When you’re deep in the grind, chugging through the workload, and running headfirst towards deadlines, it can be a little hard to come up for air and give yourself a pat on the back. 

I’m walking into 2023 in a reflective state of mind, both professionally and personally, and it’s been a validating and reinvigorating process to flip through the calendar pages and see all that has been accomplished in 2022!

Bouquet Bootcamp® Hands-On

My Bouquet Bootcamp® workshop flourished in 2022. I taught several hands-on workshops at the lovely Floral Bar in Dallas, TX. The new, two-day extended curriculum allowed me to dig deeper into color theory and design principles and resulted in some of the best student work I’ve ever seen. Shout out to Mayesh, our workshop partner, who provided all the juicy blooms so we could create the most drool-worthy flower bar, (organized by color of course!). This allowed students to really experiment and apply what they learned in color theory like never before. 

We also received our best feedback yet. From design theory, mechanics, bouquet techniques,  mindset, and more, the students elevated their work to new levels and I’ve never been more proud. Want a sneak peek at the content? Check it out here.

Bouquet Bootcamp® Online  

We also celebrated BIG for the one year anniversary of my Bouquet Bootcamp® Online Course! The development of this course was a huge investment and undertaking, and in 2022 we really got to see all that hard work pay off with the most remarkable reviews of student success. To date, the course has impacted over 1000 students, from beginners to experienced designers, retail florists, wedding designers, farmer florists and even hobbyists! 

We see reviews weekly about how the course has helped designers make more money, grow their businesses, understand “the why” behind great design, and build major confidence in their design work. It’s why I started teaching in the first place so it makes me emotional to see how far-reaching and impactful this course has been. 

(P.S. We have a new, speedy, cost-effective, and approachable version of this content over called Bouquet Essentials!)

Teaching Engagements

It’s such an honor to be invited to teach and last year brought some incredible teaching opportunities. In no particular order:

• Returned to The Flower Freelance Intensive hosted by Sophie Felts and White Magnolia Designs. This hands-on workshop is a zero-to-sixty, five-day educational experience to teach people how to become freelance designers! (And I’ll be teaching again this year, check it out here)

• Spoke on the main stage all about bouquets and led two breakout sessions on my journey with mindset work at the Team Flower Conference in Albany, New York, and met some incredible florists there! 
• Provided the keynote session at the online Fleursociety Summit on wellness and taking care of your body as florist. I got into the nitty-gritty, discussing ergonomics, tools, and taking care of ourselves. 
• Returned to teach again as a Growing Kindness presenter using all local flowers!
• Led the first hands-on workshop experience at Calflowers Fun N’ Sun Convention in sunny San Diego, CA where I taught hand-tied bouquets to designers, wholesalers, growers, and more and met so many wonderful industry pros! 
• Taught a masterclass for bouquet building using some garden treasures like bearded iris and lily of the valley (and showcased some wiring techniques) for Details Software which you can watch here. It was their most-watched webinar to date! 

Private Team Trainings

One of my passions is team training! Each training is different and completely customized to what the team needs. Last year, I had the privilege of leading a few private team trainings and look forward to more in 2023! I love the challenge of teaching a mix of new and seasoned designers, shop help, and even delivery drivers. It keeps me on my toes, keeps me fresh, and allows me to delve into topics such as vase arranging, production, palette building for retail, and daily design work. 

Features and Events

I was fortunate to be featured in a handful of podcasts, magazines, and more and was the first designer to help bring a design show to life for the annual Mayesh Japanese Flower Festival! 

• The Art and Business of Flowers and I had a lovely chat about mindset and Bouquet Bootcamp!
• A true honor to be interviewed on the Slow Flowers Podcast with the one and only Debra Prinzing…we had a wonderful conversation live from Cal Flowers Convention in San Diego! 
• Competed in the Mayesh Design Star competition where I made it to the top 4 finalists and made the biggest bouquet I’ve ever made! 
• A fall feature in Florists’ Review for an Autumn Spiral Bouquet Tutorial.
• The beautiful and brand new Mayesh Cafe Latte Rose Color Palette Guide (a free, detailed palette guide, demonstrating the versatility of Cafe Latte!)
• One of my personal highlights was to help envision and teach the first design showcase for the online Mayesh Japanese Flower Show, an event that highlighted Japanese-grown products. I could weep at these rare and beautiful blooms! The product was so gorgeous (we’re talking sweet peas, orchids, and lisianthus that lasted a month) and I demonstrated several arrangements and bouquets, and you can see it all here!

Networking & Conferences

Every year I attend industry events, because staying connected and up to date is key to business growth. I like to share all that I learn at these events with my community, explore new vendor offerings, see colleagues, and make new connections.

In 2022, I not only attended the AIFD Symposium in Las Vegas, Nevada but also had the pleasure of assisting and speaking! The week leading up to the main event, I supported my friend Susan McLeary of Passionflower Sue in the design room to help her prepare for her incredible main stage presentation. 

I was also asked to present on behalf of the Society of American Florists on the main stage (what an honor!) to share my experience over Covid in a program called “No Guts, No Glory.” It was a moving and emotional panel of florists of all kinds, presenting on overcoming and succeeding, despite the challenges of the pandemic. 
I also attended the SAF Convention in Orlando, Florida and was asked to be involved in a Flower Clique presentation as a performer! I got to see new products and flower varieties and meet up with several industry friends and cheered them on while they were awarded AAF and PFCI.

Small-Business Wins

It’s so important to not overlook small wins as well. Not the splashy or money-making, but the strides you’ve made with your business that will affect the day to day. For instance, in 2022:

• We grew our team! The Floral Coach® now has five remote team members, all that help me serve you better ❤️
• I learned a lot as a boss and business owner, such as:
  • Remote teams take a different kind of leadership! 
  • It’s important to lead with your values, always.
  • Humility is the key to great things and moving forward in business requires a courageous and honest look in the mirror.  
  • Leaning on other professionals to help my business grow is necessary and requires patience and flexibility. I hired people to do what they do and let them do it, like graphic design, marketing, copyrighting and more!
• We doubled down on processes: investing a lot of time, money, and labor into new tools and organizational systems that help us communicate, run efficiently, and meet our goals as a small team. We have built an incredible foundation and am so excited for what’s ahead! 
• We’ve persevered and we’re started to see traction! We prioritized slow, intentional, strategic growth, and we’re starting to see more results than ever before. 
• We. Are. Thriving! And we can’t wait to connect with and serve you more in 2023!

I’m so proud.

 ☺️

Personal Wins

And what’s it all worth if it’s not balanced by personal wins? It was a year of hard work in this department. Prioritizing my family, my mental, and my physical health has been a challenge but I’m excited to keep this front and center in 2023.

• My husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage, woohoo!
• We also both turned 40 so we took a family trip to Hawaii, and got to see some military friends while there! 
• We found a rhythm with my son and homeschooling. In fact, we’re moving to be closer to his homeschool community! New year, new home, new neighborhood!
• We went to Glacier National Park (one of my bucket-list spots) in Montana and it was truly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.
• I started working with a trauma therapist who does somatic work and did a lot of healing, with more to come. This work is tough but has been so important and impacts every aspect of my life and turns out, it’s been a missing piece in business. I am seeing a lot of growth in the area of identifying triggers and caring for myself on a deeper level and in a healthier way. 

As you can see, there is a lot to celebrate from 2022 and looking back is a gift of reflection, it allows for celebration, and honors all that was created, experienced, and even endured. 

I encourage you to spend some time this week looking at your year, your growth, and your accomplishments. And I encourage you to spend some time feeling proud of yourself. After all, we made it, we are still here to live another day and bring beauty to the world through our work!

Cheers to a New Year and all that is to come. 

Warmly,

Amy