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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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Hello flower friends. I was listening to a Gary Vee and Mel Robbins podcast this weekend while I was out doing chores and working on the farm a bit, and it was like an hour long episode, but the biggest message out of it was how we really are all the time talking ourself out of doing things for a million different reasons.
And one of the biggest things that they talked about is that, you know, so many people, uh, and obviously this is something that I've talked about, um, kind of a lot as well, is that so many people let what happened to them, or how they grew up, or what something their parents... You know, how their parents raised them, um, all of, you know, the stories around growing up and how they grew up, and that it wasn't what they thought they should have, or something terrible happened.
And, you know, all of those things that happened in the past are holding them back because those are the excuses that we are making for ourself to justify not moving forward. And, you know, I, I think that this is something that I constantly hear in coaching, but it's usually centered around, you know, "I have my kids right now and I can't do something because of, you know, having my children."
And, um, you know, one that I've heard often, and the reason why I know that I, I feel like that is a story you're telling yourself is, "I have ADHD, and ADHD, um, basically makes it impossible for me to do anything." I have ADHD and I accomplish a shitload of stuff. I know many people that use ADHD as a superpower.
But it is really easy when taking the next step, doing something big, it's really easy to tell yourself That when something feels uncomfortable, when something doesn't feel safe, which we crave safety, that "I can't do this because..." And we keep constantly talking ourself out of things. So some examples in the floral world is, you know, "I can't raise my prices because people will stop booking me.
I can't reach out to this planner because they probably already have a florist. I can't reach... I can't post, um, this because people will think," and I've actually... I've heard this one, "Who am I to be bragging?" Or, "Who am I to be posting these things? Who am I to be bigger or acting bigger than I am? I can't launch something because nobody will buy it.
I'm not experienced enough. Um, my market doesn't support it." I have also heard this, "I am too old. I am too new. There are already too many florists. My market is saturated. I don't have enough followers. I need a better website first." Did you hear that? First. And the question becomes, is that true, or is this a story?
Your brain is constantly trying to protect you from rejection, embarrassment, failure, judgment, discomfort, all the things that don't feel good. And that is totally, you know, logical 'cause our body is... wants to protect itself, so it creates reasons not to move, and some of those reasons, you guys, are incredibly logical.
Um, that is what makes them so dangerous because it is so logical when we, like, step back and think about it. Um, things like, "I should wait until wedding season is over. I should probably redo my branding before I do anything. I need more portfolio images. I should take another course. I need, um, to research it more.
I better ask ChatGPT." Sometimes those things are legitimate, but sometimes they are just very sophisticated procrastination. Fear gets really creative when it wants you to stay exactly where you are. So one thing that I think really helps is when we, uh, separate as much as possible fact from our stories.
So one concept, I sent a proposal, and I have actually had this happen with a coaching client. I sent a proposal three days ago, and they have not responded, and that florist was telling themself that they hated the proposal, they were out of their budget, they found somebody better, the- they didn't like me, you know what, I- I mean, just all the things.
But only one of those things probably is actually true. Um, maybe you were too expensive, but here's the thing that probably is true. They probably haven't had a chance to look at it, and that's what actually was true in this case. So I, I was like, "Did you follow up with them?" "No." "Well, what? We need to follow up with them."
Like, it is our job to sell people, and people get busy, and it's our job to just be like, "Hey, hey, hey," until, like, it doesn't feel good or it doesn't make sense anymore. Because people are busy. That is just a, a fact, especially somebody planning a wedding. That's super busy. And also, the threshold often of the younger generation, like, they don't manage busy like millennials and beyond.
So like, they could have a very, just a few things happen, and then it just fell through the cracks. So you need to follow up. They, they don't necessarily think that you suck. They might not have even looked at it. All right. Another thing, like, maybe you met a planner once, and that planner has never referred you anything, and you're telling yourself, "She didn't like me."
Maybe she has never even thought, like, of sending somebody to you. Maybe that's more logical to think. Or you could be saying, "Maybe she already has a florist and she's not looking for anybody else." They, you never know when a relationship is going to change. Th- I actually had a planner that I always got bigger budget weddings with, and she kind of fell in love with another florist for a while.
But that florist sold her business and moved to the, another country, and then I have done some weddings with her now. Like, but I had to be like, "Hi," and wait a little bit, "Hi," wait a little bit, "Hi, would love to work with you." Like, you have to be, like, in front of people to get them to think of you, and you might be the perfect fit for a certain client that they get booked with.
You never know. So we need to stop predicting other people's decisions for them. Florists constantly do this because we start thinking, "They won't pay for that." How do you know? Do, how do we know they won't pay for it? "That planner won't respond." How do you know? "That client won't pay that much or that upgrade to that," or, "They told me their budget was 5,000 and I, my estimate is at 10."
How do you know? "People are, in my market don't spend $10,000 on flowers." How do you actually know that? You're making their decision for them before you even give them the opportunity. Stop saying no on behalf of people who haven't even been asked yet. Your job is to make the offer. Their job is to decide And I really want you to notice how much money these stories are costing you.
If you're telling yourself the story that no one will pay that, so you undercharge every wedding by f- five hundred bucks. Maybe you don't charge as much for delivery, maybe you... Whatever. 20 weddings later, that is $10,000, you guys. If you're saying, "I don't wanna bother them or seem like a pest," so you never follow up.
Like, maybe they seriously missed your email, and so now they think, like, you didn't follow up with them. So you, you, you need to stop telling yourself these stories like planners already have their people. Um, or maybe like, "I hate being on camera," so nobody gets to know who you are. "I'm not ready for bigger weddings," so you keep marketing small ones.
Some of your limiting beliefs have invoices attached to them, and those invoices are expensive. They are costing you so much money. So if you have beliefs, "My market is cheap," your brain will notice every cheap inquiry. If you believe nobody is booking right now, you will notice every florist that's complaining about things being slow.
"Instagram doesn't work anymore," you will collect evidence supporting it. But somebody else in your market is, is probably booking that 15K wedding. Your brain is an incredible lawyer, and you're giving it the belief, and it will start building the case. What if you made it build the case for what you want instead?
So let's ask ourself, "What if nobody buys? What if somebody does? What if they think I'm expensive?" To, "What if they're, they've been looking for exactly this?" Instead of saying, "What if I fail?" Ask, "What happens if this works," you guys Instead of, "Who am I to do this?" Why not you? Why not? And instead of, "I don't know how," what is the next thing that I need to learn?
Your current identity will protect the shit out of itself. So when you are becoming someone different, a florist who charges more, a florist who says no, a florist who is visible, who people actually know who they are, a florist who leads a team, a florist who books 20K weddings, a florist who teaches, a florist who owns the room, and then your old identity starts to say, "Who the hell do you think you are?"
Growth often feels super uncomfortable, you guys, because your new identity is asking your old identity to give up control, and that is scary sometimes. So stop rehearsing failure. People, like, mentally rehearse this all the time. "What if I screw up? What if nobody comes? What if I launch and nobody buys?
What if somebody hates my fucking logo?" And they rehearse failure 100 times before things even get started.
If we are going to make shit up anyways, why are we not making shit up that is way cooler? Like, what if this works? What if this planner loves me? What if you raise your prices and people still book? What if your offer sells out? What if things just worked out? And then if you are, like, really trying to dig in, like, where is this behavior coming from?
Uh, think of things that, like, you are, you keep avoiding. And then really ask, what am I really telling myself about, uh, you know, about myself that I keep doing this? Is this really actually true? What evidence do I have that actually supports this? What else could be true? What would I do if I didn't believe that story?
What would I do if I didn't believe this story? What if I believed that this new story, that things did work out? Could that answer be I would raise my prices, I would email that planner, I would do that workshop, I would post that reel, I would apply, I would hire somebody? Whatever. So really you need to dive into, like, noticing the behavior, questioning the behavior, rewriting the behavior, and taking action So noticing is what story am I telling myself?
And then asking yourself, is it true? What are the actual facts to support that? What else could be true if you rewrote that story What else could be true? And then taking action. What would I do next if I wasn't believing this old story?
So if you have had this story, "I'm too expensive," maybe you are finally appropriately priced. "My market won't pay this." Maybe your current audience won't, but you are gonna find a new one that does I need more followers. Maybe you need to better trust with the followers you already have. Planners don't want to hear from me.
Maybe one is currently looking for a florist exactly like you. I need a better portfolio first. Maybe you need to show the best work you already have I'm not good at sales. Maybe you haven't practiced sales enough, and now is the time. I'm overwhelmed. Maybe you're trying to do too many things instead of the right things.
Stop saying no on behalf of people who haven't even been asked yet. Your job is to make the offer, their job is to decide. But we need to stop telling ourselves the stories that are holding us back. I mean, you guys, there's so many stories I could be telling myself, and if you've been a longtime listener, you've heard all of them.
Like, I'm not good at this. I'm not good enough. I'm... You know, like... But if you change your story... When we bought the farm and I got all these animals, I had so many people who were like, "What... How do you even know about how to do this?" They're like, "Have you had alpacas before?" No, I haven't. But you know what?
I fucking figure it out, because I believe in myself so much, that whatever is in my way, I will figure it out. It doesn't matter what it is. It could be a... Like my little sheep, um, right now, Theodore, is really sick, and I'm getting to a point that I can look at an animal and tell it's not feeling good, you guys.
Like, I am... I swear to God, I am not Dr. Dolittle or whatever that is, Dr. Dolittle, the, the vet whatever, whisperer. But, like, I can look at my animals 'cause I know them so well, and I can tell, like, when one doesn't feel good. And I have figured out how to give shots. I have figured out how to, um, check temperatures in the weirdest places, you guys.
I'm telling you, it's, like, been an experience, 'cause I checked my little lamb's butt temp twice today. But you know what? Like, I am learning every day and nothing scares me, because I am not telling myself a story that I can't do this. And I could. I could tell myself a lot of stories that, like, I am... This is too much for me.
You know, I, I... You know, all these animals are getting... are sick and, you know, I'm doing something wrong. I know I'm not doing anything wrong. I know I'm doing all the right things because I trust the people who are helping me care for the animals to tell me if I am doing something wrong. And I can't change the weather, weather shifts which caused him to get pneumonia right now.
All I can do is be a really good sheep mom or alpaca mom. And I, I... My opening line to the vet, 'cause I knew my baby alpaca was not feeling well, I said, "I'm not being a crazy alpaca mom, but- And I knew I wasn't. And the thing is, I didn't even care if they came out and for some reason something wasn't because I w- in my heart I knew I was doing the right thing.
But a lot of times people just tell themself a story and they don't even get up to bat. Like, they don't even try. I have been offering designing weddings now. I'm a florist, you guys. I have helped people design their wedding's aesthetic. Like, I am not in my own lane, but I am not scared to not be in my own lane because I believe in myself.
I'm not telling myself any stories that I have ADHD, so I can't do this. I had parents who were abusive, alcoholic, horrible people in so many ways, who did not raise me like how I should. Guess what? None of that can affect you because right now it's just my job to, to do what I wanna do, and to be the mother that I didn't have to my children.
We can all move on from the past and start asking ourself really great questions. Notice, what story am I telling myself? Question, is this true? What are the actual facts? What else could be true? And we start to rewrite the pattern, and then we take action. What would I do next if I wasn't believing this old story?
Thank you so much for listening, flower friends. I hope you have an amazing flower-filled day.