If you’re a total green thumb who loves nothing more than pottering away in the garden for hours on end each day, you might like to think about turning your hobby into something more. 

Many gardeners have used their interest and skills to create part-time ventures to supplement their income or give them some more cash while being stay-at-home parents, while others have launched right into a full-time growing organization. 

No matter what your end goals are, there’s room to make them happen in this sector. Here are some tips for making your dream a reality.

Research the Market

Start researching the market ASAP. If you want to move from having a gardening hobby to a flower business, you must think strategically. Part of this is understanding what competitors you’ll be up against and what it is they offer. Learn what they sell, where and how they do so, the prices they charge, how they brand themselves, and more. 

Plus, get to know the market. Learn about the people you want to sell your creations to. Where do they live and shop, what purpose do they buy flowers for, what types of products do they prefer, and is there some way they’re currently not being serviced properly, where you could come in and solve a problem or provide a benefit for them? The more you learn, the easier it will be for you to see how to offer something fresh and different that gets attention for all the right reasons. 

Think About Sales Strategies

Work out how you’ll go about selling your flowers to customers. There are numerous avenues to explore, so it comes down to the type of clientele you plan to target, your product range and pricing, your capacity, and other factors. For example, you might like to start testing your offerings in a small way first by selling at a small local market to see what feedback you get. Then, later, you could get a stall in a much larger market where you have the opportunity to sell more volume once you’ve built up to that level.

You might also market your wares to local businesses and organizations or individuals who like to set up a subscription service where they get fresh flower arrangements delivered once per week or fortnight. Alternatively, set up an online presence where you sell flowers directly to consumers, or you might sell to retailers or distributors and have them on-sell your goods. Work out what suits your needs, budget, and other factors the best and go from there. 

Consider Risks 

As with any business, those in the flower-growing industry have risks to consider and mitigate. If you want to go from having a gardening hobby to a profitable venture, look for ways to minimize the chances of risks causing a problem and the effects that arise if they do. For instance, you may need to transport your products reasonable distances. If so, you must stop flowers from getting too hot or cold and arriving at their destinations worse for wear. 

One way to do this might be to utilize tech tools such as a temperature logger to check that deliveries stay protected in transit. You’ll likely use refrigerated transport or some other shipping option to protect your products. Other risks to plan for include weather issues and natural disasters, finding enough help to look after and pick your flowers, markets not running due to lockdowns from pandemics, cash flow problems, and more. 

There will be some generic risks relevant to your industry that you should prepare for, as well as those that are specific to your circumstances and business setup. The more you plan for potential threats and weaknesses to your venture, though, the less such challenges should pose a risk to your organization’s viability. 

Create a Business Plan

Also, include a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, so you’re clear on potential positives to exploit and negatives to work on. This plan will help you get a loan from a bank or other lender or attract investors. It may be something you present to potential large buyers to show your venture’s credibility or possible mentors or other individuals or organizations as you develop your business. 

We can all enjoy having a hobby such as gardening but turning a green thumb into a viable venture over time takes a lot more perseverance, effort, energy, and investment. Follow the tips above to help you avoid mistakes and make your new business stable from the start.