We recently connected with Kaya Obee and have shared our conversation below.

Kaya , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with a story that highlights an important way in which your brand diverges from the industry standard.

With the floral industry, there can be a lot of pressure to stick with tradition. I have never been someone that gravitates towards tradition/traditional designs. I have always loved unique designs and art. With my background in art and painting, I knew I wanted to incorporate that in anything I ended up doing. Before I opened my business, I was very lucky to work in a flower shop that allowed me to be very creative. I started Emerald Moon Floral under the idea that it would be a very free and creative floral studio. I want to offer designs that you do not always get to see in the floral world. That is not to say that there are no other floral design businesses that do that as well. I am seeing a lot more pop up all over and that makes me really happy. In such a creative field, you would think it would be the norm. This is such an old industry and I think we can accidently get stuck in that. Get stuck in old designs and only designing based on recipes that are given. For my business, I kind of threw that out the window and stick to intuitive based designing.

Kaya , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I started out in the floral world back in 2016 when I went to school for horticulture and floral design. It was an amazing experience and I truly fell in love with floral design. I love all things to do with nature and getting to arrange beautiful flowers is a dream for me. I got to work in a couple different flower shops and from there my love for it grew.

In my business, I mainly do wedding and event work. I absolutely love getting to design floral for a couples wedding or any big event in someone’s life. There is an energy to weddings that cannot be beat and seeing the final product all set up is the best. It makes the long hours and early mornings worth it all. From the first appointment to last minute errands and possible color changes – I will do anything possible to make sure it is everything they want. I want to alleviate as much stress as possible for my clients. Whether it’s just a simple order or a large wedding order. I am very grateful for my ability to quickly problem solve and to stay calm under pressure. It definitely comes in handy in this industry. I try my best to go above and beyond with my clients while still advocating for myself and my business. Every arrangement I send out is very important to me and so is making sure it is to the client’s satisfaction.

I love that I get to do what I love and offer fun and unique pieces. For my business, I want floral design to be something light and free. To give my clients something they do not always to get to see and at a reasonable price. In the future, it is definitely my dream to open an art gallery along with still doing my floral work. Art in every medium deserves to be appreciated. In the meantime, if I am able to provide living artwork for my clients to enjoy for a bit then I am very happy.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

In a way this is the backstory of how I decided to open my business. I was working for a very popular and favorite florist in my city. I got an internship there for my one of my classes in 2017. I ended up getting hired shortly after and when I graduated the owner offered me a manager and lead design position. It was a dream and I got so much experience in customer service and weddings. Last year in 2022, she decided to fully close the business due to her health. I had about 2 and half months to decide what I was going to do once we closed at the end of the year. With my boss and family’s encouragement, I decided to start my own floral business. It all happened very fast and was one of the most stressful moments. I questioned myself everyday all day, but I was very determined to do it. I had to quickly pivot my life and how I did things immediately. It has been one of the scariest things I have ever done and now I am a year in. Even though it was not how I saw things going for myself, I was able to learn a whole new side of myself and grow as a person. I was able to learn just how truly resilient I am.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

That as a business owner, it’s fun and glamorous. I knew in theory that wasn’t really true. When I thought of it or saw other owners, it looked fun and exciting. Which it can be, but it is the most stressful job with sleepless nights and doubting all the time. The worry you constantly have is suffocating and blinding. I had the privilege of working for such an amazing boss that made it look way easier than it actually is. Mainly because she was just that amazing at what she did. I have had to really dive deep into myself to make this work. The main lesson would be that you never stop having those feelings. You have to learn to trust in yourself and keep moving forward no matter what happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.emeraldmoonfloral.com
• Instagram: @emeraldmoonfloral