What will I be doing?

There are more than 50,000 floral services in the U.S. How can you operate a home business in what is traditionally a retail storefront enterprise? You can offer supporting services.

For example, your home-based floral business may arrange or deliver flowers for florist shops. Or you may grow them at your home, selling them wholesale to the shops or to floral wholesalers. Or you may produce products sold through florist shops such as vases, dry-flower arrangements or trim products.

What will I need to start?

To successfully start a floral service you’ll need to know your products, whatever they may be. You may specialize in potted geraniums or in holiday arrangements. Whatever your specialty, you must know much more about it than your customers. The more you know, the more you will profit.

You will also need skills, resources and equipment. If you’re a flower arranger, you’ll need related skills, flowers to arrange and a work area. If you offer delivery services, you’ll need to have a vehicle, a safe driving record, a knowledge of the city and be available for quick deliveries.

Who will my customers be?

Customers for your floral service will include individuals (funerals, weddings) businesses, churches and other groups. Some home-based floral services specialize in a type of product or customer. One successful service provided floral arrangements for local churches on a contract basis. Each week featured a new arrangement. Because the arrangements at all customer churches were the same, she was able to buy in quantity at the nearby floral wholesale market. She bought on Saturday morning, arranged all day Saturday and delivered early Sunday morning.

Defining the customers of your floral service will depend on what you sell.