I guess you’re a flower lover, right? If so then, yes dear friend, you can be a florist as a hobby. If your goal is to share your beautiful floral arrangements with the people around you then go for it. It’s like any sort of art out there. Floral design is an art. Choosing the right flowers, carefully picking the colors, playing around with the texture. A florist is an artist.
But who am I to say that, you may ask. Well, I’m a digital marketer helping florists increase their revenue. I’m a Web Designer and a marketer. This blog is all about marketing for florists. Anyway, I digress. Let’s get back to today’s topic.
Like any type of hobby, you should see if it’s sustainable long-term or not. What I mean is that certain hobbies can get expensive, especially if it’s truly your passion. If it ignites this fire in you, something you deeply care about. My question is: how passionate are you? Some people invest hundreds in their craft. When did you arrange your first bouquet and for which occasion? Did you take pictures? Did you share it online?
You need to consider these questions before diving deep into your new hobby. That way, you’ll be able able to flourish well as a florist (please don’t judge my wordings, I had to do it).
The art of floral design
Like I said in my intro, designing a bouquet is not just a fun activity, it’s an art! Did you know that certain people in love with flowers, just like you, are doing floral photography as a hobby? I first heard of that on Instagram. I was talking with a florist who’s just started and she said that she’s been a flower photographer for quite some time. I had no idea that people had this kind of interest at all. And guess what? That was her hobby! That’s literally what she did in her free time, during weekends. Impressive, isn’t it?
My point is, please do researches on how to arrange flowers, follow workshops and practice. Take pictures of your progress. Create a page about your new hobby and share your bouquets with like-minded people. Join Facebook groups dedicated to floral design and be active. Don’t live your passion in your little corner. Be willing to put yourself out there and find a great community of aspiring florists like you.
That woman decided to combine her love for flowers with photography and I bet you she loved every Saturday adventure, taking breathtaking flower gardens’ photos. And just like her, be creative and original to fully enjoy your new interest.
That lovely lady is now a florist selling luxury bouquets. She no longer uses her Instagram page for flower photography. You can be honest with yourself if your main goal is to turn your hobby into a side hustle down the road. It’s better to admit things from the go than lying to yourself. And it’s totally fine to dream of making it in the floral industry.
Your hobby can turn into as a side hustle
Many small florists I know started arranging bouquets for free, as a hobby. You know when a friend needs flowers for their baby shower or when your best friend wants to give a custom bouquet to a loved one. Your hobby can become a source of income if you believe it’s worth it.
Okay I see you now. You’re probably telling yourself :”Making money doing something that I love is totally worth it.”
The issue here is the commitment. Can you truly manage your 2nd work, late at night and skip the Saturday morning breakfast with the kids because you’ve been booked for a wedding 10 miles away? Notice how I said “work”. What I’ve just described is the reality of anyone working a full-time job and building their small business on the side.
It’s not for the faint of heart The hustle culture always glorifies the entrepreneurial movement but many fail to realise how time consuming it is. To be transparent with you, I believe that you need to fully embrace your new florist hobby for at least a year without thinking of money at all. Fall in love with the learning process. Use Pinterest for inspiration, experiment, find your signature style, ask for people’s advices, from loved ones to strangers, online.
And if none of what I said scared you because you’re determined to become a successful florist then keep reading. The next section will help you walk in that direction.
When can you monetise your passion for flower arranging?
There’s no strict answer here. Monetisation can happen as soon as you feel like you’re ready. But then again, there’s “ready to be booked and receiving daily orders” and “ready to try just to see if it’s going to work out or not”`
Can you see the difference between the two? Hopefully you do. If not then let me explain further. The first person is highly motivated. They will most likely take all the action steps required to establish their business. It could be registering a LLC, creating a logo, thinking of launching a flower website for inquiries, etc. This category of people will most likely go as far as learning how to run ads to get exposure and will probably be booked pretty quick. They’re not afraid of investing upfront because they’re highly driven.
The second type of individuals won’t do much, despite their passion for gorgeous bouquets. They’ll set up a page on Instagram and will focus on gaining followers instead of selling. They’ll care more about the aesthetic, the tiniest details that don’t really matter. They’ll track their number of likes instead of their sales. Their focus will be off and ultimately, they’ll realise after a few months that they’re not making anything at all. A few people bought from them here and there, nothing extravagant.
We all want to turn our passion into a fruitful business but how many of us truly achieve that? And for those who succeeded, how long did it take? Probably years, right? To answer the question above, you can monetise your passion for flower arranging when you’re “legally” ready to be known as a florist and everything is set up for success. That readiness can happen 2 months or 2 years after starting your new hobby.
And that’s pretty much it for today’s topic! Hope these insights fuelled your newly weekend activities ideas. Now do yourself a favour and read these articles next:
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