We all have different personalities and character traits, so what do you bring to the table when it comes to business? There are three main categories that most of us will fall into. You may even fall into multiple!
The Artist
The majority of the time, florists will fit into this category. It’s generally why we got into floristry––we’re creative and we want to create using flowers and make people happy with flower arrangements. The Artist often doesn’t think of the money or the admin; The Artist is a creative being who wants to look at the overall vision, and they want to get their art out there.
The Manager
The Manager is highly organised, managing the business side of things as well as the people within the business. They are excellent with time management and are able to map out a plan for where they want the business to go. While this will come naturally to some, these skills can be learnt or even outsourced.
The Entrepreneur
The Entrepreneur is focused on the big picture and is excellent at creating a clear business vision. This is similar to The Artist, but this vision is more from a business and financial perspective. They have defined goals, both creative and financial, and tend to want to do everything themselves.
When you are a ‘solopreneur’––which is often the case in floristry as we are usually starting on our own––it means you have to take on all of these roles. It’s a great idea to figure out which one you naturally gravitate towards. Most times we are predominantly two of these types.
When I first started my floristry business I was The Artist with no management skills. I had an entrepreneurial mindset but didn’t understand that it was important for all three personalities to be working together in business.
For many of us, it’s The Artist, and The Artist wants to spend most of their time at the bench working on the arrangements and being creative. This is where you can see floristry businesses burn out because owners feel like they are constantly on emails or dealing with accountants and they aren’t doing what they love anymore.
Other people sometimes start the business and then realise they really enjoy the marketing and creativity that comes with that. Or, they look at the numbers side of the business and find it as enjoyable as the art of floristry itself. It’s just important that wherever you focus the majority of the time, you have an overall understanding of the business.
This is why I don’t suggest going and hiring people who fill your skill gaps right from the start. Start small and give yourself time to work on your weakest business personality before bringing other people in. This doesn’t mean that you can’t ask for support and gain professional advice (you absolutely should when it comes to legal and finance) but you should have a clear understanding of every aspect of your business. This is so that when you’re hiring someone or outsourcing a task to someone else, you understand the scope of what you’re asking them to do.
Want to learn more? Give your business its best chance at success with my Bloom in Business Online Course. Access your free 30 min Bloom in Business session here, where I’ll give you a snapshot into the full breadth of our business course and how you can become your own boss.
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