Best friends build flower business

Lucy Among and Phionah Ampire at their work base in in Kisaasi. PHOTOS BY ESTHER OLUKA

What you need to know:

Lucy Marjabelle Among, 30, and Phionah Sheena Ampire, 29, are two friends running a flower business called Apryl Blooms whereby they create flower bouquets depending on client’s tastes and preferences. The duo opened up about the highs and lows of their business, writes Esther Oluka.

Lucy Marjabelle Among has always been fascinated by flowers since she was a little girl. She loves them. In fact, as Among grew up, she started making it a habit of sending flower packages to loved ones celebrating special days including birthdays.
“Flowers always brought a positive effect on the people I gave. Their faces would light up with joy,” Among says.
It is for such reasons that Among slowly started developing the idea of venturing into the flower business. Her plan was to first complete university, probably get a job, work, save some money which in return would be invested into a flower business.

She studied and graduated from Makerere University in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and Social Administration (SWASA). In 2012, she got work as an executive assistant at Windle Trust International, a non-government organisation (NGO) whose primary mission is to equip refugees and others affected by conflict in Africa by providing access to education, training and employment opportunities.

“I was working for this organisation on a contract basis meaning that my role was designated for a certain period of time. This put me on tension as I constantly worried about my next move,” she says.
For these reasons, Among left the organisation at the start of 2017. Immediately after her departure, she revived her fondness for flowers by starting a business in July 2017.

Starting
The beginning was tough, Among reveals. When I ask Among how exactly the start was rough, she first shakes her head sideways before proceeding on with the narration.
“The biggest problem I encountered was getting into a business I had no experience about. Yes, I loved flowers, however, I had no prior knowledge or skill on running a floral business,” she says.

So, she started by doing mostly try-outs, experimenting here and there. Her start-up capital was Shs700,000, an amount she had saved from her previous job. “I would buy flowers from florists and then go home to arrange them into different unique patterns. The results were not always the best,” she says.

The two business ladies display their bouquets of flowers.

Determination
Getting customers was another challenge. “Some days, I would get only one client while others were dry with no customers,” she says.
Among became so demotivated and started applying for office jobs. Unfortunately for her, the application process was hitting a dead end. She was not getting called back by potential employers.
So, she decided to hustle on with the flower business. However, this time round, she asked her best friend, Phionah Sheena Ampire, to join her. Among thought that probably the situation would improve if two people rather than one handled the business together.

Ampire accepted the challenge and joined the business as a partner in January 2018. Prior to joining the company, Ampire worked as an accountant at Value Added Services (VAS) Consults Limited, a company dealing in car tracking, fleet management and financial management. Ampire holds a bachelor’s degree in Development Economics from Makerere University after graduating in 2011.

Partnership
The business remarkably improved when the two started working together. It was a testament to the saying that two heads are indeed better one. But, rather than just selling flowers, Among and Ampire thought that the best way of standing out of the business was to add a uniqueness to it. They decided to focus on making customised flower bouquets, complete with unique packaging.
The bouquets would be made according to a client’s taste and preference. But also, in order to boost their business further, the duo read more about the flower business by carrying out research on different sites including blogs and YouTube.

Distinct flowers
And within no time, they perfected their art of making distinct flower bouquets. Today, they can get you a special bouquet of almost any design or pattern.
“For example, we can make you a bouquet of flowers bearing any letter initials such as HB,” Ampire says, adding, “And also, we have a way of making very rare special flower bouquets, for example, if you want black roses, or green roses, or even blue roses, we have our special way of making them for clients.”

They have five different suppliers they buy the flowers from. One of them (suppliers) gets his flowers as far as Nairobi, Kenya. Once they have received the flowers, they are delivered to Among’s family home in Kisaasi, a suburb located in the outskirts of Kampala. “This is where we work,” Among says.

Market
The duo utilise different social media sites including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for advertising their business. Over the past few years, their clients have also included renowned personalities such as Sheila Gashumba, Bebe Cool, Helen Lukoma and Nadia Mbiire, among other clients.

Ampire preparing flowers before placing them in different boxes for delivery.

Prices, profits
The prices of flowers range between Shs60,000 and Shs500,000 depending on the size. “However, there are times a client may call and request that a certain item is added onto the bouquet. It could be a chocolate, wine, a teddy bear, among other objects. On such occasions, we may discuss these other expenses with the client,” Ampire says. In a week, the duo says it makes profits ranging between Shs700,000 to Shs1m. But when things are very bad, the worst they can make is a minimum amount of Shs300,000.

Their peak business season is always the week of Valentine’s Day. “It is a crazy time for us. We are always overwhelmed,” Ampire says. “We hardly eat or sleep because of so many orders from clients. In case you did not know, you will even find women placing orders for floral arrangements for men, and, it’s for this reason why we came up with flowers bouquets of blue colour, one, that identifies with men. We even accompany the bouquet with a box bearing a bow tie,” Among says.
Each year, during the week of Valentines’ Day, they make between Shs5m to Shs20m.

Coping with challenges
One of the biggest challenges the duo faces is delayed deliveries from the suppliers. “There are times we want particular flowers urgently but these normally take long to get delivered as they have to be transported from Nairobi,” Ampire says. During such times, they have no choice but to wait.
The other issue is that it is not always easy running a business as friends.

“There are times we argue or are not in the mood of talking to each other. It is a tricky situation for us because we are friends running a business together,” Among says. Over time, they are learning to put their differences aside and focus more on running the business.
“We have learnt to talk more openly about our issues and resolve them,” Ampire says.

How to start your own flower business

If you are interested in starting a flower shop, the first step is to learn more about the floristry business.
If you are skilled with floral design, have strong interpersonal skills, and a good business sense, opening a flower shop could be a good future for you.
To open your shop, develop your business’s plan, mission, and structure.

Natural skills
Florists not only love working with flowers and plants, but should also possess a keen eye for detail, and creative flair. You’ll have to be good with your hands, and physically fit.
It will help to have good interpersonal skills. The retail portion of your business, means that you’ll be dealing with customers as they come in to shop for flowers. The flower arrangements for weddings and funerals are often made in times of high stress, where emotions are close to the surface. You will have to be able to be helpful, diplomatic, and practical in difficult situations.

Learn the trade of a florist
To learn the trade of a florist, you can either go through a training institute or learn by apprenticing with a florist. Some community colleges have certification programmes in floral design, but there is no requirement for college credits in order to work as a florist. Working for a florist while you attend college is a good way to get the most out of your training.
If the florist doesn’t have any jobs or internships arranging flowers, you should consider doing part-time work cleaning the shop or other unskilled tasks in order to get a sense of the way a shop works.

Consider on-the-job training
Working for a florist is the most efficient way to learn what skills you’ll need, because you’ll learn first-hand the pressures and rewards of owning your own shop. In addition, you’ll likely learn cost-saving measures and floral design secrets that won’t be found in community college programmes.
Someone who works in floral design is usually more up-to-date on the latest trends in the flower industry as opposed to someone whose involvement has been more academic.

If you plan to open your flower shop in the same city, county or state, you’ll learn more about local resources and licensing requirements. While there are no formal requirements for becoming a florist, you’ll need to apply for a business licence and follow all local tax and building codes. Think about risks and benefits of opening a flower shop. Someone who runs his own flower shop will have to expect to work from quite early in the morning, as early as 6am until the end of a typical business day. Your shop will likely be open at least six days per week. You’ll have to plan ahead for busy seasons (generally around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day) and slow seasons (January and August tend to be slow seasons for the floral industry).
If you’re thinking of hiring any employees, you’ll need to make sure they’re well trained. Customer service is essential in running a successful flower shop.

Do market research
Who will your likely customers be? What are their habits of flower-buying, and what are they most likely to purchase? Consider as much information as you possibly can regarding your customers (market). Things to think about include knowing what role flowers are likely to play in the lives of your customers. Are they likely to purchase flowers for people who are sick or dying? Or are flowers an important part of community events/celebrations/birthdays?

Think about what businesses are in your community and what role flower may have in their operation. For example, do industry leaders in your community regularly include floral arrangements in their lobbies or conferences? Is your area one in which “destination” weddings take place? Do company leaders present flowers to their employees?