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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.
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Turn your passion for flowers into the six-figure floral business you deserve—one episode at a time.
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Hello flower friends. Today I wanna talk about the gram, social media, uh, because I received a bunch of inquiries, uh, and in the source, and so if you don't have a source on your inquiry form, I think it's really insightful to understand. Uh, 'cause I also had my first inquiry that said Claude, so actually AI had told them that I was a good solution.
But beautiful work and posting that beautiful work definitely gets attention. I mean, like, somebody looks at a beautiful picture and goes, "Oh." But in the world of AI, I think that, like, people are looking beyond images. I don't know how many times I look now on Instagram or, you know, Pinterest or whatever, and I'm, I'm, like, questioning, "Is this real?"
And a brand now is evolving more than ever for people searching to trust them. They're searching of why they should do business with them. They're searching for, like, that wh- why choose this person? And part of a social strategy, part of a marketing strategy in general, is really building a way that you can deliver little trust nuggets along the way.
You can have an incredible portfolio and still have super inconsistent inquiries, low quality leads. You could h- also have poor website conversion, no referral pipeline, people constantly price shopping you. Because marketing has to do more than just showing the finished centerpiece or the finished installation.
Marketing is telling the whole story of from somebody initially getting eyeballs on your content down to, like, we're converting them into a customer. So, you can be the most talented florist in your market and still not have a full calendar, 'cause pretty flowers are really just a product. They are not a bonafide marketing strategy.
That, i- if you really think about that, we focus so much on the pretty flowers. The pretty flowers are what everybody thinks their marketing strategy is, and I do feel like pretty flowers are definitely a necessary component in this. But there's so many more layers. And, uh, really pretty flowers, I, I, I mean, they only answer one question.
Like, can you make beautiful flowers? But a potential client also needs to know, are you the right fit for my wedding? Can I trust you? What is it like to work with you? Are you experienced? Can you handle my venue? Can you execute something this complicated? What does this cost? How do I even hire you? If your marketing only answers to the first question, can I make pretty flowers, there is a massive gap.
Your client needs more than proof that you can design flowers. They need proof that you can deliver the experience. So, instead of only posting, "I loved this centerpiece," talk about what the client wanted, the problem you were solving, why you chose this design, how it changed the room, how you repurposed something, how you maximized their budget, how the entire experience came together.
That moves you from flower maker to expert. So let me give you an example. Uh, I had a couple, uh, that just got married, and they had, um, hired me for also some d- design components. And they really, like initially came out with the dark and moody jewel tones, and it kind of involved... I actually went thr- with to their linen appointment and started kind of walking through this path because their dress colors were peacock teal.
You guys, peacock. I, I don't know when that's gonna go away. Not soon enough, in my opinion. But we kind of paired that together with plum and, like, a champagne, and it... for especially 'cause they were an older couple, it, like, just felt really elevated. But when I started going in to initially talk to them, I wanted to know about them.
Like, I wanted to know about what was really important, the feel and how they wanted things to really come together, and how they, they wanted, like, the vibe of their event to really be. Uh, we didn't talk a ton about budget because they were like, "We really care about the flowers and the experience." And they actually shared, which is really interesting to think about this, like what is important And kind of the vibe of the relationship they wanted to have with their vendor.
The vibe of the person and how they do business, what's important to them, their kind of guiding principles on even how they will make the day feel. So people are curating and leaning into wanting a specific feeling, that many people can make the same flowers, but not many people can make them feel confident that the flowers are going to be exactly what they want, and reassure them based on, like, just talking about the, the textures and the design, and then layer that in with me being an expert at their venue, and me wanting to curate all of their, their whole day coming together.
Like, those layers of positioning really can kind of fold into, uh, all these little check boxes of you're the right person for them. You want little yeses along the way any time you can. So let's just say another, um, I did a, for the Installation Rockstar workshop that was, um, like two Marches ago, we had an orange slice theme.
And I submitted it for publication, and it just kind of opened my eyes again, like, how a magazine talks about the, you know, images in such a way that just makes you, like, kind of transported into, like, that experience I- it even talked about, like, when you walked into the room, all the orange slices hanging from the, um, ceiling.
I had a huge orange slice, um, installation. Like, when you walked in, like, you just smelt, smell... The smell of oranges, like, just kind of was wafting in a... I mean, they said it very, very fluffy and c- and beautiful, obviously. Like, it just enveloped the room. And they talked about, like, the bold black accents made, you know, for modern what- whatever touches.
But, like, talk about your client. Like, "You know, I just absolutely loved working with, you know, blah blah blah and blah blah blah. They, um, are, you know, absolutely in love with blue flowers, and I scoured the earth for whatever." Or, like, that couple specifically, uh, if I posted about their wedding, she of course loves café au lait dahlias, 'cause, you know guys, who doesn't love a café au lait dahlia?
And I tried to make sure that she understood that this was a unicorn flower for a August 1st wedding, and I... She was just like, of course, 'cause she doesn't understand, so I always put myself in my client's shoes. Like, she doesn't understand that it is a unicorn flower. She doesn't understand that the heat has basically stunted dahlia growth in Minnesota.
Like, there's just all these things that she just doesn't understand. So how can I, you know, like, just kinda roll with the punches, but how can I show her that I'm trying? And I actually sent her on Instagram a pic- a, a video of a dahlia field. I went to a local dahlia farmer. I reached out to three different wholesalers, and in the end, I did have dahlias, the café au lait dahlias.
Not in the volume, of course, that I wanted, but, like, I can talk about, like, that story of me going the extra mile for this client. And when somebody reads that, and they're like, "Oh my God." You know, I, I could say, "I reached out to four different wholesalers, a local growers' co-op, a local flower farmer, and I personally went, and one of my helpers went, to two other dahlia farms."
I mean, like, how is that not selling a story that I'm gonna go the extra mile for you? I'm gonna make sure that I try. I- if, if it's possible, I will figure it out. And not that we want to, of course, develop like that we're just running and chasing fucking Cafe Le Dollys everywhere, but just the thoughtfulness.
Like maybe somebody's design board, like just right when I saw their Pinterest board, I was so inspired to, um, you know, for this design that I had been saving in m- and, you know, we kind of took these really modern, um, bowls and I don't know, whatever, like sell why you made those choices. You have so much thought and so much like processing when we're going into a design, but we never share any of those details.
We don't share the behind the scenes like on how we scoured the earth for these or where the flowers came from, or if you grew them yourself, share that. And then talk about like what the client wanted, what problem you solved, like something you a- overcame that day or something you overcame that week, how it changed the room, how, you know, something just like sell that you are a action-taking, problem-solving solution maker and become that flower expert, not just somebody who makes pretty flowers.
Then market your, uh, marketing really needs a personality. There could be 20 talented florists within driving distance, but why you? Your marketing should be this inside lens to your experience, your personality, your philosophy, your values, your design opinions, your expertise, and your process. The flowers might look similar, but the experience of working you, with you isn't Then using education in marketing.
I don't know if you guys have noticed, but carousels educating people about the wedding flower process are really performing well right now. So teach people things. For example, $5,000 versus $10,000 gets you what? When couples should book. Where floral budgets create the most impact. Why installation labor cost money.
What full service floral design looks like. What to prioritize when a budget is limited. Teaching builds authority. Then layer in trust and marketing, testimonials, Google reviews, behind the scenes, vendor relationships, publications, showing yourself on site, showing installation work, showing your team.
People want reassurance that their flowers will not become another thing that they need to manage. They want a floral ninja. Y- they want the floral CEO that you are to show up and handle things. So pretty creates desire, but trust creates a sale Then your work need, really needs context. One of my favorite angles that I really love is selling a story.
I, I... There was this, um, uh, this wedding that I'm doing this weekend actually, and I'm the, the designer/planner. Like, this floral palette, or this palette in general, changes three times, you guys. Three times. And I, like, think it's nonsense, personally. But the planner went in and spun this web of that it's like from sunrise to sunset, and that these colors are transitioning.
And I saw these people, like, become a puddle of bought into this crazy fucking idea that was costing them a ton more money. So a gorgeous centerpiece posted without context is just a gorgeous centerpiece. A gorgeous centerpiece paired with, "This wedding had 300 guests, a super tight window for setup, and the couple wanted the room to feel lush without putting a massive arrangement on every table.
Here's how we designed around that." Now you're demonstrating expertise. You're demonstrating, like, you're a solution provider, because a limited window happens at a lot of venues. Somebody wanting a really, you know, lush feel to their, their event, also, you know, something that people want. So you can tell a story and then sh- start showing social proof that here I am out busting out, like, 300 guest weddings by showing a beautiful centerpiece.
You have to actually tell people what you sell. Florists sometimes market like everybody already knows what they do. So when you say, "We offer full service wedding floral design. We specialize in large installations. We are booking 2027 weddings. Our minimum s- is X. We offer a la carte for smaller celebrations.
Here's how to inquire." You are not being salesy by making it easy for people to buy from you. Like, they, they wanna hit the easy button. It's too much is complicated. Let's hit the easy button. Here's how to work with me. Bam. All right. Marketing also really needs repetition. You have seen your own content 500 million times, and so you're tired of it, but your prospective client has not.
Keep repeating what you do, who you help, where you work, what makes you different, how to inquire. You do not need a brand-new message every day Like, we always think that I'm gonna sound really lame 'cause I'm saying the same thing. Y- y- you can say the same thing because for one, only 3% of your feed is getting seen, you know, by your actual followers.
But for two, like, sometimes it takes that much time for somebody to soak it in. All right. So go and look at the last nine Instagram posts you did. So go look at your grid, girl. How many are simply pictures of flowers? And how many teach something, build trust, tell a story, show personality, explain your process, explain an objection, invite someone to inquire?
That makes this so much more meaty when you're actually showing, like, "Look at me, look what I can do, look at my thought process, look at how my brain works, look at how I can help you." And it's so much more actionable than just going, "Here is my pretty centerpiece. Do you like it?" So let's flip the switch, flower friends, from pretty centerpieces to pretty stories that tell why you are the floral CEO that they need to hire.
You can say your marketing needs to do four things. Show, teach, connect, and invite Show is show your beautiful work. Teach is demonstrate your expertise. Connect, let people know you and trust you. And then invite them in. Tell them how to take the next steps. Pretty flowers are the only the showpiece.
Pretty flowers are content. They are not an entire strategy. Beautiful work gets attention, but trust inevitably gets the bookings. I hope you can just look at your, your last nine posts and see where those holes are. And if you need help and you need support, the Floral CEO Mastermind is diving into Instagram str- strategy, how to create a sales engine with your social media.
And actually, this Wednesday is when it starts. So there's still time, and you can always catch the recording. I would love to help you build a business that is just this, like, sales engine that just keeps on going for you. Go check out floralceo.com/mastermind. Um, that is floralceo.com/mastermind. Thank you so much for listening, flower friends, and you have an amazing flower-filled day