Are Bridal Shows Worth It?
By Rachel Evans Heath Entrance into the Bridal Show by Trill Flora (me!) We’re just winding our way out of bridal-show season and a question I often hear designers asking one another is, “Do you think bridal shows are worth it?” I participated in a bridal-show-like event a couple months ago and there is always […]
Make More Money Doing What You Love by Alison Ellis
The quickest way to make more money in your floral business is to do more of what you love and less of what you don’t love. There is always going to be some aspect of running our business that we don’t love…some things we simply MUST do (either because it’s the law or because someone […]
What You See Is What You Get; A discussion about samples by Chuck Graham Part 2
Robyn and I have had many discussions about providing samples as part of our design processes. For me, providing samples is an important part of my process for three reasons. The first is about managing expectations. No matter how many pictures, trips to the flower market with my client, drawings, and pretty words, most […]
The Customer Isn’t Always Right by Alison Ellis
When I first started in the floral business I was trained by some pretty awesome retail florists. I learned how to describe my product, how to listen to what the customer wanted and how to sell it to them in a way that made them feel good. “The customer is always right.” If you’ve worked […]
Callas Are Not Lilies By Alison Ellis
Callas are not lilies and as a professional florist I think it’s time we get this terminology right in our industry. Somewhere along the line callas became known as “calla lilies” and they are constantly referred to in wedding magazines as such, however, they are clearly different flowers and it’s time to draw a distinction […]
Maintaining Floral Integrity by Alison Bucholz-Ellis
A recent Consumer Reports revealed something that I’m sure many people in the flower industry already know—duplicating floral arrangements from a wire service image results in disappointing designs. Multiple deliveries to Consumer Reports left much to be desired as the product received did not resemble the original photos (which in my opinion are hideous to […]