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Struggling to turn your floral design talent into a profitable, scalable, and stress-free business? Welcome to The Floral CEO® Podcast—the ultimate audio destination for wedding and event florists, flower-shop owners, and creative entrepreneurs who want to book bigger budgets, price with confidence, and lead like a true CEO.
Hosted by Jeni Becht, award-winning wedding florist, event designer, and floral business coach with 25 + years in the industry, each weekly episode dives into:
Profitable pricing strategies: markup formulas and minimums fine-tuned for weddings & events
Magnetic marketing & local-SEO hacks: social posts, blogs, and Google tricks that attract high-budget couples and planners
High-converting sales funnels: inquiry replies, proposals, and follow-up scripts that turn curious leads into dream clients
Streamlined systems & smart outsourcing: workflows, templates, and hiring tips that free you from the design bench
CEO mindset & sustainable growth: leadership habits and eco-friendly practices that keep both you and your business flourishing
Jeni pairs real-world success stories with actionable strategies you can implement today, so you’ll spend less time hustling and more time designing breathtaking bouquets, installations, and arrangements.
Ready to scale your florist business and reclaim your life? Follow, subscribe, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or your favorite podcast app. 🌸
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Turn your passion for flowers into the six-figure floral business you deserve—one episode at a time.
Website- floralceo.com
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I'm gonna do an interesting episode. It's kind of about what success looks like, and realistically, like, what you should do next. So you've grown your business, but, and yet the business is working. Like, so many things are working, but if you don't fix something quick And make it feel like in three months you're not gonna be drowning if you don't tweak things so that you're not burnt out, so that you're not, like, feeling like, "I can't do this anymore," you're not gonna have a business in a year that is still having growth in a way that is logical, that is, you know, really profitable, that feels good.
Because being a business owner is something that, like, we've all dreamed about. We've all dreamed about having, you know, like I, I don't know if, if you guys remember the moment that, you know, you started your bouquet- your business, and you delivered your first bouquet, and you delivered this bouquet and you
Like, in the back of my mind, and I've had other people tell me this, they were like, "Look at how fucking cool this is." Like, I get to deliver these beautiful flowers and make somebody's day. Or I get to, like, be a part of somebody's wedding and, like, I created this stunning thing that you just wanna, like, get in the mirror and look at yourself and take jiggly bouquet photos and videos with.
You're like, "I did this." And then you do it again, and then you do it again, and then you, like, start building confidence. And how this has come up is that this is, I mean, this has happened to me, but I have seen this time and time again, uh, with girls in my mastermind that, um, you know, I have one girl that literally yesterday had a discussion with her husband, "What am I gonna do when, like, when is, when?
When do I say stop?" Because her business has had so much growth, uh, that it's crazy. And I have had other people that they're like, "I'm too busy." And I wanna talk about, 'cause I've went through the same thing. Like, I've gone to the point and then I'm like, "I can't do any more. Like, this isn't working how it is."
So what are the things that you look at tweaking when your business has grown and, you know, it's, it's on a ... I mean, even if it's not on a trajectory, these are things that, you know, I hope that you definitely consider, but if it's on this trajectory of, like, I'm gonna Thelma and Louise it off the cliff because I'm fucking rocking it.
And I have gone through these moments that all of a sudden, like, I have totally kicked ass, take- taken names, and, like, just had this, you know, big, huge year. But like, when I reflect back on it, I, I'm like, okay, did I like how I felt? Did I feel like I had enough quality time with my family? Did I get to do things, you know, that really were important to me?
And did I have fun? And d- was I inspired? Did I feel creative and like that this was really given, given me like, um, you know, momentum and like light and I felt inspired by what I was doing and that I loved the direction we were going If, if you're, you're feeling that way, like, I love that for you that you're getting to a point you're, like, asking those questions because I feel like most people just drive it to...
literally until the wheels fall off. And I don't want you to drive your business until the wheels fall off. I want you to make, um... I would consider myself an exceptional driver. I, um, you know, uh, driving, uh... I, I was, like, backing up this 26-foot U-Haul in downtown Minneapolis at this wedding, and, you know, I was in the, in, in that thing, um, and it's...
they're loud in a, a U-Haul, and I couldn't really... So I was, like, thinking about, like, how much precision driving takes, and that is so similar to how you build a business. Um, and then on Saturday, I went with Elaine. Elaine is, um, a woman that, uh, helps me. She's 86 years old, you guys. And I, when my mom died, she was her neighbor.
And if you've been to one of my workshops, you've met Elaine. She's a very sweet Panamanian lady that I just absolutely adore. Uh, but I drove her car, and it had lane departure. So, like, you know, uh, like, it was really mucky, and muddy, uh, and puddly on the right. So I went over a little bit, and it was, like, telling me to get over.
And I just thought about, like, after really just, like, thinking about how much driving and precision is so related because you have to tweak and do all these small things to build a successful business. But then the tools are getting, like, cooler and fancier, um, that you have things that will just tell you to correct course.
Just like her car was like, "Get over, lady." So here I am telling you, if you are on this path and you're like, "What do I do next? I'm building this dream business, but I just want better. I want things to be more profitable. I want things to be more inspiring. I want clients that I actually want to see their email pop in my inbox.
I want clients that are inspiring and believe in me, and I want them to, like, take my direction and be, you know, just a partner." And if you have those things, like, it, it feels so good because then you're just, like, really stepping into your role as CEO, your role as a creative because this is a creative business.
And I feel like when all of those things are flowing, money flows better. So some things that I want you to look at if you are at a point that you're, you're starting to grow your business, but you're like, "Okay, how do I tweak the dial?" So that I'm building an even better business. The first thing I, of course, being a certified life coach and mindset coach, I like how your business feels is so important.
And I would love for you to step back and think about what gave you the ick. What in your business, like, didn't feel good? And then if there are things, I would go in and I would be like, "Okay," let's just say accounting, QuickBooks, whatever. Money doesn't feel good. You need to have somebody that is on your team that's gonna support you in that capacity.
Because without that support, y- y- you need to understand your money and your finances, otherwise, um, you're just gonna be spending more money and not understanding what your bottom line looks like. It's really easy to spend more money because there's a lot prettier flowers to go buy, there's a lot more flowers to buy, there's, you know, a, a lot of poor planning and a million things.
So if you don't know what your profitability is because you, you just have a ton of money in your checking account, that will not suffice for very long and so you need to, like, tweak that. Um, but let's just say that... Y- and this is, this is one thing when I grew, that I outgrew. Uh, barn weddings. Like, unless it's, like, a premier barn, if somebody mentions fucking bird lap or mason jars or baby's breath in a mason jar or vintage bottles, like, I, I have a visceral response when I hear vintage bottles.
Like, you have no idea, you guys, how, like, it's just, ugh. It gives me the ick. So if I got a barn inquiry, guess what, you guys, I'm not getting them. I am attracting because of the content I'm putting out, the kind of weddings I'm putting out, and that's helping attract a client that doesn't wanna get married at a shitty barn.
And the... barns don't always have to be shitty. Like, I... at the floral, um, rockstar retreat. Like, i- if you guys haven't seen those photos, they are absolutely stunning. I have a barn, and that was some elevated shit. But what happens is because barns are so often, um, cheap to rent, these are the lower budget brides or couples that, um, you know, a lot of those barns also have, like, all you can use decor.
You... Uh, there's literally a barn that I was on the preferred vendor list, and I'm so glad I'm not on it because I did the daughter's wedding a million years ago, um, that for $600 you can rent... You get all of their decor And I'm talking about a whole huge shed, like machine shed. I'm talking a building full of crap.
It's got mason jars, and wood boxes, and really dumb lanterns, and the ugliest electric votive things, 'cause they don't allow candles, and tree stumps. Like, all the things are in there. And like, I just... Like, that does not sound fun to me. That doesn't sound in alignment. So as my business has grown and as I have grown, I have like kind of just put this little line in the sand that, that, like, that doesn't feel good to me anymore.
There's a venue that I've told the story that, um, I was setting up there, and it smelled so bad. It smelled like a fishbowl. It was just so bad. Like, literally people ran down to Walgreens and got all of these, um, like Glade plugins and then spray room freshener, you know, and all the things. I mean, it just smelled so bad.
And like a really gross, old fishbowl is my best description. But during this same experience, 'cause this place was also partially a hotel, um, that was h- housing displaced people, which I am, like, all supportive of that, but they had kind of not upkept the place and then, like, a homeless person, like literally was walking in front of me, stopped and peed and then walked again.
They called me and asked me if I wanted to be on their preferred vendor list, and I was like, "You know what? I, I really have a couple core venues I'm working with right now, and so I really am kind of at capacity." This was a referral, and that's why I did that. Like, uh, that's your North Star. You get to pick.
There are venues that I think that the coordinator is Satan reincarnated. Um, I don't like how her emails are. I don't like any of it, so guess what? Not gonna do it And you can build those rules. You're in charge. You're the business owner. Nobody can dictate how you run your business but you. And I often feel when somebody's in the building stage, you go and all of a sudden, like, you're just like, "I w- I need to do everything."
I... And this is, I, we become, like, having multiple personality disorder because we also think that we are retail florists out of our home. We need to do workshops. We need to do pop-ups. We need to do Valentine's Day. We need to do Mother's Day. We need to do wreaths work- shops. We need to do porch pots. We need to, um, do weddings.
We need to figure out how to do other things. Um, we need to sell on Etsy. I'm just naming a few things. We need to do, um, you know, booths at craft fairs and sell silk flowers. I mean, like, it's just the ongoing craziness. And so then we've tried all these things. We haven't really put... We've kind of put half-ass effort into everything.
And but then maybe, like, one thing really starts working, and you then, when that s- thing really starts working, that's when you kind of start tweaking and molding it and figuring out what you don't like. And then all of a sudden, that's just like, "Oh, my God. I'm getting so many weddings." Like my friend from the Floral CEO Mastermind who is getting so many weddings, they're at a point, they're like, "When am I gonna have to say no?"
They have nine weddings in October. You guys, that's crazy. Like, they just really started ramping up their business in the last year. So success can find you if you go out and look for it. And if you have the tools... And honestly, like, I, this woman has, is just, I, like, just absolutely adore her, and, like, I have helped her, show her the way to get here.
So often it's you have the right person who's done all the things that you wanna do. You haven't built a successful flor- floral business before. Maybe you haven't built a successful business. I mean, I've not only built this business, I've built multiple businesses. I've also ran a $6.5 million, um, non-product based business.
It, I, like, I ran a car dealership. I mean- Learning from people who have done what you want to do or are doing, honestly, I think it's more important when you are doing, that person is doing what you want to do in some capacity. There is a lot of educators, and I get everybody evolve, everybody changes, but there is really something to me about you still being in the game and understanding what the game is right now, and not hypothesizing what the game is or looking back at what the game used to be when you did it.
Uh, I feel that it's just so critical. And I'm in the game, you guys. That's how I can better support you. That's why I get inspired by the game that I am playing, the emails that I am doing to help you guys be more successful, because I know exactly how I would handle that situation when it would happen.
And I want you to be able to have that same skill. And so having a coach or having somebody... And when you're in the Floral CEO M- Mastermind, like, I am in your pocket. You can ask me anything, because we have a Voxer support group. We have a Q&A. You have a 20, like, you have an accountability call with me every month.
I wanna make sure I am making you accountable to make shit happen in your business. So if you have a, a, a long list of excuses of why your business isn't where it is, let's figure that out, because 2027 is gonna be the same shit as 2026 if we're telling ourself that story still. And Carol, who I had on the podcast, like, she was spending her time on things that weren't po- profitable.
Like, w- workshops that she was doing that just, like, something wasn't right. And, like, even her business name. You, you guys, I, like, walked her through changing her business name because I knew that that was holding her back from getting these, these weddings that I knew that she was going to just rock. And you don't know that unless, like, you have somebody going, "I really..."
I've seen a ton of businesses, I've worked with hundreds of florists, and I know that that is holding you back. Like, I, I feel like we are getting in our own way, often, of our own success, and I did that too. I actually, uh, my previous business name, you guys, is so bad. Um, it was Simply Stated Elegance, and I had it for 17 years.
And I hated it. Like, I felt like I was attracting low budget brides, and I felt like I got in my emails all the time people saying, "I really want something simple but elegant." I was like, "Get over yourself." And so then I hired a coach because I was so afraid, and I did a rebrand, and still felt the same, and I had just grown past it.
But I hired this coach, who is a florist and does beautiful, inspiring work that's been in Vogue and all these things, and she's a little fancy. You know, a little fancier than I care to be, but inspiring. And I, I, like, absolutely adore her, and I, like, just talk to her about it. "What do you think about this?"
Because sometimes you just need somebody to tell you you're not fucking crazy. And that's the same thing when it comes to when you're building a really successful business. You almost come to the point, you're like, "Am I doing what I should be doing, because this feels crazy?" And, like, so many people question your, their sanity, and I've done it.
Questioned my sanity about saying no to money. D- that seems crazy. Like, why would you say no to money? Like, why wouldn't you just wanna, like, have these, you know, all these events and all this money coming in? Because pretty soon, things are just gonna give out. So what do we look at? Like, success creates this, like, whole new problem.
Everyone talks about how to become successful, but nobody is really talking about when it actually happens and it's finally here. Because eventually you wake up and think, "I have all these inquiries, I have all these weddings, I'm making money. People know who I am." And then the question becomes, like, do I actually have this business, like, that I love?
And because you have built a profitable business at this point, you know, it... You can secretly hate operating it, though. You could hit revenue goals and be exhausted. You can have a full calendar filled, uh, of weddings and literally just wanna call in sick or put a white flag of surrender up. You can have a team, but still be the one answering every freaking question.
So is this really what you wanna be doing for the next 10, 10 years? And success really, I feel like, gives us options, but the next level is deciding which options we actually want So you've hit 100K. So obviously we need 200 or we need 300 or we need 500. But why? Maybe you do want that. That... And that's awesome.
But maybe your dream is actually, like, 250K, great margins, 20 weddings, a small amazing team, three months that you're basically off hitting the reboot button, no shitty little orders, premium clients, and you're home getting your kids off the bus, and you're home for dinner, and you know, Saturday night you're at home watching Grey's Anatomy, 'cause I think the next season's coming out soon.
But your next level, level self can be bigger, but it might also just be simpler. So define what your dream business is. And if you can't figure that out, talk to your partner, talk to your bestie. You know, like, what would feel really good? But also be like, "Okay, how many weddings do I actually want? What size weddings?
What kind of designs? What clients energize me, and which ones have I absolutely hated?" Like, I had people last weekend that I liked the mom, but the br- the bride, like, I had, I had interactions with after I... The mom said that they were booking me, and I had not really had much interaction with the cl- the bride.
But, like, I just, like, felt like she was a dead fish, is my best explanation. Um, and like even when I d- delivered her flowers, like, I just was like, "Your bouquet is fucking stunning. I even grew these vi-" I mean, I'm not saying it like that. I was like, "Hey, I grew these vines. They're called love-in-a-puff.
They're one of my favorite things because actually after your wedding you can dry them, and they have these seeds with actual hearts on them. And you can plant those in your garden next spring, and every year save the seed pods, and, like, you could have this love-in-a-puff from your bouquet every year."
And like, she just looked at me like... And I'm like, as I'm going and bringing the flowers in and all of the groomsmen have The Lord of the Ring leaf pins on you guys. And I'm, I like Lord of the Rings. I, I'm telling you, I, I like it. But I'm like, "This is weird." Like, it just like, so many things just felt really weird.
And I'm like, I, I took the ride home, 'cause it's a 55-minute ride home, thinking about like, "How can I not attract that person again?" Because they also, when they returned the contract, told me that I couldn't have any photos. They didn't tell me they were altering my contract, they just wrote all over it.
And so how can I not attract that? And sometimes you have to ask yourself, "How can I not do that again? What are the red flags that came with that?" Okay, other questions you could be asking is, like, do I even wanna have people working for me? Do I want a studio? Do I want retail? I have so many people come in, they're like, have this big-ass dream of having this retail space, but, like, the, when they really dive into it, the math isn't mathing on what they want their life to be and what it would take to make this happen.
Do you wanna do full service? Do you wanna do a la carte? Do you wanna travel? Do you want, you know, to work in February? Um, people always picture this highlight reel of their dream business, but I want you to really ask yourself, what do you want a Tuesday to look like? That tells you way more than anything.
So let's say you've become successful doing all of these things. Now we wanna look at what's profitable. What is easiest? What is the easiest thing to make the most amount of money? What creates the most referrals? What do I enjoy? What requires a ton of energy and I don't like? What requires too much owner involvement?
What could I scale to be even bigger? What do I dread? You could even really say, like, just because something helped you build your business does not mean you even have to keep it. It doesn't need to come with. It's not part of the package when you're your next level self. So sometimes something was just a bridge, and something t- sometimes you literally just gotta get a pruners out and say, you know, "What services don't I want?
What clients don't I want? What products don't I want? What venues don't I want? What marketing channels don't I want?" Like, if ticking and tocking doesn't feel good to you, fucking don't do it. If Instagram feels good, do that. Like, and but r- actually do it. Don't just say, "I'm gonna do Instagram," and then we're, like, half-ass doing it.
What do I stop doing? What do I sto- stop offering? What clients do I stop accepting? What marketing is actually producing nothing? And so, like, where is my ROI the height, highest? What does my energy feel best? When I expend energy, what feels best? Early stage businesses grow by adding, adding, adding. Mature businesses often grow by subtracting.
So your next level may be hiding underneath the shit you finally need to stop doing. So maybe before you're like, "I'll take over 2,000." But then you grow to a point that you go to three or go to 35 or go to five, whatever, like, those steps in the right direction feel that everything is kind of fitting in this little puzzle piece, and anything outside this is not
You are in the driver's seat. You can move your revenue goals to profit and life goals. So your early goal might have been a $200,000 business, but your next level is, "I want to pay myself 120,000 while working X amount and maintaining X margin." That's way more sophisticated. And instead of only tracking revenue, you know, start tracking profit, owner compensation, the hours you're putting in, your average booking, revenue per wedding, revenue per working weekend, like, labor percentages, and maybe even, like, profit per unit of stress.
Obviously, that's not a QuickBooks category, but it, it, it resonates. So eventually, revenue is not only the scorecard that matters. Another thing is maybe we focus on increasing our averages instead of increasing our volume. 10 more weddings always, like, used to look super sexy to me, but I would much rather have, like, the weddings that I have be worth, like, 1,500, $2,000 more apiece so that I have fewer clients, fewer people emailing me, fewer, you know, orders to put together and thought processes and design boards and all these things, and I'm just getting more revenue from less.
I would much rather have 20 averaging 10K.
Your next level may not require more clients. It may just require better economics per client, and there are so many ways to squeeze the juice out of your clients. And sometimes your role may need to change. And at first you're the florist, the salesperson, the delivery driver, the bucket watcher, the bookkeeper, the marketer, the buyer, the cleaner, the designer, customer service, and everything.
But maybe you step into, like, you're the creative director, you're the high-level sales, you're the important client relationships, you're the strategy, you're the brand vision, you're the person who teaches. Why the hell are you still washing every bucket at that point? Your next level requires you to just stop being the most useful employee in your own company.
And everything still needs you, you really haven't scaled your business. You've just gotten busier. And that really comes down to the... Then at that point, building a team around the life you want. Don't just hire because you need help. Ask, "What would having the right help..." I had help with my social media at different points, but it was more stressful, like, worrying that they were gonna get their shit done because they were always kind of, you know, like, had things going on personally, and then, you know, I...
It would be days that I would need this and it wasn't, and, and I totally get that. But, like, it was just, like, me worrying, so, like, that wasn't being helpful. So why would I do that? I would rather just not even post it than be worrying about it. So getting back your time in the right places. Maybe you want, like, your Friday nights are really low-key, your Sunday mornings are a little...
Oh, you actually can have a CEO day. You have a creative space. You have time with your kids. You have less production, less admin. Whatever it is, like, where do you need the help? And then protect the parts you love. If there are things like I love making bouquets. It's fun for me. Like, I really actually like making bouquets and I'm really fast at it.
But I don't really care if I make centerpieces or the personal flowers anymore. I can delegate that. But maybe you love something else. Maybe, like, an installation lights you up. May keep that. Maybe consultations are super fun, and if your business is so big and you outsource those, like, good for you. Like, you've grown.
The goal isn't remove yourself from everything. It is to remove yourself from the things that no longer need you or you no longer want to own. Your brand should evolve with you, and the business that you got with your first 3K wedding may not be the brand that you get with your first 30K. So stop maintaining things that just are not working.
But I hear people all say, "But, but, you know, like, why wouldn't I do this? This makes money. This makes money." Um, I have another masterminder like, "Why wouldn't I do like a $35 arrangement?" Because it's taking you away from a $3,000 wedding. Like, we should have minimums for people to take up your energy, and especially this woman's energy because this woman is a Energizer bunny that I just love to death and, like, I wish she saw her how I...
She saw herself how I see her 'cause she is like the Energizer bunny that I just know, like, big things are gonna happen, but she needs to open herself up. We all do. Like, if we're just bogged down in crap, how are we gonna, how are we gonna make this beautiful garden if we just have, like, a shit sandwich?
We gotta have, like, the right compost, the right fertilizer, the right sunlight, all of these right ingredients to make things, and if we just, like, all of a sudden let all this little shit, it's just, like, taking part of us. Just like when we get flowers in, and like hydrangeas, if you put a hydrangea in and leave all the leaves on, you put it, you proc- you know, you, you fresh cut it, put it in your water, all the things.
I take the leaves off because I'm putting the energy where it matters. You need to put the energy where it matters and where, honestly, it feels good. Creating space before you even know what to fill it in sometimes is necessary. I, I know that I've been like, I, I need some mental space because I'm coming up with next year's, uh, floral, um, you know, the business bouquets and branding, the floral rockstar retreat, the, um, installation rockstar workshop.
Like, I want... I... These are next level, and it takes mental energy to come up with all of these ideas 'cause I'm the designer. I'm putting together, like, a vision for a big event because they turn into open houses, or they turn into our, you know, retreat here on the farm, which was a big dinner. Like, I needed space for that, so I'm like, "Okay, I can't do a bunch of craziness."
So this is what that looks like. This is what that... A- and I had to go through, okay, how am I gonna create space? Because I, I love to fill it. It like... That's just how my brain works. But I'm like, "I need to pause 'cause I can't." And this was really interesting to me because so much of my identity was tied to busyness and tied to, um, you know, just being like a tornado and, like, I am the storm.
You know, like, that was my identity. And at this point, like, it was so funny 'cause one, one of my friends from, um, WIFA, which is Wedding International Professionals Association, like her and I were talking and I was talking about, like, wanting to cultivate more female friendships and all of that and... But it's...
And I said, "It's really hard to find someone that finds value in going out and snuggling goats and having bare feet in the grass and having things be slower and simpler, but then also wanna do luxury weddings or wanna do premium weddings or wanna make money." Like, and that's just my new identity, and my success has evolved so much that it's just that it- that's what it is now.
And I, I feel like that's not a step in the wrong direction. That's a step in the right direction because that's me, like, being in tune with myself and understanding what I need and an- acknowledging that. So I would love for you to really dive into what do you wanna keep, what do you wanna cut, what do you wanna change, and what do you wanna create?
Keep is what is already working and what feels good. Cut, what is profitable enough, draining, unnecessary, outdated, or no longer align. Change, what works c- what works but needs to operate differently. Raising our prices, changing the process, delegating something, creating boundaries. And then create, what is missing from your dream business?
A new offer, a better team, a CEO day so you just feel like a lo- more aligned CEO, different clients, more time off. And then build, like, this kind of just this is what I'm really wanting, and how can we move forward and step towards that every day? Because you deserve it. You de- bu- you deserve to have this kickass business that just, like, you wake up in the morning and you're like, "I am go- I am ready.
Let's go," and, "I am so fired up." And I- I've seen that exact thing. Like, I saw it today meeting with my mastermind girl. Like, she, she's fired up. Like, look at... This is what success looks like, and now it's gonna look even better, and I am so excited for that next stage for you whenever that comes. And I know I talk a ton about the Floral CEO Mastermind because I know how life changing it is, and I know that this is the support if you feel like you are spinning your wheels, if you feel like yet another year has gone the same way, or you've bought another course and not done it, or you need the accountability to get a little kick in the ass.
You need somebody that's gonna figure out what's broken. The Floral CEO Mastermind is that place. Go check out floralceo.com/mastermind or check out the show notes. It is a game changer, and it is not that far away from a new year and potentially a new, more profitable you. So thank you for listening, flower friends, and you have an amazing flower-filled day