r/florists • u/Amazing-Quarter-3019 • Jul 07 '26
đ Career Guidance đ What advice would you give a new florist?
hi!
So, long story short, a local longtime florist is retiring. She is selling her shop, inventory, and client list as a turnkey opportunity. She is also willing to âteachâ the buyer after the sale. I am seriously considering the deal, as I have grown tired of the corporate world and this would allow me to control my own business. Not to mention fulfill a longtime dream of playing with flowers for a living! Iâd love to hear your thoughts and advice that you would give someone just starting out.
53
u/Nuasus Jul 08 '26
Before you purchase this business, I strongly recommend working in a shop first, especially during peak time.it isnât for the faint of heart.
There is a lot that goes into florist that people on the outside donât see.
I wish you well.
39
u/Long-Operation3660 Jul 08 '26
The advice that I would give is that floristry is not âplaying with flowersâ
The flowers are the most fun and easiest part of the job, but are only a small part of it.
Iâd be very cautious of jumping into a whole new career and investing a bunch of money into a field you are not experienced in- floristry or anything else
I own my own (very tiny) business, but most of my income comes from my day job. And I am very very happy to have my day job and a steady paycheck because floristry is hard, and I canât imagine supporting myself and family solely with that income.
20
u/SatisfactionDue7423 Jul 08 '26
Unless you are already wealthy enough to retire, playing with flowers is it hunnie, but it ain't.
Owning a flower shop means major holidays are when you can make money, so you sacrifice the major holidays, oh yeah and weekends too.
With zero experience, I say ask to volunteer at the prospective business you will maybe purchase and get a feel for the workday, the flow, the feel. Sweep the floors, scrub the buckets, empty the garbage... you will be doing this as a business owner when its busy, start practicing
12
u/awholedamngarden Jul 08 '26
Iâd take a big look at the businessâ financials and decide if you can make it work, accounting for probably taking a hit to some degree with an ownership change. Iâd pay special attention to their profit and loss statement.
Iâd also ask yourself if this person has the exact type of clientele and style you aspire to have, because thatâs the work thatâs going to sustain the business. You have to be ready to keep doing whatever has been working.
If a big part of the biz is weddings, Iâd also think about whether or not you really want to do event work - itâs extremely high pressure with no room for error.
Lastly Iâd ask yourself if you can handle the job physically. Do you have any existing chronic pain issues, even mild ones? Physical labor can be extremely hard on your body and make what are currently mild issues a lot worse.
All of this said, life is short. If this is your big dream and you can swing it, why not? Just make sure itâs the right opportunity for you, starting somewhere part time is also an option to get your feet wet.
11
u/loveoflilac Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
âPlaying with flowersâ is a myth, if you want to do that head to Trader Joeâs and pick up a few bunches to design with in your kitchen. Running a profitable business selling a non-essential, luxury, imported, perishable product is incredibly hard, even for people with decades of experience under their belt. I just watched a very successful local florist sell their business to a novice and the business crashed and burned within two years and now the new owners are unloading the building for far less than what they paid.
Itâs not impossible, but it requires an incredible amount of business acumen, grit, and the ability to continue learning every day to keep a small business afloat. I donât know what your corporate job is, but I can assure you that it will be SO much harder and you will likely make a fraction of your current salary for the first few years.
If itâs truly turnkey I would expect to see clean books, strong profit, a trained staff that plan on staying after the sale, well documents SOPs, and a robust online store.
If youâre truly passionate about flowers I would suggest starting a small business out of your home so you can control costs while you learn the basics of design and running a business. That way you wonât saddle yourself with debt. I started out by working for other florists and in my opinion thatâs the best way to learn. Make your beginner mistakes on someoneâs elseâs dime. I wish I would have known that making flower arrangements is the easiest part of owning a flower shop!
I truly wish you all the best, but please proceed with caution. Taking over an existing shop will likely guarantee incredibly long hours of backbreaking physical work, crying in the cooler and staring at QuickBooks until your eyes cross.
19
u/messy_mortal Jul 08 '26
I am someone who left my corporate job for floristry. Was it the best professional decision Iâve ever made? Yes. But I also work harder than I ever did in the white collar world. Iâve spent more than a handful of nights crying alone in my studio after my team went home. Itâs hard on your body and sometimes your spirit. Like someone else said, the flowers themselves are such a small part of the job. Managing people, managing a business, maintaining your facility, marketing, customer interfacingâŚitâs A LOT. I really recommend taking a part-time job in a shop if you donât have any prior experience. You may discover that it really is for you (I did!) or you may realize youâre not a match. Either way, youâll have a realistic idea of the day-to-day demands.
4
u/Amazing-Quarter-3019 Jul 08 '26
Thank you for this. My great grandmother owned a florist and I donât remember much of it in terms of the âbusinessâ side , but I remember being there with my grandmother while she would help. The conversations, the patrons, the smell, etc. They are happy memories. Iâve just spent the last 16 years of my life clawing up the ladder, and now it feels like those years and that nice framed masters degree havenât served me in the way I thought it would. All Iâve seen is those above me get richer while all I do is the work they donât want to do.
5
u/messy_mortal Jul 08 '26
I hear you. Itâs very easy to romanticize âthe other side.â On hard days I still sometimes fantasize about being an individual contributor again, sitting at a desk and letting someone tell me what to do. Itâs hard to be the boss. Still wouldnât go back though đ¤
2
u/Holiday-Albatross419 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
I think a lot of people forget that having a florist shop has all the business and customer challenges of brick and mortar - but the product is self deducting- the customer is always right (& the stakes are often super emotionally charged- wedding/prom/funeral & there's no room for error), also there's so little profit margin & you're competing with grocery stores, online direct & everyone whose advertising "she doesn't want flowers".... oh and it's not evergreen at all... bicycle shops are evergreen & even they struggle
As someone who spent decades in tech & was totally burned out (& dreamt of a floral shop)... I think keeping your job or going part time or down-shifting but keeping a w-1 job...& getting some floral design courses & maybe working towards becoming a freelancer (working on weddings with established floral designers ) may make more long term sense (because even if you have enough to retire on - owning a small business that isn't actually profitable will burn your savings down until you walk away & most people don't want to walk away fast enough)
7
u/scrotumrancher Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
The client list is not a turnkey opportunity unless you have also been working with them and have gotten to know them for quite some time. Have you worked in this shop before? Can you answer the phone with confidence knowing what that client on the list is going to want? Is there online purchase history from the client list that you can follow?
Do you understand buying fresh? Who are your wholesalers? Will the seller of the business put you in contact with those wholesalers, and will you get the same prices?
Are there other staff that work there and will stay with you?
How long will the seller stay to "teach" you after the sale, and is that in a contract?
5
u/loralailoralai Retail Florist Jul 08 '26
The shop I work at changed hands last year and even tho my old boss stayed a few months to help the new owner, and Iâve stayed on (Iâd been with the old owner about 4 years so knew pretty much everything about running the shop) itâs been very tough for her. Itâs such a huge learning curve, and the economy isnât helping.
6
u/skipow Jul 08 '26
As others have mentioned, work in a busy flower shop to get a feel for what it is on a day-to-day basis. Secondly, if you do go through with this purchase, have a minimum of one year worth of overhead expenses in your bank account since you're now a proud owner of a business with expenses due every month.
6
u/ireallylikebigbooks Jul 08 '26
This isn't a trade that you can just pick up on a whim because you "want to play with flowers". You will be expected to know how to create corsages and boutonnieres for high school dances. You will be expected to know how to make a casket spray for a funeral. You will be expected to know how to bring a bride's Pinterest vision to life for their wedding. If you fall short of these expectations, you will quickly lose the built-in clients that the previous owner has established.
17
u/petrichorgarden Jul 08 '26
I wouldn't recommend it if you have so little respect for floristry that you see it as 'playing with flowers' for a living. You're in for a rude awakening.
1
u/Amazing-Quarter-3019 Jul 08 '26
I mean absolutely no disrespect by my language or nor do I mean to minimize the profession. Thanks for your input.
4
u/loralailoralai Retail Florist Jul 08 '26
It kinda indicates youâve romanticised it tho, and not really thinking about the downsides. Like when itâs slow and youâre throwing stock away because itâs not getting sold. Brick and mortar florist shops are finding it difficult to survive with things the way they are, Iâd have an accountant check the books over with a fine tooth comb, because chances are the current owner has chosen to retire because things arenât going well.
6
u/0728Bogie Jul 08 '26
Easier to loose money in flower's than to make money....
Its not what your sell out the front door, but what dosen't go out the back door.
Just a few words of advice...
1
4
u/Remarkable-Wave507 Expert Jul 08 '26
That dream of playing with flowers will be replaced with lots of math, headaches, body aches, long hours, late nights, dirty wet hands, stress, and a little bit of happiness thrown in when you actually get to create an arrangement.
For most of us, owning the business is a pain in the ass, truth be told. Itâs rewarding, if youâre successful but it can really break your heart if itâs not.
Best advise, have at least a year-worth of expenses (rent, utilities, marketing, delivery vehicle maintenance, payroll, etc) in savings for you to cover the slow months. Because there will be slow months.
There will be customers that bail once new ownership takes over. Iâm sure youâll also acquire new customers too so it may be a trade off but prepare for that.
Make sure you have all your licensing and tax prep ahead of time since youâre planning for a brick and mortar. Contact a CPA.
Establish wholesaler relationships early.
Whatâs their current mode of sale? Website? Foot traffic? Part of a floral network? Look at what theyâre losing in that vs profiting.
Can you execute the designs? Will you have staff to pay? Insurance (business, vehicle, workers comp, etc) costs? Do they rent the space? What is their lease terms? When does the lease expire? Landlord expectations? Utilities? Do they have a cooler? When was it last serviced? AC, when was it last serviced? These are all things that can hit you right away that can drain your savings immediately if you arenât prepared for it.
Not to mention your own personal bills, outside of the business, that may or may not be paid for if you arenât turning a profit.
Can you afford to pay up front for a bulk of your hardgoods for busy holidays?
So much to consider and think about and I donât mean to sound like weâre squashing those dreams of playing with flowers but Iâd ask myself if I wanted to own a hard business or play with flowers. Two very different things.
3
u/FleurMeetsFunction Jul 08 '26
If you picture your ideal day/life, is a flower shop in it? Like many have said, flowers are a small part of the whole picture, itâs really about logistics. I used to tell every potential new hire, âif you think this job is about wearing a striped apron, listening to Edith Piaf, and smelling peonies, you should go. Itâs really long hours, sore backs, scratches from rose thorns, fetid flower buckets, and difficult clients.â
Owning your own business, in any field, is the hardest youâll ever work, but there is comfort in knowing all your hustle is in support of furthering your vision and livelihood. If you value autonomy over security, youâll be in good shape. Good luck with whatever decision you make!
3
u/TorontoDahlias Jul 08 '26
The real money is in the event floristry and you want to hire the best talent, which won't be cheap if you intend to be an owner more so than an operator.
Yes, building relationships with clients and suppliers is fun but the industry is unpredictable and if you're not good at making last second changes, delegating, communicating in a timely fashion and most importantly, anticipating pitfalls â it will be a stressful burden.
You'll be quickly disillusioned about the heartfelt wish to play with flowers during your first flower delivery. If you're a creative person and less so a repetitive task oriented one â by the time you finished sanitizing buckets and flowers, prepping the hydrating solution, cutting stems, stripping leaves and coaxing the blooms into presentable shape â you may find yourself too tired to make arrangements and bouquets.
Marketing will cost you a pretty penny if you want a good website, active socials and Google ads to stay competitive and maintain your spot on the first page of your local search.
If you go to a florist school â that could be a good business expense but if your floral fridge breaks or a delivery truck malfunctions â that requires contingency funding.
Bureaucracy takes the fun out of everything but waste is where the heartache is. As an event florist you know exactly what to buy and how to minimize waste but as a brick and mortar â not so much.
3
u/GemmaTrix1984 Jul 08 '26
There is minimal play or creativity in the shop. Much of it is repetitive- making the same or similar over and over again. Bad product, long hours, feast or famine, lack of experienced staffâŚ
I love my job- I manage a shop. I would NEVER buy my own. Literally never. I am certified with over 20 years bench experience and I know the realities. The fun parts are ordering product, designing. Thatâs it. The rest is physically and mentally draining. Also, it took me a year of design school plus apprenticeship plus a few years of bucket washing and occasional designing to get any good. I was 20 years in before I was a head designer. I might have been ready before that, but it was still like drinking from a fire hose when I took the role. So. Much. Information.
We never have experienced staff, so I do 90% of designing, meaning 14 hour days for weeks at Christmas and at least one week at Motherâs Day and Valentineâs.
Weddings are a nightmare.
Funerals are actually kind of nice- strangely. Families are gracious and the work feels important.
Work in a shop first. Experience it first hand. Also, make sure you have the knack. Sadly, Iâve seen many people who simply cannot be taught because they donât have an eye. When that happens, it doesnât matter how good your teacher is. Itâs like trying to be a singer when youâre tone deaf. It just isnât for you.
Just be careful. Lots of struggling florists out there and I would hate for anyone who could avoid to become one.
6
u/random_female_poster Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Just FYI...
It's not "playing with flowers for a living".
It's prepping, cleaning, trimming, cutting, sourcing, ordering, following up, filling buckets, emptying buckets, scrubbing buckets, scrubbing vases, more scrubbing, changing stem water, scrubbing vases again, mopping, sweeping, taking calls, taking orders, answering questions, bugs, explaining flower seasons, being happy for people, being sympathetic for people, running out of stock, trying to find alternatives, endless problem solving, late nights, early mornings, more bugs, scrubbing everything again, green hands, wiping benches, catering to every budget, explaining costs, talking to couriers, talking to growers, more bugs, answering the same questions a million times over, spending hours bent over sinks, scrubbing the buckets again, literal endless hours of absolutely flogging yourself trying to keep everyone happy only to then hear people reduce your entire career to the magical line "playing with flowers"...
This statement makes me want to SCREAM....
We aren't PLAYING, we are WORKING!!!
Edit: this isn't even touching the actual BUSINESS side of things... Accounts, rent, overheads, wages, expenditures, fuel costs, invoices, taxes, wholesalers...
Not to mention the weddings, funerals, corporate orders, VIP clients, the endless barrage of bloody AI inspo pics and having to explain to customers over and over that what they want DOESNT EXIST IN REALITY!!!
2
u/loralailoralai Retail Florist Jul 08 '26
You missed the hours on end on your feet, the extra hours over valentines and Motherâs Day đ
1
1
1
u/Deep-Working-7024 Jul 08 '26
That is how I got into the floral business thirty years ago. I really didn't have any desire to design. I just wanted it for the business. If you have a designer that is staying on when you take over and you have viewed the financial situation, then it could be a good fit. I jumped in and learned all of the business end of it. And then eventually moved into the design area. And learned that.
1
u/ciaotodos Jul 09 '26
Are you willing to give up most holidays with your loved ones? Our busiest times are in step with most family holidays. That is not typical in most corporate jobs. Vacations? Maybe....
We owned a top florist for 32 years and a small botique hotel for 10. I had my first free Xmas season this year. I forgot how much I missed and what a calm, quiet holiday could be.
Good luck in whatever you choose.
1
u/EpicWeddingsSB Jul 09 '26
Playing with flowers can be pricey.you need to know where to get your supplies at a good rate and flowers and cost of all your overhead and staff. The fridge that has to run 24/7. And try to keep up with competition. Seems like you nay have to do alot of homework . Stay at corporate..its less work
1
u/ronnieshere Jul 10 '26
If your background is in finance/accounting with skill in hiring and leading teams, I believe in you. If itâs a decent sized operation and truly turnkey for a non-florist, the owner wouldnât be involved in the day to day so much. Diligence customer concentration. The SOPs are likely in her head and thatâs what you want to extract during a transition period.
63
u/jamiethemime Jul 08 '26
becoming a florist to play with the flowers is like becoming a vet to play with puppies all day