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

Alright, Laura thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

The tagline for our floral business is “loving people through flowers”. In our home studio based business, while it is very important to be profitable, we believe strongly in blessing others with the overflow. Overflow can present itself as unused flowers leftover from a wedding, to perfectly fine flowers that did their duty in an installation, to even a portion of our revenue in support of non-profits we feel strongly in. As a florist, I have access to incredible flowers. It brings me so much joy to be able to present a bouquet of premium roses to a young mom who is having a hard day, or a neighbor who might be struggling with depression. Sometimes, just setting buckets out under the shade of our tree in the summer as a first come first serve to our neighborhood. Flowers bring happiness! Our tagline also serves as a daily reminder to be mindful in every arrangement and bouquet that is designed. Flowers are a luxury item so, again, loving people through flowers is a daily reminder to create and design to the very best possible standard. I hope to leave a legacy of generosity and the importance to use the gifts given to us by God.

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

Hello, I’m Laura, the owner and floral designer at Little Workshop Floral. I come from a long line of gardeners. My grandfather owned and operated a large rose and dahlia flower farm in Havana, Cuba called Floreria Alcazar. In 1970, when I was six, my family was able to leave Cuba and move to the United States as refugees. My mother made a garden in that very first rental home we lived in. It made an impression on me as a little girl and I remember the roses she planted and how she would carefully edge and double dig the soil in that backyard space. ​

Many years later, I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan where I met my wonderful husband Peter. Together, we’ve raised five amazing kids. During those years of raising kids, I discovered a passion for growing and arranging flowers. I have worked on many weddings and countless arrangements since then. I’ve been a Michigan State (MSU) Master Gardener for almost 25 years and have received formal floral design training as well. I am a flower grower as well as a designer and my passion is beautiful installations for weddings and celebrations!​

I am passionate about flowers and arranging them. I put my heart into every arrangement that is created. My garden gathered style design is relaxed, full, and lush. Little Workshop Floral arrangements work to highlight the flowers and colors of the season that the celebration is in. I believe strongly in supporting local flower farms whenever possible and supporting U.S. grown ahead of overseas product. I am proud to use sustainable practices in all my work. I do not use ecologically harmful floral foam products but instead focus on reusable and recyclable mechanics in our floral arrangements. We give away blooms that are still beautiful post wedding and compost whatever is spent in our own compost set ups on our property. We love installation work and enjoy problem solving how to keep blooms beautiful for the duration of an event without using floral foam. We have tried everything from moss, to reusable water tubes, to hidden buckets of water.

We also love our couples and enjoy the process of getting to know them in the planning stages all the way up to the day we deliver the florals. It is such a joy to bring the flowers in or see the bride cry when she sees her installation for the ceremony! Tears are a happy thing and mean we’ve done our job well. I consider myself blessed indeed to work with a medium I love so much and brings me so much joy.

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

I believe that delivering quality every single time is how you can build a reputation. As a wedding florist, there is no re-do for the wedding day florals. Planning, planning, and planning a bit more is essential. There is no shooting from the hip here for the day of the wedding! In the beginning of our business and until I had a better sense of quantity for our installation pieces, I overspent by a bit on the blooms and foliage’s. Now that I have a track record of what is really needed for specific pieces, I know what to buy. This just comes from experience and we all have to go through some trialing before we can get to our sweet spot! Word of mouth, I believe, is still a super powerful form of marketing. Asking for reviews post events is a great way to get reputation traction on Google. I have not spent any money on ad-words or marketing campaigns, still just using the old fashioned way of doing solid work, pleasing my clients, and asking for recommendations or a review post event.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Posting often on social media is important. As the sole manager of this area of my business, I know this can be a hassle but posting at least a few times a week does really get your name out there. Liking, commenting, and following other artists in the same field as me also gets followers to your Instagram account and it is super fun to make friends with other like minded creators from the other side of the world! If you have the budget for it, boosting posts on exceptional images or creations is a good way to get a reel out there. Think of creative ways to boost your name! I have found that being generous with leftover blooms, gifting them, creating something special for a local charity or non-profit, all of these ways create brand loyalty and word of mouth recommendations. Be patient with this process and remember that a big following on Instagram does not necessarily equate to booked clients. I’d rather have a smaller following that is engaged, communicating with me, and booking me as their florist!

Contact Info:

• Website: littleworkshopfloral.com
• Instagram: @little_workshop_floral

Image Credits
Lola Grace Photography Adore Wedding Photography Yana Benjamin Photography Melissa Giles Photography Kerby Hickman Photography