Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
phylrae

Anyone willing to help me 'brainstorm' a simple plan?

phylrae
17 years ago

I was wondering if anyone here had the time to help me brainstorm a bit. I have, with everyones' help here, begun a bouquet business, selling small mixed bouquets in colored plastic cups with holes cut into the lids. I call them Portable Petals. I have done about 50-60 PP bouquets so far, for teacher gifts, graduation party tables, a retirement party, you name it, coworkers at my school were ordering them for the month before school was out. They are inexpensive (I set the price at just $5 to begin with, so I could get some initial business). I plan to raise the prices some next year if I keep getting customers. I also have had some sold at my hairdresser's place of business. I put out a small sign and my business card and have a sticker on each cup with simple info (PP, my name & phone #).

Anyway, I was thinking that maybe I could do a ONE DAY ONLY kind of introductory sale in my driveway some Saturday in a week or two (if it stops raining, that is!) I live in a middle class subdivision that seems to have its share of garage sales etc. I am just wondering if anyone had any ideas of how to advertise it or set it up to make it visible/professional and successful? I am not in a position to sell at a Farmer's Market or to a store or anything....I work fulltime and do this on the side.

BTW, the flowers include lots of kinds of roses, lilies, daisies, perennials and annuals that are blooming.

Thanks everyone for any help you might give me! :0) Phyl

Comments (9)

  • Noni Morrison
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmmm, I think I would put a sign in the driveway announceing to watch for it...advertisements at the local bulletin boards, if you are in a small town with its own paper put an add in, maybe "Garage Flower sale" under garage sales. YOu could hand out flyers around your neighborhood.

    That is all that occurs to me right now, but I am trying to encourage my sister to start her business in much the same way, so will be interested in others ideas.

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Lizalily,
    I'm so embarrassed to tell you that I couldn't remember your name when I posted this query, but YOU were my main inspiration for the Portable Petals! I really appreciate all your help (past and present)...that's a GREAT idea about flyers especially. I have a BIG PROJECT now to do tonight! LOL I wish I was better at coming up with ideas on my own, but I thank God (literally) for your willingness to help fellow-flower growers out like this. I hope I can help you sometime, in some way. :0) Phyl

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Lime...great ideas. I especially like the last few paragraphs. I work fulltime all year round as well, so this is just extra. I've had about 80 people now buy bouquets from me since mid-June, from both my regular school job and my summer school job (which ends tomorrow). I appreciate all the time you spent in answering this query! I'll print up what you wrote so I can re-read it and think some more about it! Thanks! Phyl

  • delmobile
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have to ask this--do you have kids, nieces, nephews etc? When my daughter was about ten she sold zinnia bouquets all one summer. Kind of a twist on the lemonade stand. She looked so darn cute out there and made pots of money. So, if you want to try the driveway sale, you might let a youngster be the "middleman" (for a small cut of the profits, of course:)).

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cute idea delmobile! No, my youngest is a senior in high school, next one in the Navy and oldest is married and living outside Los Angeles. But a great idea for the future (grandkids someday!) :0) Phyl

  • toomanyanimals
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Phyl, Thanks for posting this, I just loved reading all the information those nice people gave you!

    I'm hoping you will do me a big favor and give me some ideas.

    I also live in a middle class suburban neighborhood. We have a subdivision Garage Sale twice a year, in Spring and late summer/fall. One woman sells her extra plants in the spring and does fairly well. (Even with putting the plants in plastic bags). I have thought of doing this with my extra Daylilies, but have never managed to find the time when the Garage Sale comes around (I'm so busy in the garden at that time and I work). Once I went to a City plant trade, and found it almost impossible to trade my Very Nice Daylilies. Pictures and some fast talking finally did the trick.

    Anyway, what I want to say is that I would love to do the Daylily Sale and a Bouquet sale at the same time. I do not have a cutting garden and would greatly appreciate it if you could give me a few hints of what you grow to make your bouquets since you are in the same zone as me.
    In the spring I guess it would be mostly the bulb flowers, but what would you suggest for the late summer/early fall?

    Also, I loved the idea of your portable 'vases'. Were did you find plastic cups with lids? Gordon Food Service maybe? What size cups? How many flowers are you putting in each cup?

    I'd like to try this at least once. :o)
    Sharon

  • Noni Morrison
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Sharon,
    Since the plastic cup idea was mine to start with, I will tell you that I use, I think it is 22 or 24 oz cups (Don't remember at the moment). I get them at Costco by the case, and buy the lids there also. I cut the "cross cut" for a straw bigger with 4 snips of my scissors.

    There are so many flowers that could be grown for this. And taste changes in different areas. If everyone grows masses of a certain flower in their landscaping, then chances are it will be seen as "too common" and no one will buy them from you. Also, you will want to use some flowers that really call attention to themselves and then you will want some fillers that are pretty but not hard to grow, to give it a nice fluffy look. SOme of the flowers that many of us grow are snaps, glads, zinnias, asters, lilies and roses, ammi majus or ammi visnaga, sunflowers, dahlias. Those are just a small sample. Roses and lilies often have a starring role in the mid summer bouquets. And you will want some kind of greenery too, whether it is native ferns, ornamental grasses or shrubbery clippings. YOu can find a look that is all your own and if others like it they will buy them. Price your flowers at a fair market price, and learn about conditioning them...that is what makes your flowers last longer and convince people that your bouquets are better then the neighbor down the street, who just jams some flowers in a jar and sells them for twice the price. Good luck!

  • phylrae
    Original Author
    17 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sharon,
    LizaLily's idea was so successful for me...just to add what I found in my area....
    I found 16 oz. translucent colored plastic cups (and clear lids) to fit at our local Sams Club and also BJ's Wholesale Club. I bought a few of the Solo cups that looked the same and were supposedly the same size (at a local Walmart and grocery store), but found the lids were very hard to fit, just a smidgen too small. All the flowers LizaLily mentioned are great ideas.
    We have a lot of roses, lilies, siberian iris and sunflowers, as well as other
    perennials and annuals. Hope you have fun! Phyl