Member Spotlight: MeOhMy Flowers

Hey Megan! Tell us about yourself, your flower journey, how long have you've been a florist, how did you become one, what do you love about floristry?

Hey I’m Megan, married to Steven for 29 years, Mum (and MIL) to Caitlen, Lucy and Mitch and most importantly, Mimi to Theodore Rex. My life before flowers, was in science. I worked in analytical laboratories and have a science degree majoring in chemistry. 

My flower journey started 19 years ago. My father-in-law had just passed away and the quote “life’s short and tomorrow’s not promised” made so much sense. I enrolled in TAFE and the following month my retraining begun.

I’ve always been creative, and from primary school wanted to be an architect. I love pansies and sweet peas, reminders of my Grandads’ gardens, but I chose floristry because it fit with my family. During TAFE, I began working in local florist shops. Some good and some not so, but awesome experience and lessons learned. 

There are many things I love about floristry… 

I love the flower market! This is weird because my husband will ‘kindly’ tell you that I AM NOT a morning person, but I can honestly say I’m always excited about every flower market run. 

Floristry has introduced me to the most beautiful people. When starting a small business, I hadn’t thought about the isolation of being a small business owner. I love a good chat and have often been told “you’re talking too much”, so to have met these gorgeous humans in the flower world has been amazing. They’re my sounding boards, extra hands, business brains, market buddies and forever friends.

I love the BTS of running a business. From mood boards, checklists and the good old spreadsheet. The methodical nature and organisational skills from my science days have served me well in the floristry biz. 

But probably the thing I love most about floristry is, it’s allowed me to run my own business. I’ve never been great a being told what to do, so being my own boss just makes sense and creating beautiful blooms for my gorgeous couples is such a privilege!

Why/When/How did you begin your business MeOhMy Flowers?

MeOhMy Flowers became a reality in January 2014… so 10 years this year! At that point, I’d been in the industry for 9 years, with 6 of those in weddings and events. I’d gained so much knowledge, experience and confidence, and with our girls getting older and more independent, it just seemed like the right time. My initial plans were for corporate work, but like all plans, they morphed into local community markets selling small jar posies.

Gradually, weddings started to build and it was only 4 years ago that stopped working other jobs to focus solely on MeOhMy Flowers. And I’ve never looked back… it’s been amazing!

You hit a financial goal this year, how did this happen? What do you think changed for you to grow your business to this level?

I did! It was so exciting… >$100K! As we all know, the wedding year following COVID-19 was hectic! When I finally got the chance to look at my finances for tax time, I had gone over the GST threshold without even knowing it. When the following year (2022-2023) rolled around, I didn’t really have a financial goal as such but as I began booking more and more weddings, $100K was like a dangling carrot. When I reached it, I took a screenshot of the spreadsheet and sent it to Ash… it was so exciting!

I think the business has grown because I stopped fighting and let it. I was so used to working with a team, when I went out on my own, the thought of doing a large wedding on my own was daunting. I had the skills and knowledge, but the brain was telling me otherwise. Now I’m not afraid. I’ve got a beautiful circle of support including my amazing husband, freelancers and floral friends. No wedding is too big now.

When you first began your business, what was your money mindset and financial goals? Did you find you were restricted in your beliefs around making money?

When I first started MeOhMy Flowers, I was more than happy for a micro business, plodding along, minding my own business and making beautiful flowers. I vividly remember the conversations I had with other small business owners (Ash and Rach) who were scaling their flower businesses. I told them I NEVER wanted to earn more than the GST threshold. The thought of GST and BAS freaked me out, BUT post pandemic had other plans. 

As my business has grown, so too have my financial goals. I’ve always been super happy and very proud of every dollar I’ve made in the business, but not been focused on money rather the lifestyle it allows us. BUT, now that I’ve ticked the box. I want to keep growing. Not in a greedy way, but more as a challenge and competitive way with myself. It’s hard work sometimes but totally and completely rewarding. 

The main thing I used to do was question what I thought someone would or wouldn’t pay for their wedding flowers, but not anymore. When I put a quote together I don’t judge the overall figure. If it’s over my couple’s budget, rather than me reducing the size of elements to fit their budget, they need add to their budget or decide what flowers are really important to them and remove the items that are not.  

What drew you to the Wildflower Academy Membership?

Ash has so much knowledge and such an amazing way of sharing! For quite a few years, Ash and I have been market buddies. Our Sydney trips are filled with business chats, questions, answers, advice, brainstorming, you name it we’ve talked about it. So, I thought it was about time I should pay up...

But in all seriousness, Wildflower Academy is a perfect resource for new and old. Easy to navigate and covering all topics for a florist, freelancer and business owner.

You purchased an annual subscription in the membership, is this how you like to invest into education or was it on a whim?

I trained in floristry nearly 20 years ago. In that time things have changed. Wedding styles, floral mechanics, client expectations, Instagram didn’t even exist! I purchased the annual subscription to Wildflower Academy because each year, I invest in my education because I believe continual learning is so important. WFA is perfect for this because not only does it offer weekly classes through membership, they also offer workshops and masterclasses. Also I like to pay in one lump sum, it’s how my brain works.

What impact has the Wildflower Academy had on your floral business?

Wildflower Academy has built my design confidence, made me less critical of my creations, question ‘the floristry rules’, refine my floral ingredients, helped with behind the scenes of running a business and also taught me to be completely foam-free and focus on the importance of sustainability (all green waste/plastic/paper collected and recycled, rainwater tanks for flower buckets)

What’s your favourite feature or class within the membership?

Listening to Ash’s soothing voice... but probably the flower recipe class, spreadsheets always and forever!

What future goals do you have for your flower biz?

My husband is retiring in 3.5 years (he’s definitely counting the days), but we’re working on a plan to keep the business running to pay for our adventures.