and make sure that everything is transparent and agreeable to both client and business. Next, you would need a way to accept payments, and a payment schedule or policy if you're accepting large amounts that a client may wish to pay in installments.

With that, you would need to have worked with a tax professional to know how to handle sales tax. You would also need to have wholesale contacts and a way of ordering flowers as your raw materials for the design work you're going to deliver.

And this step and its research will also have given you a sense of pricing so that you can create an accurate quote for your client with an appropriate markup for your work and for your business. You would also need to create a kind of proposal document to send your client with pricing details for them to agree to, which also means you might benefit from having a simple intake form that you can send to the client to collect their details and wishes. You might also like to have a template for making a mood board that you can include with your proposal that gives a client the sense of the style and the feel of what you're going to create, and it helps a lot with connecting with the client and letting them know that you see and hear their vision.

So you can see from this little exercise that if you imagine your dream client were to call you up tomorrow, it would really put into a very helpful perspective what exactly you need to create, what you need to check off your list, and what you need to have in place in order to receive and also execute and deliver that order or booking. So don't let this be overwhelming. The more clear your steps and task list are, the easier it is to check them off.

Also, pro tip, before you sign on with any expensive software, keep your costs low by using free or affordable software like Google Drive for intake forms or Canva for mood boards and proposals rather than making any big investments off the bat. Let your business grow and let the income start to flow in. Then you can decide how to up level your systems and software to suit what you are building as your business grows.

And lastly for us today, I want you to really protect a monthly creative practice with flowers that is just for you. No matter how busy it gets, try to always schedule in time to design with flowers with no pressure and just for the joy and creative exploration.

This will keep you fresh and inspired and rooted into your love of flowers as an art form while you build all the muscles of owning and operating a business of your own.

Now you have all the tools to begin.

Are you feeling inspired? My hope is that you feel more informed about this calling after listening to this episode and more ready to confidently dive in to pivot or up-level into your version of it. I 100 % believe in you and what you are ready to create. From here, I suggest going back and re-listening to any part of this episode that you want to review and make that checklist. It feels so good to get onto paper your list of steps to get your dream in motion. And it makes taking those little actions that start to build the huge vision much more doable. What is one thing you can take action on today? What are three things you can take action on this week? This is how easy it is to get started, especially when you break down the big picture goals into actionable smaller steps. Keep going.

Share this episode with a friend who you know will appreciate these tools too.

You can also head to my website at nectarandbloomfloral.com to explore more transformative floral education opportunities and resources from workshops, mentorships, and studio immersions to the Poetry of Flowers online courses and all access membership to cost free resources and articles on the blog as well.

Whatever you do, keep listening to that calling, keep collecting information and experiences, keep exploring and stay playful. Start practicing with flowers before you open your studio or shop and while you build all the pieces of your business. Practice your craft and let yourself have fun, stay light and transition into this new venture harmoniously.

Join me in the next episode where we will be diving into how to find the right path in floral artistry for you, refining and stepping into what you really want to do and where you'd really like to go. What are the options? Where should you begin? How can you carve out a practice that is authentic, genuine, and successful? This and more is all coming up in episode two.

I'll meet you there as we continue on this beautiful creative journey.

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Beautifully done. You just completed another episode of Call to Bloom. And I don't know about you, but I think finishing any resource that nourishes my being and makes me feel more connected feels so good.

Now, to expand your experience, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. And also head over to calledtobloompodcast.com to find show notes, discount codes, and details for goodies from our sponsors. If you're ready to deepen your practice, classes and immersive experiences in flowers and wellbeing, head over to www.nectarandbloomfloral.com and explore my workshops, one-on-one mentorships, poetry of flowers, holistic online education courses, wellbeing experiences, and my original tarot of flowers deck. You can also find me on Instagram at @nectar_and_bloom for more inspiration, tools, creativity, and like-minded community.

For now, keep blooming. The world needs what you are here to create.

 

 

 

[Cover image by Ariel Min Photography.]

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