This experience has been one of my greatest blessings throughout my college career as a small flower business owner. Like any other entrepreneur, I have had my good days as well as bad days. When it started, the process of getting clients was undoubtedly a challenge. It all started when my relatives and close friends asked me to make flower bouquets for their special occasions. In 2022, I took the initiative to start the business because I was aware that there would be high demand for flowers on Valentine’s Day. Weeks before Valentine’s, I created my Instagram account and began posting photos of my work. During that first year, I received 5 to 10 orders for both Valentine’s and Mother’s Day. Things were not going well, but I did not quit, as I was willing to expand my audience and access more customers.
To increase the audience, I started doing giveaways. According to my Instagram statistics, most of my followers were girls, and this has remained the same even after a long period of time. According to the giveaways, posts, likes, and reposts, I managed to realize that girls were the most active participants in my content. In consequence, my followers were increasing gradually. Surprisingly, the majority of my real customers are males who don’t even follow me, and it proved that the girls who have reposted my post gave me sales.
Once my business became more recognizable, I stopped doing the giveaways and started to give discounts to the customers who would buy a specific number of bouquets. I hope by next year , I will love to do more wedding arrangements and hopefully will be in a position to own a storefront.Â
In case I advise somebody who would venture and create their own business, I would say: Do not give up on your dreams. It is not a simple mission, and you may not make money initially, but at the end of the day the sun will come out.