Petals And Pearls - As My Small Business Blossoms
“Flowers always make people better and happier; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul”
Petals and Pearls is a small independently owned business created by myself in 2017. As a one-woman business gal, I create artificial floral gifts and decorations such as wreaths, rose bears, light-up letters and more. A question I usually get asked is why flowers? Well, I have always been a creative person, and flowers to me have always shown such simple beauty; roses in particular as they are beautiful and loved by many but for me, they also hold a special place in my heart as roses symbolise memories I shared with my nan. What made me start a small business like this? One day my mum came across a wreath and some foam roses she found when reorganising her cupboards, she thought I would like them; Wondering how cool it would be for me to create a beautiful wreath, I did just that. After making it I thought it looked amazing and I was proud of what I had created. I decided to post it on Facebook and got lots of lovely feedback, not long after my cousin's friend wanted three rose letters for her wedding which lead my cousin to waste no time mentioning me and even though I had not yet made this floral design product before I was more than happy to try. The finishing results were beautiful, getting such a positive response had me thinking about what else I could create with my roses and that's where the inspiration began and a new passion of mine was unlocked.
Business… that word made me nervous at first, don’t get me wrong I was excited and couldn’t stop creating ideas in my head, but the business side of things lead me to be in uncharted water. However, it was ok because I started this having no clue and now I’m able to do things I didn’t think I was capable of. One of the main goals I set was that I wanted to make sure my products were affordable and successfully doing that has helped me receive many compliments from customers “Petals and Pearls products look expensive” But was happily surprised learning of the product's prices being so affordable, which is a great complement for any business to hear and being a newbie to the small business life meant even more to me. Anyone that knows me knows that I and maths are not compatible at all and I knew that this was gonna be my biggest challenge or at least that's what I thought at first. However, I have learned a lot through my experience of having a small business such as working out profits and finding out the best suppliers and I continue to gain my knowledge and skills through my experiences.
The first couple of years have been a bit of a rollercoaster and as much as I would love Petals and Pearls to be my main income I’m not quite there yet, but I’m not giving up. I’ve always been more of a creative than an academic person and didn’t have a clue about the business side of things but I’m working that out and improving as I go. I spent the first year creating lots of floral products and proud to say that it is now 2022 and I have officially got 14 products available in a variety of styles and themes, It’s an amazing feeling to see how much I have progressed since 2017 creating my business cards, having my Petals and Pearls socials including; Facebook, Instagram and TikTok and people loving my design so much that they are wanting to buy them and ordering personalised commissions. It's a proud moment which led me to want to make this a full-time business dream that I will one day fulfil.
What steps have I taken to improve the business side of things? Well, firstly I have created Materials Information, Products, Prices and Profits and Stocktake documents with links making it easy for me to keep track of my finances, and products and making supply ordering easier to do. This has also helped me to get better with my technology skills because even though I’m 24 I’m an old soul at heart which leads my knowledge and skills of using technology very basic. I'm also currently working on my website so I can reach more people, which will hopefully bring in more customers as well as looking for market events I can do regularly.
Market events are a great way to meet people in your community and potential customers and for them to meet me, the woman behind Petals and Pearls. Doing this gives me a chance to create new relationships, First impressions are so important; all small business people will agree to this and yes I am the creator of Petals and Pearls but without the support of my community and my customer's Petals and Pearls wouldn’t be possible. My top tip for market events would be to smile because it's a way of welcoming someone before even speaking. Also encourage conversation not just with potential customers but with other stall holders too, as my personal experience has led me to meet some fantastic people, gained new friendships and opened me up to a community that can help me and others improve on our business by exchanging ideas, tips and more. Little things such as this can make a big difference.
Why Petals and Pearls? I can’t take credit for the name as I recall I was sitting in the kitchen looking at my wreaths for some inspiration, trying to come up with a fun, cute and creative name, I wanted to make sure my business name represents my products perfectly. My sister Charley asked me what I was doing and she thought she would try to help, that's when she came up with Petals and Pearls looking at my wreath how simple but effective the name sounded I liked it and it stuck.
What's the ultimate goal for My business? Well, 2022 for Petals and Pearls is all about getting my website set up and active, However, my ultimate goal is to one day have my shop, beautiful window displays, floral beauty everywhere, more customers, my little workshop in the back, the Petals and Pearls sign above my little shop in the countryside and to be doing big orders for events such as weddings along many other occasions and making beautiful gifts for all.
Petals and Pearls are more than just a business for me, it’s an opportunity, its Independence, a goal and a dream wrapped up in one that I hope will succeed in what I want. I would also like to say thank you to all my supporters and customers you guys make this possible. “When you support a small business you're supporting a dream”
“Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after an experience with your business becomes your trademark”
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