Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Alexis Garland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alexis, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Along with taking care of clients, taking care of our team is one of the most important things we can do as leaders. Looking back on your journey, did you have a boss that was really great? Maybe you can tell us about that boss and what made them a wonderful person to work for?

I was very fortunate that the best boss I’ve ever had was also the boss that got me started in the floral industry in the first place.

I started learning the basics of floral design in 2014 in a small family run shop in Beaverton, Ontario.

It was an amazing environment where my boss encouraged a lot of creativity with our work and wanted to focus on stepping outside of the lines of very traditional floral design.

We would have weekly “challenges” where two designers would be given the same vase and same florals and we were on a time crunch to create a piece. The designs always looked so different and really pushed us to find our own skills.

The best boss I’ve ever had was actually my mom and she’s been my biggest inspiration and has been one of my biggest supporters in launching my own floral brand.

I was very lucky to have someone who could give me professional criticism but someone I could also just work well with and share that passion with at the end of the day.

Alexis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been involved in the industry since 2014 learning from my mother who herself was also a floral designer.

In 2019 my mother made the decision to close her shop and at the time I had a one year old daughter who I decided I’d like to stay home with, while also continuing to push myself in the floral industry.

In February of 2020 I launched Designs by Alexis Rose as a home studio business and I haven’t looked back since.

In this time I met my partner Michael who is a serving member in the Canadian Armed Forces and with that comes the potential of moving around. Keeping this business as mobile as possible is my main goal and one of the biggest reasons why I haven’t chosen to open a brick & mortar location.

With that being said my day to day operations since arriving in Trenton in the fall of 2021 have increased at an amazing rate and I couldn’t be happier with the clientele base and the work I’ve had the privilege to do.

I was fortunate to have worked with over 30 couples on their weddings in 2022, and 2023 is looking very much the same thus far.

On top of weddings/ events I also choose to participate in local vendor & creator markets bringing in fresh florals and creating bouquets and arrangements on the spot for customers. I will continue to do this in 2023 and I’m so excited to work with a lot of really talented small business owners again this year.

In 2022 we also partnered with some fantastic businesses to bring floral workshops to some great clientele and we have quite a few already planned for 2023.

Something I always like to advertise is my focus on supporting small floral farmers and using their locally grown flowers in my pieces. I know a lot of my clients hold similar values about supporting small business, and I love showing off the work that those hard working individuals put in to create something so beautiful.

The positive reception I’ve garnered is almost overwhelming. I’m honestly so thankful that this is my job and that I get to wake up every day and do this for a living.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

I truly enjoy each and every interaction I have with my clients and learning about them and their daily lives.

A lot of people speak about bartenders being therapists and it should be said that florists also face the same emotional ties to our clients when we do our jobs correctly.

When buying florals there is often a reason behind it. Major life events like weddings & funerals come with a lot of emotional ties and sometimes you just need to tell someone what is going on with your life. Often the person you’re buying those flowers from is the one who lends that ear.

For me my strategy for growing clientele is to sincerely care about my clients and have real interactions with them.

I’ve actually held off on launching a website because I love getting to speak to my clients whether it be via socials, email, or over the phone there Is always a conversation that ensues when someone wants to purchase my designs.

I think that’s what has helped me curate such a loyal and positive clientele base that continues to support my business.

Has your business ever had a near-death moment? Would you mind sharing the story?

For the business we had moved from Ontario to Manitoba for my partner’s work and it was like starting from scratch.

Building a brand from the ground up, while also facing some family based struggles, made focussing on work very difficult.

I had a few instances where I tried to push sales and invested the money into the florals without having a pre-sold amount of florals and I lost money more than once in that time.

I wholeheartedly felt defeated and like I wouldn’t be successful at all because people may not have been liking my work.

In the end we were relocated back to Ontario and to a smaller town that seems to love buying local and is very supportive of my work and what I create. It was inspiring to see that change but there was a-lot of failure that went into it before I saw that positive outcome. It sounds cheesy but just try to keep pushing through, and more often than not that hard work will pay off.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.weddingwire.ca/wedding-flowers/designs-by-alexis-rose–e59969
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/designsbyalexisrose?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designsbyalexisrose/
• Other: http://www.tiktok.com/@designsbyalexisrose

Image Credits
Designs by Alexis Rose 1. @madisonemilyphotography 2. @cedarsintheshadows 3. @samanthadeckphotography 4. @danagrisphoto