We were lucky to catch up with Carla Rivera recently and have shared our conversation below.
Carla, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s something crazy on unexpected that’s happened to you or your business
Well, this is one of the most recent stories that has significantly impacted me as a business owner, and I believe it was a negative experience for my coworkers and employees.
I had this large wedding, collaborating with a large business wedding company; we were setting up a ceremony decoration for 250 guests at a venue in the heart of Atlanta. According to the weather, it was supposed to rain the day of the event, but the people involved in the organization didn’t make changes to the location of the ceremony; the ceremony was getting set up outdoors, and organizers kept with plan “A” as it was said; we arrived on time to set up with the crew (flowers, chairs, stage, and other rentals) we had 80-90 percent of the work done. Still, suddenly we got a call saying that we had to break down everything and move it indoors, the location between “A” and “B” was quite far. Hence, we had to put everything back in the truck to move to the “B” location; we had already been under super hot weather, working hard and fast to have everything ready on time, but the location for the ceremony changed because it was supposed to rain heavily. We were at location “B” with everything unloaded and already set, like 70 percent of the ceremony. Then, we got another call saying that the location of the ceremony had to move back to location “A” because it didn’t rain as it was supposed; I was freaking out!! We only had 1 hr to get everything set up for the 3rd time! The flowers looked messy because of all the back-and-forth situations (these were 100% natural).
I panicked! I wanted to cry, throw up, and maybe laugh just because of the weird feeling of the situation looking like a joke! I saw how my other coworkers and employees were also super annoyed and tired of running to move everything! We even had an employee passing out because of the high-stress level that this situation put us in. We packed all over again in the truck to move to location “A.” We all moved as fast as we could and finished the job; it still looked beautiful, and the event was on time to start. I’ve never experienced this type of situation before, and neither did the lady who got the contract for this wedding. She felt just as bad as me or worse because most of the responsibility was on her shoulders. I feel like the lesson learned was always to make sure about the weather and talk deeply about all these important topics with the organisers and the couple; if we have to stick with plan B, it’s plan B!. Clients pay us to deliver what the contract says, but they don’t pay extra to move things 2,3 times. Having an excellent core team who won’t disappoint you is also essential. All these staff people could have said, “I am done with this”, and just quit and walked away; most staff people don’t care what the owner of the business cares about; without the help of extra hands, I am entirely sure that we wouldn’t have done half of what we had to do for this wedding. It was a unique experience that gave me ideas of what to say to my clients and how to handle a situation like this if it ever happens again. Of course, I still love what I do and won’t give up!
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.
Hello, readers of Vogaye Atlanta! It’s me, Carla Rivera, again being featured in this online magazine for the second time! You can find me on Instagram as “THE Wild Flowist” or @riri.wild.flowdesign. I am still working on my branding name, but now that’s the name that suits the essence of my personality and business!
I am a local business entrepreneur in the City of Atlanta and the metro area, but I can travel to another state if I get a nice contract. Most of my work is as a freelance florist, but I also plan and make my own floral designs for corporate and small events such as birthday parties, baby showers, gender reveal, small weddings, Christmas decor, etc.
I got into this beautiful floral journey around four years ago. I was tired of my 9 am to 5 pm office job and suddenly ended it. The job was perfect for me. I worked there for a little more than three years, but I started feeling depressed and overwhelmed because of the stress that my boss was getting me into; a year before deciding to leave the job, I felt mentally abused by the boss; there was a lot of drama in the office all created from this lady, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I left. I am very patient; I give so many opportunities, but when it’s time to go, it’s time, and I don’t regret it! As I was saying, I left my office job, and I was unemployed for around two weeks; thanks to one of my cousins, who’s now a trend florist, I got the opportunity to start working in the floral industry; back then she was floral freelancing with this company who was hiring people every day, so she told me about giving a try to this job while I could find something that was more like my previous office job. I went to the interview with the floral manager, and she told me: “Yes, come back next week” “We will teach you as you go”! The 1st two weeks were hell, 13hrs-15hrs working on my feet! I was about to give up, but I started feeling part of the team, and I built an adorable friendship with everyone working there, so I kept going, learning, and never left! Months later, the owner closed the warehouse, and I was again unemployed, but one of the ladies I met there called me to work for her; right then, I started calling myself a freelance florist.
From that opportunity I meet more floral companies and designers who like my job and work ethic. Since then, I have been designing florals primarily for weddings, and not too long ago, I began getting my clients. This job has changed my life! Physically, emotionally and mentally!! I work harder, love what I do, and go with the flow! God blessed me with this beautiful opportunity, for which I am thankful. I genuinely enjoy my job, and I hustle every day to get more work opportunities with different people; many other designers reach out to me via Instagram or because a designer has referred me. I also meet people when I work at a shared space; they see me hands-on, and they love my job, so I get contracted very quickly! It’s been a long journey of mentally and physically working, but I don’t give up because I get paid well and enjoy what I do. I also do nails and makeup as a hobby since I was 15 years old! My full-time job is my lovely flowers.
I believe that what sets me apart from others is my work ethic; I learned that from my parents. I am a lady of compromise; I like to deliver what I am getting paid for, and I like surrounding myself with people who are where I want to be. I am learning from the best in the business. Nowadays, I am the floral team leader/manager of this wedding company, from where I started as a staff employee, and I am working myself up to be a floral designer/coordinator for another large wedding company. My work ethic and commitment to my job have made a difference. I am the 1st and last to get and leave the job; when other people don’t care about finishing designing, I stay late to ensure everything is done and made according to the floral company standards. I love everything about design; now, I am customizing clothing for those days when I meet with clients and work onsite! I want to dress according to my creativity and personality! I will be sharing more outfit pictures soon!
This is THE Wild Flowist, and I am delighted to share my floral/ entrepreneur lifestyle with you. If you made it this far, thank you for reading, and I hope to meet you soon!
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I am originally from Mexico City; I moved to the States in July 2014. I came only for vacation, but my tourist VISA was stolen. On the last day before getting on the plane to go back home to continue my communication career at the University, I couldn’t find my documentation; I decided to lose the flight and look again for my documents all around the house of some family where I was staying, and I did it. I looked everywhere and never found my papers and so I decided to stay, what made me feel very sad was to have to say to my family, especially to my Dad, that I wasn’t coming back and that I didn’t have a new returning date, I was about to finish school, and I knew the sacrifices that my family made to get me in the private school I wanted, that’s what was the saddest part. I had to lie to them, saying that I missed the flight, but after not finding the documents, I had to tell the truth, and that hurt me and my family severely. Years later, I found out that my visa was stolen from the family I was living with; I didn’t care anymore; I just let it go. It was a journey to now find myself alone and not trusting the family I was living with, but God is great; after leaving the house where I was living, I felt insecure because I didn’t have friends or other people I could trust, but by the time finding a job at a restaurant I met people who helped me to began my own and adult journey, from there I built confidence and trust on myself, I learned how not to be scared about changes and trust my gut. After I left that house, people and different opportunities blessed me; nowadays, I have friends who I love, and we have helped each other; changing jobs took me to where I am now, and I feel happy. I am not quiet but a hustler who makes the opportunities to show up in my favor, and I share my blessings with the people who surround me. I never forget where I come from and what I had to face, so when I see people with needs, I help as much as possible because I remember when I was in that position and was scared. In my country, we say: “En dónde come uno, comemos dos,” translated: “Where one person eats, another is welcome”. If I have a way to help, I help, and the most common way to help from me is with a job opportunity. If people want a better life, get to work! We can make all our dreams come true with good health and work! I stay focused, and I don’t let people around me down. My health and my work are my blessings every day.
As an immigrant, I can relate to the fact that we have to be good to the USA, and that’s all I have been doing. I was not in a bad situation back home; thanks to my family, I used to come every year to the States just for vacation, but after getting my documents stolen, I thought that it was harder to get a new tourist visa on my own and that is why I stayed. Now, my life is better after ten years, I have finished school online and I maintain investing in my education. I don’t regret every decision I made for the best of myself. I know my family was not okay with that, but they still let me live the life I chose, and now they are, and I am very proud of my decisions. For the readers: “Don’t be scared of changes; if you truly want something, take the risk and keep doing it right to yourself and others.” That’s my lemma. If we leave our countries it’s because we want other opportunities and a better life for us and our families. That’s how every immigrant should think and live.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I started uploading pictures of my work on Instagram. I studied communications. I know writing, editing video, audio and photography using special software. My dad is a professor of visual arts. He also had a hobby of filming weddings, so if I deeply think I’ve been surrounded by art my entire life, I’ve learned a lot from my dad. I also like modelling, talking, and being photographed, so I mixed all these skills to create social media. I’ve been asked to help with the social media of wedding companies, but I am too busy with my freelance floral job and building my brand that I don’t really want to put more work on my plate. Maybe in the future, I could change my mind about working less with flowers and dedicate more time to social media, but honestly, working with my flowers and creating arrangements is my passion!
To our readers: Just take pictures and videos of all you do and open an account with IG or TikTok. These are the most important platforms where you can get clients. I don’t have TikTok, but I have IG, and it’s been working well for me. Good luck! I want to see you shine!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @riri.wild.flowdesign
- Facebook: Carla Rivera
Image Credits
Designer/Freelance florist: @riri.wild.flowdesign
Wedding company flowers and decor: @weddingsbyepic