Most of us florists love creating event designs to wow our clients, show what we’re made of, and make some great money. But if we’re in a traditional retail venue, with walk in trade, a showroom, and back area design room, we need those daily designs to maintain true cash flow. Perfecting these designs while making a decent profit can be challenging at times. It can also be a bit boring (for our artful psyche) with all the internet pictures we’re asked to constantly reproduce. And how about the fact that we can’t always have what’s on hand in the internet images…..a fact that can sometimes turn our wonderful clients into one of those Wesen on “Grimm”. Oooh, scares me to think about it!
So why can’t the under $100 floral designs be creative with those everyday flowers we get in? Do we HAVE to follow a “paint by number” genre that makes our customers angry if we don’t have exactly what’s in the picture? And must we always carry expensive flowers to be cool in our design world? Not for one moment!
In fact, being able to design creatively with any type of flower is something I keep striving for everyday of my design life. It’s totally up to us to show our clients what we’re made of, to turn what product we have in our cooler into works of art that can be profitable and extremely long lasting. Mastering this skill can be rewarding and really help us towards a road of happy profitability.
The ability to take what’s on hand and give it a creative edge with in-stock hard goods is what has separated me from other local designers. It’s a quality that I’m happy I have, and it has saved me dollars and allowed me to design great visual value for my clients.
It’s always easy not to “rock the boat” and design our flower arrangements the way the internet instructs us to. Guess you know by now I rock that boat every chance I get, to advance our industry and show the artful style we possess on a daily basis. How about you give it a chance and throw the phrase “that won’t sell in my shop” right out that back door. Try flower designs that take you right to your creative edge. It might even remind you of why you got into this crazy business, that dream of becoming a floral designer making a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis.
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About the author
In a floral world that can sometimes be scary and tiresome, Joe Guggia, AIFD, works to reinvent himself and keep his floral passion alive. With beginnings as a delivery boy at Sandyland Nursery (Carpinteria, Calif.), he progressed to assistant grower and helped launch the first nursery contract with a supermarket chain. Later, Joe moved on to take ownership of Camfeldt’s Flowers and Gifts (Santa Maria, Calif.).
Today, Joe continues to gather knowledge in all phases of the floral industry. He admits that putting himself “out there” to keep the dollars flowing has been a challenge and isn’t always easy. But sticking to it and realizing that “We’re only as good as our last design” has brought him to a place of industry sharing, both of his experiences and those of others.
Joe’s expertise includes staging, indoor/outdoor decor consulting, custom permanent designs, plant installations, landscaping, custom sympathy and everyday shop designs. He is a mentor to the student chapter of AIFD Cal Poly and promotes the motto of “Educate, motivate and create.” He also will begin his floral design school “Joe Guggia Floral Sharing” in the near future. For information, e-mail Joe at [email protected]
So why can’t the under $100 floral designs be creative with those everyday flowers we get in? Do we HAVE to follow a “paint by number” genre that makes our customers angry if we don’t have exactly what’s in the picture? And must we always carry expensive flowers to be cool in our design world? Not for one moment!
In fact, being able to design creatively with any type of flower is something I keep striving for everyday of my design life. It’s totally up to us to show our clients what we’re made of, to turn what product we have in our cooler into works of art that can be profitable and extremely long lasting. Mastering this skill can be rewarding and really help us towards a road of happy profitability.
The ability to take what’s on hand and give it a creative edge with in-stock hard goods is what has separated me from other local designers. It’s a quality that I’m happy I have, and it has saved me dollars and allowed me to design great visual value for my clients.
It’s always easy not to “rock the boat” and design our flower arrangements the way the internet instructs us to. Guess you know by now I rock that boat every chance I get, to advance our industry and show the artful style we possess on a daily basis. How about you give it a chance and throw the phrase “that won’t sell in my shop” right out that back door. Try flower designs that take you right to your creative edge. It might even remind you of why you got into this crazy business, that dream of becoming a floral designer making a difference in people’s lives on a daily basis.
-------------------------------------------
About the author
In a floral world that can sometimes be scary and tiresome, Joe Guggia, AIFD, works to reinvent himself and keep his floral passion alive. With beginnings as a delivery boy at Sandyland Nursery (Carpinteria, Calif.), he progressed to assistant grower and helped launch the first nursery contract with a supermarket chain. Later, Joe moved on to take ownership of Camfeldt’s Flowers and Gifts (Santa Maria, Calif.).
Today, Joe continues to gather knowledge in all phases of the floral industry. He admits that putting himself “out there” to keep the dollars flowing has been a challenge and isn’t always easy. But sticking to it and realizing that “We’re only as good as our last design” has brought him to a place of industry sharing, both of his experiences and those of others.
Joe’s expertise includes staging, indoor/outdoor decor consulting, custom permanent designs, plant installations, landscaping, custom sympathy and everyday shop designs. He is a mentor to the student chapter of AIFD Cal Poly and promotes the motto of “Educate, motivate and create.” He also will begin his floral design school “Joe Guggia Floral Sharing” in the near future. For information, e-mail Joe at [email protected]
