We recently connected with Jordan Pynes & Caitlin O’Meara and have shared our conversation below.
Jordan Pynes & Caitlin O’Meara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the best or worst investment you’ve made?
Accountant!! The number one best investment a small business owner can make is having someone to manage the books. Our co-owner, Caitlin, has extensive experience in this area and did the accounting and tax prep for our first year of business. It’s incredibly time-consuming and really takes away from the joy of the actual design work – and yet the most important part of owning a business is keeping your finances in check. After the first year, we hired a local accountant who does our monthly reconciliation, helps us pay our sales tax, and files our taxes at the end of the year. Streamlining this with an outside person also allows for a double-check and prevents either of us from wearing too many hats at one time. It made all of the difference to allow us to both focus on writing quotes, working with clients, and ultimately executing our designs without the added stress of additional paperwork.
Jordan Pynes & Caitlin O’Meara, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Four Sisters Floral is a small, women-owned business specializing in floral design for weddings and events in Northern Arizona. It’s just the two of us (Caitlin and Jordan), but our business name is a tribute to all of the strong and creative women in our lives, who continue to help us make this dream a reality.
What sets us apart is our communication and listening skills and the range of our floral design abilities. We think that our clients appreciate that *all* of our work is custom – no two events are the same, even when we select the same flowers! We really work to make each design personal, unique, and within budget. We strive to get to know our clients’ tastes, make the floral design process easy, and to design arrangements that really capture the feel of their day. Jordan and I also try to be a partner to our clients’ – not just another vendor. If you need a photographer last minute, recommendations for lunch after our consult, or ideas for your rehearsal, we are always happy to share our knowledge of the area and our large network!
We care deeply about the environment and strive to make our designs as sustainable as possible. We continue to look for ways to reduce the impact of the industry, while partnering with local growers, vendors, and suppliers as a testament to the meaning of “small business”.
Lastly, at Four Sisters Floral, we know that true love comes in as many varieties as there are flowers in nature. We proudly serve all couples who desire handcrafted botanical arrangements for their special day.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Jordan: Caitlin and I met when she moved to Flagstaff and was searching for a floristry job – I was the manager of a local flower shop at the time and had just graduated from the local university. I was actively looking for another job as I felt disconnected from the shop and felt like I was “supposed” to find a job related to my college degree. When we hired Caitlin, she and I hit it off pretty quickly and her passion for flowers reignited my own. In reality we had hired her as my future replacement but working with her made me want to stay on at the shop and made me realize I didn’t have to move on quite yet. I’m so glad I stuck around, but I’m equally grateful we both left that shop when we did so that we could create our own opportunities in this industry.
Caitlin: Jordan pretty much summed it up for us! I moved to Flagstaff to explore other options. My career has always been in the arts, but I’ve had a secret love of floristry and a dream to own my own floral business one day. I worked several other jobs while at the floral shop, so I could really dig into how it might be possible to make it a full time gig! After I was hired, Jordan and I eventually started working together on the wedding side of the business and developed a flow that continues to our own business today.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Jordan: In a small town such as ours, building connections and relationships with the other vendors has been crucial to building our own brand and reputation. Having been in the wedding floral industry before we started our own company, we definitely had a leg up and had already made some of these connections during past projects. But continuing to pursue these relationships with photographers, DJs, caterers, and especially venue coordinators has made all the difference! Many times, florists are one of the last vendors that a couple will book during their wedding planning. When it comes time to search for a florist, most of our couples will seek recommendations from their other vendors. “Who do you like to work with, who does a good job?” Our “friendors” here in Flagstaff and beyond have been amazing champions of our business from day one, and I attribute that to interpersonal relationships as well as our consistently beautiful and professional work.
Caitlin: Jordan and I are both lucky to have strong roots in Flagstaff – she’s a local and I have family here. I think having that foundation helped us feel confident that Flagstaff was really home base for us. As a result, we treat every relationship the same – like family friends. We really try to personalize our clients’ experience and get to know their interests outside of their wedding. With “friendors”, we love catching up with them at an event and not just talking business. That there is only the two of us (for now!), it’s impossible not to give the business that personal touch. Jordan and I hand-make every arrangement, scrub every bucket, and cut every stem ourselves – with occasional help from family! It comes through in our work and communication style and that attention to detail is noticed I think by both clients and vendors alike! While being a florist is a fun job, it’s also hard work and we take our designs very seriously. It’s essential to produce consistent, quality, on-time product and to have regular and thoughtful communication with everyone we come in contact with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.foursistersflagstaff.com
- Instagram: @foursistersfloral
Image Credits
Hannah Rose Gray Photography Saaty Photography Silk Leaf Photography Maya Papaya Pictures