Hi there, it’s quarter time!

3 months into my little business and I thought it was time for me to get on the blog bandwagon and share a thing or two.  Forgive me if I am not overly interesting or succinct, blog writing is not really my strongest point.

I thought I would share with you how The Petal Provedore came to be.  Where I have come from and what inspired me to become a florist and a small business owner.

In high school, I couldn’t decide what career path I should take.  Should I do a floristry apprenticeship, or should I go to university and study science.  Hmmmm, you’d think the answer would be clear on that one.  So, of course I went to uni and did a Bachelor of Applied Science.  My studies focused on Intellectual Disabilities and I spent the next 20 something years in the disability sector.  A profession I loved and I had the privilege of working alongside some fabulous people.

But, as anyone who has worked in a similar industry will understand, I grew weary of it.  I needed a change and a creative outlet.  A wise husband of mine mentioned that I should revisit the idea from high school of becoming a florist.  I thought about it for months, did some research and decided he may be onto something.

I have always loved flowers and plants.  I was constantly ‘harvesting’ blooms from my Mum’s garden (no matter how often I was told not to) and making arrangements for my room.  I made my own wedding bouquet just because I wanted to. I would spend a fortune on flowers for the house and loved trying out new ways of styling them. I think I have always been a florist at heart, I just went in a different direction for a while.

Fast forward a couple of years and with a Cert 3 in Floristry to hang alongside by Bachelor (thanks Box Hill TAFE), some fabulous experience under my wing and a passion for what I do, I was ready to go.

The decision to be an online store over having a retail premises was easy.  Starting a business from scratch is expensive and there is a certain amount of risk involved, especially in retail.  I wanted to start small and build up slowly.  One day, a retail space will come along that is perfect for me, but for now I am content with my studio.  It has everything I need and with so many purchases being made on line these days, an online shop is a necessity anyway.

So, at quarter time (the end of my first 3 months in business), I am thrilled with how everything is coming together.  There have been a few moments where I have questioned why I decided to do this, but these moments have been few and far between.  I am so happy to be doing what I love every day and I am so appreciative of all my lovely customers, my suppliers, my technical support angel, my photographer and all of my friends and family.  Happy Days.

See you soon

Kelli xx