We recently connected with Molly Martin-Terry and have shared our conversation below.
Molly , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Parents can play a significant role in affecting how our lives and careers turn out – and so we think it’s important to look back and have conversations about what our parents did that affected us positive (or negatively) so that we can learn from the billions of experiences in each generation. What’s something you feel your parents did right that impacted you positively.
My parents prepared me every single day for this business by surrounding me with art in all forms.
My mom was actually a florist for decades, so I was always playing with flowers, helping with events, and learning from her. My first real job as a florist was actually with my mom. I remember on my first day I went to sit down while I worked, and she said “We don’t sit”, meaning florists don’t sit…wow was she right! She prepared me for endless days with no breaks and eating lunch with dirty hands! She absolutely helped me gain the confidence and technical skill I needed to succeed in this industry.
My dad is what you call a “Jack of all trades”. He enjoys wood working, taxidermy, construction, restoring old cars, and about a million other hobbies. Not only does he build all of my arches, and large props, he has given me the problem solving skills and engineering brain I need for this job! As a kid I would “Help” him in the garage, or as he would say, I got in-between him and everything he was trying to do, but watching him try new things and figure out how to work with what he had taught me so much!
My grandpa was a painter, drawer, cartoonist, sculptor, and wood worker. His work was absolutely incredible. I only knew him for 6 years before he passed, but his creativity and eye for design is absolutely in my blood. His artwork covered the walls of my childhood home. I remember staring at his brush strokes while siting on his work stool from his old work bench as I worked on art projects at my own art table. He is an inspiration to me every day.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
In 2016 I applied for a job, I wasn’t sure I was qualified for, at a high-end event company. I had been working in the event industry for a few years, but I was currently in school for interior design and wasn’t sure if this is the direction I wanted to go. My mom pushed me to apply and I was hired on the spot! I started out doing the grunt work, pulling decor, cleaning buckets, processing floral etc., but after a while they started allowing me to design. The lead florist, Heidi, was incredible. She had an extensive education in floral and design with decades of experience, so I did everything I could to learn from her. Up until that point I had only worked with silk floral, so fresh was a whole new world, and I had a lot to learn. After Heidi left, I was rushed into the position of lead florist months later and stayed in that position for roughly 3 years. I learned a ton, and had the opportunity to be part of gorgeous styled photoshoots, exclusive corporate events, and dozens of high-end weddings. But, I decided to quit in December of 2019 because I knew I was worth more than a low wage and minimal creative control. If I was going to work that hard, I wanted to decide when I worked, and how it was going to be done.
I started my floral business in 2020 and began booking clients soon after… and well, we all know the chaos that ensued in March of 2020. My clients went back and forth, but nearly all of them decided to go forward with their weddings. Most had smaller guest counts, masks, vaccine requirements, and sanitizer on every table of course. It was a very strange and scary time of unknown, especially prior to the vaccine, but I knew if I could push through a global pandemic I could make it though anything in this industry, and I did! I am now in my fourth season, and I’m booking roughly 25 weddings a year!
Floral and decor isn’t the only service I offer though! I am also a day of wedding coordinator. Once a month I book day of coordination along with floral and decor. So on top of designing floral and setting up the wedding I am helping my brides make timelines, I’m contacting vendors, helping with rehearsal, being the day of contact, doing lots of problem solving, and basically just making sure the day runs smoothly and efficiently! It makes for a very long day, but it’s so worth it to know my client didn’t have to lift a finger the day of their wedding.
Being a florist and a wedding coordinator is incredibly hard work. Some days I wake up barley able to move, but I couldn’t imagine how much worse I would feel if I didn’t have help from my husband. I quite literally could not have this business without him. It’s kind of an inside joke in this industry that our partners are our “Free labor”. I don’t think they know what they are signing up for when they agree to help with an event business, but they still show up every weekend and do all the little things us business owners don’t want to do! My husband is my life saver on days when I forget something, or when I have to make 10+ trips to load and unload the van. He has allowed me to follow my dreams and is my biggest supporter on those event days that don’t go according to plan. Owning a business with your spouse can be tough, but I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else!
The wedding industry is very saturated. It’s filled with tons of very experienced professionals, so setting yourself apart can be the determining factor on your businesses success. I think what sets me apart most, is that I am personable and have an incredible work ethic. Of course I can be professional, but I don’t fake who I am. I love to make jokes and be very honest with my clients! I wear tank tops, I have tattoos, and I swear sometimes, but people love that about me. I want my clients, and other vendors, to hear my expert opinion, but more importantly I want them to trust it! I find being genuine with my clients and showing my true self allows them to break down their walls as well.
So many people come into meetings with their guard up. They have dozens of meetings with vendors, each one trying to push their budget higher and higher. I know it’s exhausting. I try my absolute hardest to stay within my client’s budget, but if I know it’s not realistic I tell them, and I explain exactly why. I don’t give roundabout answers or act as if they should already understand. Most couples have never been married before, and their parents haven’t planned a wedding since 1985, so they might not have realistic expectations, and that’s ok! My job as the professional is to help them. So, if my clients find me trustworthy and relatable they are far more likely to give me creative freedom and take my advice on how to allocate their budget. If other vendors find me relatable and honest they are more likely to suggest me to their clients, and the day is going to run so much more smoothly. So my biggest advice? Just be yourself, work your butt off, and be honest!
How did you build your audience on social media?
As a business owner, social media and my website have been wonderful tools for sharing and learning! I think the most important thing about social media is figuring out which platforms are the most suitable for your business, and learning how each individual platform pushes content. For me, instagram and Facebook have been the most beneficial. I mostly use Facebook for advertising, and instagram for creating content. My website is where people go from my social media pages to make inquires and see more of my work.
Learning how to use Reels has grown my following the most! I recently started making “Day in the life” videos of my process during a wedding week, and they’ve been doing very well! People want to see my creative process, and my couples love seeing behind the scenes from their wedding preparation. Choosing trends that will do well with your demographic is key. I picked a trend I see more regularly on TikTok and transferred it to instagram because I knew it would do well with my followers. The floral industry is not very well known. We are expected to magically transform a venue into a flower filled wonderland in just a few hours, leave, then magically clean it all up, never to be seen by our clients. Our hard work and literal blood, sweat, and tears go unnoticed. I want people to see how many hours I put in throughout the week of their wedding to make things run smoothly. This isn’t a hobby, it’s a unique skill that not everyone can do!
Creating meaningful videos and posts can be exhausting at the end of a long work day, but it’s absolutely worth it. Social media is the best and cheapest form of advertising in 2023. We no longer have to pay hundreds of dollars to post ads in the newspaper or on the radio. Just be consistent, keep things cohesive, use professional photos, and be real with your followers! In an age of corporate cookie cutter mega corporations running the world, people want to see the real you creating their product.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
In 2018 I graduated from IPFW with a bachelors of science in Interior design. Unfortunately I didn’t realize until my internship in my last year of college that I didn’t actually want a career in Interior design. I decided to push though and finish, but it was terrifying graduating with no real plan.
I was working with an event company, but I hadn’t truly considered making a career out of it. I didn’t know where to start, or if I wanted to be a florist like my mom was. The more I learned and the more talented I became, I started picturing myself running my own event business and possibly even my own venue one day. So, I finally decided to take the leap and quit my job, because it would never be “The perfect time”. The pandemic started a few months later, so I honestly don’t know if I would have ended up starting my business if I didn’t do it when I did, I guess it actually was the perfect time. It was the best decision I have ever made, and I am so thankful for everyone that supported me during that time period of uncertainty. They pushed me to follow my dreams, and nobody questioned my ability to be a successful business owner.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mollyandclover.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molly_and_clover_design/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mollyandcloverdesigns/
Image Credits
1. Fouce Photography 2. & 3. Kassidy Ilayne Studios 4. Ashley Vandervelde Photography 5. Rachel Ruth 6. Samantha Decker Photography 7. Ana Pierson Photography 8. Son Photo & Film Co.