Flowers

“BE PATIENT AND PERSISTENT”

Tonight I attended a conference for women entrepreneurs called The Gathering. The conference’s slogan was “empowered women empower women.” Today I feel motivated, today I feel inspired, and today I feel empowered. I feel empowered to do what I love and to do it well. I have been thinking a lot about the floral industry and in what ways I may be able to disrupt the market. How can I differentiate myself from the HyVee flowers and Floweramas of the world? How can I enter a saturated industry and still be successful? I need to be different and I need to be unique.

200 inspiring entrepreneurs had the opportunity to hear from 5 business women. I soaked in many tips and trades and would like to share the top 5 I gathered.

1. Rippke Design, “Surround yourself with positive people who believe in you”
2.  Kinosol, “Always listen to customer feedback”
3. Kelsi Ziemann Artistry, “Start~Explore~Refine”
4. Peace Tree Brewing Company, “Be authentic”
5. Creme Cupcake + Dessert, “Be Patient and Persistent“

I am in the middle of creating a business plan for Picking Wild Flowers. What do I want my business to look like? How do I begin? In what ways do I want to direct my arrangements? How can I become more knowledgeable about the industry?

I am engulfing in research and practice. The process is a long one but I know if I am patient and persistent I will get there. I am excited to blog my first floral recipe this weekend! 🙂

I am very excited to announce that Picking Wild Flowers has a fresh new look. I have made a few changes to the design and mission of my blog. Picking Wild Flowers will now mainly focus on Farm and Flowers. There are few people around me who know of my love for flowers. I hope to bring the title Picking Wild Flowers to life by sharing my arrangements and horticulture knowledge through this online platform.

My goal is to work hands on and to bring joy to those around me. The floral industry is becoming very integrated. One top retailer owns majority of the market, but why not change the market with unique, local, and innovative arrangements?

I came to Iowa State wanting to pursue an Animal Science focus, but luckily God had a different plan for me. All of the animal science classes were continuously full and as much as I love livestock; I will be forever grateful for my first opportunity with horticulture. I have grown to love designing and creating floral arrangements. Here are a few of the fall arrangements I created last fall. I am anticipating the time this year when I can snuggle in my warm apartment with a cup of coffee and a whole list of possibilities in front of me.

I hope you enjoy the new direction my blog is heading. I am very excited to post future bouquets. Join me on this journey and see Picking Wild Flowers evolve.