Business Planning for Flower Farms: Making a Market

The 4th step in our successful business plan process is the one that we as producers and growers may feel least in control of, but there are several planning stages and objective steps you can accomplish. Today I’m talking about Making a Market for your Business Plan. 

This thinking might feel backward, because who would start a business without a confirmed market?! Don’t we have the cart before the horse? Well essentially, traditionally, yes we do… but for this industry, where we know that imported flowers hold such a large share of the market, local producers have a leg up in several  ways. 

If you take time to learn to grow with excellence and consistency, understand industry standards, research the existing local markets/buyers, your ability to provide fresh, specialty cuts to your community will make your business shine. 

So my first advice to making a market for your plan is: join your local wholesaler’s market as a customer. This will give you access to see how flowers look when professionally bunched (take notes and visit multiple times!). When you visit, observe standard stem counts and bunch sizes (stem length *and* bunch heft). Look at how much foliage is removed, what colors are most popular, kind of packaging/wrapping is standard, how they’re organized, what their prices are, what sorts of products are available, and also which are lacking. Being a member means that you can also purchase flowers for designs out of you own growing season, and gives you a chance to see imported or shipped flowers’ vase life. This kind of research is so important, and taking the time to do it will pay off as you start packaging your own stems.

My next advice is: swallow your fear and make appointments to talk with local florists and/or grocery buyers that you’d like to market too. Don’t drop in with buckets of flowers, because these professionals are very busy and their time is precious. I suggest walking in, and if it’s not a busy shop time, explain who you are and ask to make a 15-minute appointment that works for them. Perhaps offer to bring them a coffee, and plan ahead for what you’ll say. At the appointment, explain that you’re a grower who is just getting started and would like to know if there are 1. products they either can’t get easily or 2. that they wish they could receive fresher. This first appointment is the first step to essential relationship-building, and should be short and sweet. Show up on time and stick to your schedule. Don’t bring tons of flowers to wow them – just meet, share your heart, gather info, and ask how you can contact them when you want to offer them product. If you’ve done your research, you should know how your stems compare with those available from local wholesalers, and your followups with them can include that info, good photos of your product, pricing, and availability.

If your main market is retail sales and not wholesaling, spend time the season before you plan to sell visiting the farmer’s markets or other roadside stands in your area and go through the same process (and definitely purchase some of their flowers while you’re visiting!). Copying someone else isn’t the key, rather building a business that is uniquely you is a ticket to success. Building relationships and a community around your unique brand, where YOU are the face of your business and you are telling your unique story is powerful. That said, knowing what your community expects as far as standards, sizes, pricing, etc. is very valuable.

When I first started implementing this process, I know in my business plan that to meet my goals I needed to sell 500 bunches of 5-stem sunflowers to a grocer or florist each month. I met with buyers until I had enough of them lined up to meet that goal, I planted for them, and delivered on time. I feel certain I wouldn’t have had the fortitude to KEEP talking to buyers that season without my goal in mind. We still use these processes in micro-plans and global plans at the farm, and they propel us to success year after year. There’s so much creativity required in marketing, packaging, mixing flowers, planting successions (more on that in step 5), etc., and that personalization makes each business unique from the next.

I hope you’re inspired to set specific goals, back out your planning, and chase your market until you realize your goals!