Sowing seeds of business success: creating your one-page business plan for your flower farm

Photo by Unseen Studio on Unsplash

As a flower grower, your passion likely lies in growing and sharing your flowers. The idea of creating a formal business plan may seem daunting. But here's the thing, a well-crafted short and simple business plan without lots of jargon can be fun to create and so much more useful.

In fact, in the Floral Business Activator we use flowering version of a lean business canvas that creates a business plan on just one-page. This helps our members to turn their passion into thriving businesses. 

This is the kind of  business plan that allows you to map out your goals, strategies, and action steps for success without getting bogged down in too much detail yet provides a clear roadmap for your decision making. 

The power of a simple business plan

A solid business plan gives you:

• Clarity of focus: with clear articulation of what success in your business looks like, the customer you will serve and the difference you want to make in the world through your business.

• A point of difference: by knowing your strengths and understanding your customers intimately gives you an advantage to tap into opportunities for growth and stand apart from other floral

• Plan for profitability: knowing your costs and your revenue goals gives you foresight to create a viable and profitable business you can sustain

• A path to partnership: whether you're seeking funding, partnerships, or simply buy-in from your family, a well-crafted business plan demonstrates your commitment and professionalism, increasing your chances of securing the support you need.

The real power of a business plan is the process of thinking through the principles and practices that turn your ambitions and ideas into reality. The best business planning puts the customer at the heart of your business so you can focus on delivering value for them that will drive up demand and stop you wasting time, energy and money on things that don’t matter. 

Yet it’s easy to get stuck knowing what to include in your business plan and understanding all the jargon.  Here are some explanations and questions that might help you create your own simple but powerful business plan.

Key components of your floral business plan

As you read through these components, think about how they apply to your unique flower growing business. How would you answer these questions?

1. Value Proposition = what makes your flowers special. What unique benefits do your flowers offer that will make customers choose you?

2. Customer Segments = who buys (or will buy) your flowers. Who are the specific people that will value your flowers enough to pay a price that’s profitable for you?

3. Channels to Market = how your flowers will reach your customers. What methods will you use to sell and deliver your flowers to customers?

4. Customer Relationships = what will connect you and your customers. What kind of experience do you want your customers to have when they interact with your business?

5. Revenue Streams = how you will make money. What are the different ways you can generate income in your business?

6. Key Resources = what you need to operate your business. What are the most important things or skills you must have for your flower business to succeed?

7. Key Activities = the crucial tasks necessary.  What are the essential activities you need to make happen to deliver your products and services?

8. Key Partners = people who help you succeed. What individuals or businesses are needed to make your business strong and supported?

9. Cost Structure = what you spend money on. What are the main expenses you'll have in running your flower business?

By answering these straightforward questions, you’ll be on your way to creating a practical plan for your business. Your answers to these questions can be brief - even just a few words or a short sentence for each will start to build a clear picture of how your flower business will operate and thrive. 

A real-example of how a neighbour flower farmer might write a simple business plan.

What makes your flowers special - My flowers are garden-grown with every bouquet containing flowers that smell great and look good because I include herbs and other fragrant flowers and arrange them stylishly so people can unwrap the bouquet and drop them straight into a vase.

Who buys your flowers - my customers are local ladies who love to brighten up their homes with a bunch of flowers each week. My customers appreciate that their flowers are grown locally and want to support a tiny business in the neighbourhood

How your flowers will reach your customers - my flowers will be available to my customers from our garden gate stand and delivered to their homes as part of a weekly flower subscription.

What will connect me and my customers -  I will connect with my customers by sharing stories about how and what I grow on the local community Facebook page plus people will have the chance to sign up to my weekly text message where I will let them know what’s happening and what flowers are available.

How I will make money - I will make money by selling ready-made bouquets for people to buy plus bouquets made to order. Other revenue streams will be my open garden days when people can come visit and pick their own flowers and run flower arranging parties for people in their own homes. 

What I need to operate my business - I need dedicated growing space plus seeds, bulbs and growing equipment. I will also need to train in bouquet making, using the online design programme to create marketing materials plus materials to wrap and present the bouquets. 

To most crucial tasks that need to be prioritised - I will need to grow flowers productively with a succession of flowers across the season, market my flowers profitably and present my flowers beautifully. 

The people who will help me succeed most - I need the support of my family, friends and people in my local community to make my business successful. Also, I need to work with other growers in case I need a back-up of flowers to satisfy demand and fulfil orders. 

What I need to spend money on = seeds, growing materials and tools, bouquets packaging and flower stall. I will reinvest my profits to purchase a small greenhouse, get a simple website built and pay for a few professional photographs. 

Getting started with your own plan

You see, business planning can be simple and powerful just by answering a few questions and getting clear on what’s important to the success of your business. This will be enough to get you going and guide you on an ongoing basis, although over time you’ll have more experience and information to make your business plan more specific with detailed financial plans, growing calendars and promotional schedules. 

The best bit about any business planning is that you start with these key questions, the answers to which will evolve over time as you figure out what works best for you. 

Ready to start your own flower business plan? Take a few minutes to jot down your initial thoughts using the questions above. 

Written by: Julie Treanor: Owner of The Pickery and co-creator of The Floral Business Activator.

Who loves the whole process of planning as it allows think deeply about her business and turn her ideas into reality

Follow Julie on Instagram @thepickery