Mobile flower-truck business pivots and profits during the pandemic.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.27.3″ custom_padding=”100px||||false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”0px||||false|false” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet”][et_pb_post_title title=”off” author=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.27.3″ meta_font=”|700||on|||||” meta_text_color=”#ffc077″ meta_font_size=”12px” meta_letter_spacing=”1px”][/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_post_title author=”off” date=”off” _builder_version=”3.27.3″ title_font=”Montserrat|700|||||||” title_font_size=”64px” title_line_height=”1.2em” title_font_size_tablet=”50px” title_font_size_phone=”24px” title_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” locked=”off”][/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJXcml0dGVuIGJ5ICIsImFmdGVyIjoiIiwibmFtZV9mb3JtYXQiOiJkaXNwbGF5X25hbWUiLCJsaW5rIjoib24iLCJsaW5rX2Rlc3RpbmF0aW9uIjoiYXV0aG9yX2FyY2hpdmUifX0=@” image=”https://floristsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/portrait-square-09-2.jpg” icon_placement=”left” image_max_width=”48px” content_max_width=”1100px” _builder_version=”3.27.3″ _dynamic_attributes=”title,content” header_font=”Cardo|700|||||||” body_font=”||||||||” body_line_height=”1em” border_radii_image=”on|70px|70px|70px|70px” locked=”off”]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9jYXRlZ29yaWVzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiSW4gIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBhZ2VfY2F0ZWdvcnkifX0=@[/et_pb_blurb][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ text_line_height=”1.8em” text_orientation=”justify” max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center” text_text_align=”justify” locked=”off”]Ali Chrisler, Ph.D., owner of Blue Ribbon Floral in Washington, D.C., cut her teeth in the floral industry while hanging out in her mother’s flower shop as a child. A third-generation florist, Chrisler was preceded in the industry
by both her mother and grandmother, who were also
florists. Inspired by her heritage, Chrisler named her business
Blue Ribbon Floral, after her grandmother’s shop, Blue Ribbon Bouquets.
Despite her upbringing, Chrisler didn’t set out to have a career in the floral business. She earned a doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies and focused her career on research and evaluation.
After experiencing a miscarriage and the coinciding grief, Chrisler began looking for something to occupy her time and her mind. “I began researching the flower business and, specifically, mobile flower trucks, after hearing about one down south,” Chrisler recalls. She thought the concept would adapt well to the Washington D.C. area due to its climate and demographics, noting that the community is suited well for walking traffic, which is needed for a flower truck.
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ text_font=”Cardo|700|on||||||” text_line_height=”1.8em” link_font=”||||on||||” link_text_color=”#000000″ max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center” locked=”off”]Right now, I’m trying to keep up with demand, as a one-woman show, but I’m hoping I can hire some extra hands soon to help me with deliveries. I also plan to make time to reevaluate my business plan for 2021.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″ width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”” width_last_edited=”on|tablet” max_width_tablet=”” max_width_phone=”” max_width_last_edited=”on|tablet” custom_padding=”48px||0px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.8.2″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”3.27.3″][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ text_line_height=”1.8em” text_orientation=”justify” max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center” text_text_align=”justify” locked=”off”]COVID UPSETS THE APPLE CART
Chrisler started her business with a soft launch, for
friends and family, in 2019. She then opened on a larger scale to the public in January 2020, only to have COVID-19 hit two months later.
“As everyone can relate to, COVID completely threw me for a loop,” Chrisler shares. “Everything I had on the books was canceled. I was at a complete loss for a while.”
In time, Chrisler was able to pivot her business from pop-ups and larger events to contactless flower delivery. A friend then shared one of Chrisler’s social media posts to a local community social media page. Word spread about her business, and it has grown from there.
Next, Chrisler received an invitation to teach floral design classes at several apartment communities under the same ownership. Residents sign up for the classes in advance, and she provides all the supplies needed. Projects have included making bouquets, wreaths and more.
“I had a connection with the event manager [of the apartment complexes], which was helpful, and because one company owns multiple complexes, it’s been wonderful for me,” Chrisler explains. She describes much of what has been created during the pandemic as “blessings in disguise.”
“I never would’ve predicted any of this, but I’m so grateful.”
Another door opened for Chrisler during the pandemic: quarantine weddings. These nuptial couples typically approach her a month—or even a week—prior to their weddings.
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“They’re usually looking for a bouquet and boutonnière and maybe a centerpiece,” Chrisler notes. “My brand and price point fit quarantine weddings, but I strive to make each couple feel like a million bucks because their wedding is happening during a pandemic and they’ve had to change many of their plans. My style is all about bringing each couple’s vision to life.”
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Keys to Blue Ribbon’s Success
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.8.2″ text_line_height=”1.8em” text_orientation=”justify” max_width=”600px” module_alignment=”center” text_text_align=”justify” locked=”off”]One of the benefits of Chrisler changing her business model is that she has diversified her revenue sources. If she focused solely on truck pop-up events, she would fall short.
“When I take the truck to an event, I have to consider the weather and how much inventory I will need,” she points out. “There are simply more variables to deal with, which means the profitability of that arm of my business varies more than contactless deliveries and teaching design classes.”
The financial structure of Blue Ribbon Floral is another advantage for Chrisler; it’s one of the reasons she has survived as a new business during the pandemic. When she began, she started with low overhead, investing less than $20,000. To keep her costs down, she built her flower cooler instead of buying a commercial unit, and she built it in the basement of her home using a CoolBot, which she got from her mother’s shop.
“I invested a lot of blood, sweat and tears into building the cooler,” she reports. “It took me about a week—or the equivalent of 40 hours—but it was worth it.”
Chrisler took the same approach when purchasing her flower truck—a 1992 Honda Acty. She bought it online, wire-transferred the money and paid to have it delivered. Then, she created the canopy, working with a local seamstress using material she purchased at a fabric store. The canopy cost less than $500, compared to $2,000 to $3,000 if she had had one custom made. ■
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Freelance Writer|Non-Profit Marketer|Raised 2 Humans and a Couple of Cats| Lifelong Learner|Flower Lover|Illinois|
