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

Shanda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What do you think it takes to be successful?

I feel in today’s world we are inundated with what success looks like; whether that is having millions of dollars in revenue, luxury travel or driving expensive vehicles. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with obtaining these things, I think it can at times give a false sense of what success looks like and what it takes to get there. Obtaining success takes an incredible amount of work, dedication and tenacity. However, something most people don’t talk about much is defining what success looks like for you as an individual.

If success to you looks more like, living debt free, with 6 months worth of savings, having your home paid off and several trips per year to experience and enjoy the life you’ve been given, then what would it take to achieve that?

That’s the question we really need to ask. What does it take for me to be successful in the way I define success. Having that answer will then guide everything else. Once you’ve defined what success looks like, draft a plan or outline to achieve that success. It will take patience, desire and endurance to get there.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Shanda and I am a floral designer specializing on wedding and event design. Providing couples with their dream florals is not something I ever thought I would do for a living. However, after my own wedding, I fell in love with the craft and began to build a business around it. Being able to create interesting and different floral arrangements that speak to our couples’ unique style is really a privilege.

For some context, I am an immigrant from Costa Rica. I am not college educated, English is my second language and my family and I lived undocumented in this country for over 10 years before we obtained legal status. Needless to say, growing up was not the easiest experience. I now run a multiple 6 figure business, help provide a living wage to my employees and get to bring dreams to life for my clients. This is probably what I am most proud of. The fact that I can not only now provide for myself and family but also for others.

The journey here was difficult, I won’t lie. However, one of my motivating factors was and continues to be to prove to myself that a girl who came from nothing, can become a successful entrepreneur and serve as proof that anyone can do it. No matter your circumstances. Each day I achieve a new goal, I think about where I came from and where I am today. It’s incredible what people can do when they put their mind to it. Achieving success begins in your mind.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

Relationships. This past year I took a deep dive into where our clients were finding us. I took a look at our numbers and researched of the clients that found us, how many of them booked our services? Of those that booked our services, how did they find us?

After spending some time digging into this data, I realized our highest paying clients came from referrals. Other wedding vendors who referred our services as well as past clients who referred our services. This was a huge insight for us. We spend marketing dollars on advertising on wedding platforms, but with this new insight we can now make decisions as to where to better spend our marketing dollars and that’s on building more relationships within our industry.

Taking a look at the strategies you have in place to market your business is key. It helps you realize what does not serve you and where to adjust to reach the clients you want to work with.

Any advice for managing a team?

Managing people is a whole other monster. It requires skills to ensure your team is motivated, happy and engaged in the work they are doing.

I would say that it all starts with the right person. Hiring the right person for the roles in your organization is key and this sometimes takes a bit of trial and error. Once the right person is on your team, you need to be sure to provide them with clear guidance in terms of what they are responsible for within the business. You must provide them with metrics they will be measured on for productivity and when those metrics are met, reward them. If they work hard for you, then you must also work hard for them.

If they are giving you 100% then you must recognize that and applaud them for it. This keeps morale high and your team members are more than happy to do more for you because they feel how much you do for them. However, accountability for when they are lacking can’t be neglected. Holding your team members accountable and coaching them to do better falls on you. With the right coaching, encouragement and rewarding, the right person will climb a mountain for you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.flordecasadesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flordecasa_designs

Image Credits
The Kents Photography Emily Gude Photography Danielle Real Photography Maddy Williams Photography Corbin Gurkin Flor de Campo Photography