Make Mother’s Day Work for you
If you are new to the flower business, Mother’s Day or Mothering Sunday is basically our version of a high speed car race. It is fast, a bit loud, and can leave you feeling totally wiped out if you are not careful.
After many years of doing it and mentoring Florists through it, we have figured out that the secret to winning is not about staying awake for three days straight. It is all about having a brilliant game plan.
To make a profit and keep your sanity, you need to think like a time traveller and work backwards from Sunday. Here is the ultimate guide to surviving the chaos.
Shopping Like a Pro
You cannot just buy a massive pile of flowers and hope they stay alive. You have to time their arrival perfectly so they look amazing right when the customer picks them up. Think of it like a two stage mission.
The First Wave
At the start of the week, bring in the tough stuff. This includes things like greenery, branches, and sturdy plants in pots. You should also get flowering plants like orchids ready. Do not forget the little kids who want to buy something with their own pocket money. Small pots of daffodils are perfect for them. Having these in the shop five or seven days early means you have plenty of room for the fancy flowers later.
The Second Wave
Your star players, like tulips and spring flowers, should show up on Wednesday or Thursday. If they arrive too early, tulips will grow too long and look floppy. If they arrive too late, you will be stuck peeling stems until four in the morning.
Setting Up Your Workspace
In a busy flower shop, every second counts. A messy shop is a slow shop. Keep your workspace clean and organised so you can move fast.
You also need to keep things chilly. Flowers hate being warm, so keep the heating off and leave the windows open if you do not have a big walk in fridge. Drinking water is vital for flowers too. Using professional flower food for roses, but stick to clean, cold water for spring bulbs.
One great trick is to get your vases and containers filled with greenery by Tuesday. That way, when the busy rush starts, you can just pop the main flowers in and you are finished.
Keep it Simple
A common mistake is trying to offer too many different things. For Mother’s Day, you need to make life easy for your customers.
Instead of a giant list, just offer a small menu of maybe three or five styles. You could have a pastel spring look, a classic rose bunch, and a wild meadow style. This helps stressed out shoppers decide quickly and makes it much easier for you to buy your stock. Remind people that your flowers are better than the ones in the supermarket because you have looked after them properly.
The Master Timeline
One week to go: Focus on cleaning, pricing pots, and getting your boxes ready.
Four days to go: Get your main flowers delivered and start trimming the stems.
Two days to go: Start building the bouquets for all your pre orders.
Saturday: Sort out your delivery routes and make some quick bunches for people who forgot to buy a gift until the last minute.
If you follow this plan, Sunday morning will be easier. You will only need to worry about the final deliveries and people walking in off the street. You will cross the finish line with a happy bank account and very happy customers.
Click her for some fun assets you can use on social to help sell to your customers