We were lucky to catch up with Akiko Senda recently and have shared our conversation below.
Akiko , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
The other day I had a sudden realization that I have enjoyed every day of work since opening my business almost 7 years ago. I can honestly say that I never dread going to work; instead, I’m genuinely happy and excited every single day to be there. I also remembered, in that moment, the years I spent working a “regular job” and how that felt so different. The 9-5 grind (which was more like 8-7) always felt draining and soul-crushing. And while I do acknowledge these years as an important part of the experience I gained to get me where I am today, I can honestly say I will never go back there again. Owning my own business is demanding and difficult, there is no question in that, but the flexibility and creativity that I gain from creating something that I love fosters a sense of fulfillment and excitement beyond anything I could’ve imagined. I often have these tiny moments of elation as I see my shop, filled with young, creative minds all bustling around and working towards a common goal that I helped shape! I also know that I am making a difference in my own way by creating jobs, teaching people what I have learned and contributing to my community which is incredibly fulfilling. During rough times, I have considered what it would be like to return to working for a company at a regular job but that thought quickly vanishes as I remind myself that the rough times come and go but nothing compares to loving what you do every day.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Akiko Senda and I am the owner of Bloom Maven and co-owner of Puebla House. Bloom Maven is a luxury retail and events floral company in Tucson, Arizona. We do everything from everyday flowers and arrangements to large scale weddings to workshops. Our boutique in downtown Tucson also offers curated gift items, plants and pottery. I started Bloom Maven almost 7 years ago after years of working in apparel merchandising in Los Angeles while freelancing as a wedding coordinator and a self-trained florist on the weekends in Tucson. After a few years of working in the wedding industry, I saw a need for a more upscale florist in the area and a gap in the market for a floral business with a boutique feel like the ones I was accustomed to in LA. I was able to secure a tiny spot in an upcoming, busy part of town and we moved the family back home to open shop! Through out my career in retail, merchandising and e-commerce I learned a great deal that I was able to apply to my own business and utilize the skills I had learned so that I could do most of the start up initiatives on my own. This helped cut down by starting costs. One of the things I always tell others when they ask for advice is to learn how to do things on your own in the beginning…learn photoshop skills, website set-up, photography, social media. For me, it was important to be able to control the way my brand was presented and I was able to do that at a low cost by teaching myself how to do these things on my own and in my own way.
Our new company Puebla House is a little passion project focused on contemporary women’s fashion and accessories. An homage to my former career and my first love of clothing and merchandising. I’m excited to see what we can do with this new business and happy to have fashion back in my life.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
I got into flowers as a side hustle years ago through wedding planning and coordinating. I began working with a partner as she launched her planning business and quickly found that I preferred the “behind the scenes” work much more. I grew fond of creating the ambiance for the wedding, playing with colors and textures through flowers. As a self-taught florist, I used youtube videos and other online instructional videos to create florals and I practiced as much as I could! Each event was a chance for me to not only develop my skills but also gain knowledge on the logistical side of flowering which is just as important as design. I did all this while working a full-time job and would travel on weekends back to Tucson during wedding season. I remember long hours of driving from LA to Tucson, sometimes my car filled with buckets of flowers and a toddler only to get to my mother’s house to flower for more hours. Those were the days that my husband and mother would help me make arrangements because no matter how much time I would give myself by waking up at 4am, it would never be enough. These days, I am much less involved in the grind of events but our wedding business accounts for half of our total business and we operate with a team of 3 lead designers and 3-5 assistants creating some amazing florals! Thankfully, none of us need to drive through the night or wake up at 4am!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I believe that we were able to build a reputation in our market by staying true to our designs and learning how to properly price out our work. A lot of people don’t understand the breadth of work that goes into floral design but it is an extremely labor intensive job that also requires a high level of design understanding and experience. In the beginning, I definitely under priced our work because I was afraid to charge too much in fear that people wouldn’t purchase my product. I quickly learned that not only is this not profitable and sustainable, but I also was not always attracting the right customer. By staying true to designs that I truly love and pricing our work accordingly, we were able to become profitable and built a reputation for unique design, quality product and therefore attract the clientele that appreciates that level of workmanship.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloommaven.com
- Instagram: bloommaven
- Facebook: bloommaven
Image Credits
Photography By https://www.thefinephotoco.com