After 12 years in the wedding industry as a wedding photographer and hair and makeup artist, Lily Webb suddenly needed to pivot her career because of the pandemic.
“The restrictions on weddings made my business come to a halt,” Lily said. “After months of less and less work, I came to the realisation that there simply was not enough weddings to sustain my business.”
Instead of panicking, Lily looked inwards and found what she enjoys about her job and thought about how she could find her purpose elsewhere.
“Firstly, I love creating beauty. I have always been around that artsy stuff. Secondly, I love the way my art can make others feel – especially during special occasions,” she said.
After much consideration, Lily decided to try her trade in floristry. But her initial entry into her new career was difficult to begin with.
“I worked at a big florist company, and it was really fast paced – I had to do 40 to 50 flower arrangements a day. That, on top of obtaining my floristry certificate, it was an intense time.”
While the money was good, Lily realised the freedom and joy wasn’t there.
“It’s not all about the money for me. I like to have my freedom and to have my own creativity. Money doesn’t mean as much as long as I’m happy,” she said.
So Lily took a risk and opened her own florist business, Blossom Lilies, in the outskirts of Perth on Mother’s Day in 2021.
“I thought Mother’s Day would be a good time to start. What I found though is people spend less on the flowers on Mother’s Day than other busy periods. Boyfriends always buy something extravagant for their partners on Valentine’s Day but cheap out when it comes to their mothers!” said Lily.
“While I think mums also deserve to be spoiled, I’ve listened this year and dropped my prices for all my flower arrangements. All of this is available on my website.”
As the busy period approaches, Lily is also comforted by the fact she has her business insurance sorted just in case something goes wrong.
“It’s been tough after losing so much money in the last few years. But I’m thankful to be in a better place now and to be protected from even worse financial situations thanks to BizCover,” she said.
“I’m glad I got Public Liability to cover me and my business, just in case I need to resolve an issue or misunderstanding between myself and a customer.
Lily said this was especially important now, as she expands Blossom Lilies into wedding flowers.
“Working in the wedding industry has extra protections so that is why I got my business insurance through BizCover.”
Lily says the biggest lesson she has learned is to be disciplined in her approach to business and to always put her clients first.
“It gives me the best feeling when I make my clients happy. I’ve had people come up to me crying saying how amazing and beautiful my arrangements are and that just makes all of it worth it,” Lily said.
“While it was a difficult career move, I can now say I have a business, I can work from home at my own pace and I can spend time with my dogs. The most important thing is that I’m happy.”
To find out more about Lily’s small florist business visit any of the links below.
