I am back...I have been meaning to check in sooner but I haven't had the chance to take a moment and reflect on how amazing the rest of 2024 was! If you've read my previous blogs, I do cover a lot on each post and it becomes really lengthy once I get going. LOL! So anyway, I am here now and I can't wait to tell you all about it!
First and foremost, if you are going to take something from what I share in these blogs, I would like it to be believing in the power of manifesting. Since I have started Emerald La Fleur, I have become a firm believer of "manifesting your own destiny" and I have been speaking my intentions into fruition, either out loud or internally. So far, a big majority of the intentions and goals I have put out there to the world have come true and have been realized! So please know that you can make things happen... set your intentions, believe in yourself and work towards your goals every day!
Now that I got that out of the way, let me just revel on some amazing things we've accomplished since the last time we checked in. Aside from making arrangements for a few more Cincinnati Bengals, I have also booked more events in November! Remember last time I wished for more events? Well...
I was blessed to work with Jazmyn Brock and Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals Running Back) for their baby shower! Jazmyn was a pleasure to work with and her vision for the baby shower was very minimal and elegant, which I was very excited to make come true! The florals for this event were so lovely and were such a joy to create! Teaming up with Chrissie Blatt from Balloon Bombed / Chrissie Blatt Creative and Leilani (Jazmyn's Creative Designer friend) to create the whole vibe for this event made the whole process very enjoyable! Wishing the lovely couple a very blissful parent life with their baby boy who is coming any day now (if he hasn't arrived already).
I have also been hoping to work specifically at The Lempicka by Jeff Ruby. It is a marvelous event space that is a dream setting for any Event Florist. Being new to the Cincinnati events scene, I never would have imagined to be able to have my creations featured in this beautiful venue within the first year of being in business. I must have imagined it to happen later but for it to happen sooner than expected is truly God's work! Also, I have Britney Ruby Miller to thank for that. She opened many doors and created many opportunities for me to showcase my work and talents and I will always be very grateful! She may not always have direct involvement on how I acquire each job / project, but she has laid down stepping stones for me to get there.
Steph Ward from Jeff Ruby Catering was the one who got me my first event at The Lempicka. She hired me for an event back in May 2024 and I was excited to learn about this opportunity while we were already working on another event for the following week. It was a very special gathering for the Ruby Family with their close friends and relatives, and I felt so honored and blessed to be chosen to create the florals for such a memorable and personal event.
With just a little over a week to prepare, with 3 other events happening the next couple weeks after, I knew I had to call on God for help! Sure enough, I got all the help I needed. With having a supportive husband who helped make our personal and business schedules work for both of us, to meeting a new assistant who filled in when my go to assistant was not available, to giving me the strength and will to get through it all with just a few hours of sleep at times. I honestly don't know how I am able to do the things I do without God's help, I just know I can always count on Him!
November was my biggest Month of Sales and Profits to date!! The Flower Delivery department has not slowed down either and I am baffled at how it all worked out somehow. Between all the events, family and personal time, and my CFO duties at Riveting Entertainment, I have managed to juggle them all. I am sure I have come short on some of them but I have done just enough to feel accomplished in each one.
December was just as eventful, not with actual events but it was a very busy month with lots of Flower Deliveries. It was a joyous season and I had so much fun creating all sorts of Holiday arrangements! Something about the Christmas Season that brings out the cheer and the spirit of giving from everyone! I was so happy that my flowers have spread joy around town, from table centerpieces to gift giving for friends and family. Holiday Flower arrangements are probably one of my favorite things to create and I am already looking forward to making more next year.
2024 ended up being a great year for Emerald La Fleur. My expectations were really to at least break even while I enjoy doing what I love. I did not expect that I would be able to make a substantial income from it. I work really hard and I am extremely passionate about providing high quality products and services, but as much as I want to feel I deserve and have earned everything, it still feels a bit surreal at times. It makes me feel that this great fortune can be taken away anytime and that just makes me want to work even harder. I have to set even bigger goals for 2025 and raise my own expectations. I have seen it to believe it, and now I have to believe it to see it, that I can keep getting better and I can always strive for something bigger!
That being said, I have made it a goal to book more events in 2025. I have said before that I want to keep my operations small and continue to work from home, where it is convenient. I attribute much of my success to being efficient and able to operate in the comforts of my home, but I know if I want bigger projects, I need to hire more people and have a bigger space. I am not in dire need to scale up just yet, but eventually I will need to. But for now, I am just getting myself ready and prepared for growth this year.
Within the first couple of weeks this month, I have booked a small event in February and 2 events back to back in March and I am working on booking 4 more towards the second half of the year. It is a very exciting time indeed and very fortunate to be receiving many event inquiries to start the year! I posted an ad on our socials looking for Florist Assistants last week and the response has been great! I have already received over a handful of great candidates and I am excited to see them in action!
I am hoping and praying that whoever I bring into my team will work just as hard and will value and protect my small business as much as I do. I know that is a lot to ask from someone who is not invested in the company, let alone only working part time. But, I still believe I will find people who have the same values as I do and see the work we will do together to be enjoyable and worthwhile!
Running several businesses for over almost 18 years now and hired hundreds of people through the years, I have met and been through many employees who have come and left for many different reasons. I have personally learned that as an employer, the employment you provide is oftentimes viewed as just a stepping stone in someone's career and for the industry we are in, entertainment, it is very common that people leave after they have reached the top or no longer need you to advance their careers. Unfortunately, more often than not, there is very little loyalty and people seldom remember what you've done to help get them to where they are. So needless to say, I have become jaded when it comes to letting people in our team.
I am hoping it will be different this time around. Maybe being in a different type of industry and working with different sets of personalities will make a difference. I am hopeful but I will still have my guard up! As much as I would like to share my knowledge and teach people how I do things, I can't help but feel cautious towards people I will hire and become extensions of me. They will represent me and my company and I do not have full control on what they will do and how they will act around clients I value. It is inevitable and I just have to be very careful on who I trust.
Anyway, if you have come to read my blogs expecting something else other than speaking my mind about being a female small business owner, you have come to the wrong place, LOL! I go off on tangents about many things and feelings I learn along the way and this page has given me a platform to vent and let it all out, per se. So forgive me if this bores you or if you can't relate, perhaps you should read something else. But since you are here, and made it this far, I will let you in on some exciting news...
I will be launching a new product line just in time for Valentines Day. I will be launching PRESERVED FLOWERS arrangements! I have gotten inquiries and seen interests in everlasting flower arrangements, for people to enjoy for months and years. So I have studied it and worked out the mechanics and costs over the last couple of months and I will finally make it available here very soon! Some people may think this will take customers away from buying Fresh Flowers. To me, even though PRESERVED FLOWERS can be enjoyed for a long time, which saves people money in the long run, something special about receiving fresh flowers that come in different colors, scents, vibes each time, makes a huge difference and something PRESERVED FLOWERS can't replace or replicate. Hoping this product line will create a demand of its own when it comes out!
Speaking of Valentine's Day, if you don't have any plans yet, consider spending it at The Gatherall at Factory 52 in Norwood. They are having a Valentines event that day and they will be having my special bouquets for sale for everyone who attends. If you are not familiar, The Gatherall is a great place for dining and fun activities with friends and family! It has a huge selection of cuisines under one roof and there's plenty of space to "gather" around and spend time together. I had my first pop up flower shop at The Gatherall for Mothers Day last year and it was a huge success! I was happy they asked for me to come back for Valentine's Day. I will not be in a pop up shop this time, but The Gatherall will have a booth for my flowers to be sold there. I will post more details on our socials as it gets closer to Valentines. Please stay tuned and please make sure to post and tag @emeraldlafleurshop if you buy some flowers!
By the way, can you believe that in a month, Emerald La Fleur is turning 1 year old?! Crazy right? Time flew by! I launched Emerald La Fleur a week after Valentine's Day last year, on February 21. A lot has happened since we launched and if you have been following my journey and have been reading my blogs, you know that I couldn't have done any of these without people like you who has been here from the beginning, friends and family who unconditionally showed love and support, valued clients who continue to bring business and create opportunities for me, everyone who believed in me, even everyone who doubted me and didn't want to see me win, everyone has been a big part of this journey and have all driven me to keep going and do better each day! Without you, Emerald La Fleur will not be as successful. So, thank you!
To end this on a good note, I just want to say that I am genuinely excited about what we can accomplish together in 2025! I have a really good feeling that it will be amazing and magical, beyond any of our expectations! There will be a lot of work to get there for sure, but I know there will be a lot more joy and memorable moments that will come with it too! Hope to see you and share moments with you along the way this year!
And lastly, but certainly not the least, I hope and pray that, whatever your goals are this year, you will accomplish them and make 2025 your best year yet! Let's grow together in 2025!
