How to Start a Flower Business and Earn Good Profits without Investing much Seed Capital!

How to Start a Flower Business

This era is of startups and entrepreneurship. Everybody wants to jump on the bandwagon of starting something new, revolutionary and amazing that can help them make money as well as make a difference to the lives of people.  There are entrepreneurs riding on the Internet and digitisation. These entrepreneurs let you sell and buy almost everything from the comfort of your home or office, without having to take dedicated time out from your schedule.

One of the best examples of cashing in on the entrepreneurial boom is online flower business. It is among the best businesses because it doesn’t require much investment to begin with and it is a gender-neutral business. It means that you don’t have any preset gender stereotypes to overcome in the offline business. It doesn’t need technical proficiency either. All you need is the zeal and passion for succeeding and overcoming some hurdles that are the part of every package of life you choose to deal with.  Besides, flowers are everywhere now! They aren’t just limited to weddings or special occasions anymore.  Be it corporate meetings, employee engagements or home décor, flowers have become an integral part of our lives these days.

An upcoming florist, Niramaya Singh who has taken FTD franchisee in Mumbai tells us about her flower business she started two years ago.  “Flower business was a blessing in disguise that came when I was terminated from my job due to the cash crunch in the company. I had to start something and that was when I started to join the flower business a friend was doing. I started it in a garage, and now, I have a strong online presence.”

A growing flower delivery company in India says, "Its been growing like anything and earning good margins too."

People who want to open their flower business and have no clue about how, to begin with; here are all your questions and queries answered in the most realistic manner possible.

Start with a Plan:

There is nothing wrong in dreaming big but first thing first. Draw a plan beforehand. Be it the area, refrigeration appliances you would need to keep the flowers fresh and increase their shelf life or the idea of costs involved in the process of procuring flowers. Also, include factors like delivering it all over the country or specific area. You should also analyse the workforce requirement that you might need to design the floral arrangement and for delivery.

Reach Out:

If you have trouble in devising a clever strategic plan about your flower business, never hesitate to reach mentors or businesses that provide franchise, information, consultation and design set up in lieu of money.  A flower business requires a business license like any other business, and access to the local farms or market to get cut fresh flowers, additionally.  All that can come easily to you; you simply seek help from established florists or flower companies that provide franchise and are ready to mentor you.

Be Creative:

A flower business can have a range of colours, much like flowers. Gone are the days when flowers were limited to flower bouquets, now you have boutonnieres, centrepieces, wedding floral décor and towering displays at the workplaces and full-fledged gardening contracts being undertaken. However, as told earlier, aim higher but it is recommended that you take resources and your money into the account as such operations require a large workforce.

Don’t Perish Away:

Flowers and other related gift items are perishable and come with a stipulated shelf time. You need to understand thoroughly what works and what doesn’t as per your market and needs. Certain flowers are specific to particular climate and occasions. You need to segregate them accordingly to help your customers make an informed decision as well as to provide them value for money.

It is okay to falter at some points as some things come with experience, but you need to do your homework thoroughly.

Prices that you would like to Pay:

Ask yourself if you are willing to pay a certain price for a bouquet you are putting up as an offering. If no, you know what to do! If yes, then most certainly, you are going in the right direction.

Robust Offline and Online Presence

Bad reviews travel faster especially in this age of digitalization. One bad review, be it offline or online can spoil the years of hard work and efforts you have put together to make your business better and bigger than others.  So, take every customer issue sportingly and effectively. Don’t hesitate to apologise if you have messed up. Customers are very generous, and their trust in your brand can do wonders for your business.

The entrepreneurship opens up whole new possibilities to reach out to new segments, creativity and earn profits, which seem the really impossible thing to do if you are doing a 9 to 5 drill.  With your business, you are the one making profits, and you are the one owning the decisions, be it the good ones or bad ones.