You might know that Euclid Design Co has two core offerings: I offer flowers for weddings and other celebrations; and, at the end of 2020, I started offering floral subscriptions.
What's a floral subscription, and why did I choose to offer them, even though my business began as an events business? Well, part of it is because the pandemic happened. Everything about how I ran my business -- and what my business consisted of! -- became impossible overnight. Pulling off events with a hundred guests? Nope. Hauling buckets and buckets of flowers with another freelancer or two at my side? No can do. Hugging a bride at her mom and dad's house when I dropped off her bouquet on her big day? Not anymore. Setting up at a venue with catering staff busily bustling around and putting the last touches on a perfect setup? Gone in a flash. The new normal was contactless, sanitized, distanced, curbside -- and delivery.
At the same time, there were so many things that didn't change. Flower farmers had already planted their crops. Seasons didn't follow a pandemic-imposed schedule. And people still really, really, really loved flowers. What was I going to do? I didn't want to shutter my business. I couldn't open a storefront. But the blooms had to get out there. Ready or not, they were about to burst out of the fields.
Offering floral subscriptions started to seem like a really good idea. The more I thought about it, the more the offering made sense. I want to share the reasoning with you so you can appreciate why I started to branch out in this area of my business -- and why buying a floral subscription actually makes a positive impact not only for my business, but for a lot of other local businesses out there too:
During the local growing season, I commit to buying from local farmers. I know the names of the farmers growing nearly every single stem that you see in your arrangement. Many of these businesses are run by women who I look up to. They are committed to sustainable agriculture practices, organic farming, good working conditions, and fair pay for their staff. I want to put your money in their pockets.
Subscriptions allow me to only order what I need. When you preorder from me, it helps me to preorder from farmers and other suppliers. This means I can be precise and avoid ordering flowers I don't need. There's something incredibly sad about a floral fridge that has unpurchased flowers left in it at the end of the week.
Speaking of planning ahead: Since I know when and where I will be delivering, I can purchase and pick up flowers as close to delivery as possible. This reduces the amount of energy used for cold storage and it also helps me batch all of my deliveries in the most efficient route possible. I can do all of my deliveries on a single day, rather than making multiple trips -- whether to buy flowers, or to drop off a single arrangement.
And finally, being able to plan ahead means I can experiment and prototype! Knowing when my next round of orders will go out on delivery gives me the lead time to problem solve and find more environmentally sustainable practices throughout my business.
So there you have it. Four reasons why offering floral subscriptions made sense for me and my business. OH! And I almost forgot: I found a way to bring a smile to people's faces every month. I would also consider that a huge win!
If you're looking to purchase a floral subscription, you can check out available delivery dates and size options in my webstore. Just head to this link and place your order!
All photos by Frances Beatty Photography.
All flowers grown by Broadside Flowers and Flora Grey.
