How to Start a Flower Shop

If you're interested in starting a flower shop, the first step is to learn more about the floristry business. If
you're skilled with floral design, have strong interpersonal skills, and a good business sense, opening a
flower shop could be a good future for you. To open your shop, develop your business's plan, mission,
and structure.

Part1 Learning About the Floristry Industry

1 Have the natural skills a florist requires. Florists not only love working with flowers and plants, but
should also possess a keen eye for detail, and creative flair. You'll have to be good with your hands, and
physically fit.

 It will help to have good interpersonal skills. The retail portion of your business, means
that you'll be dealing with customers as they come in to shop for flowers

 The flower arrangements for weddings and funerals are often made in times of high
stress, where emotions are close to the surface. You'll have to be able to be helpful,
diplomatic, and practical in difficult situations.

2 Learn the trade of a florist.

To learn the trade of a florist, you can either go through a community college program or learn by
apprenticing with a florist. Some community colleges have certification programs in floral design, but
there is no requirement for college credits in order to work as a florist.[1]

Working for a florist while you attend college is a good way to get the most out of your training.

If the florist doesn't have any jobs or internships arranging flowers, you should consider doing part-time
work cleaning the shop or other unskilled tasks in order to get a sense of the way a shop works.

3 Consider on-the-job training. Working for a florist is the most efficient way to learn what skills you'll
need, because you'll learn first-hand the pressures and rewards of owning your own shop. In addition,
you'll likely learn cost-saving measures and floral design secrets that won't be found in community
college programs.

 Someone who works in floral design is usually more up-to-date on the latest trends in the flower
industry as opposed to someone whose involvement has been more academic.

 If you plan to open your flower shop in the same city, county or state, you'll learn more about
local resources and licensing requirements. While there are no formal requirements for
becoming a florist, you'll need to apply for a business license and follow all local tax and building
codes.

4 Think about risks and benefits of opening a flower shop.

Someone who runs his own flower shop will have to expect to work from quite early in the morning, as
early as 4:30 a.m., until the end of a typical business day, 5:00-5:30. Your shop will likely be open at least
6 days per week.

You'll have to be plan ahead for busy seasons (generally around Valentine's Day and Mother's Day) and
slow seasons (January and August tend to be slow seasons for the floral industry).

If you're thinking of hiring any employees, you'll need to make sure they're well trained. Customer
service is essential in running a successful flower shop.

Part2 Developing a Business Plan

1 Define your business's mission. Most people write a business plan in order to apply for a loan, but
even if you don't intend to apply for a loan, a business plan can be helpful. The more clear you are about
your business's mission, the more accurately you may be able to target your marketing, inventory, and
design.[2]

 A sample business mission statement might read: "Mary's Farm Flowers will work with
local farms to employ workers with disabilities to create floral arrangements for the
Sailway Community. 10% of all proceeds will be returned to local charity organizations
to support residential programs for disabled adults."

 Another example of a mission statement might read: "Shazam Flowers And More
provides delivery service to your home, work, or corporate function in the Tri-City Metro
region within one hour of request."

2 Decide what sort of business structure will be best.

Most new flower shops opt for a sole-proprietorship business structure, as this is the simplest structure.
A sole-proprietorship business structure means that all decisions and responsibilities are those of a
single person. Other options include:[3]

Limited-Liability Partnership: A limited partnership is made up of one or more partners with unlimited
liability for all debts incurred by the partnership, and one or more limited partners whose liability is
limited to the extent of his or her capital contribution. The advantages of forming a partnership is that it
is fairly easy to set up, and each partner bears a certain portion of both the risks and the profits. The
disadvantage is that all partners must agree upon all business decisions, and sharing the liability and
profits may result in disagreement at times.

A Limited-Liability Corporation (LLC): A Limited Liability Company is an unincorporated business

organization run by one or more business partners, called partners, each of whom has limited liability
for the contractual obligations and other liabilities of the business. This business structure is more
flexible than either the corporation or the nonprofit model. The advantages of an LLC is that it prevents
any individual member/owner from bearing the financial risks of the company. The disadvantages are
that, in many states, the LLC is dissolved when any individual member leaves.
A Corporation: A corporation, sometimes called a c-corporation, is an business that is separate and
distinct from the individual(s) who own and manage the business. This is a complex business structure
that is best suited for a large, established business with multiple employees. Corporations have some tax
advantages, and potential employees may look favorably on the corporate structure. However, for
someone just opening a flower shop, the paperwork necessary for starting up a corporation are time-
consuming and costly.

An S-Corp: To register as an s-corp, you must first qualify as a corporation. Once you are established as a
corporation, you may decide to transfer your structure to that of an s-corp. This business structure is not
recommended for someone starting up a flower shop, although a large and established flower company
may elect to use this structure.

3 Do market research.

Who will your likely customers be? What are their habits of flower-buying, and what are they most likely
to purchase? Consider as much information as you possibly can regarding your customers (market).[4]

Things to think about include knowing what role flowers are likely to play in the lives of your customers.
Are they likely to purchase flowers for people who are sick or dying? Or are flowers an important part of
community events/celebrations/birthdays?

Think about what businesses are in your community and what role flower may have in their operation.
For example, do industry leaders in your community regularly include floral arrangements in their
lobbies or conferences? Is your area one in which "destination" weddings take place? Do company
leaders present flowers to their employees?

Find out how much different businesses budget for flowers in their companies, and know how much
they're likely to spend for a typical floral arrangement.

4 Know your competitors.

Competition for your new flower shop includes all flower-selling retail establishments in the area,
including both locally-owned flower shops, farm flower operations, as well as large retail shops, "big
box" stores, home-and-garden centers, grocery stores, etc.

Increasingly, flower sales are being offered by online establishments, both large and small. Include
online floral sales in your research.[5]

Consider the ways that your competitors are reaching their target markets, and think about ways you
can either reach different consumers, or compete directly with the existing stores. You might think
about the ways the current flower stores aren't meeting the needs of the local market base, and try to
find a way to meet those needs.

5 Decide if you will have a storefront.

If your research determines that people in your area are likely to purchase flowers online, you may not
need to invest in a storefront. The benefit to this is that you won't have to depend on paying for real
estate in popular shopping areas, or hiring a full-time store manager. You'll be free to make deliveries,
pick up inventory, etc.[6]

 The disadvantages are that you'll still have to pay for a location to store and arrange your
flowers, even if you are selling online.

 It may be more difficult to attract customers through a purely online store presence.

 If you choose to rent a storefront, you'll do best to find a location with high visibility, good
parking, and plenty of walk-in traffic. This means that your rent may be expensive.

6 Make sure there is some way to control temperatures in your location.

No matter where you store is, you'll need to be able to store your flower inventory at a fixed
temperature. If your temperature is too high or lower, your flowers may wilt or shrivel. You won't be
able to sell them.[7]

The optimal temperature to store most flowers is 34 to 36 °F (1.1 to 2.2 °C) (40 degrees maximum)

Some flowers do best at 30 °F (−1.1 °C), and will not freeze at these temperatures.

Flowers keep best in high humidity. Relative humidity should be no lower than 80% and is best kept
between 90%-95% humidity.

Tropical flowers should be stored at 55-60 degrees. Cooler temperatures may damage them.[8]

7 Take out a loan if you need to.

Start up costs vary considerably, depending on factors such as renting a location, investing in
refrigerators for your inventory, marketing fees, insurance, etc. You'll need vases, pruning equipment,
ribbons and other supplies.[9]

Experts recommend budgeting at least 2-3 times your purchase price for the first year you're in
operation.

Consider talking with the SBA-supported free organization SCORE, which is a volunteer organization
comprised of retired business executives who can help you determine your business needs.[10]

8 Decide if you'll be a member of a wire service.

Most flower shop owners decide to pay a monthly membership fee in exchange for receiving orders
through the flower service, such as FTD, Teleflora and BloomNet. These orders can come from anywhere
in the country, and may even be ordered internationally. For example, a customer can walk into a flower
shop in Brooklyn and order a flower arrangement to be delivered in Los Angeles through FTD. Both
flower shop owners (the one who takes the initial order, and the one who delivers it) receive a portion
of the sales.[11]

While this may bring in additional sales, the percentage of each sale (as much as 27%) paid out to the
wire service means less profit for the small shop owner.

There may be an initial start-up fee as well, depending on the service you choose to work with.

9 Apply for any necessary licenses. Most municipalities require that flower shops have a business
license. You may also need to apply for a resale license (also called a reseller's certificate) because you'll
be charging sales tax on the resale of your inventory. Check with your local state and city business
offices.

 For example, in the state of North Carolina, a flower shop will need to have a license through
the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 In Wisconsin, you must apply for a seller's permit through the Wisconsin Department of
Revenue.