I’m Cagla, I have built my $1 M+ online floral design business from scratch.
24 y.o. moved to UK from Turkey, self learnt floral design + online business.
Obsessed to create! Obsessed teaching design & online floral business.
The Common Artist Struggle
My main struggle as an artist was not being able to find my art medium, I tried painting and photography but I was having problems to make a living from these mediums as a young artist without any work experience, just graduated from Economics. (2016)
Floral Medium, the way of art
When I realised my love for flowers, everything made sense. My photography, editing, design eye, painting abilities, color knowledge and my pattern recognition power got together then my online floral design business was planted.
With all my experience as a self-taught floral designer, these are my top 10 reasons for you to start your floral design Business too:
1. Dried Flowers: Still Trending
It is not new that dried flowers are loved and trending since 60s by wedding industry and also in all kinds of floral design industries.
When there is demand, it is your green light to create your unique floral designs to bring some new collections to the existing market & get your slice from the floral design cake.
2. EverlastingFlowers: Easy Stock, Easy to create
Unlike Fresh Flowers, Dried & Preserved flowers are easy to stock, easy to work with and also cheaper.
The customers enjoy that it is sustainable and their designs last forever, and as a designer you will be delighted to see you can use your ingredients again after making a collection piece.
3. Online Business Options
As we talk about dried flowers, let me tell you the best part of creating with them: Perfect for shipping worldwide + Local. Tiktok is perfect to start building your community because it sends your content to perfect fit viewers.
And there are many options to showcase your designs: Etsy, Shopify website, Instagram, Facebook Pages, Twitter… etc.
4. Working From Home
Yes, you can be an online floral designer and work from home, or , anywhere in the world.
How? use dried flowers, preserved blooms and greenery, and a little faux realistic blooms as floral design medium and your pieces will last forever. Just like how a great design should last, I feel so sad when a fresh floral piece dies.
Working place advice: just be closer to the shipping company or let them come to your address to take the parcels, shipping orders in time is no joke.
5. Floral design is Rewarding
If you are like me, I want to fell accomplished and touched people’s lives, so when I create a floral design, it goes into someone, in real life, it adds something to the event, it has a bigger purpose, seeing reviews makes me feel so emotional and proud. Every artist should taste this feeling, and feel seen by their customers. Comment what you think below <3
6. SO many Floral Design Niches You would Like
Wedding flowers, commercial flowers, cafe flowers, home flowers, pet flowers, floral Installations, custom flowers, gift flowers, floral accessories, fashion flowers…
Wedding flowers yes but Have you thought about going very niche and creating your unique artsy way of floral designs? Let me guide you:
- Baby Crowns Brand: make only baby crowns, a big collection, your signature is using little crystals between dried flowers like amethyst pieces + gypsophila newborn crown.. Photography style: cottage fairy, Brand Colors Beige - Cream - White - Times New Roman
- Wedding bouquets Brand - focus 4 types of bouquets flat, round, handpicked, trailing - use bunny tails in every thing (different colors and shades as signature) - soft and fuzzy cozy feeling branding - photography listing : photoshopped clouds and fuzzy things with perfect wedding bouquets - colors beige, coffeee brown , ivory -
- niche - style - signature - branding - consistency
7. Fresh floral design business is like a Dinosaur still living
I feel sad to say this industry is so old and not renewing itself so fast. It is come 10-15 years behind and we need modern + new designers coming and adding their art into the market. This is all good news, there is a lot to discover, learn + hack in floral design. It is endless so ask yourself,
8. Floral design is a Standing Workout: 🏃♀️
I must say, It is not an office job, you stand all day long, but if you are like me who likes being active rather than sitting,
I like the opportunity if this business where you can walk around, change working spaces, create and play with dried flowers all day long juggling floral orders indoors or outdoors..
9. Work hours Freedom
Well If you ar just starting, it won't be that easy but in couple of years you will get used to this business and choose your working hours yourself. If is all connected to how hard you want to grind, less hours less 💰 and I know A floristbabe is obsessed to design with flowers and earn what she deserves!
10. Recession
As we go into a recession which would last 1-2 years, if you find yourself struggling, try starting a side hustle making custom wedding floral designs.
Wedding industry doesn’t get effected from economic fluctuations in a big scale, the customer’s typical spending per order may decrease but Couples will continue marrying, even there is a recession or not, this is love <3