Balancing My Creativity and Business Savvy

Aug 7

I am a right-brained person, finding joy in creative endeavors. I never guessed I would learn how to use my left-brain as a florist apprentice. My boss and mentor Sandra is an example of how a right-brained individual can run a business for 20+ years. This is what I learned about creativity and business acumen from my experience.

Engaging My Right-Brain

Designing Floral Arrangements Shifted My Perspective on Creativity

Creating floral arrangements requires an eye for color, beauty, and aesthetics. Any product a florist sells is customizable. When I first began creating arrangements, Sandra gave me "standard" online orders. She had me recreate the picture as close as possible with the flowers we had in stock. Imitation taught me how to make arrangements cohesive and appear balanced from 360°.

Then I “graduated” to making pre-made bouquets for walk-in customers. She told me a price point (usually between $25-$30) and let me pick out the flowers I wanted to use within budget. Giving me complete creative control. After I finished, she would look it over and offer suggestions to make it better. She insisted that it was important I express my vision, even if it disagreed with her opinion. This exercise allowed my eye for design to flourish and improve with practice.

Using Flowers to Weave a Story

When it comes to events like weddings, flowers are a tool for visual storytelling. The main job of a florist is to express the customer’s personal story by interpreting their vision. I listened to many bridal consultations Sandra held in the shop. They discussed colors, budget, favorite flowers, and mood. She often used photos to get a better feel for what each bride wanted. After the bride left, Sandra explained to me how she would design the wedding flowers in detail.

This bride wanted tropical flowers to match the location

The story would unfold with every new creation. Sometimes I would help wrap the bridesmaid bouquets in ribbon or make boutonnieres. Helping express each couple's unique story with flowers is a privilege.

Flexing My Left-Brain

Learning How To Build a Business By Asking Questions

After 20 years in the flower industry, Sandra is an expert about the market. She knows which flowers to buy from local wholesalers and which to import. She knows how much product to order ahead of a busy holiday to meet customer demand. While flowers are a niche industry, the same business principles apply.

Mentoring under a business owner is the best way to learn how to run a profitable small business. My curiosity drove me to ask hundreds of questions about a variety of topics. How the supply chain worked, budgeting for growth, anticipating market shifts, and more. I developed a better understanding of business ownership thanks to her expertise.

How My Love of Organizing Maximized Efficiency

The week before Valentine’s Day, Sandra tasked me with redoing the order form filing system. With over 200 pre-orders for Valentine’s Day, there were too many for the old system to be effective.

Each form has a top half and bottom half. The top part goes into our records and the bottom part acts as a label for the flower arrangement. Both halves have the name and phone number of the customer.

I started by labeling two folders, one for pick ups and one for deliveries. Deliveries were all paid for in advance. I grouped the local and non-local deliveries so the drivers could plan their routes. I divided the pick up orders into two groups: paid and unpaid. I wrote either P or U.P. in sharpie on the bottom order slips for easy identification.

Once the designers created an order, I put the deliveries in the back cooler and pick ups in the front cooler. Each flower arrangement had the bottom order slip attached. I organized the front cooler alphabetically to find the orders easier. The back cooler I grouped by drivers who each had a specific location range.

Several times a customer called to change an order, update the delivery address, or pay over the phone. My system made it easy to find each order. We noted down any changes on the order slip and returned it to the correct folder.

stack of 200+ order forms before I organized them

Embracing Both Sides of Myself

My experience taught me not to limit myself to either right-brain or left-brain work. I can find success and fulfillment in both areas at once. Trying roles in both the creative and business sides of the shop proved my capability. I can transfer the lessons I learned in this job to future career opportunities. Balancing my creativity and business sense is a skill to add to my professional toolbelt.

Jessica Haley