Hello there! It has been over a month since I last checked in. It has been very busy and eventful!
But first things first, remember on my last blog post, I said I have yet to make flowers for my favorite Bengals Joe Burrow and Andrei Iosivas and the rest of the Bengals? It has partly come true! Well, partly because it has not fully come true yet. Okay, anyway, 2 days after I posted the blog, Andrei contacted me to ask me to make an arrangement for his beautiful girlfriend, Logan. I was like, OF COURSE!!
A little backstory about Andrei, for those interested. I have been a BIG Cincinnati Bengals Fan since I first saw them play in Los Angeles for the Superbowl. We used to live in Los Angeles and it was my first ever Football Game to watch in person, I know, so lucky right? Well, the tickets cost an arm and a leg but life is too short to live with regrets. Anyway, I digress. So I am a big Bengals fan and as soon as I heard that The Bengals drafted a FILIPINO-Romanian in April 2023, I knew I was going to be an even bigger Bengals fan! As you may already know, I am Filipino, born and raised, so I was beyond proud to have someone represent our ethnicity in the NFL, and even more proud that he's a Bengal!
So, ever since, I have been posting and promoting Andrei everywhere, basically making everyone know how excited I was to have him in my favorite NFL Team. Andrei recognized the support I have been showing and we finally met at Training Camp that summer. He met my husband and our son and we've been in contact since. So technically, we already knew each other so making flowers for him was very plausible, BUT it was still nice to have had the opportunity. Actually, I made another arrangement for Logan last night, so yeah, it is pretty cool to finally have him as a client!
I also had the pleasure of making arrangements for other Bengals in September, thanks to a good friend, Sarah Donohoe, who paved the way! I have made flowers for Zack Moss and his wife Jessica's anniversary as well as made a Baptism Dinner centerpiece for Joe Bachie and his wife Holly.
Anyway, enough of me gloating over my Bengals. But since it came true, I must therefore manifest my other dream clients / projects. Here goes... Joe Burrow (of course), Zendaya (too far fetched maybe), Chanel and LV fashion shows (maybe in a few years), more weddings, more events, Jeff Ruby restaurants, Thunderdome restaurants, The Lytle Park Hotel, etc. I mean, a girl can dream right?
Moving on to other topics, my husband sent me a link to an article this morning about Owning a Flower Shop and the Financial Pitfalls. I read it and it encouraged me that I am on the right path for success and I also learned things that I need to improve and things to watch out for. Overall, it inspired me to shed some light as to my objectives with this business. Of course, any business's success can be measured by its profits, so yes, I aim and operate to be profitable. Doing everything mostly on my own, designing, fulfilling orders, marketing, accounting, creating event proposals, personally delivering to VIPs, buying flowers and hard goods, budgeting, costing, I mean it is a long list of responsibilities. So, why do I do it?
At times, I ask that question and I constantly get reminded that I didn't choose to be a Florist. In fact, I chose to be an Accountant, but being a Florist CHOSE ME. It was a calling I had to answer, a passion that I can not let die. Or else, I would not be able to say I've lived my life to the fullest or reached my fullest potential. But yes, of course, for me to be a successful Florist and be able to keep doing what I love, I need to make sure I am profitable. Sales fuel the operations but profits secure longevity.
I have developed a great business and workflow, a good marketing strategy, cool branding, an excellent product, great service, personal attention, organized accounting, etc etc. But none of that matters if I don't have the demand and growing / repeat clients. So I definitely owe a lot of my success to everyone who has been supporting Emerald La Fleur since Day 1, everyone who continues to support by reordering, and everyone who has been showing love and support by spreading the word and sharing my work with their friends and families. If that is you? Thank you so much for everything!!
September has come and gone, just like that! One week it was still hot like Summer, the next week it was chilly and raining. Having lived in Cincinnati for over a year, September means "transition'' to me now. This month transforms and shifts the feels and the vibrations which makes me anticipate the festivities and holidays coming up! I love seeing the trees start to look orange and red. I also love making FALL THEME arrangements. I never knew I would love Sunflowers as much as I love them now. Recently, I have been using them more and more. Something about them makes me perk up and feel good to be alive. When its petals are fully open and spread out, it makes you feel like it is about to give you a big hug!
In the middle of September, I had the opportunity to create a centerpiece for a Yelp Event that was held at VINOLOGY in Mount Lookout. It was a cool event for the Cincinnati Yelp Elites. I also made some mini box florals as giveaways for the guests, which was a hit! Everyone loved the flowers and I was really happy with how it all turned out! Thank you to Colleen at @yelpcincy for having me!
September also means Homecoming to a lot of people, which also means Corsages and Boutonnieres for me. I have to admit, making corsages and boutonnieres is not my forte per se. For what I charge compared to the actual work I put in, it is definitely not economically sound. But it is a work in progress, and someday it will make sense to keep it on the catalog. I have yet to develop a process that will cut the time and work in half. So until then, I will continue to make them for the pure love of it! I have made a few corsages and a couple boutonnieres so far and I have been improving each time. So I am hopeful I'll get really good at it soon enough!
Guess what? I set up a tiny studio big enough to film more video content. I have started to post some "making of" videos and you can find them on our instagram @emeraldlafleurshop. I am constantly looking to find ways to connect with my audience more and I thought showing how I make my arrangements would gain some interest. So far, it has been received well and will be posting more in the future. Funny thing though, the very first video I filmed was me trying to talk to the camera as if I was giving a tutorial. But scratch that, I was horrible! My voice was so low, my accent was too strong and my impromptu speaking skills were non-existent. DELETE! No one needs to hear me speak on camera ever!! LOL!
Also, I was named an expert in a Rent. article. Check out the featured article: 8 Unique Things to Do in Cincinatti | Rent. The author, Emily Pascale, contacted me to participate on her article, and I was happy to oblige.
Lastly, if you haven't yet, it would mean the world to me if you go to our Google Page and Yelp page to leave a five star review. It will help my business show up on top of searches. I have not really spent money on instagram and google ads, I believe one of the best ways for me to be found is through word of mouth from real customers and real followers, for my line of business, at least. The quality speaks for itself but if no one is talking about it, my flowers will never be found. So please continue to support by leaving a review on Yelp and Google, by engaging on our Instagram and Facebook posts (like, comment and share), and by letting your friend / family know about Emerald La Fleur when a need for Florist comes up! I would truly and gratefully appreciate it!
Looking forward to the Holidays!! I will be introducing Fall and Christmas themed arrangements in the next couple of weeks. I just stock up on really festive vases and containers that I am so excited to use and incorporate in my designs. Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year and I love decorating for the holidays, so making these arrangements will be really fun! Stay tuned for that!
Wishing you all a great start of October!! May the last quarter of the year be your best! Until next time, stay warm and cozy!
