10 Years In: What We’ve Learned About Building A Floral Brand (with a few mistakes and revelations made along the way)

Last week, I had dinner with my parents, and, at some point, my dad asked how it felt to be celebrating 10 years of owning Helen Olivia. 10 years. I know it’s cliché to say, but in so many ways the time has flown by, and in other ways it feels like just yesterday when we began.

I get asked all the time how my husband Chuck and I came to own Helen Olivia, so I’ll give you the quick version: We were young, childless at the time, and eager to own our own business.  We had spent most of our twenties working together for a large events company, and after exploring the option of a business partnership with our former boss, we decided to look elsewhere for a business of our own. We stumbled upon Helen Olivia pretty early on in our search, and I knew the second I saw it: it was like the stars had aligned. Two months later, we were the new owners. And we knew literally nothing about the flower business on our first day. 

I’m able to laugh about it now, but in the first month of owning the shop, I was so green that I couldn’t even answer my own phone. I didn’t know the name of seventy-five percent of the flowers we sold and also didn’t know how to ring anything up on the computer. I’ll never forget trying to make myself appear helpful to my staff by vacuuming the studio—and accidentally sucking $200 worth of exotic orchids into the vacuum cleaner in the process! I was a walking, talking cartoon for the first several months, but slowly, I got my sea legs.

So, if I could travel back in time to the fall of 2013 and council myself as a new, very green business owner, what would I say to myself?  I sat down and thought of some of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned along the way, most of which are applicable to anyone in business or building a brand. 

Do what you love, and your people will follow.

In the early days, I was paralyzed by making changes in the business. I had enormous anxiety that changing anything–even the color of the tissue paper we wrapped flowers in would drive customers away.  With time, I felt more confident in making changes to the brand. I realized that through change, you sometimes weed out customers who aren’t aligned with your vision or style, but in the process draw in customers who are.  Do what YOU love, and what’s true to you, and your people will follow.   

Stop looking at what everyone else is doing.  

Early on, I used to keep close tabs on what everyone in my market was doing. I felt enormous pressure to keep pace with X, Y, and Z competitors and would agonize over how Helen Olivia stacked up. The second I stopped focusing on others is when I really began to focus on what Helen Olivia could be. I took bigger risks and dreamed bigger. This is when the magic happened, and when our biggest growth occurred. You can’t grow if you’re spending all of your energy looking around at what everyone else is doing.  

No is a complete sentence (said nicely, of course).

We struggle with saying no, especially when we’ve built a brand on being ‘yes people’.  The truth is, as you scale, you can’t be everything to everyone. You can’t pour from an empty pot (pun intended). Being clear on what your boundaries are and what business you want to take on allows you to make space for balance and personal time. And, if all else fails, take my lead and put a post-it note on your laptop with the reminder: “Don’t say yes to everything”!

Good customer service trumps just about everything else. 

When I think about the ‘secret sauce’ that makes Helen Olivia unique, I know that being kind to customers and easy to work with is at the core of our brand in addition to a beautiful product.  This philosophy touches every corner of our brand, and I’m certain it’s what keeps so many of our customers coming back.

Ten years in, I am very proud of the brand we’ve grown. With the help of an amazing studio team, we’ve transformed from a tiny 500 square foot studio on Lee Street to a dream studio in Del Ray with some pretty dreamy clients and opportunities. It’s been a wild ride, and one that’s, hopefully, got a lot of road left to travel. Here’s to the next ten! 

Come stop by the store at 1519 Leslie Avenue, or browse our online shop.