Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Christina Matthews. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Christina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
What it takes to be successful depends on your definition of success—which is often described as the achievement of desired visions and/or planned goals. For many, it also has a financial component. But, for me, being successful is loving what you do, who you do it with and who you do it for. So, in that regard, I am truly successful. When I think of people I would consider successful—people I truly admire—I notice their success includes paying it forward. So I make sure to donate time each month to giving back to the community and emulating the phrase “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Because I would like to see everyone succeed and be healthy, an important aspect of my business is teaching entrepreneurial skills to the youth. I also offer free gardening classes. Of course, staying committed to the dream, maintaining an optimistic attitude and working hard—even when no one is watching—are major components to what I believe it takes to be successful. That being said, I feel fortunate to wake up every morning knowing I am doing all I can to honor the power and beauty of nature. And that I’m making a difference by encouraging others to do the same.
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 Christina and the idea of starting my own urban flower farmer-florist business, The Flower Lady OTR, began in the fall of 2013. I was working for a Paul Mitchell cosmetology school and volunteering for their “Green Team.” The CEO of Paul Mitchell, John Paul DeJoria, is a dedicated philanthropist and very successful businessman. So I approached him with my idea to adopt the oldest community garden in the heart of Cincinnati—The Over-the-Rhine People’s Garden. My goals were simple—to revitalize this inner-city garden with fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers and to teach as many people as possible, including his cosmetology students, how to grow their own—without the use of harmful pesticides.
The meeting was a success! Thanks to a generous $10,000 garden grant from Mr. DeJoria’s, I spent the next few years—after work and on weekends—studying horticulture with the Berea College’s Grow Appalachia Program, as well as taking Floret’s online workshop. I also completed the Cincinnati Civic Garden Center’s Community Garden Development Training program. Gardening and teaching area residents how to grow their own food and flowers became my passion. And once that passion was ignited, there was nothing that could stop me. I knew I had to find a way to do it full-time.
In order to do that, my husband and I had to lower our expenses. We sold our three-bedroom home and moved to a 600-square-foot loft condo in Over-the-Rhine with our dog, Yogi and cat Riff Raff. In addition to lowering our bills, this allowed us to live in the neighborhood where I was growing my dreams and made it possible for my husband to sell his car. Since he was teaching in a nearby school, he could walk to work.
After a few additional years of volunteering in the community garden, while also working, I decided to go for it and The Flower Lady OTR was officially launched. My first order of business was finding more gardening space. As luck would have it, my husband and I had previously been involved in helping run a summer camp at a nearby educational farm and we became friends with the owner who generously agreed to allow me to use a portion of her land. In addition, I was able to secure a vacant lot through the Urban Agricultural Program of Greater Cincinnati, to lease an additional 1/3-acre plot in a nearby urban inner-city neighborhood. Cultivating the overgrown abandoned land, primarily alone, using simple hand tools, was quite a challenge. But I knew the potential was there and I am proud to share that this year it was full of blooming flowers and appreciative neighbors. That once vacant eye-sore is now a welcomed sight.
As far as the actual business, I specialize in growing unique flowers and creating beautiful and fragrant solutions for just about every floral need. I grow local and native species and some favorites–like the dahlia or zinnia. I love blending flowers with food. So the majority of my arrangements incorporate herbs like rosemary, thyme and mint. I earn a living creating flowers for weddings, bouquet subscriptions, and special occasions. And I also supply local florists, in and around Cincinnati, with stunning blooms. But my main passion is teaching area youth how to garden and helping them see the value in nature and developing entrepreneurial skills. I’m fortunate to teach flower farming-floristry in a local school one day a week. The cold Ohio winter months I spend much of my time hosting workshops—like wreath making, succulent planting, flower arranging and making flower crowns. When I’m not creating or teaching, I’m grant writing, maintaining my website, bookkeeping, seed starting, planning, planting and harvesting my gardens.
What sets me apart is my love of all things living—even the snakes, rodents, spiders and other pests who frequent my garden are handled with care.
How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?
I have had great success in earning initial capital for The Flower Lady OTR by entering contests for small businesses. When 2020 arrived, I was determined to keep the community garden open, despite the pandemic, and cautiously continued to offer free garden lessons for the youth in the area—teaching them the skills of flower farming-floristry as well as how to care for and grow food. A few months later, I read about a small business contest created by Newell Brands, the maker of Ball home canning. They were looking nationwide for small businesses who had gone above and beyond to support their local community during the pandemic. Incredibly, I was chosen as one of the top ten U.S. based small businesses to win $10,000 along with mentoring, marketing, and promotional perks. This included pieces in Better Homes and Gardens and Martha Stewart magazines. That same year I also applied for the Amber Grants for Women and won $1,000 for being named one of their monthly finalists.
Aside from entering contests and downsizing to lower our expenses I also had to think of additional innovative ways I could save money. Little expenses—here and there— really add up. I want my business to highlight the motto “reduce, reuse and recycle.” So instead of buying expensive bouquet wrapping I use newspapers my friends and family collect for me. I also recycle vases I find in thrift stores and accept donations from people who have one too many. These recycled and donated vases are great in the classroom. I also gift them to clients and attendees of my garden tours to fill with additional free flowers they can give away to promote random acts of kindness. In addition, many of the storage boxes I use for ribbon, seeds, and other extraneous items are up-cycled plastic containers from the grocery store. It might not sound like much but it really helps keep money in my pocket and items out of the landfills, streets and oceans.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
When asked to share a story that illustrates my resilience, what immediately comes to mind are the times people have said “No” to me. I have had the opportunity to share my dreams with many supportive people, but there were two specific times when I was able to speak with very successful, highly-influential people who have enough money and power to change my life. Think “Shark Tank” moments. A few years ago I had the opportunity to buy a 25-acre farm minutes from downtown Cincinnati and needed financial help transforming it into a successful flower farm and educational space. They both listened to my detailed enthusiastic pitch and both ended up turning me down and wishing me luck.
After losing the farm, I spent a day or two feeling sorry for myself. But then I quickly reminded myself how grateful I was to have had the opportunities to pitch my dreams in the first place. And, at the very least, I got their attention! I know this disappointment will serve to help me in the future. Even more so, it highlighted the importance of maintaining an attitude of gratitude. I truly believe being grateful is what will help carry me through all the ups and downs of running a successful business. It’s not going to be sunshine and daisies all the time. In fact, I already experienced several weather-related set-backs that resulted in major tears and frustration. But that’s why having a grateful attitude and a support system is so important. Having someone to lean on and learn from–like a business mentor, I have a few. Or, in my case, a loving husband who is always there during my most doubtful moments, is essential. Everyone needs someone to pick them when they are down—especially when disappointments loom and the word “No” rings loud.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theflowerladyotr.com
- Instagram: @theflowerladyotr
- Facebook: The Flower Lady OTR
Image Credits
Kortnee Kate Photography