Running a florist is a niche business that isn’t for everyone. It takes early mornings and hard work but, if getting to spend your days surrounded by colourful, beautiful flowers and foliage sounds like a dream to you, this might be your ideal job.
To make sure that you’re ready to run a florist, though, here are some questions you need to ask yourself.
What will set you apart?
Running a florist is quite a niche business and so you will need to make sure that you catch your customers attention and keep them coming back to you rather than getting their flowers from the local supermarket.
Original arrangements, home delivery or focusing on supplying a specific industry like weddings or events can help to bring in repeat business.
Once you have found whatever it is that sets you apart, market your business this way and focus on the specific target audience that you want to appeal to.
Where is your business located?
The beauty of flowers is the perfect tool to get passers-by to come to your shop. The only way that this will work, however, is if people can see your flowers. Think about where the shop is that you want to buy. An area with a large footfall will allow passers-by to be seduced by your bouquets.
Flowers, for most people, are also a luxury good. Think about buying a shop that is in a more affluent area where your target market can easily access you.
If this isn’t possible, then you may need to focus on the delivery aspect of your business. Consider the cost of a van and a driver when you are tallying the costs of your business. Including a delivery portion to your florist can increase your customer base.
Markets and pop up events are a popular addition to most cities in South Africa, taking your flowers to a market is another great way to reach customers beyond your shop walls.
How will you market your business?
Your florist will be more of a niche business but, with the right marketing, you can reach a wide audience and draw in customers.
Using social media is a great and inexpensive way to market your business but it will take a lot of effort if you are going to do it successfully. You will need to spend some time getting good photographs of your stock and then be consistent with your content.
Any marketing, however, will need to be in line with your identity. Focus on providing useful content for your specific target audience rather than trying to cater to everybody. Developing a loyal niche following will be better for business.
Is this something you’re passionate about?
This business will need you to be up early and at the market to get the best flowers. You will then need to work a full day creating arrangements, helping customers and still doing the admin work.
The stock you have is perishable which means that you will need to be on your game if you are going to turn a profit. If this is a business you are thinking of buying, make sure that you can see yourself doing it every day and that you are excited about this new career.
If you have the passion for it, this can be the start of a dream job but you should be sure about this before you make the leap to florist owner.
