Making Changes, especially big ones, are always so hard for business owners and I think it helps to read what others are doing to change their business models to make it work better in their own lives. Here we are sharing the story of Althea Wiles, owner of Rose of Sharon in Arkansas, who recently moved from a Retail Shop to a Private Studio Model for her flower business.
Thank you, Althea, for sharing your story with our flirty fleurs readers.
-Alicia
This April marks my 21st anniversary as a business owner. My business is now old enough to drink! That’s a long time. A really long time–especially for a small business. As you can imagine, I’ve gone through several major changes during that time.
I used to say that I hate change. But that’s not really true. What I dislike is the time in between. The time where you know you bought 5 boxes of that particular vase but you can only find 1. The time where you’re shuffling the same box 10 times because you don’t quite have a spot for it. The change itself can be invigorating.
So why (and how) did I make this move this year? Was it a step backwards? HOW did I fit 1500 sf of stuff into half the space? What was I thinking?
Getting to the point where a change was GOING to happen
Three years into in my retail space, I got very close to quitting, to giving up and moving on to something new. It was a year of personal trials and major life changes. If you have been there, then you know it’s incredibly hard to focus on making something pretty during those times – much less any of the many, many, many other tasks that fall to us as the owner.
Did the business suffer? Yes, of course it did. That year was actually a pretty good one on the books. But the pipeline suffered. I didn’t have the time or energy to keep all the plates in the air. So I didn’t. I did what had to be done, and moved on to the next thing. For a solid year. By the end of that year, I wanted to quit, move, live in a cave and not talk to anyone ever again.
Next came the soul searching, spending hours imagining what I’d do instead. Would I go back to school? Would I work for someone else? Would I sell or just close up shop?
In the end, I decided that I really, truly and STILL love this job and this industry. But I wasn’t in love with how I had things set up. I resented having to have store hours just in case someone dropped in to buy something. It was always for something inexpensive and generally for something I didn’t have. I hated having to have staff on hand because of those set hours. I felt responsible for my employees. I’d made a promise to them. They and their families depend on the income they make from me. They may be part time, but those hours matter to their bottom line. So I felt like I had to provide the hours (even if it hurt the business).
Keeping inventory on hand just in case I needed it (both fresh and hard goods), bugged me. It went against my budgeting brain. I much prefer an event that is paid in advance. So why was I doing business like this?
Finally, I realized that the 1500 wonderful square feet of storefront had turned into 1500 square feet of storage. That’s a lot of stuff. And I only really utilized the full space for designing 3 or 4 times a year.
Doing What I Really Love vs. What I “Should” Do
As a florist, I love making people smile, fixing a problem, making something beautiful, making something beautiful within budget, planning & executing the details and delivering an event on time, curating nature, designing with strong mechanics.
All these things didn’t need a retail base.
Once I decided that I wanted to stay in the industry, I decided to spend some time working on the business side of things. Most of what I do has been self-taught. I decided to enroll in a
mastermind group and learn more about how to separate myself from my business. During that course, we did the usual goal setting and accountability. I picked up some good tips. I learned some new skills. But most importantly, I realized and came to believe that a storefront did not make me a ‘real’ florist. It didn’t legitimize me. My time at the design bench, my 20+ years of working as a designer and a business owner, my reviews from past clients made me legit, and that was all I needed.
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.
It was my Velveteen Rabbit moment. I am a real florist and a real business owner.
And now it was clear. I could do what I loved from a place I loved. I could still design & sell weddings from a home studio.
Making the numbers work for a move
So now I knew that moving felt right. But did it make sense from a business perspective? I ran the numbers.
● Retail (i.e. non-pre-planned, single designs…birthday, get well soon, etc) was about 20% of my income. And walk-in was only 30% of that (basically 7% of my gross income). The profit margin on those orders was significantly less than the profit margin on my weddings and events. Taking away the ability to walk-in and place an order might make me lose 7% of my income and it was the 7% that was the most headache and the least profitable.
I ran more numbers.
● I looked at my overhead and realized I could reduce my expenses by a significant
chunk….about 9%. MORE than what I potentially could loose.
● Not to mention payroll. With a home studio, I didn’t have to pay employees unless we
had a paying gig. I much prefer doing that. 🙂
● Video meetings are now pretty much an accepted business practice. I’d slowly been
moving towards this and now by simply stating ‘all initial consultations will be by phone or video’ it happens. No push-back from clients at all.
So yes, the numbers made sense. So far, so good.
But could I actually work from home as a floral designer?
Well, I’ve done it before, but would it still work? I started thinking about the flow of my house. What would change, what I could keep. What I minded letting go of. I have the space. I could easily arrange it so the business and home life were mostly separated. I needed to build an out-building to hold coolers.
Finally, when I started talking about the idea with the people in my mastermind group and with a select few customers, I got overwhelmingly good responses. I had one response that wasn’t positive & that was only luke-warm. (I might have lost a wedding from it…I’m not sure. It was during my very last-in person consultation. I probably should have done it by video.)
The move felt right. The numbers sounded good. The move was on!
Making the move happen
THE MOVING PIECES
Planning the details. Lists, schedules, and more lists! So many details to remember. But I’ve been handling details for events for 20 years. By treating the move it like any other event made it pretty comfortable. I won’t say easy because….all the details!
My decision to move was in July. Moving day was scheduled for Thanksgiving week because we had no events that week. By early November, we were moving things one van-load at a time. The week before Thanksgiving, I had 6 events scheduled for Black Friday through the following Monday. THAT was not exactly fun. This was the only time where I felt like I might have made a bad decision. But we got through it. And then we started getting things in their place. And everything felt good again.
It’s been a few weeks now. I absolutely LOVE working from home. I love being able to leave when I want. I’ve only had to turn away 2 orders but I’m developing relationships with other florists who do love the everyday orders. I love having employees only here when I need them. I love being able to do laundry or take a nap if I need to. And I love the new set-up. I smile when I walk to work now. I don’t resent long hours any more.
Change happens, learn to expect it
Will it change again? Probably. It seems to change every few years for me. That’s ok–I have the tools to make a new decision. Will this be successful? I don’t know. But if it’s not, I can always go back to school…or something. And in the meantime, for the first time in three years, I’m EXCITED about the work again! Happy new year! Happy new season!
Oh YEAH…
How did I fit 1500 sf of stuff into 850 sf? I haven’t. Not yet. I rented a storage unit and I’m slowly getting rid of inventory. I did a yard sale. I’m a master of “Tetris-ing” a room. Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day will feature whatever we have in stock. By this time next year, I plan on having pared it down to what we need and use, with a decent flow for working and no storage unit. I’ll buy just when I need something and I’ll focus on selling what I have and being creative.
One of the most important jobs we have as a business owners is to be able to make key decisions for the benefit of the business. For me, eliminating retail and focusing on the work I most enjoy gave me back my passion for the work I’ve been doing for so long. It took focused effort to not only make the move happen, but also to commit to the move in the first place. Your decisions will likely be different than mine, but the process of making those decisions will probably be similar. My best advice? Lean into what you most enjoy, and find ways to make the business more profitable by keeping the focus on what you love. Do the research, ask for help, and remember that no one thing (a location, a certification, etc.) gives you credibility in the industry. Doing your best work for your best clients is really all that matters in the end.
Contact Information:
Althea Wiles
https://www.roseofsharon-eventflorist.com
Arkansas
Shop photos provided by Kaity Whitman of Photolove.
