We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Angelique Gifford a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Angelique, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you scale up? What were the strategies, tactics, meaningful moments, twists/turns, obstacles, mistakes along the way? The world needs to hear more realistic, actionable stories about this critical part of the business building journey. Tell us your scaling up story – bring us along so we can understand what it was like making the decisions you had, implementing the strategies/tactics etc.

I have been a business owner for over 8 years and a full time entrepreneur for over 2 years. In that 8 year time frame, the business has gone through a rebrand with a new name, new logo, and a new mindset. The rebrand happened just one year ago in September 2023. However, this rebrand was exactly what the business needed to scale up. This allowed the business to triple the average spend of our clients.

The first step when taking any business to the next level is to believe that you as a business owner are capable of reaching new heights. You must also become a better CEO and boss; simply put you have to become the person you want to be before you are in the role.

There were a lot of personal steps that had to be taken to scale up or how I Iike to say it, level up. As an individual, it is important to take a good look at the things you can do better. Maybe that means being more organized or to stop procrastinating. These were 2 major factors for me in scaling the business to where it is today. I implemented more systems that allowed things to be streamlined and organized.

The second step is to map out the goals you want to achieve and the steps it will take to make those goals a reality. For Stylish Floral Design Co. it was all about delegation. I have always been blessed with an amazing team, however, I still felt the need to control everything. In order to scale a business, you must be comfortable with delegating and trusting that the people on your team can take care of the things needed. As a business owner, all you have to do is provide them the tools needed and give clear instructions.

My motto is that if I set my team up for success, they will be successful. I will be successful by putting in the work.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Stylish Floral Design Co. specializes in wedding and event floral and décor design services that range from events such as corporate holiday parties to extravagant weddings. We take your vision and dreams and ensure that every wedding and event is elegant and classic. We believe life is for celebrating and want to help design those celebrations for you.

What sets this company apart from others are our beliefs. Nothing is impossible and with God we can do all things. This company can do all things. Our clients trust us and our work because we have proven time and time again, we got it because we are covered. In turn, our clients are covered as well.

The level of dedication that I have for this business and for the people is what I believe continues to help us be successful. This work is not just a job to me; it is a purpose. Operating in my purpose is my biggest accomplishment. I get to be a part of the most memorable and some of the most important days of people’s lives, and I do not take that lightly.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

In any business, your reputation is everything. Naturally, we all make mistakes because we are not perfect. However, how you show up for your clients and for those who can’t necessarily do anything for you speaks volumes. What helped me build my reputation in the wedding and event industry was my customer service skills and welcoming personality. It is important to me that I provide great experiences because I believe life is all about experiences. From the initial inquiry to the delivery of the floral and decor services, I always want those I work with and work for to feel at ease and know that they can trust me and my company.

Actions will always speak louder than words. Act accordingly and the reputation will speak for itself.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Teamwork makes the dream work. A good manager truly understands what that means. It means that you must not only manage the team, but be a part of it. My team and I are a family, truly. I allow my team members to be themselves and I am myself as well. I think in many professional settings, people put on a mask. They do so because it’s as if you can’t have a personality and also be an exceptional employee. We have a great time together, laugh together, pray together and create extraordinary weddings and events. Be yourself, treat others with kindness and respect, and do the work. Your team will see it and do anything for you because they will see and feel the love you have for your company and for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sylishfloraldesignco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stylishfloraldesignco/

Image Credits

Cna Roberts Photography