The Floral CEO

 Hello flower friends, this is Jen, and today I wanna talk about investments that changed my business and ones that I regret. I have spent, I mean, easily over a hundred thousand dollars growing my business over the years in actual investment in my business, and not every dollar was well spent. I've definitely made some good decisions.

I mean, some amazing decisions and some really bad investments. Um, but I think, you know, I've learned from my mistakes, I've learned from, you know, the wins that I've had, and I think that I'm gonna share some key takeaways on how I look at when I'm making an investment. To really think if it's something that I should dip my toe in the water, if I should dive headfirst or if I should run the other direction.

Uh, so, so let's talk about some of the great investments that I've made over the time. I, I, hands down, think Canva was one of the best inve investments. I mean, for one, it's cheap. Uh, but I feel like it helps me save time. It makes my business look more professional. Uh, it also simplify, uh, I have my brand kit set up in there, so it just simplifies my branding, my social, you know, media posts, my proposals.

It just simplifies everything. And for the minimal investment, 'cause I have Canberra Pro of, I think it's $12 now. It is a no-brainer. My next best investment. I always had a tax person, but I never really had an accountant. Somebody that advised me on good business decisions, on good business investments, on personal, like how I should be paying myself, how I should be really structuring things, how I should, um, deduct things.

So like an accountant, hands down. Was a great investment and one I actually wish I would've made sooner. And there's always this fear 'cause you're just like, I can't spend the money, I don't, my business isn't growing. But like I know that not hiring an accountant sooner. Cost me so much money. I wish I found the most delightful, uh, accountant that she's actually in Northern Minnesota, so I, I don't meet with her in person.

I normally talk with her on the phone, but she does the accounting for several different florists and she now does the taxes for like five of my Mastermind girls. So I absolutely think it was a no-brainer. Um, the accurate books, the peace of mind, and the tax savings are well worth, worth it. All right.

The next is hiring social media admin help. I would just not do it. I, if I am, depending on myself and being a busy mom and being. You know, in the midst of wedding season and all the things, like I can't do everything. And so having someone to help schedule posts that understands my brand feel for both of the businesses is been really helpful.

Uh, I feel like I have a person that, Hey, I need this done. I can just ask them instead of just putting it in my mental catalog of to do shit that is never ending. It has helped give me time back, and time is one of my currencies more than ever now, because I want to spend more time on my farm, enjoying life, growing the flowers on the farm, doing all the things, and I can't do that if I am.

Constantly, uh, just trying to run from task to test. All right, the next I, I think hands down in the last couple years, this is one of my top investments that I've made in the last couple years. And I think overall long term, this will be, uh, an amazing investment. Um, blue Blossom Academy is a silk flower.

Rental business course slash design slash how from the ground up. And honestly a lot of these things I knew, but I did not know all of these amazing companies that she had as sources for her silk flowers. I did not really know like, 'cause I always basically like custom create a lot of things and she.

Create these more scalable, repeatable, and rentable items that I think have really helped me add, uh, I mean pretty sizable income source to my, my floral business. And honestly, with everything going on, I haven't even fully launched it. I've just advertised it on the social. For the main floral business and for networking purposes.

So I haven't done like the big grand, grand plan that I have for this, and it's already kicking ass. So then the next really good investment, and actually I've told this story on the podcast, but this like changed the game mentally for me and this. Workshop was called Flower Stock. It was on Holly Chapel's farm, and it was this kind of meeting of minds of all these creative people that who I really looked up to, like Passion Flower Sioux was there and I absolutely loved.

That experience, like it made me think that my floral business and, and me, myself, personally, could be bigger. It was inspiration. It was like I left there knowing that I wanted to have a farm that I grew flowers on, and I left there knowing that I wanted to have a farm, to have workshops just like this.

So this like. This specific workshop was transformational for me, and I feel like you are always in the right place at the right time for change. And that was it. That was it for me. And of course, I will just throw out if you want a transformational workshop. I have my Floral Rockstar retreat coming up in September.

Uh, it is. It is like everything. I wish a retreat and kind of recharge would've been back then. Like I thought that workshop was amazing and it was definitely a, a great investment because of the transformation, but I just wanna bring it up another notch and put a different spin and make this something really usable in your business with the.

Portfolio because I went there just to like watch people present and I wish I would've went in there and got my hands in flowers and creating and collaborating and in a, a, a way that I was gonna be able to take for my own portfolio. So, um, check out the show notes if you're interested in hearing more about that.

And then let's talk about like one that is one of my best and worst investments. And that is coaching. I have, if you guys have, are, you know, repeat listeners? I have invested a lot of money. I, I'm like, what? What is the most expensive thing that I own? And it's my brain because it, I have invested, I mean, I think last year it was like $25,000.

And this year I think, 'cause I've scaled back a little bit because there's just been so much going on. That I think it's at like probably 10 to 15 and coaching when it's been a great investment is that person has been doing things that I want to do. And so it's not somebody that, like in theory is, you know, I was a really amazing florist like five years ago that scaled a business and now I'm teaching people.

Or, you know, I, I really think someone who's in the thick of it growing and working on their business and understands like the current, like that is one thing that has always really resonated with me. That they're doing the things that I want to do. But I have hired coaches that, like, I, in theory loved, you know, like their vibe and I loved, uh.

Like what they stood for fundamentally, but I didn't either. When I actually started meeting with them, like their vibe one-on-one, just like it. There just wasn't this mesh. And so I, going forward, if I have a coach, like unless I am listening to their podcasts, I really understand their vibe. I am really in tune with their coaching style, everything.

Like, I would wanna meet with somebody before I would Hi. Yeah. Sign up for anything, because I wanna make sure that there is a really cohesive vibe. I like coaches that are really direct and I hate people who are fluffy. And so I, I wanna make sure that, that that's in alignment. Um, my current business coach is someone who I've listened to their podcast forever.

I've been in their membership. Uh. For quite some time. And I like listening to her. I, you know, I have a one-on-one relationship with her and I mean, this is a coach that it's like $1,500 a month you guys. So this is a big investment and I don't care if you're making a $250 investment or a 500 investment, like that investment should be in, in alignment.

Um, also I think when you're going to do coaching. One thing that I've really learned is you have to have time. If you do not have the time and the space, it is a bad investment because if you don't have the capacity for change, like I have people come into the Mastermind over the last two years that like I see so much potential.

I see. Like they could be a fucking ninja in their business, but they have no capacity for growth because they are treading water. They are. Stuck in their own way and they are, you know, sometimes like just so overwhelmed because of the lack of boundaries in their life, or really identifying that this change and this catalyst is fucking happening and nothing's gonna get in my way.

Like, then you can come to every, you know, we, we have. Three coaching sessions a month, and then we have a office hours every month and like you can come to those, you can sign up for a membership, you can do all these things, but unless you have the time and the growth to think bigger, the capacity to be like, I want to grow my business and change, like it's not worth it.

And we have like weekly accountability in the Mastermind to help push people forward because if you don't have that accountability. You are literally going to be spinning your wheels and it's life will get in the way. You're gonna have something with the kids happen. The kids are sick, the kids are in camp.

Um, you're gonna have a big ass wedding and then blah, blah, blah. I mean, like a million things will get in your way. So coaching can be your best and your worst, depending on where you're at, the person you're coaching with. If you have always thought like, I don't even know what coaching is, start small.

Like start listening to somebody's podcasts. Um, join a membership that feels in alignment with what your goals are and if you are looking for bigger change that takes investment, like I have realized wholeheartedly, like this investment that I have made recently like it, that is going to be. Big change.

Like they, she has given me so many ideas on how I can be a better coach on how I can market myself and what I'm actually helping people with. And without that, I think that, you know it, I would just be like in the weeds of farm life and planning the workshop coming up in September and executing weddings and doing the things.

But like that accountability there is one that just pushes me forward. And so if you are interested in more accountability in your life and coaching, life coaching, business coaching, uh, it is like no other mastermind out there. You can go check out the floral ceo, um, on Instagram. There's lots of stuff on there.

Or head to floral ceo.com/mastermind. All right. Let's talk about some of the worst investments. Uh, definitely I have bought in subscriptions to tools that I have not used. So just a friendly reminder. Make sure if you are signing up for a trial, go in and put it in your calendar. Hey, check in and if you're actually using it, uh, if you sign up for a membership or if you sign up for anything, like really check in with yourself if you have the time to.

You know, really move the needle forward instead of, I call it action faking. People who think that they are so awesome, and they were like, I'm gonna buy this tool and I'm doing all this thing, oh, I'm in this membership. But then they don't fucking do anything. It's just like being, having a gym membership, but not going to the gym.

You need to use the tool. All right. The next, some of the style, I would say some of the style shoots I've done is epic. Some have been horrible investments. One in particular that I can think of. Um, I loved the concept. It was right around when, um. Gay marriage was legalized in Minnesota and we did an L-G-B-T-Q AI shoot that had like a vast array of ven of different couples and it had this like, it, it was just this really fun kind of vibe.

I, I liked the color palette we were doing like rainbow color palette and so I did. A rainbow tablescape and a rainbow, um, ceremony backdrop. And I did this amazing cake meadow, and I made these really fun bouquets and lapel flowers. But where it was a bad investment is that it was in a shoot that was not like a, a light and airy, it was in a brick wall kind of building.

And so that was problem number one. Problem number two, the photographer was dark and moody. And I like lite and air, so I've never posted those images on my social, horrible, horrible investment because I think, um, that's a shoot that I agreed creatively that I would do. And so I bought the flowers.

Normally I asked for a investment from the planner and from the photographer. And, uh, this, I made an exception just because it was so relevant in something I support. Wholeheartedly. So I wanted to get by and it actually got published in, um, like a local lavender magazine, I think it was. And so it was beautiful as well.

And I just, it's just not my brand because of the photography style and the venue being so dark. All right, I had this, my next one, I had this brilliant idea. I love flat lays. I love flat lay photos. I love. Designing them everything. And so I went and thought that this would be a really fun thing to offer my clients that they would get this like bin of all these things they could use in flat lays like ribbon and beautiful ring cups and like flat lay boards and just like a million different things.

And I've ordered all these likes things on Etsy and all over the place. And I mean, I probably invested like $1,500 in all of this shit, and I never once rented it out. I, in I guess, concept, thought it would be really fun, and I think I got into it and I actually styled a bunch of flat lay myself and took photos and whatever, but not great.

All right, the next one in this episode, this mini is going long, but it's just so fun to talk about these things. Um, containers I've never used. I love accent Decor's book they send out and I always like fall in love with like, oh, if I buy it, the client will come. I, unless it is something very similar that I have used, um, before, and I know it's very on trend.

I don't buy cli new vessels and tie up money and inventory unless that I know I have a client. Who has already booked it and is basically paying for it. I just don't anymore. Uh, I fall in love with things and it's just not what I need to be taking on is like marketing new inventory and then getting photos taken of it and all the things.

So if this is you, um, just stop. Stop getting the accent to decor catalog, if that's what it comes down to. Um, even though they suck, uh, at uh, you know, even having the majority of those things in stock, but just stop. It's not a good idea. Uh, you should have somebody paying for that inventory when you secure it as a rental and.

Then you know it's viable then, you know, hopefully you'll be getting pictures and all the things. Alright. The last thing that I have done, and I did this in COVID a lot, was buying excess stock out of scarcity. I, when the great foam demic happened, when and bought there, there was cages, you know, I used a lot of cages for the Hindu weddings that I did and.

All of a sudden, like cages were not happening. And so I bought a shitload of these of different cages whenever they were in stock, I was buying them. And the thing is, I bought ones with the paddle on them that are like the two thirds bricks, and I hate using them. They're not my favorite to use. They're not.

I like the one brick tribute cages. And so now I have all this excess inventory of those that I've never used and I. The foam is expired now, so depending on what it is, I did the same thing with glue, and luckily when the glue demic happened, I had an excess amount of glue, but I was literally buying a couple tubes of glue every time.

I got a delivery because I didn't wanna run outta glue 'cause everybody was freaking out because there was a scarcity on glue. But like I had like 40 tubes at one point and I was like, this is just a lot of glue. I don't need this much glue. So I hope you enjoyed some of my best and worst investments.

And thank you so much for listening, flower Friend. Head to the show notes if you want details on any of the specific things that I talked about. And you have an amazing flower filled week.