Blooming Profits: Conversations with Flower Farmers

Making strategic & smart flower farming decisions with Lennie Larkin (Flower Farming for Profit) - Part 2

This is part 2 of my interview with Lennie where we talk high level how we can set ourselves up for profitable flower farming. Here are some of the topics we cover:
Marketing for year 0 flower farm
Advice for the flower farmer who is maxing out at years 2-4
What profit margin you can realistically expect when you have hired help
Recommended % of time to spend on marketing
#1 piece of advice for new flower farmers
Link to Youtube Interview with visuals here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYWg2F9f_7I&t=300s
Follow Lennie at
Flower Farming for Profit: https://www.flowerfarmingforprofit.com/ - there are a ton of free resources for profitable flower farming
Instagram for Flower Farming for Profit: @flowerfarming.forprofit
B-Side Flowers Instagram: @b.side.farm.flowers
Other interviews with Lennie's that you'll enjoy:
Floral Brouhaha | Flower Farming for Profit with Lennie Larkin: https://www.botanicalbrouhaha.com/flo...
Growing for Market Growing a profitable flower farm with Lennie Larkin:    • Growing a profitable flower farm with...  
Dirt on Flowers | 5 Keys to Profit with Lennie Larkin: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast...
Want to support me in making more videos like this? Join my Patreon! For less than a fancy cup of coffee a month ($5), you’ll also unlock access to gated articles for even more valuable content.
Looking for a reliable, rugged, and remarkable focal that you can succession plant throughout the season? Lilies are the perfect crop. I'm selling lily, roselily, & callas in 25 and 50x on www.bareflowerfarm.com/shop/lily-bulbs

Tips for a successful farmstand with Lennie Larkin (Flower Farming for Profit) - Part 1

This is a longer interview split into two parts and this is Part 1!
I interviewed Lennie of B-Side Farm & Flower Farming for Profit to talk about how we can set flower farms up for long term success and we got down the rabbit hole of farm stands! We let the conversation go DEEP and I know this conversation will help you- whether you're looking to sell through a farmstand or a different outlet.
 
We cover the following topics:
Leasing a farmstand if you cannot have one on your property
Little things you can do to optimize your farmstand for success
Pricing/mark ups
Lennie also has a free resource on farmstand tips for anyone interested! https://bit.ly/3UfWdQe
Follow Lennie at
Flower Farming for Profit: https://www.flowerfarmingforprofit.com/ - there are a ton of free resources for profitable flower farming
Instagram for Flower Farming for Profit: @flowerfarming.forprofit
B-Side Flowers Instagram: @b.side.farm.flowers
You can find the video version of this interview with visuals at https://youtu.be/yO4CrQCCq4E 

Pop-Up Sales: Flower Farmer Makes $4.5k+ in 3 months

Robyn is a microgrower in MA. She took The Tulip Workshop to maximize her indoor growing space where she was able to grow over 5000 stems this winter. Without a website or a traditional sales outlet, she was able to move a majority of these stems through pop ups!
We talk in detail about how she approaches pop ups, realistic expectations and how a "hustle" mentality has led to a successful second season. I loved this conversation because Robyn has stayed true to herself - she leans into her strengths and does what works for HER. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed interviewing Robyn.
Link to Youtube interview here with visuals!
Sponsored details:
Looking to lily bulbs for a programmable and reliable focal? Shipping now! 
Want to support me in creating more content like this? Consider joining my Patreon where for $5 a month, you can gain access to more gated content that accompanies 

Daffodils & Tulips: Successes, Failures & Plans for 2025 (Youtube Live)

SOOOO much to talk about here with @jordonsflowerfarm. Lots of successes but also lots of failures and we won't shy away from discussing where we went wrong and how that impacts next year's plans.
Topics being covered:
Field grown tulips in a hot zone (Oklahoma)
General failure/attrition between field & hydroponically forced tulips
Sales strategy for moving an excess of tulips for Jordan
Selection of varieties for 2025 based on harvesting, storage & marketability
When you should be getting in your bulb order for 2025 & suppliers we buy from
Impact of shipping on bulb costs
To watch the videos, check out the Youtube Live version of this episode! 
 
Sponsored details:
Looking to lily bulbs for a programmable and reliable focal? Shipping now! https://www.bareflowerfarm.com/shop/lily-bulbs

How to stand out in a crowded flower market & bouquet design with Youtuber @FloristsonFarms

I sat down with Marie aka  @floristsonfarms  for a chat. We talk a bit about Marie's background, having grown up in the floral industry and how she ended up as a farmer florist. More importantly, she shares how her design skills help set her apart from a highly competitive floral market where floral prices can reach rock bottom.
For more content, check out the bareflowerfarm Youtube page 
Sponsored details:
Looking to lily bulbs for a programmable and reliable focal? Shipping now! https://www.bareflowerfarm.com/shop/lily-bulbs

Gambles we're taking on the farm now with growing & sales (Youtube Live)

This is going to be a really interesting conversation. I'm personally excited to catch up with Jordon because she is doing SO much especially in year 2, some of it quite high stakes when it comes to $ & time investment.
High level, we will be talking about:
1) Pushing the envelope when it comes to what we're seeding and experimenting growing wise
2) Crops we are "betting on" in 2024
3) New farmers market sales strategy (Jordon)
4) What scaling looks like in terms of high $ investments in personnel & services
 
Links Mentioned: Shop for wholesale lily bulbs in 25x & 50x quantities: https://www.bareflowerfarm.com/shop/lily-bulbs
For more content, check out the bareflowerfarm Youtube page 

Year 2 growth, expansion to CSA & flower holiday logistics with Brynhill Flower Farm

I catch up with Haley, a full year later after our first interview to talk about the following topics:
1) General expansion from year 1 to year 2, including how she more than doubled sales
2) Why she expanded into retail after launching with selling to wholesale only
3) Updates on her winter tulip forcing in year 2
This is less of an interview and more of two flower friends catching up. We hope you enjoy! You can find Haley at @Brynhillflowerfarm on Instagram!
 
Want to watch with visuals? Here's the link to the youtube video https://youtu.be/NkJ8VwEfK2k

Essential tips for selling flowers at farmer's markets: A deep dive (Youtube Live)

In this live, we switch gears, talking about selling retail but specifically at farmer's markets.
Jessie spent her first season selling at a local farmer's market and appeared as a guest in the 2023 season. Prior to, she had sold at dozens of markets for her other side hustle soap business.
Jordon also spent her first season at a popular farmer's market in OK.
We'll talk about what we learned, tips, pricing, set up and so much more! Hopefully by the end of this live, you'll feel more informed as to whether selling at a farmer's market is right for you, or if you've already signed up, you'll feel more confident that you'll kill it this upcoming season!
This will be a ~1 hr live where we will have a structured discussion, a quick fire section, and then open it up to more Q&A! Watch on Youtube via https://youtube.com/live/F5aDOqETBII

Talking flower farming business & profitability with Serina from You Can't Eat the Grass

This was such a fun interview with Serina from You Can't Eat the Grass! Serina and Ian have been a huge inspiration for me.
The algorithm fed me their content back in 2021 and I was hooked. This was when I didn't even realize flower farming was a "thing". Serina focuses many of her videos on the flowers and selling them, but we get into flower farming business and profitability topics like:
1) Her farmer's market vs farmstand revenue and future plans to increase sales
2) Building $20 bouquets and her process/evolution
3) Rethinking about profitable $20 bouquets by decreasing the number of stems, but still increasing the value of those stems left
4) Some ah-ha's in terms of specific varieties that she has come to realize are less profitable than one may assume
5) General plan for 2024 & beyond ($100k or bust) And much more!! A huge thank you to Serina for her generous time.
You can find them over at @YouCantEatTheGrass on Youtube.
 
Head on over to Youtube where we share this interview on the screen. Get an idea for Serina's farm scale, operations and some nifty drone shots at https://youtu.be/V31bdlBeRTU

Deep dive on selling to florists via cooperatives, collectives & direct shipping

In our 1st live, we spent all of our time primarily talking about the traditional route to selling to florists - delivering to them either through a bucket run or via an availability sheet. But ya'll were still interested in hearing more about my experiences selling to a cooperative (similar to a collective) and shipping to florists. So that's what we'll cover in this live.
This will be a ~1 hr live where we will have a structured discussion, a quick fire section, and then open it up to more Q&A! Want to see this on Youtube, including all of the visuals we show of Jessie's cooperative? Head on over to https://youtube.com/live/DHGjqIjl1CU