If you think you’re the only one who routinely gets caught staring out of the office window as you daydream about your own little florist business, you’re not. A small, sustainable and industrious community flower shop where everyone knows each other by first name is the stuff of dreams for countless would-be florists.

Some may have fallen in love with the trade after years as a shop assistant and are finally ready to make their own way in the florist business. For others it can be a long tradition of family owned shops and for others still, the answer to a late calling in life to ditch the nine to five and do something a little more fulfilling with their lives.

Whatever your circumstance, there are factors unique to the floral industry that can make breaking into the market tougher than what those dreamy time-outs from the office grind might make you believe. Not only is the market extremely competitive, but once you break in, keeping up with fast-moving trends and outsmarting the competition will be a constant challenge. Here are five things you may not be aware of and how to prepare yourself when deciding to open your very own florist business.

You’ll need to grease those elbows

Being a florist is far more labor-intensive than what most aspiring flower shop owners would assume. A typical day will see you collecting and transporting goods to your store where they’ll be cleaned and processed. This alone can see you spend hours on your feet, moving buckets of flowers and organizing them in storage. In an interview with Flare, Toronto florist and Instagram queen Tellie Hunt says, “…people don’t realize how taxing it is on your body—lifting 50-lb buckets of water and flowers, carrying deliveries and boxes of centerpieces through kitchens.”

Hunt says she’s had some issues with her back after being a florist for over a decade. So, make sure you pace yourself and do the right thing by your body. There’s also a lot of cleaning up after yourself as leaves, cut-offs and branches replace staplers and the office copy machine for work tools. You’ll have to be prepared to deal with frequents pricks and cuts as you handle various arrangements and types of stems.

A recent blog also discussed the possibility of allergies to certain plant families. Make sure you check it out to learn about how allergies can affect your flower shop’s working conditions.

 

Haven’t signed up for your free demo yet? Get access to Hana today and see why florists love us!

 

You won’t be sleeping in much

The hardest working among florists rise with the sun. A successful florist business is usually bustling long before the “OPEN” sign goes up at 9 am. In fact, some florists who buy flowers at wholesale markets wake up as early as 4 am to find the best and freshest flowers. You’ll typically have to be ready to dispatch your first delivery to businesses in your area by 9 am.

While more established businesses might have more bargaining power, as an up-and-comer you’ll need to make sure that every call missed by your competition is one that you’ll answer. This kind of diligence and reliability will give you a good reputation — and a good footing — in an already tough market to crack. Use early morning hours to cut and process flowers, organize overnight orders and start scheduling your deliveries so that when 9 am comes, you’re way ahead of snoozers.

Being a florist isn’t a solitary, peaceful existence

Many aspirant florists have visions of a solitary life with only tulips and peonies to keep them company as they meticulously arrange bouquets that take their fancy. Reality check: A busy florist doesn’t only come out from the back of the store to receive compliments from happy customers. As a business owner, you’ll spend a huge amount of time networking with potential customers, suppliers, event organizers and even collaborators — and that’s just in person.

By now you’re probably well aware of the social universe that runs on parallel with our own. And if you’re a florist, you’d darn better be getting all your social portfolios up, running and engaging with anyone who might be interested in your brand.

Brides-to-be, event organizers and catering companies are just a few of the types of people you’ll more than likely run into in the online world who could just be ready to give you your big opportunity. So sorry to break it to you, but you’ll need to get out there and rub elbows if you’re to make a success of this gig.

You’ll likely have to deal with inherited challenges

Flower shops are often procured by new owners or inherited by the next generation in a line of florists. This means new owners often inherit a large amount of existing systems from the outgoing owner(s). At Hana Software we come across this scenario fairly often as new owners reach out to us for advice on their current point of sale solution. In many cases we’ve spoken to younger florists who’re saddled with antiquated POS systems from as far back as the 1980’s!

While the business of flowers has a reputation for being timeless and romantic, that doesn’t mean your flower shop has to run like it’s 1982. Whether you’re the beneficiary of an inheritance or the proprietor of a new business, make sure you survey the technological investments the previous owner(s) has made and assess what you’ll need to make the store run as efficiently as possible. Read here how Hana helped a customer make the switch to our leading florist POS solution.

Competition can be tough in the flower industry

The US flower industry is currently valued at $7 billion dollars with the sector experiencing widespread changes in the last decade. The advent of big corporation wire services, coupled with increasing offshore sourcing of flowers have put considerable strain on independent florists and local growers. Imports from countries as far and wide as Columbia and Kenya are forcing prices down and an increase in market share for large retail outlets are putting pressure on florists to compete at every level.

The modernization of the industry is also forcing flower shops to upgrade their systems and processes to meet new market demands. Digital customers and increasingly digital competitors are changing the industry landscape. Aspiring florists who enter the market with romantic notions of slow-moving days spent trimming stems will be rudely awoken by the realities of a fast-changing industry.

Give yourself the competitive edge with Hana Florist POS

Hana Florist POS has been developed to help both established and new market entrants hit the ground running. A floral POS designed by florists means you get all the features and functionality every flower shop needs to flourish. Keep in touch with your business, suppliers, drivers and customers from our powerful mobile app, reduce excessive paperwork inherent in old technologies and give yourself a competitive advantage with advanced marketing, email, website and e commerce solutions — all from one single cloud hosted solution.

While the market out there can be tough and your industry is changing right under your nose, it doesn’t mean you should be out of the loop. Modernize your floral business today while providing your customers that traditional floral customer service that reminds them of days gone by when the business of flowers was still personal. Get your free 30-day demo account to the Hana POS system today and see why countless florists are joining our growing community of budding florists.