For many people, starting their own business based on one of their passions in life is a goal that they dream of pursuing. And for some lucky entrepreneurs, this dream can become a reality if you work hard to achieve it and have a solid plan in place when starting out.
So if your goal in life is to support yourself by bringing more beauty and life into people’s lives through the gift of flowers, here are three things you should consider before opening your own flower shop.
Start Out Small
As with most fledgling business ventures, it’s going to be best if you start out small with your flower shop rather than trying to get an enterprise-level business off the ground first-thing. Not only will starting small help you learn as you go with a smaller amount of risk, but it can also help you to save money as you scale your business.
According to Hanah Cho, a contributor to NerdWallet.com, starting a small flower business really doesn’t take much money or much space. As long as you have a large cooler or floral chiller to keep your product fresh, everything else comes with relatively small overhead costs. If you’re able to buy your flowers at wholesale prices and get your accessories for bouquets at low prices, you can theoretically open your own small flower shop with just a few thousand dollars.
Go Beyond Just Flowers
Although it’s wise to start out small with your flower shop or floral business, you may want to quickly start branching out to things other than just flowers if you want to find financial success.
In general, the more services you’re able to offer to your customers, the most potential lines of revenue you’ll be able to tap into. Knowing this, Ashela Halpern, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, suggests that you consider adding products like cards, candles, balloons or other products that people might naturally buy along with flowers. You could also offer delivery services or hold classes where you teach people how to do their own floral arrangements to further diversify.
Know How To Set Yourself Apart From The Competition
If you’re the only flower shop in your area, you likely won’t have to think too much about how to stay ahead of your competition. But if you’re setting up shop in an area with other florists, you’ll need to have a game plan for convincing people to use your services over someone else’s.
According to Je’ Czaja, a contributor to BizFluent.com, things like price, selection, customer service, and more can all help to set your business apart from your competition and encourage your customers to be loyal to your company.
If you’re wanting to open your own flower shop but aren’t quite sure where to start, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you jump off the blocks.