How Kirsty turned her love for florals into a successful business.
Kirsty wanted to take her passion for florals to the next level. Having extensive experience in floristry, she wanted to bring her love for bold, unique botanicals to a wider audience.
Find out how she brought her business idea to life with the support of The Business Factory.
Tell us more about you business and what inspired you to go self-employed?
Nymph Botanics is a modern, fun, floral studio with a love for all things botanical. In 2022, I was working for a houseplant company and I had the opportunity to help design and install a houseplant exhibit at Chelsea Flower Show.
I loved all aspects of it; from designing and planning, through to installing and styling, and it made me realise I needed to use my creativity more! We went on to be awarded a gold medal for our design and it motivated me to pivot my career. At that point I’d worked for various small businesses, and I’d acquired loads of useful skills that put me in a great position for starting my own business, so I went back to college to study floristry professionally. With my background in design and love of plants, flowers and styling, it seemed like the next logical step for me.
What barriers and challenges did you have when it came to getting your business off the ground?
When I first started out I’d just finished my floristry training and was only working part time in a plant shop. I didn’t have much money behind me and I knew in order to start managing a business, hosting events and getting my brand ‘out there’ I would need some guidance and to invest in some much needed equipment. I found out about The Business Factory through an online search and enrolled onto their ‘Toolkit to Starting a Business’ workshop which gave me a loads of useful information.
I felt encouraged and supported to go for it but I knew I would need to slowly build up my business while still working my day job to bring in essential funds. I’m still in the early stages but I have a clear vision for Nymph Botanics.
What has this grant allowed you to achieve in starting up your business?
I was able to secure the necessary business insurance so I could actually start trading, a website to showcase my work and branded packaging to help my products become instantly recognisable.
I have ‘Nymph Botanics’ aprons for my floral workshops and business cards to advertise my services. It’s given me a real head start!
What does the future hold for Nymph Botanics?
My main focus has always been to work in weddings and events so I hope to grow my customer base and eventually be fully booked with fabulous events throughout the year. In the near future, expect to see some fun, floral and botanical workshops, some markets and plenty more playful, modern florals. If the opportunity arises, I’d really love to collaborate with some other local businesses too.
Would you recommend The Business Factory services overall, and in particular would you encourage others to get in touch to find out about our new Start-Up Grant scheme?
Absolutely! The Business Factory have been amazing from the start. I have felt supported and encouraged from the first workshop I attended, and I’d recommend anyone interesting in starting a business to attend one. The fact that the sessions are free make it accessible for everyone which is great!
The Start-Up Grant has really provided me with a strong foundation to build upon. It would have taken me so much longer to reach this stage without the scheme and it’s given me the push I needed to make it happen.
Has Kirsty's journey inspired you?
Join us at our next Welcome session to find how we can support your business journey.
