The floral business is a seasonal one. Some in the industry are lucky enough to be busy all year round, but sadly, that’s not the case for most. After getting to know hundreds of designers, we’ve gathered a few different ways some out of the box thinkers make money while in your slow season. Some of these methods even make you money without having to do anything extra at all. Check them out:
1. Teach
As a trained floral designer, you have a skill that many do not. More importantly, many people out there are looking to learn basic design skills. Whether it be bored housewives, DIY brides, or just a romantic couple looking for a fun date, it’s clear there is demand. A quick note on the DIY brides portion. I’m sure you’re thinking, “I’m not going to teach people how to design for weddings! Then that’s business out of my pocket!” Yes, I see how this is a very logical conclusion, but let’s think about it – DIY brides are already looking to scrounge the bottom of the bucket and obviously don’t place much value on artistic design. So, you probably wouldn’t want them as customers anyway (heck, they probably wouldn’t pick you either because you’re out of their price range). So, we might as well make some money from them somehow – just teach them the basics. It doesn’t have to be your secret sauce.
Local college
I know a handful of designers who proposed a class to local colleges and are now adjunct professors. Offer it as an exploratory coarse, propose a curriculum, and tell them it’s no risk to them. If enough students sign up to fill the minimum capacity, then they make money and have a more diverse class offering for their students, while you make money as well and gain exposure as a professional.
Your own shop/studio
Designing a whole college curriculum may sound like a bit much. If that’s the case, just hold classes out of your shop for the community. Do some local advertising, include music and BYOB adult drinks and it’s a ball. You can even call up Groupon or Living Social to put your class on their websites for you. Not only will this be fun for those interested in learning about design, but it will also build a personal connection with your shop. Guess who they’ll be visiting the next time they want nice flowers for that special someone? Oh, and local wholesale typically won’t sell to the general public, so even if they want to apply what they learned, they’ll still be coming to you to buy the flowers. A florist I knew in Wheaton, a suburb of Chicago, created a floral design course call Two-Hour-Flowers, see here. Two days a week, DIY brides and other local enthusiast came by, with tons of food, and sculpted pieces of art. She stuck to a theme of the season. For october, they incorporated Halloween elements and pumpkins.
2. Sell other floral products
The word is out, and floral accessories are in! In just about every floral trend article and high fashion wedding magazine, you’ll see that floral jewelry and accessories are very popular. Anywhere from shoes, headbands, bracelets, additions to dresses, and even woven into hair. There are countless brides who are looking for a unique way to stand out on that special day; Floral accessories is how they’re doing it. Many don’t know this is the perfect option for them until they see it though, so mock up some samples for them to see. Another nice thing is that any of these products have HUGE margins. A little bit of wirework, some fresh or silk flowers and voilà… a $100-$300 one of a kind accessory the bride can keep forever. Places to sell these products:
Your shop
Make a few demonstration pieces with silk flowers so they last, put them on display during your consultations, then point to it and ask if they want one as an add-on.
Etsy
Etsy is an artesian online marketplace where DIYers sell home-made products to millions of consumers looking for them. It takes 5 minutes to set up your account and has only upside opportunity.
I know some of you love Pinterest and many of you hate it because brides now have unrealistic expectations for their budgets. Now you can use it for your benefit though! There’s a handful of sites that enable you to sell directly from Pinterest and some have more setup time than others. A simple way to do it though is to pin images, and in the description, put “For sale $150. Contact example@gmail.com.”
3. Write
To make money writing as a floral designer, it is a combination of the last two methods. It may take a little time up front, but this is a way you can make money without contributing extra time in the future! What you can “write”:
- Guide/inspiration/advice for other designers
- Guide for DIY flower enthusiasts
- Picture book of inspiration
- Guides for decorating like this one on Apartmentguide.com
Who you’d sell to:
- Other designers who have similar customers as you. Post it on your website, reach out to floral organizations, and individual designers using social media or direct contact methods.
- DIY flower enthusiasts: look for how-to blogs online and see who’s commenting on them. Reach out to those who are commenting if your book solves their problem (don’t be spammy though).
- Be creative! You’d be surprised who else is interested in your artistic expertise!
How to make the book – it’s easier than you think! If you’re super well known and already have a following, then consider going to a publisher or self-publishing for something official. If you’re like the rest of us and don’t have those resources at your disposal, the E-Book is the next best option.
- Collect the content into a Microsoft Word document
- Make it pretty – you’re a designer, so that shouldn’t be hard
- Save as PDF
- This PDF is now your “E-Book”
4. Affiliate Sales
This last strategy really only applies to retail florists (except the second part of resources). This is a way for you to leverage your retail space to make you the top dollar. The basic idea is to make use of the space you’re not using in your shop to sell other people’s products, while you take a cut of their proceeds. A few ideas:
- Sell other artistic pieces in your shop to go along with your “museum feel.” For example: paintings, blown glass art, specialty vases, statues, etc.
- Share resources with home-based designers: Have an extra cooler or space in your cooler? There’s plenty of emerging home-based florists who are dying to have some cooler space because they can’t in their house. Form a partnership with them where they pay you for cooler space. Also, if you receive event proposals that don’t fit you for any reason, pass it onto them and take a 10% finder’s fee for it and visa versa. Both designers are happy!
Conclusion
As a floral designer, you have so much value to offer your clients and community. While many think the center of your work is flowers, it’s really your design expertise. There’s many ways you as an artist can make money utilizing this expertise. In doing so, you build your own brand, become more financially stable, and are able to continue doing what you love.
Do you make money as a florist in a unique way? Have you seen anyone else think outside of the box? Tell us what you’ve seen!
