Some mornings I wake up and feel like I don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been running ACME Floral Co. in San Francisco for 16 years. We have a thriving business. Our clients trust us with their events, weddings and weekly flowers. I’m not trying to be a famous florist, I’m perfectly content being a solid B+ designer who can dazzle most clients. And still, I stare at the ceiling and think: Is this the day everyone figures out I’m making it up as I go? Entrepreneurship is hard. There...

How to refresh your design style, protect profits and cultivate sustainable growth. How do you innovate in your flower business? I’ve heard veteran designers say countless times: what’s old is new again. But how do you reinvent or reimagine your work to maintain your creativity and stay current? What keeps you excited about what you do? It may sound like a big question to ask—how do you stay relevant? But innovation and adaptation are essential to long-term business success. As trends come...

As florists prepare for the autumn and winter seasons, understanding where profits are quietly slipping away may be one of the smartest investments they make. When florists think about profitability, rising flower prices are usually the first concern. While wholesale costs certainly impact the bottom line, they’re often not the biggest reason profits disappear. In many shops, it’s the smaller, less obvious expenses that quietly chip away at margins day after day. The good news? Most of these...