Qualities of a Good Florist/ Floral Business Owner
Beyond loving the art of floral arranging, florists need a number of other skills to thrive in the floral business world. From ordering wholesale all the way to customer service, florists need to be talented businesspeople as well as artists, and that takes unique skills! Here are some of the traits I think are most essential for a florist or floral business owner.
Creativity
Having a quick eye for balance, color, and harmony are essential for any florist looking to delight customers with stunning arrangements, so creativity is crucial. Being able to convey emotion and tone through cut flowers is a real skill, and a great florist brings a genuine love of the art to the table. Not only is a genuine love of flowers helpful in attracting attention for your beautiful designs, it also keeps you in the business for a long time without burning out. Love of the creative aspect of floristry transforms a job into a passion.
People skills
Even though the work itself is with plants, most of the other work is with people. Being able to counsel and advise customers towards the flowers that will serve them best, follow up with them, and create the designs they’ll love takes empathy and good manners. The flowers might be the work, but the job is to delight people, so don’t get into the field unless you’re comfortable working with customers.
Customer service prowess
The end goal of running a floral business is to make beautiful arrangements that thrill your clients, and part of that job involves great customer service. Going the extra mile for your clients and doing it with a smile is how you earn repeat business, so good follow up, addressing issues, and doing right by your customers is essential.
Logistical know-how
A large part of floristry is ordering and caring for the inventory you need to fulfill your orders. This means ordering flowers wholesale, arranging them, and caring for them. On top of that, keeping track of the health of your plants, juggling orders, and getting your designs where they’re needed takes a person with a good head for logistics. You don’t need to be neurotically organized, but you should absolutely have a good head for details.
Business management skills
Floristry is a business, so you have to bring the skills you’d bring to any other business. Basic accounting, management of staff, packaging, and shipping orders all take administrative and managerial skills that are essential for running a floral business. You might get into floristry for a love of the craft, but a good head for business (even the tough stuff like firing people, managing difficult customers, and navigating tough financial waters) will keep you profitable.
Relationship-builders
A great part of floral work is that you can enter into long-term agreements with businesses, hotels, and restaurants to deliver reoccurring arrangements. Whether these contracts are daily, weekly, or monthly, relationships take maintaining! A florist with strong networking and relationship management skills will go far.
