We recently connected with Brittney Melton and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brittney, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?
As a florist, I hope that I am always remembered as a vendor who went above and beyond for each and every client. My goal is for every bride and client to look back on their planning process and event day and think of how easy their floral planning process was and how their vision was brought to life better than they could have expected. I want to impact others in this community by doing everything I can (and more) to bring happiness to everyone who trusts me with their special event.
As a person, I hope that I leave a legacy of showing others that they can do anything that they set their mind to (with a little hard work and resilience, of course)! My little sister once said to me “Watching you build your flower business from scratch has taught me that I can do anything I want, as long as I am passionate about it.” That really hit home. Before that moment, I had never thought about how pursuing something that I was passionate about could impact the lives of others. If I do nothing else on this Earth, I pray that I inspire even a few people to find their passions, follow their dreams, and to always believe in themselves!
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?
I’m Brittney- owner of Brittney Kirk Florals. In high school, I worked at a local flower shop to help decorate the store for each season. One Valentine’s Day, the shop was slammed and the owner threw me into making bud vases. From there, she taught me more and more. When I graduated and was moving off to college in 2012, I told her that she had inspired me to want to become a florist and that I was going to pursue that rather than nursing. She told me that I shouldn’t do that and should stick to a more reliable/ secure career. So, I went to the University of Memphis planning to major in Nursing. A year in, I decided to switch to Education and graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education. In 2017, I decided to return to the UofM to obtain my Nursing degree and graduated in 2019 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. I have since worked in a CVICU. I do love the job security that nursing gives me but thoroughly love the flexibility and creativity being a florist gives me- it’s the best of both worlds! If you think about it, Education, Nursing, and Floristy are all about serving others, so it makes sense that all three inspire me.
As for how my flower business started, I stopped doing flowers after going to college in 2012. In 2015, one of my friends was getting married and her florist was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and started chemo right before her wedding. My friend called me asking if I could do the flowers for her wedding and I accepted. Looking back, I can’t believe she trusted me to do this alone, but I am so thankful that she did! I’m not sure any of this would have started if it wasn’t for her- thank you, Kelsey! From there, another friend asked me to do her wedding and so on and so on. After months of my boyfriend (now husband!) and friends convincing me that my work was great and that I should officially open my business and advertise, in 2018, I started an Instagram and ordered some business cards. I really never dreamed that it would turn into what it is today. I thought maybe just close friends would continue to book me. Every time I say that out loud, my husband always says “I believed in you from the very beginning.” To be honest, I really didn’t believe in myself and critiqued my work harshly. I’m thankful to have had a support system that pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’m still always in shock when I hear things like “You came highly recommended!” or “What dates do you have available, I am picking my wedding date around you”. It’s such an honor to hear those things! In 2019, I did two weddings and was so excited for that. In 2020, we all know COVID hit. While couples were having to cancel and reschedule their weddings, their florists were not always available for their new date. My business grew tremendously from this. From there, my name spread and business grew and in 2022, I had 40 weddings, many other small events, and started offering balloon installs that are very successful. Today, I still work 1-3 days a week as a RN at the hospital caring for CVICU patients, and I operate Brittney Kirk Florals out of my home. I’m a one-woman designer show with an awesome Mom who shows up to every single event to deliver arrangements, carry buckets around, pick up my trash, hold my ladder, fill vases with water, light candles, etc. My goal for this next year is to invest more into new, aspiring florist. I’ve had many ask in the past year to shadow me and learn, and I am so excited to finally start investing into those people soon!
In owning this business, I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve built this all on my own. While I learned basics many years ago in a flower shop, I’m self-taught for the most part. I’ve learned by trial and error. I’ve worked to find who I am as a florist and what my “look” is. Every single arrangement that you see is made my me. I put my heart and soul into everything that I make. I want potential clients to know that your day is of utmost importance to me, and I will treat it as if it is my own big day. As I said earlier, Education, Nursing, and Floristy are all about serving others. I have a desire to always put others before myself, and I will do just that to bring your dream event to life. Need some extra flowers in a space you didn’t think about before the day of? I’ll do it as long as I have extras on hand. You didn’t book for flat lay flowers for detail shots but your photographer wants some? Not a problem. Your caterer wants some greenery for their buffet table- they can have all my leftovers! Your planner won’t set up something you thought they would? My Mom and I got you! It’s 15+ mph winds or pouring rain and you still want to get married outside? No prob- I’ll wait to set up outside until last minute so it still looks beautiful for your ceremony. I always communicate in advance to be sure we have every detail nailed down, but I also realize that things come up. You might forget a little detail amidst planning all the big things, and my goal is to never be the vendor that says “they didn’t pay me to do that”. I will always go above and beyond to make your day stress free, beautiful, and more than you could imagine!
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
While social media is always a good resource, happy clients and vendors are the most effective way to grow your clientele and business! Happy clients will share you on social media, write you reviews, and share your name with friends and family! Happy vendors will add you to their preferred vendor list and also share you with their clients. This is single handedly the way that I’ve grown my business from two weddings in 2019 to 40 this year!
Consistency, positivity, and hard work will build your reputation.
Consistency- You want to always provide consistent, beautiful service. You have to find who you are as a creative and create your brand. When someone sees my work, I want them to be able to say “that’s Brittney Kirk Florals”. I want clients to trust me and vendors to know when they see me on the vendor list that it’s going to be a beautiful event! This takes time. Once you perfect it though, you’ll see your business grow! In addition, you need to consistently respond to clients, always be on time, etc.
Positivity- Being a business owner is hard work. You will sometimes be burnt out, but you can’t let that show! This might be your 3rd event in a week, 5th in a month, or 40th in a year- but it’s your clients only big day. Always be positive and a light in the industry! People will ALWAYS remember how you made them feel! Make friends with your clients and make friends with vendors in your community!
Hard work- Always give your all and go the extra mile. I promise you will stand out and other vendors will notice. This is how you end up on recommended/ preferred vendor lists and this is how your business will grow! I would be willing to say that more than half of my clientele come from other vendor referrals, and I am very proud of that!
I am always honored to see myself tagged in a Facebook post when someone is looking for a florist or to hear that a vendor or client referred me to a new customer. Thank you to each and every person who has recommended my business!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
It is an honor to get to do something that I love and for it to make a difference in someone’s life. Whether it be creating your dream wedding, honoring life with a casket piece, or creating a balloon install for a fun celebration, I’m blessed to get to do what I do for you. I love planning and taking stress off a client. I love creating beautiful work and seeing the smile on clients’ faces when they see their event all set up. I love getting to use my talents and the things that I am good at to serve others. It truly brings me so much joy.
Additionally, I love getting to be my own boss. While taxes, bookkeeping, emails, sending quotes and contracts, and managing social media might not be the most fun, it is great to have flexibility in my schedule. The flexibility allows me to do both this, travel with my pilot husband, and still be a RN caring for patients!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/brittneykirkflorals
- Instagram: @brittneykirkflorals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittneykirkflorals
Image Credits
Rob and Deanna Photography Jackie McGinnis Photo Caley Petty Photography Love Jules Photography Krista Joy Photography Mary and Anna Weddings