How To become a Florist
Seizing the huge opportunity presented by flowers, courses in floristry continue to be the leading choice of study for people who love flowers. Pursuing this course provides any individual who wishes to work in a flower shop or opting to start their own business as a florist, with all the necessary information about flowers.
The key syllabus for courses in floristry consists of the basic principles of conducting a business and merchandising, the detailed study of flowers and the different methods to control and keep away from infestation which could harm the flowers. Subjects like flower arrangements and designs are also included in the course apart from other floristry related subjects.
Some of the services taught in this degree program are delivery of flowers, giving them proper care and handling them in the appropriate way. Time and money are the two important factors that have to be understood and taken into consideration when looking for the right institution to follow your dream of studying floristry and having a career in the same field. These two important factors depict two different parts in your travel towards the completion of the course selected. If you wish to enrol in a bachelor’s degree or associate degree program, you would have to pay money to the total of £7000 or £10,000. For those who are not in a position to afford the amount at the time, there is another option available to achieve your dream of a career in floristry that would require you to pay only lesser amounts. A diploma course is the best option wherein only £199 will be charged. If you are interested in being a florist and are not able to arrange a huge amount at the time, then this course should fit right in your budget.
If you wish to enrol as a freshman in a university or college, no specific qualifications are required. A desire to be creative and a willingness to learn to improve upon one’s skill in flower arrangement or designing which is an intricate aspect of floristry is all that these colleges and universities prefer aspiring students to have.
The right time to decide whether you wish to start a small business as a florist or work as an employee in a flower establishment is when you are doing your diploma course or degree program. Both these options have their pros and cons. The positive side of starting your own small business is that more profit can be made you become a success, but at the same time, you can risk becoming a failure due to making wrong decisions or choices and end up losing everything in the blink of an eye. At the onset, you should have a willingness to enter the business and increase your knowledge and skills with all the information that is required to set up a small business. Picking who your customers are going to be is an excellent starting point.
When running the business, always be prepared for contingencies that cannot be avoided and make sure that you have a back-up plan ready in case of any mishaps that may happen. The right attitude to face and deal with any problems that may arise in the business should be cultivated. Allow your imagination to run wild and run your business using your creative talents to slowly make it to the top. Some strategies you can use is to enlarge your business is give discounts to those customers who purchase from you frequently or conduct sales in flower arrangements and deliveries. Give your business a lively and attractive look by planning themes every week or placing banners that attract the attention of people. Inviting suggestions from customers in order to improve your service is another option.
You can also create a website and invite customers online and even consider making deliveries to the homes of your valued customers. Always remember that trusting yourself and relying on your knowledge and skill are the factors that will help take you to the top.
A course done in floristry will equip you with the necessary knowledge and skill and pave the way to achieve your dream of a being a successful florist.
What Do You Need to Be a Florist?
Flowers have always played a very important role in human life and on most occasions are known to make people happy and are symbolic of romance. At other times, it is used on sad occasions such as funerals. Whatever the reason may be, the role of a florist is very important over here and mind you they do NOT JUST sell the flowers.
They are responsible for the flower care and handling, flower arranging, floral design, merchandising, display and the flower delivery.
This industry has become even more popular with people showing more and more interest in using flowers for different occasions.
A lot of people show a strong interest in becoming florists, especially the youth but you have to remember that you are absolutely sure about this decision. Being a florist means working in the creative space and you need to have specific talents in arts.
Decorating and arranging the flowers of different bouquets involves a lot of artistic skill and the person should have good visual imagination. It is important for such people to understand how to fully make use of materials such as fresh tributes, dried flowers, the leaves and even the baskets. Everything that is being used in the process should only enhance the way the flowers look.
What is required if you choose to venture into this business?
All that is required is good communication skills! You will have to deal with different people and many of them may even be fastidious. However, you have to remain patient and calm with all types of customers and express your design or idea in a very creative manner. In short, you have to make sure that your customer is happy and feels that the design has been creatively made for them.
You may even be required to deliver flowers to your customer, so driving would be essential. In such cases having a driving license is essential. Moreover besides this, you are expected to be in a healthy and fit condition as this type of work may involve working for long hours; as you have to serve your customers and make flower arrangements. So, you have to be able to work well under pressure.
So, not to say that this is a comparatively relaxed job, there may be times; especially during festive season when you will have high demands from customers.
You could also take to floristry as a hobby and find this a lot more fun to do, instead of as a business. However, if you decide to make it as a business there will be a certain amount of stress involved! You can also take additional lessons to enhance your skills in the industry if you have already met most of the abilities of being a florist.
