The Floral Hustle

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Hello flower friends, this is Jen and I Have had kind of a week. I've actually, uh, it's been a couple weeks actually. I have felt the word dumpster fire has surfaced in my brain about this last week and a half, two weeks. Next week we're closing on our house. Uh, I had someone come out and look at the roof and they told me that the roof of our current house needed to be a huge thing, tore out of it and replaced.

And while the guy was on the roof, because they didn't vent it properly a million years ago when they replaced it, uh, the guy's foot actually kind of fell in to the roof. So we had the roof replaced. Um, we have a drywall guy here right now that is fixing drywall in our house to get it ready. We have had to have our mortgaging stuff switched around because we got approved for this awesome financing.

My Bodhi, um, was sick yesterday and had tummy issues, so I brought him into the doctor and they had to do a blood draw, and it was like the worst blood draw I could have done with my kiddos, and Bella was in the emergency room because she was having blurry vision, and Bodhi's getting bullied at school, and I literally, it's Tuesday And on behalf of my two children, I have already spoke to nine adults that help care for them either at school or a doctor.

So it, it feels like a lot and my, my husband was just like, is everything okay? And I was like, it's just been a lot. And then I never say that though. And he was just like, you never say things are a lot. And I was like. That's true. And so I really thought, how do I every time that life has felt like a dumpster fire, when it feels like nothing is working, when it feels like you're, failing, when it feels like a shit show, what have I done to get unstuck and move forward?

Because like, this is, this happens. Like, shit happens. Snow days happen. Sick kids happen. I actually, Bella was just puking. Isn't that awesome, you guys? Like, life happens, but what can you do to get unstuck and move forward? And the first thing that I did, and I'm, I usually I am I'm a pretty tough chick.

I usually do not let things faze me. I usually am, you know, very strong. And I mean, I try to be strong because I want, especially with the tough things that my daughter navigates and things like that, I want to be strong. But I really wanted to also step back and be like, we're also human. And, It was really interesting because we were, we were I did play therapy with my daughter today as well.

We now do talk therapy after years of doing, actually playing with her in play therapy during COVID and the whole thing. And we were talking about a really complicated situation. And my daughter being 10 years old with autism, like, just said the most interesting thing and, and, I, I just thought of how empathetic that she was of a grown up in the situation that she's in.

This was about her dad, and she basically said, like, that he's doing what is easiest to do when something is hard. And she's like, I know how that feels because I've, I choose that too often. And that is to shut down and to, to not choose hard. And I just, I thought for. Like, big picture for a 10 year old to be like, so many people just basically hit the retreat button and so many people just put their give up panties on or somebody, so many people close their business.

So many people say that this isn't working. So many people just say that things are broken and this isn't successful. And so like, how can we come back from like, this is a dumpster fire and like, how can I get this unstuck and move forward? That was kind of the mindset that I really have been in because I'm like, all of these things happen and my husband being the supportive spouse that he is, I mean, sometimes you wanna kill your spouse.

Like that's just part of the deal. 'cause they're, frustrating. They don't think exactly like you, but like, he's like, Jen, what would happen if this didn't happen? What would happen if that didn't happen? What's the most important thing right now? And I was like, our children. He goes, okay, our children, they're breathing, they're happy, they have everything they want.

They got to do all these fun things in the last week, like all of these things. And so like, is something fundamentally And I was like, no, he's like, so we should be grateful we have healthy children. And I was like, yeah, like we do have healthy children. He's like, fundamentally, are you successful? I was like, absolutely.

He's like, okay, so why are you worried about these things that because of course, I'm like, I want this big project I have coming up. I want to get that launched and like share it with you guys. And he, I was like, I do. You know, I feel like I'm falling behind. I feel like I've said, I feel like I'm failing because I haven't, I haven't launched it yet.

And he was just like, does that mean that you're not successful? And it's just so interesting because you're always your hardest critic. And I was like, no, because just two weeks ago, I did a 38, 000 event. That we're still cleaning up from because it's been a tornado. And I did this beautiful workshop that was so stunning and so breathtaking and like, so fun.

And he's like, exactly. And you've done all these wonderful things with our children. You've you know been with the Mastermind girls. You've been helping them. Like, you've been doing all the things. So like, are you successful? And I was like, yes. I am. And he's like, okay, so we need to quit being hard on ourself.

We need to give ourself grace and we need to regroup. How can we redefine what success looks like? And I was like, yeah. So Cool. Everybody gets to feel this way and it just, it's how you pick yourself up when you're feeling this way that I think makes the biggest difference. So whether you are going through something emotional, whether you are going through, you're frustrated, you're overwhelmed, you have imposter syndrome about starting your business.

You are like, it is okay. Everybody goes through this. If you were a mom and you were going through this. My motherhood, I mean, I have a complicated motherhood, y'all. It is complicated. Like, I, sometimes when I, like, just, when you have to introduce your kids with caveats, like, hey, just to let you know my daughter has autism and things feel tricky for her.

Like, I mean, that's my life. Every day. We went to the nail salon and I have to introduce my daughter that way because I want them to be prepared in case something feels tricky. Like, so it's, it, everybody has their own version of complicated. So whatever your version of complicated is, don't feel like that isn't fucking normal.

And it was so interesting because I had one of my mastermind girls actually come and freelance for me. And, it You guys, we had this huge event, this huge workshop, so cleaning up after the workshop, the workshop crap that I took three loads of vehicles over is coming back to the house, and we're getting all these flowers, we're getting all these things put together, there were ninety two Things that needed to be made, just made.

There were over a hundred and fifty floating candle vases. There were 62 centerpieces. All the containers, all the foam. I mean like my studio is a two and a half by two and a half car garage. This thing this is what, we were at capacity. There, when you walked through my kitchen, I had ceramic planters.

Full of flowers on my countertops. Um, we have an island that is like in the middle of our kitchen to go downstairs. There were flowers all around it. I had eight foot banquet tables in my living room. It was pandemonium, and this is all while, like, Bodhi's running around like a crazy six year old and his best friend's over here, and they're playing and being rough and tumble, and then, you know, just like, life is happening, and, you know, my house is a mess.

My house is a mess. We have outgrown our house. It is a mess. I am so glad that we, we are tripling the size of our house. We are going from 1450 square feet to 4500 plus outbuildings. But even then, we are going to have a full house. So like, I, some, my mastermind girl, she said a comment like, I'm so glad that I mean, like, that it was crazy over here.

Because I think that knowing that other people have crazy makes your crazy feel normal. Really, just know that it's okay. The crazy is okay. When the crazy becomes, like, long term, like if you're hustling forever, the hustle shouldn't be the everyday. The hustle should be get your business off and running and off to the races.

And then you have balance and all of these things and you hustle sometimes to make things work, but it isn't how you live. And if it is crazy all the time, then that's a whole nother conversation. But the first thing that I, I really, I step back is okay, what is actually not working? So a bunch of things with my children aren't working.

So that was pretty easy to identify and My daughter had a little bit of bullying going on. My son has had some bullying on but like we've we're getting his Kindergarten, kindergarten y'all like his kindergarten classroom teacher and everything is changing. I have talked with a million different grownups in different situations all the way up to the school district.

You know, like I've identified the problem and I figured out as best as I can how to fix it. Then launching the brand or the whole new project that I'm working on. Which I'm really excited about. And I have two workshops coming up. So like, thinking through that strategizing, okay, what's the problem that I really want to Well, I'm holding myself to higher standards.

Okay. Should I give myself a little grace right now? What could I do to tweak this? What could I do to change this? What's actually not working? Because there is so much that is working. There is so much. I have still booked clients. I have still had tons of inquiries. I just did that huge event that I booked last minute.

I have been still building relationships. I booked a proposal. I mean, like all of these things have still worked out. So, what is really the fundamental issue? So, it's I had one of the mastermind girls bring up, she's inquiries are down, and that makes me nervous about this season. So, okay, how far are they down?

Can you actually quantify that? Because gut feeling and facts are two different things. I've heard this from a couple other people, like, things feel like they're slower, or, you know what? Every time this year, most people are freaking out. So, I always think, If we're in March and I'm freaking out, or people are freaking out, the world is freaking out.

It's probably normal because most of the time people are freaking out right now. If you're drastically off, that's where metrics come in place. That's how like starting to track and be the CEO in your business makes the huge, the hugest difference because data. And you don't need, and this is, I actually, I watched another educator say, if you don't have a, a proposal software thing, and if you don't have a CRM, you're basically an idiot.

I'm like, you don't fucking need that. It isn't appropriate for your business if it doesn't make sense for your business if you are competent enough to run your business without it. I am competent enough to run my business without any of those things, any of those expenses, and I like doing it. So I'm also not bogging myself down.

I'm not not making money doing those things. I am not not being serving my clients doing those things. So like Checking in, like, what is best for you, but making sure, like, if you don't have those tools, you've created fail safes to at least have some transparency into those tools. Understanding.

Metrics. Are inquiries actually down, if that's your issue right now? Are you not converting? Are you not closing as many? If you aren't, why? Are you even asking? So many people are scared to ask, why did you go in a different direction? I ask every single time. And then, really reflecting like, okay, am I thinking something should be different?

Am I comparing myself to the Instagram version of every florist out there that looks like they're crushing it? When my mastermind girl was here and saw the chaos that was ensuing, like, It normalized crazy is, is part of the deal sometimes, and as a mom, if you were a mom and a business owner, like it is even more a deal because not only are you dealing with you and the unpredictability of your business, you are dealing with the unpredictability of children.

And them puking, them having tummy aches, them having fevers, them having snow days, them having whatever. So like, I would love for you to step back, get that reality check is what is actually not working? Are we having feelings because of a million different things or do we have core root problems? All right, then I would love for you to dive into, just like my husband did with me, dive into, what are your quick wins?

What has gone right lately? And then thinking, okay, I, I would love for me to also, I've, I want to reflect on those quick wins. But let's see if we can get some quick wins. Are we following up with all of our old inquiries? How can we, like, boost if all of a sudden, like, our Instagram, we've lost some followers?

And I have had people they're butthurt that they've lost three people on Instagram. Are you engaging? Because maybe those three people sucked. Are you engaging with the people who are following you and do find value in you? Are you in? Instagram stories. Are you posting any behind the scenes? Are you letting people know what a beautiful, amazing human you are?

Because you need to have, you are a business, but you are also a human and the human behind your brand. So are you showing and engaging with those people who are? Like whatever that root thing is what could be something that we could counterbalance that? If we're worried about inquiries? What could we do?

Could we post something on Instagram that says, Hey, uh, now still booking 2025, uh, you know, inquire here, you know, some type of graphic with a call to action with your link to your inquiry box. What if like somebody gave you a bad, bad review? Frickin post something asking for good reviews.

Counterbalance the negativity with some positivity. Get some momentum so that will fuel. I know I'm like on fire, especially when I get like a couple contracts back to back. Or if I get a couple inquiries, I'm like, Woo, things are cooking. Things are feeling hot. Things are feeling good. Like, how could you get things feeling good again?

Get some quick wins, get some momentum. All right, then, really, how can we fine tune things? We need to troubleshoot what to adjust. Are you marketing in the wrong place? Are you spending all your time on Instagram, but like, you're getting no inquiries that people are saying that you're finding you on Instagram, but you're getting a shitload of inquiries from wedding planners that you've built relationships with?

Let's maybe build a strategy to maybe Instagram less. Not go away from Instagram because I'm just telling you this part of the deal, but build a strategy to go more in on the places that are working. Because if we're spending money, time, energy, Because time is a currency. We're spending that on areas that aren't being super successful.

I spend time on Instagram because I actually have people say they found me on Instagram in the sourcing section. And if you don't have a source section on your contact us form or your inquiry form, you need to get one because that helps you understand where people are finding you. Then, thinking about are all, what is what you're doing, all your offers.

Are they clear? Do you look like the Jill of all trades? Do you look like you specialize? I am a cultural wedding expert. I also am a wedding expert period. It is very clear in looking at my Instagram or talking to me like I know a ton about weddings. I know a ton about other stuff because I've been a florist for so long.

I've worked in retail shops. I've done Valentine's. I've done Mother's Day. I've done corporate. I've done events. I've done all. Silk, like whatever, like I've done a ton of those things, but I am an expert. I am absolutely an expert in wedding flowers. So like, is that coming over clearly that you are the best choice?

How can we make you positioned even more clearly as the best choice for that in your market? And then are you charging it correctly? I know people are like, I'm not like, I'm closing all of them and the inquiries that I get or I'm closing like 90 percent of them. I was like, you shouldn't be because if you are the cheapest, that does not mean you are the best.

If you are closing all of the leads that come over, you are, you are too cheap. I guarantee it. You should be hopefully closing 60 to 70%. I would say max 70. And if you are closing more than that, your pricing is probably too cheap. So like, how can you tweak and mold things that you feel like aren't working to start to be working for you?

Because unless you sit back, which goes to our next number five, you need to shift your mindset from this overwhelmed florist or overwhelmed human to I am the CEO of my life and my business. That mindset shift and you know what? I, I actually, I was having the same discussion. Somebody said something really unkind to my daughter.

And she's sensitive to begin with, having autism and, and sensory, all these things. And like, literally, I was just like, we dictate how people speak to us. And I told her, I was like, if we don't want to be spoken to that way, we need to switch. To that that is no longer allowed and I just like I took my hand and kind of like Slammed it down like we need to put the hammer down on what we allow How we allow people to treat us and we are no longer letting David this little piece of shit Like treat us that way.

He can't talk to us that way. So we are the boss We are the CEO. So how can we act like the CEO in our business and stop being the world is falling I feel like a lot is going on, but I am successful. I am a total boss. I am the CEO in my business and my life. I am an extraordinary mother. I am all of these things.

How can we switch to my life isn't a dumpster fire? Because my life isn't. My life fundamentally is wonderful. I am getting the dream of my life to move to this farm, to raise my children. I have been researching baby Highland cows, like I've mentioned on a couple, I found a breeder in Minnesota that has 20 baby cows coming.

I'm like, so excited. And baby donkeys. She has, she also does baby donkeys. So interesting to me. Miniature donkeys, miniature baby donkeys are coming. And I. I just think about all of these, like, my life, and so switching from that, like, I am not struggling. My life, even though all these things, my life is amazing and I often see, especially when coaching people, like nothing feels good, feels like a dumpster fire.

Like all of this shit, I'm not making any money. Uh, you know, I'm working really hard. I'm tired. I'm exhausted. Like all of those things are very real things, but your next thought, you know what? Like things are getting better every day. Like we are one week away to owning our next. Step in our life.

Like how amazing is that? And I want that same thought pattern to happen to you Nothing is working needs to shift. What can I tweak to make this work better? Nothing is working shifts to you know, what when I step back I am successful like I have a husband that loves me. I have beautiful children. Like what is that for you?

Because I, and I would love for you to send me a DM and telling me that, like when you think about things are on fire, but I have, what are those things? Because that's when you switch from overwhelmed to the CEO. Because CEOs are the boss. They own their life. They make their destiny. They're in charge of their next steps.

They don't let Success is inevitable. I actually, I just went downstairs and I was cleaning up something. Getting ready for this drywall guy. And I actually had written on My dry erase board success is inevitable and that was four years ago and it just made me like reflect on like, yeah, it still is my definition of what success is.

It just keeps changing. It keeps upping and I want that same thing for you. CEOs often will make data driven decisions, not emotional decisions. So I would really love for you to start being able to gather some type of data to make sure that those situations are sound decisions and you're not going off gut feelings.

You're not going off of like, you know, like how something is interpreted. It's really just facts. All right. Now, I would love for you to build an action plan. How are we going to fix this? How are we going to fix what's going on? So what can you do today to fix this? And that usually for me is like a brain dump.

Okay what do I need to get done? What would help fix this immediately? What can wait? What can not wait? What can be automated? What can be outsourced? What can be fixed immediately? What is truly freaking broken or what just needs time to figure it out? And then out of all of that What is your one priority this week?

I always in the mastermind ask like in the next 30 days What is one thing that you want to accomplish? Because if you were a total rock star in your business and accomplished one thing every month Like one big I would really love to do this. So it's a little bit of a stretch. You're pushing yourself.

If you did that every month, you would have a different business in a year. Guaranteed. Different business. I want these big things for you. So what would that be? Brain dump it out. What could you fix this week? And then one thing that I often see people are like, you know, I was going to post on Instagram but it wasn't perfect and all these things like it doesn't need to be perfect.

Take imperfect action. Waiting for the perfect plan is just procrastination in disguise and you deserve better than that. Your business deserves better than that. You are the CEO in your business and you get shit done. Get shit done. What's one thing one thing this week? All right, then I really want you to go through Write this list figure out what's really broken.

What's like? What's true? What's not? Really? You've come this far if you're listening to this you either want a floral business. You have a floral business Maybe it's working. Maybe it's not but I guarantee you got, you got it in you to make this work. So I've seen people who I, when I look at them, I'm like, how the hell are they making this work?

They, cause they seem like a total tornado. And they are. So I know tornadoes can make this work. I have seen them. I have actually coached them. And I'm like, holy shit. But they make it work. And you can too. Every successful florist has gone through a phase. I've gone through so many. I mean, I've gone through changing my business name, quitting my corporate job, having, I, I literally was having Bella six weeks early, had two weddings that weekend, was in labor for four days, navigating a delivery on the phone.

I mean, like, you always, like, stuff is always gonna happen. That's just life. But like, if you are, I was the CEO of my business then. And I'm even more the CEO of my business now. And you can be too. I know you can do big things. I know that so much more can be had if that's what you want. And if you don't want that, that's totally cool too.

Like, I might in a year just want to be hanging out with you guys and doing just a couple fun weddings. And then having a fucking beehive and going to brush my highland cows. You define your own happiness. That's what's truly important. And making sure that you know that you but if I wanted to do a hundred weddings.

I could figure out how to do 100 weddings next year with all the changes. I could figure that out if I wanted to. Like, I know my success is inevitable, whatever that success is, and I know that can be The same thing for you. So I would love to hear that little tidbit that I shared earlier. If you want to send me a DM on DM on Instagram and just say hello.

If you need support, if this is like your life right now, and I say this because today I was on the phone with one of my mastermind girls talking her through prom night, going through her pricing and making sure she felt good. I was last night doing a loom video for the mastermind girls. Talking through some different like brochures and all these, like they're, this group is so supportive.

I am so supportive in your success and pushing you to be successful and making sure you have tools to be successful because sometimes you just can't do it alone. And I know cause I've spent tons of money. I have a business coach now, I like, I know that investing is going to change the game, but sometimes you just need the support and this support and community is amazing.

And so check out the floral hustle. com forward slash mastermind. If that sounds good to you but I would love to, you go to go. From nothing is working to what can I tweak to make this work better? Because that is fundamentally when you start acting like the CEO in your business and the CEO that I know that you can be.

Thank you for listening to my little craziness and my update. I'm actually going to be doing a life update whole thing probably in the next two weeks after I've actually Sat in the barn or I'm gonna not probably sit that would be weird, huh? You guys after I stand in the barn and visualize My next workshop, which is likely going to be in August on my family farm with my fucking cows and my donkeys because I'm that's how we're throwing down y'all and I just soak up what this next stage is going to be and update you guys more on all these updates with the kiddos because it's been a rodeo lately.

But I'm excited for this next chapter. I'm excited to have you guys along for that. And I'm excited to be here to support you. I love cheering you guys on and really just helping be a part of your success and your story. It means so much to me. So thank you so much for 📍 listening flower friends and you have an amazing flower filled day.