The journey of success – The Weekend Florist
Successful entrepreneurs don’t handle everything by themselves. They’re successful because they are willing to admit when they need help, they are willing to find the right people with the right skills to accomplish nearly everything for them.
Some of the entrepreneurs may have a very hard time letting go of the reins, thinking they are the only ones who can get the job done.
But if you don’t learn to let other qualified people help you, especially in your areas of weakness, you set yourself up to become frustrated, overwhelmed and shut down the business eventually.
We shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help when work gets overwhelming or out of our control/ knowledge. Real limitations can exist in our lives, we can’t devote an infinite amount of time and energy on everything.
When the business gets more customers, we need an extra hand from others, so as an entrepreneur, we can focus on the job that we should.
“Before you spread yourself too thin, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Delegate or outsource tasks that can be done by someone else who might actually be better at it than you.”
— Rachel, Founder of The Weekend Florist
In this week’s digital transformation journey series, we are glad that Rachel found the time in her busy schedule to participate in the success story, and share with us how she experienced a one-man show to let 3rd parties take over certain tasks.
Tell us more about The Weekend Florist’s story.
TWF started out as a hobby for me. I saw floristry as my way of de-stressing from the hectic corporate life I was leading.
This hobby turned into a small business alongside my full-time job. No prizes for guessing how I derived the name ‘The Weekend Florist’.
On the weekends, I styled small weddings and corporate events, held floral arrangement workshops and created flower bouquets for various occasions. This ‘weekend business’ slowly flourished with time.
In June 2019, I decided to take the leap of faith and made TWF my full-time commitment. The name stayed even though we now operate 6 days a week, because why not? I love that we have a story to tell.
My philosophy has always been to craft unique and beautiful floral arrangements at a reasonable price without compromising quality. This guiding principle has helped us gain the trust of many of our customers.
I believe that flowers are for every occasion and anyone can receive flowers. Yes! Grandmas, grandpas, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, colleagues, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, anyone!
We understand that when you purchase a floral arrangement from us, it isn’t just mindless shopping. You may want to show your love and appreciation for a loved one or to send comfort and cheer to someone who’s in recovery.
It could be ‘just because’ flowers to brighten someone’s day, or to congratulate someone for achieving a milestone. Our goal is to bring forth your message with every floral arrangement that goes through our doors.
What is the biggest challenge you face in starting a startup?
I took TWF full time in the middle of 2019 and spent the first year figuring the business out through a lot of trial and error – you see I started the business with little to no background in running a full-time floristry business.
It was tough trying to learn everything from scratch. It took me 1 year to build my website as I was managing every other aspect of the business by myself.
I wore different hats every day as I wanted to be hands-on in every aspect of my business at the start before I decided on what needs to be outsourced.
I was the marketer, the salesperson, the bookkeeper, the photographer. I was also the administrator, the delivery woman and of course the florist.
To be honest, I still have no idea how I managed all of that initially but at that time, I knew that I was spreading myself too thin.
How did you overcome it?
In the middle of Phase 1 of Circuit Breaker, I decided that I would hire part-timers to support the business. I conducted phone interviews and was determined to hire 2 part-timers by the time we entered phase 2, and so I did.
Since phase 2 started, I managed to launch my website, take on more projects, conducted workshops and basically achieved more than what I had planned for in 2020.
I also outsourced some parts of my work such as social media marketing and deliveries to free up precious time that I can now use to develop and grow the business.
What motivated you to create an online store?
I work out of a studio in an industrial area with no shop front, hence no walk-in traffic. I depended on social media (Instagram & Facebook) for sales initially but quickly realised that I needed a website to scale the business.
Social media marketing and Ecommerce has helped me significantly in scaling my business. Building my business online was a great way to start as minimal cost outlay was required.
I saved on rent (renting a space in an industrial area vs retail space), saved on renovation cost, hiring cost etc.
Check out The Weekend Florist Site
Checkout Latest TWF Projects on Instagram
You have experienced the fruit of your startup business. Please share a few encouraging words to aspiring entrepreneurs.
Starting a business is the easy part. Sustaining it will require more than just you and what you have to offer.
Before you spread yourself too thin, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Delegate or outsource tasks that can be done by someone else who might actually be better at it than you.
Plan ahead and plan to rest. I make plans for my business by the quarter (you can plan by the year or half-yearly).
Planning is essential in every business. Make time to set targets and make plans to achieve them. More importantly, make plans to rest and recharge!
Please share your positive experience with Exabytes.
I started The Weekend Florist with Exabytes – even before I went into floristry full-time. Exabytes is stable, easy to use and hassle-free.
There is a support system in place. Whenever I require assistance, all I need to do is to send an email and I get a prompt response right after.
Share Your Story with Exabytes
Thank you, Rachel, for your input and participation in the Success Story Campaign.
If you, your friends and your families, also have a project or a good startup story want to share it with the world, we will certainly be happy to help you do it.
Contact us for more information.
