We were lucky to catch up with Jennifer Ikel recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jennifer, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

I have worked in the corporate world and been a business owner. I am definitely happier being a business owner, that being said there are some things I miss about the corporate world. Daily interaction with coworkers, stability of a weekly paycheck, but mostly the interaction with people. What I love about being self employed is the freedom with my time, being able to work as much or as little as I want. Being able to go to Costco in the middle of the week and avoid the crowds. When you are a business owner you are really never not working, customers call or email anytime and if you want to be successful you answer as quickly as you can so I rarely if ever do not answer my phone and check my email several times a day.

Jennifer, 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?

I have always been creative, decorating cakes, sewing and playing with flowers but never considered doing it for a living until…. I was working for a mortgage company and they were moving offices that would have given me an hour or longer commute and I was not up for that. I talked to my husband about it and he is the one who suggested I quit my job and start a floral business like I always wanted to. It was a giant leap of faith but I did it and it has been more successful that it could have ever been. I knew right away I jus wanted to focus on weddings and events and work out of my home.

What I am most proud of and what most of my customers say about me is my customer service. I know there is a ton of competition out there and besides doing beautiful work great customer service will set you apart. I answer emails right away, even if i don’t have an answer I email to let them know I am working on it. As I mentioned before I answer my phone when it rings and I will work with the client until they are completely satisfied. I always remember the day is about them and not me!

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Wedding websites, such as The Knot and Wedding Wire is where most of my business comes from. It was a giant leap of faith to make the commitment to advertise and sign a 6 month contract. But I knew if I didn’t advertise no one would know about me, and it has paid off in spades and paid off right away. Within a month of advertising on The Knot I booked my first wedding and it has taken off from there.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

My near death moment for my business was definitely COVID. The wedding industry retry much shut down, thank goodness I work out of my home, not a lot of overhead. So I pivoted and started doing what I don’t normally do, I offered Valentine Flowers and delivery and Mother’s Day Flowers and delivery. I freelanced with any one who was lucky enough to have an event. I did whatever I could to keep my business going and I was successful.

Contact Info:

• Website: Www.idoflowersforyou.com
• Instagram: @i_do_flowersforyou
• Facebook: I Do Flowers for You
• Linkedin: Jennifer Ikel
• Yelp: I Do Flowers for You

Image Credits
True Photography