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

Dana, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Having an idea is easy, but giving it life is not for the faint of heart. I am lucky to have good mind for business, a work ethic to go the distance and the understanding that failure is not an option. But all of that is not enough to succeed, you also should have a bit of money to support yourself as you build your brand and most important an idea that people respond to. For me, I was my customer, my business idea was to become a flower farmer, specifically flowers that were grown with the purpose of being cut for arrangements and bouquets. I love flowers, especially locally grown flowers, but I had never really grown much besides the occasional tomato.

Let us back up, I worked in corporate for over 25 years, so my transition was not only career wise, but lifestyle wise as well. I would be trading my temperature-controlled office to life outside regardless of the weather.

To start, I bought books that were cut flower specific, googled like crazy and in short did my homework. When I started in 2013 there were a couple of resources, one was ASCFG (American Society of Cut Flower Growers) along with a couple Facebook groups. Now 11 years later, there are vast amounts of resources and the number of cut flower farmers has increased to near saturation in some areas. I had no idea that cut flower farming on the level I wanted to do it, was a “thing” and was glad to discover that it was as the resources were very helpful.

I took a couple of years to experiment with starting my own seeds and just growing growing growing. In addition, I told people what I was planning to get the word out, and to make me accountable to become a flower farmer. I made the leap in 2015 and quit my corporate job (I was the president of Medical Malpractice Insurance Agency) to farm full time. By selling at a local farmers market and then expanding into weekly flower clubs and designing florals for weddings my business built a solid reputation and a name. I feel very lucky, as flowers are magical and bring everyone joy. Doing something for the earth by growing with organic practices and bringing this into people’s homes is what I hoped for and here I am all these years later still loving it.

In 2016 I added a floral design component for weddings and events and that changed my title to farmer/florist. I am not able to grow everything needed for weddings, so sourcing from wholesalers is necessary, but my seasonal flower club, custom bouquets and those sold at another local business are 100% farm sourced. One more note of interest, is that I am home based and do not have a retail location.

To wrap this up, this is the perfect time to mention that I have a very supportive husband who not only was there for financial support of the household, but emotional support as well. I think we all need champions, and he has always been mine.

Dana, 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?

Being a flower farmer is a very rewarding, but it is a business and hard work, so love of what you do is important. Farming in any capacity, is both physically and mentally draining. I am seasonal and chose not to expand to winter production, and with that my season runs from April to early October. During the winter months, my down time allows me to regroup and recharge in preparation for the next season.

My biggest takeaways are that flowers make people smile, they brighten a room, they create a feeling without asking for anything in return except for a bit of water. My farm is small, I call it a boutique flower farm or a micro flower farm. Knowing my clients on a personal level and who will be excited for those blue bachelor buttons or the white Agrostemma is what makes this special for me. I do not have any employees and will only occasionally hire help for the field or a wedding. Being a flower farmer and florist on a small scale is what makes this unique for my clients giving them the feeling they are part of something special.

I created this because I wanted to do something close to the earth, that would benefit nature and our surroundings, and would also make people smile. Mission being accomplished and ongoing.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Building a reputation needs to be carefully monitored, being true to your vision, respecting your clientele, and if something goes wrong, own it. Your client should be someone that resonates with what you are selling, if someone is shopping for price and you are not the least expensive out there, they are not your client. If an employee or sub-contractor represents you or your product and they are less than ideal, than that person can destroy your reputation, being aware of what and how you are represented is as important as how you do so yourself.

Know who your ideal client is and be hands on about the product that is being sold to them, I touch every flower that gets sold, and am vested in the process from finish to end.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Since I was coming from the corporate world where competition comes at you from every angle, I thought leaving it to go to something that works directly with nature, everyone would be happy, friendly, and encouraging. I realized quickly that competition is everywhere, but what I learned was that it is also necessary and can have a positive impact. The reality is that if you are good at what you do and know your target audience than competition is necessary to encourage and remind you always to put forth your best effort. By focusing on what I do, how I do it, the quality of my product, keeping my energy directed towards what I know is best for my business and therefore my clients, it’s a win win situation. In the end, the competition are people just like me, with similar goals and ideas who can also be friends and valuable allies.

We are in charge of what we do and how we act and react in a situation, so do it with positive energy.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.flowersfromthefarmnj.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowers_from_the_farm_nj/
• Facebook: facebook/flowersfromthefarmnj/