If you ask Amra Kolasinac what compelled her to open a flower shop on May 2, a little more than a week before the second busiest floral holiday of the year, you’ll get a short, tongue in cheek answer: insanity.
Ask her how she pulled it off, though, and Kolasinac gets very enthusiastic.
“It was 100 percent word of mouth,” said the proud owner of Scent and Violet in Houston, which sold more than 100 arrangements for Mother’s Day.
Kolasinac had intended to launch her new business April 7, but was still tweaking her phone system and waiting on business cards and the shop’s billboard to arrive. When they finally did on May 1, Kolasinac had too little time to put together a formal Mother’s Day marketing campaign, and relied on a Facebook post announcing an open house with hors d’oeuvres, giveaways and discounts.
Enter her friends.
“I call them my champions,” Kolasinac said. “I have 15 friends who volunteered their time to literally walk around Houston and tell people about my shop.” Among them: a printer, who made cards that said, “Hey, we’re here!” for volunteers to distribute.
Those same volunteers came in on May 11 to help Kolasinac and her staff of five (one full-time, four part-time workers) greet customers and deliver arrangements.
And Kolasinac’s champions aren’t concentrated in The Lone Star State. She credits a lot of her success to connections she’s made through FlowerChat/Florist2.0.
“The site’s really been one of the biggest platforms for me,” she said. “We’re in a really wonderful industry. There’s someone who’s been through every situation you can imagine and is happy to tell you about it. Our peers really want us to succeed.”
Although wet behind the ears as a shop owner, Kolasinac is no newbie to the floral industry. Her aunt has a shop in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Kolasinac worked during college breaks.
“I caught the bug,” Kolasinac said. “I always wanted my own shop.” To make the dream a reality, she saved for years (“It was necessary,” she said. “Banks aren’t too eager to extend small business loans.”) while she worked in the marketing department of a nonprofit group. Then she went to work for another Houston florist to get more inside knowledge of how a flower shop operates. To round it out, she reads as much business literature as possible, belongs to associations on a national, state and local level, and remains a constant student.
“Knowledge is the key to staying alive in business,” she said. “I have learned that local economic offices (SBA, Score, University Centers) offer a lot of short courses in all aspects of running a business. It can be a bit challenging to attend, but very often it is worth the time.”
She also makes the effort to make every floral program that comes to the area.
“Two I have really enjoyed are from Rick Rivers and Clay Atchison (editorial aside: both Florist 2.0 members!),” she said. “At the same time, design courses can provide a wealth of business-related information. Hitomi Gilliam, Scott Hastings and Don Senter are brilliant!”
Should another prospective flower shop owner seek her advice, Kolasinac wouldn’t necessarily endorse opening in early May (or February), but she insists, with the right support system, it can work.
“Never go into anything alone,” she said. “You’re always better off than you think you are if you have people around you. You’d be surprised how many are actually willing to help.”
Ask her how she pulled it off, though, and Kolasinac gets very enthusiastic.
“It was 100 percent word of mouth,” said the proud owner of Scent and Violet in Houston, which sold more than 100 arrangements for Mother’s Day.
Kolasinac had intended to launch her new business April 7, but was still tweaking her phone system and waiting on business cards and the shop’s billboard to arrive. When they finally did on May 1, Kolasinac had too little time to put together a formal Mother’s Day marketing campaign, and relied on a Facebook post announcing an open house with hors d’oeuvres, giveaways and discounts.
Enter her friends.
“I call them my champions,” Kolasinac said. “I have 15 friends who volunteered their time to literally walk around Houston and tell people about my shop.” Among them: a printer, who made cards that said, “Hey, we’re here!” for volunteers to distribute.
Those same volunteers came in on May 11 to help Kolasinac and her staff of five (one full-time, four part-time workers) greet customers and deliver arrangements.
And Kolasinac’s champions aren’t concentrated in The Lone Star State. She credits a lot of her success to connections she’s made through FlowerChat/Florist2.0.
“The site’s really been one of the biggest platforms for me,” she said. “We’re in a really wonderful industry. There’s someone who’s been through every situation you can imagine and is happy to tell you about it. Our peers really want us to succeed.”
Although wet behind the ears as a shop owner, Kolasinac is no newbie to the floral industry. Her aunt has a shop in Sarajevo, Bosnia, where Kolasinac worked during college breaks.
“I caught the bug,” Kolasinac said. “I always wanted my own shop.” To make the dream a reality, she saved for years (“It was necessary,” she said. “Banks aren’t too eager to extend small business loans.”) while she worked in the marketing department of a nonprofit group. Then she went to work for another Houston florist to get more inside knowledge of how a flower shop operates. To round it out, she reads as much business literature as possible, belongs to associations on a national, state and local level, and remains a constant student.
“Knowledge is the key to staying alive in business,” she said. “I have learned that local economic offices (SBA, Score, University Centers) offer a lot of short courses in all aspects of running a business. It can be a bit challenging to attend, but very often it is worth the time.”
She also makes the effort to make every floral program that comes to the area.
“Two I have really enjoyed are from Rick Rivers and Clay Atchison (editorial aside: both Florist 2.0 members!),” she said. “At the same time, design courses can provide a wealth of business-related information. Hitomi Gilliam, Scott Hastings and Don Senter are brilliant!”
Should another prospective flower shop owner seek her advice, Kolasinac wouldn’t necessarily endorse opening in early May (or February), but she insists, with the right support system, it can work.
“Never go into anything alone,” she said. “You’re always better off than you think you are if you have people around you. You’d be surprised how many are actually willing to help.”
