We recently connected with Amanda Griffith and have shared our conversation below.
Amanda, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your business sooner or later
I wouldn’t have wanted to start my business any sooner than I did. My business is one where time is of the essence. I have become, in time, this curious grower and flower designer. My taste has developed and my window of time to focus on flowers is now wide open. My two children are older and I can work uninterrupted for hours and hours outside and not feel like I am neglecting them. I can work to design bouquets and wearables without stopping for lunch prep.
I began growing flowers to sell about 4 years ago. The first year or so was a quiet launch which started to gain momentum by the second and third years. I planned to sell my Spring crops by subscription, and do flower arranging parties during the year. Wanting to gather people for the type of events I wanted to attend! I had turned 40 years old and felt like I was prime to do something that would be more like me, more for me as a creative person, than just for money.
When my first child was born I took him to work with me, but once my second child arrived I was a stay-at-home mom for years. Then as my children were getting into school and the financial reality of a recession came knocking on our door, an opportunity to work at a dental office presented itself. That was a good job when I needed a good job, and 8 years flew by. My flowering started during my days off from the dental office, but I spent more time during work thinking of flowers and about my family. I had changed as a person in those years, and our family dynamic changed. I wanted an opportunity to pursue more time with my young teenagers and keep our home life flourishing. This was as important of a time to me as when they were young. One day I just decided that was the day to quit, for my family and to pursue my future with flowers.
I haven’t matched the money I made working that job, but growing flowers and design are more than a job to me.
If I would have started any earlier I would have talked myself out of spending the money to invest in my expensive crops!
Amanda, 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 am a self described stubborn dreamer and flower friend. I’m Obstinate!
What I have developed my Obstinate Farmer brand into is a Spring flower delivery service, by subscription, and I grow flowers through the Fall to use as a wedding and event florist. Designing wedding flowers is a natural evolution in my work. I love having flowers on hand to make my own home arrangements as a creative outlet. People began to contact me through social media and by referral. Flowering weddings with flowers I grew by my own hands-there is nothing more rewarding in this business.
What sets me apart from other flower businesses is my delivery service in the Spring, as well as the combinations of color and stems I grow. There is nothing in the stores you can buy to match the bouquets I put together. And I am picky about quality-not a blemish allowed. Early Spring is the time of year when I am most passionate about growing flowers. By the time Spring comes around, we are all so ready for the fun and color in our homes. Freshly cut and unique blooms are a luxury. I don’t take that for granted.
My wedding style is also unique. I would call it maximalist. I’m certainly not stingy with product! Again, very, very picky with quality. Which is why growing is essential to my brand. I always strive to give a little of myself. An example of that sentiment is an unexpected complimentary color the bride wouldn’t have thought of, and always over delivering in styling. The last thing I would want is a bride to be underwhelmed!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Posting the visual of flowers and my flower play to my Obstinate Farmer social media is my best strategy. When people see what I have currently growing I can typically make a sale. The flowers really sell themselves! Referrals have been the most effective strategy in growing my wedding clientele, though that is more of a benefit of doing strong work than a strategy.
I am going to start working more on my social media presence for wedding florals in particular. Pivoting to post more past work rather than the chronological diary format I have used in the past. Some of these pieces and the actual professional photos of the wedding day need to be seen and out in the world!
Action items I have needed to implement is following up with past couples for permission to post my work from their event and developing the relationship with the photographers to collect floral images to share. I have neglected and shied away from that self-promotion piece of growth!
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
A lesson I had to unlearn was not to compare what flowers I was growing and when it was ready. Initially I was so inspired by photos of flowers and other growers, but I didn’t know they had a different climate to explain why their flowers were ready and mine were far from it. Or that it was a recycled throw back photo. I do not spend any thoughts or time about the total number of followers of my instagram page. I do not ship flowers so having followers out of the state is nice, if they are supportive and encouraging, but I have no flowers for them. I like having a local following of actual flower buyers and people I will meet in my transactions. These are my people! I don’t use hashtags and other efforts to grow followers on socials. I find that it usually attracts other growers and not local people who want to buy my flowers, or who would use me for weddings. I will be working to include typical promotion as a wedding vendor in Central Ohio. Attracting engaged couples is a benefit of social media.
I’m not here to direct any other growers! You can only grow what you love and do it how it fits into your lifestyle. I grow very intuitively, I water intuitively, I fertilize intuitively. Flowers give me the feedback if I am getting it right. I plant the flowers I want to see and use, not the ones that have the biggest profit margin. I’m not going to sell you zinnias. You should grow them yourself. They were my gateway flower!
I’m not going to pretend this is a lucrative way to support your family. A small percent of growers will make a living growing flowers, in my opinion. This is usually some form of passion project or side hustle. I know of a few local people who have told me I have personally introduced them to certain flowers and inspired them to grow flowers, and I see some do sell them. There is room for all of us growers. Grow something beautiful for yourself. Flower inspiration from me is free!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.obstinatefarmerevents.com
- Instagram: @obstinatefarmer
- Facebook: Obstinate Farmer
Image Credits
Emily Barbarita Photographer Memories in a Snap Photography Hunter Photographic