We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Karen Loong a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Karen, 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

Why florals? Some of my earliest memories are of me in the garden. Whether it was my grandma’s garden or my mother’s flower garden, watching them tend to their plants and learning about how things grow naturally and in their own time, slowed everything down for me. That’s where I learned to appreciate the organic flow of life, how beautiful things happen when you give them space to grow naturally.

As I got older, I carried that love of nature with me. I’ve always had home gardens, always been drawn to DIY projects that let me create something with my hands. There’s something deeply satisfying about nurturing plants, watching them thrive, and creating beautiful spaces. I’m practical by nature, and I like to let things happen organically rather than force outcomes.

Somewhere along the way, I learned to doubt myself. Maybe it was my parents’ divorce and growing up in chaos, or feeling like I was never quite enough, or being taught to play it safe, but I ended up in the public and private sectors, going through the motions of my day job while an entrepreneurial fire quietly burned underneath.

The turning point came gradually, through the people closest to me. I was already gardening, doing creative projects, and creating things with my hands; it felt like a natural extension of everything I’d always loved. But it wasn’t until friends and family started asking for my help with their special events that I realized this could be something more.

One of the first requests I recall was when a friend asked me to be her bridesmaid, and she wanted me to oversee the day-of events and ensure everything at her wedding was where it needed to be. I was surprised because at that time, I had only been relied on for that kind of responsibility at work, not in my personal life. But she saw me as someone she could depend on to be organized, capable, and responsible.

Then came more requests, and I assisted a friend who also did florals on the side. I was then asked to help plan birthday parties, baby showers, and eventually make floral bouquets and arrangements for friends and family. Each time, I found myself leaning into my senses and what felt right. I was completely self-taught at first, learning from helping others, feeling, and intuition. I might watch a video here and there, but mainly it was through being creative, communicating the vision, and being resourceful. It felt natural and familiar.

The culmination was when I planned and designed all the florals for my closest friend’s destination wedding. That’s when I knew this was more than just helping friends; this was something I was genuinely good at and passionate about.

But knowing I liked it and starting a business? That was a whole different challenge. I wasn’t sure, so I started showing up at the flower market more often, building relationships with vendors and paying attention to what was happening in the floral industry and community I wanted to be part of. Around this time, I had started an event planning venture with a friend. We thought we’d be equal partners, but it became clear that events were more my passion than hers. Every time we worked on an event together, I found myself gravitating toward the floral elements; that’s where I came alive, where I felt most creative and confident. It was like a lightbulb moment: floristry wasn’t just something I enjoyed, it was where I belonged.

When I decided to turn my passion into my business, I took it more seriously. I started looking into floral workshops and learning the floral trade more formally. I looked up local flower farmers in my area and subscribed to their flower subscriptions. I tried to meet with other florists I looked up to, offering my assistance as a freelancer to help out at their events and learn from their expertise. But the most overwhelming part for me was making the actual decision to leave a ‘steady and secure’ career in a nonprofit and go into fully running my own business (seriously this time).

I had to start building my portfolio, which meant saying yes to every opportunity, even when I wasn’t sure I was ready. I’m naturally a doer and somewhat of a risk taker, so I took on doing more flower events on the weekends for friends’ dinner parties, small birthday celebrations, baby showers, and intimate gatherings, all while still working full-time in the nonprofit sector. Each event taught me something new about timing, about client communication, about the logistics of transporting arrangements without destroying them. I started documenting everything on Instagram, slowly building an online presence and sharing my work.

The name “MuiMui Blooms” came from my heart. “MuiMui” is what my family calls me; it means “little daughter” in Cantonese, and it felt like the perfect way to honor my identity while building something that was uniquely mine. This wasn’t just a business; it was me.

As my passion grew, I realized I was spending more time thinking about developing MuiMui Blooms, and at the same time, I became more misaligned with my day job. The decision to transition full-time wasn’t made overnight; it was a gradual realization that I was already living and breathing this business. Like the plants in my grandma’s garden, this business was growing naturally, in its own time.

The transition to full-time wasn’t just about leaving my nonprofit job; it was about finally believing in myself. That entrepreneurial spirit that had always been there allowed me to bring joy back into my life and be intentional with spending time with my family. There’s something incredible about building something from nothing, about taking an idea that started as weekend flower arranging and turning it into a business that brings joy to people’s most important moments.

Reflecting, every small step was necessary. The weekend floral practice, the family gatherings, the late nights thinking about whether this was the right decision, the first nervous workshop, they all built the foundation for what MuiMui Blooms is today. The idea was simple, but the execution required patience, persistence, and a willingness to learn and do something new every single day.

Karen, 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 grew up in Los Angeles in a humble Cantonese-Vietnamese household, where resources were limited, but love showed up in home-cooked meals, garden vegetables, and the quiet resilience of generations before me. My Ma-Ma (grandma on my dad’s side) raised me after my parents divorced, and her backyard garden farm was my first creative playground. I spent hours barefoot in that space, sneaking cherry tomatoes when no one was looking, plucking fresh herbs, and learning to recognize plants by smell before I could even name them. That garden taught me how to notice beauty, how to be still, and how to create and grow with intention.

As I got older, I didn’t follow the creative path right away. Like many from traditional Asian families, I was encouraged to pursue a more stable and secure career, so I did. I became a certified Paralegal, I worked for the County for a hot minute, and eventually moved into nonprofit leadership. But no matter how far I went from creative pursuits, something always pulled me back. I was never far from a small kitchen garden, secondhand treasure hunts, or a diy project. And slowly, the world around me began to reflect my creative spirit. My friends and family would ask me to plan their events, design florals, and help make their celebrations meaningful. Without realizing it, I was returning to what brought me the most joy.

With MuiMui Blooms, I bring that same spirit into every arrangement. I love working on intimate events, creative pop-ups, and experiences that bring people together through blooms and nature. Whether I’m designing a wedding bouquet, creating floral décor for an intimate dinner, or hosting a floral workshop, I feel like I’m feeding my inner child and inviting joy back into my life. My goal is to help others feel the same way and create something that feels like you, rooted in beauty and care.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

The biggest test of my resilience came when I had to choose between the safety of my nonprofit career and the uncertainty of following my passion and feeding my inner child. For years, I was living a triple life, working full-time during the day while building my creative passion on nights and weekends, and caring for my aging loved ones. I was exhausted, but every creative opportunity reminded me why I was pushing through.

The turning point came when I realized I was spending more time and energy on developing and taking care of someone else’s passion than on my own life. I had grown up learning to play it safe and have job security, especially after my parents’ divorce and the chaos that followed. But there’s something the garden taught me that I had to remember: sometimes you plant seeds and they take time to grow, maybe it takes a couple of dark seasons to sprout, and maybe the conditions were finally just right enough.

There were a lot of moments that tested whether I was a survivor or not. To spare you the details (this time), there were moments I thought I’d never make it to this moment in my timeline. This decision to step fully into MuiMui Blooms was my natural path that I didn’t realize I was walking. Even when I doubted myself, when it felt like I was a seed being buried deeper underground against my will, I kept showing up and pushing through. I said yes to every opportunity, even when I wasn’t sure I was ready. Each life experience taught me something new, and slowly, what started as weekend flower arranging grew into something that could sustain me. That resilience came from trusting the organic flow I learned in the garden. Sometimes you have to believe in growth even when you can’t see it in the dark.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Authenticity has been everything. From the beginning, I decided to honor my identity and story rather than hide it. The name “MuiMui Blooms” comes from what my family calls me, which means “little daughter” in Cantonese, and that personal touch resonates with people. People don’t just want beautiful flowers; they want to feel seen, understood, and heard.

I also built my reputation by being genuinely invested in the community. I started showing up at the flower market regularly, building relationships with vendors, and reaching out to other florists I admired, offering to assist as a freelancer. Instead of seeing other florists as competition, I approached them as teachers and collaborators. This willingness to learn and contribute to the community, rather than just take from it, helped establish trust and credibility. I also didn’t forget the community I came from. My friends and family who supported me along the way were what kept me going. Every rsvp to an event, every referral, every time they showed up for me, it validated what I was doing.

Most importantly, I focused on creating something that feels personal for each client. My goal has always been to create arrangements that feel like them, rooted in their story and what matters to them. Word-of-mouth became my strongest marketing tool because people could feel that intention and care in everything I did. When you approach business with the same mindfulness you bring to tending a garden, with patience, attention, and genuine care, people notice.

People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. (Someone wiser than me said it first.)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sites.google.com/view/muimui-blooms/home
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muimui.blooms/
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/karen-loong-muimui
• Other: working on my website: muimuiblooms.com

Image Credits

Stacey Blackwell: Modern Los Angeles Doula Photography