Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to help thousands of people from all over the world grow flowers for fun and as part of a business. Seeing their tremendous success and transformations has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
One of the things that I hear over and over again from readers and students is that growing and sharing flowers with others brings them so much joy and also connects them with nature and loved ones.
I’d like to introduce you to Sarah Jo.
Sarah Jo’s daughter was born with special medical needs which required her to leave her job to provide the extra care her baby needed. While her daughter napped, Sarah Jo would gaze at the empty lot behind her 100-year old farmhouse and daydream about the possibilities. One afternoon, an idea struck her.
“The previous summer I had tossed a pack of zinnia seeds in the ground and the stunning flowers I enjoyed all summer were imprinted on my mind,” she shared. While researching how to grow other varieties, she found Floret. After reading the Floret blog, she decided to get serious about growing flowers and enrolled in the Floret Online Workshop.
“The Workshop was a roadmap. Instead of flying blind, I was empowered with the knowledge I needed to be successful. Instead of learning by trial and error, I put my business ahead by several years.”
“In our second full year of growing, we have three weddings under our belt, a robust bouquet subscription offering, a market presence (we were invited to FIVE farmers markers in the greater Dallas area and had to turn most of them down!), supply two florists shops and roughly 12 event florists in Dallas with flowers.”
As thrilling as Sarah Jo’s early success is, it was what she said next that really struck me:
“It has set me free to stay home with my kids and make a living doing something creative and beautiful! I love being able to supply locally grown flowers to an area that is in desperate need of them and to work every day right outside my backdoor with my sweet children along my side.”
Seeing Jo take a tough situation and transform it into something so meaningful is so inspiring. 
Sarah Jo’s story illustrates what is possible when you give yourself time to dream and then take the leap to build and grow something you love.
To read additional inspiring stories of small-scale flower growers, be sure to check out Floret’s new e-book, Small Plot: Big Impact. In it, you’ll meet entrepreneurial women who are growing seasonal blooms and selling them in creative ways in their local communities. Learn more about their personal flower journeys, discover their top flower crops, see how they sell their blooms and more in this beautiful collection of profiles & essays.
And if you are ready to dig deep into growing flowers on a small scale, I invite you to join me for the 2020 Floret Online Workshop. We offer this unique 6-week course just once per year and enrollment will be open November 4-8, 2019.
UPDATE: Enrollment for the 2020 Floret Online Workshop is now closed.
I’d love to have you join me, the Floret Team and a welcoming community of fellow flower lovers like Sarah Jo who are growing beauty in backyards, side yards and in the smallest spaces you can imagine. We’ll supply you with the tools, resources, support and expert advice you need to grow an abundance of flowers in any size space, no matter where you live. Whether you are a stay-at-home parent looking for a side gig, a retiree considering an encore career, or someone who simply wants to cultivate more beauty in your life, I hope you’ll consider joining me for our next workshop. Learn more here.
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