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

Alright, Justin thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

I started my business with the idea of extending the gift god gave to me. Flowers brought a sense of joy and relief over me in the darkest times and I wanted to do that for others. It was Valentine’s Day 2016 and I sent my sister who was living in Los Angeles at the time some flowers through a service since I was in Atlanta. She was so excited but when I saw the arrangement in comparison to what was shown on the website I was deeply saddened. While it was a great gesture I knew if it was as pictured her reaction would have been even greater. From that day I started practicing making arrangements in my spare time. While never taking an actual class or formal lesson, I used what I knew from school about color theory and how colors flowed and moved in nature. Knowing I was able to create something physical and give it to another was the best feeling ever. So now almost several years later still creating on a much larger scale I couldn’t be happier.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California by way of a small town in Belize, I am the owner and lead designer of The J. Madison Design firm. I take pride in my efforts to change the ‘image’ of what traditional floristry is and what the idea of a florist looks like. You can see Justin’s personality shine in season one of ‘Full Bloom’ a floral design competition streaming on HBOMax and work featured in magazines like Vogue and Vanity Fair.

As a child of immigrant parents, my goal is to create a legacy not only in my family for generations to come; but in the floral industry. I believe this is apparent in the works that I create. As a true conceptual designer; my work has no value without a story, meaning, or genuine emotion behind it. Bringing that “California” style of floristry to Atlanta and every city I am blessed to travel to has truly set me apart from your traditional designer.

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

I think the fact that I treated every single client and the quality of every single arrangement exactly the same. I strive to provide a white-glove level of customer service in everything that I do!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

As the face of the brand if I don’t have confidence and faith in the business nobody else could. My biggest piece of advice is just to keep a positive attitude and know that everything will be okay. Keeping a mindset that everything is one day at a time. Extending and instilling that attitude into my team has made a world of difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thejmadison.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/thejmadison