The Floristry Business

It goes without saying, of course, that you must love flowers.  But in addition to your love for flowers, you also need some business skills, such as accounting and customer service.  To really determine whether the flower shop business is for you, it's a good idea to first get a job with another florist to determine whether floristry is a good fit for you.  After you have been involved in the day-to-day operations of a flower shop for a while, you'll know whether you have the skills and desire to open your own store.

Once you decide that working with flowers suits you, you'll need to decide what part of the flower industry you want to work in.  You basically have two choices:  retail or wholesale.

Retail flower shops are those that sell directly to the consumer.  You will need to pick a location that is highly visible and convenient to customers, and you'll also have to set regular business hours designed to suit your customers.  Until you can afford to have employees, you'll have to make the commitment to be in the shop during these hours, doing most of the retail yourself.  If you are not the type of person who likes dealing with customers and being confined indoors for most of the day, then retail may not be for you.

The wholesale flower business is completely different than the retail flower business; if retail doesn't appeal to you, but you know you still want to work with flowers, the wholesale business is something to consider.

In the wholesale flower business, you'll still have customers, but these will be businesses, not individuals.  In other words, you are selling to the retail shops who then deal directly with the public.  Being in the wholesale business often means getting up early to attend major wholesalers' markets, and then delivering bulk purchases to customers.

If you want your flower shop to be successful, the most important thing is to get off on the right foot.  And that means following good business practices.  Be sure to do some research to determine whether your area can support a flower shop, get any education you need to learn more about the floral business, and create a business plan.

For more information about the floral industry and the florist business, visit the American Institute of Floral Designers and Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association websites.

Starting a Flower Shop