From an Invertebrate Biologist to a Floral Maven with Gina Thresher
Episode 146: Show Notes
Today on the podcast we have Gina Thresher. Gina is the founder of From the Ground Up Floral and she started out her journey, believe it or not, by pursuing marine biology, DIY’ing her own wedding and eventually turning into a very talented florist in her industry. In her own words, she makes kick-ass floral arrangements and we are talking more about her journey today. We are taking the idea outside of just the realm of a bouquet and really looking at it as a business and what she can add on.
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Inside this episode, we are talking about the transition of Gina’s hobby mindset to a business mindset and what it really looked like when she was chasing brides and chasing weddings and then finally realizing that she really needed to be paying attention to other pieces of her business. She shares with us some tactics and strategies she was able to pull from The Strategy Academy like figuring out what to do and when to do it to actually focus on your business holistically instead of just one tiny detail. We dive into everything from traveling the world to speak, workshops, educating other florists and everything in between. This will spark you with some ideas you can implement in your own business so you are not just focusing on one tiny detail.
Making a Drastic Career Pivot
For Gina, it all started when she decided to DIY her own wedding. She wanted to DIY everything, including her invitations, which were hand-rolled pieces of paper in a message bottle to go with their beach theme. Of course, DIY’ing her wedding also included doing the floral arrangements. Although this is not what your typical bride should be worrying about on her wedding day, Gina definitely went about it the right way. She made sure she knew what she was doing first by taking a very basic design course and she absolutely fell in love. Prior to this new revelation, Gina was in line to become a marine biologist so this has definitely changed the course of her career big time! From there, Gina pursued certification all across the globe and took it beyond the bouquet to actually going after an academic education.
Positioning Your Business in the Floral Design Industry
Within the floral design industry, Gina has seized every opportunity possible. Instead of just simply focusing on the design aspect, her next step is to transition into positioning herself as an educator in the industry. She believes in making things the way they should be made, so Gina aims to teach others how to create floral designs that last, truly stepping into a professional educator role. Her goal is to always provide something of value that is lasting and raises the bar for both teachers and students in the floral design industry.
From DIY Wedding to Full-Time Business
After word spread about how Gina DIY’d her own wedding, she started getting asked by people in her life to do their weddings as well. She slowly started taking on side jobs here and there, learning everything from how to write proposals and where to even get a reseller permit. To actually do her own wedding and bring all of the flowers to Oregon, Gina had to open up a wholesale account. In a way, she sort of accidentally incorporated herself and got a business license just to be able to get wholesale flowers and that’s how her sole proprietorship was born. She named her business Au Belle Fiore and eventually decided to do a total rebrand to what the company is called today, From the Ground Up Floral. She even had a branding party where she basically invited her friends over and brainstormed new names for her business.
Integrating Education Into a Service-Based Business
During the past few years since rebranding her company, Gina has really been focused on gaining the qualification and skills to be an educator on top of offering kick-ass floral designs and amazing styled shoots. This makes for an incredible chaotic schedule. On top of that, Gina has also started taking on speaking gigs and hosting workshops for her audience and clients. She absolutely strives to be more than just a product or a service but to really use her skills to help others, find the right strategies to balance each aspect of her business and capitalize on exactly where her strengths lie. This includes opening up the B2B side of her business, serving others in her industry and giving them the tools they need to build a successful business. Using that education piece is a great way for Gina to open up a passive income stream for her business, giving her that extra edge and positioning her as a leader within the floral design industry.
Investing in the Strategy Academy
According to Gina, she was one of those really weird, off-the-wall people who did not know much about TCC before she got started with the Strategy Academy. She stumbled upon us from the podcast and decided to sign up for Strategy Academy with the goal of figuring out more of a linear way to get things done and implementing it stage by stage in her business. Being able to find your minimum viable product is absolutely invaluable in a business to just getting started and finding your ideal market niche. For Gina, having the next step in front of you clearly laid out with a supportive network built around you is key. She always keeps her ear to the ground for what else she can be providing for her clients because, after all, it is not all about chasing around brides every day. Instead, it is about finding ways to bring in extra revenue streams without actually working harder. An example Gina used is offering boutonnieres for couples who are planning to elope and getting them to pick it up on their way! This is the perfect strategy to expand her market and create an extra cash stream without adding another heavy time burden to her schedule.
Quote This
I hate to use that word “beginner” because we all have to start somewhere.
—Gina Thresher
Highlights
Hear how Gina got started in the floral industry and the pivots she’s made over time. [0:04:45.1]
Establishing yourself as an educator within the floral design industry. [0:07:29.1]
How Gina’s business itself evolved from DIY hobby to full-time job. [0:09:52.1]
Understand why Gina decided to integrate workshops and education into her business. [0:14:20.1]
When Gina decided to invest in the Strategy Academy and the practices she was able to implement into her business. [0:17:12.1]
Learn how Gina is creating passive income streams in her business. [0:25:51.1]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:34:35.6]
Don’t be scared to do things — be fearless in business.
If your heart’s not in something, get out.
Find a way to transition into your purpose full-time — just do what you love.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Gina Thresher
Website | Instagram | Facebook
Hi, I am Gina. Well, Gina Thresher CFD AIFD. I have a floral problem. In the past 8 years, I have come to be a little obsessed with them. I can’t tell you I grew up picking daisies or in my grandmother’s garden. I was mostly a sciencey, play-in-the-dirt, travel the globe kinda kid. I was on track to be an invertebrate biologist. I did, however, fall madly in love with flowers in part when I said my vows to my now-husband. I found my calling and got married all in the same day. It was the best day ever! I had basic floristry training 8 years ago to undertake the ultimate job of my own wedding florals. I was a little nuts, to say the least. But, since then, I have traveled the country for workshops, symposiums, freelancing and other amazing floral opportunities. I achieved my national accreditation with the American Institute of Floral Designers and I am also a member of the prestigious group, Chapel Designers. I love designing everyday designs for that someone special or events in life but weddings are special and will always hold a spot in my heart. There is nothing better than seeing two people so in love say their vows to each other. I am a huge fan of the good ol' PNW. I support our local farmers and growers and source locally as much as I can. I chase around my two kiddos, adore my husband (he’s seriously amazing) and I love, I mean live on coffee. Live on coffee and flowers.
KEY TOPICS
Career pivots, Industry educator, Hobby to career, Integrating education, Strategy Academy, Passive income streams
WE MENTIONED
From the Ground Up Floral Podcast
