Working As a Florist in London & Somerset With Ellie Jauncey

My Small Business & Me

#021 - Florist Ellie Jauncey shares her small business journey. In 2009, with Anna Day, Ellie founded The Flower Appreciation Society in London. 11 years later, having moved to Somerset, she set up her second floristry business, Ede Flowers.
After originally studying textiles and specialising in knitwear at Manchester Art School, in 2006 she moved to London thinking she would become a knitwear designer. Whilst working part-time at a pub in Hackney in 2008, she met Anna and they became friends, predominantly due to a shared interest in flowers. Ellie's mum was a florist and another of her part-time jobs in London was working for Rebel Rebel, whilst Anna had studied floristry at Capel Manor College.
They suggested to their landlady that they create flowers for the pub they worked in. And they saved up enough money from this work to buy a camera. Friends were starting to get married and they asked Ellie and Anna to create their wedding flowers.
To promote their work, they decided to create a website, did a photoshoot and created a brand identity using their photos combined with Anna's illustration and collage skills. As a result of a large amount of cold calling and emails, they got a lot of press coverage.
Ellie discusses the dynamic of working in a successful partnership for 10 years, during which they wrote the book, An A to Z of All Things Floral. She also shares her transition from London to Dorset where she set up a floristry business on her own called Ede Flowers in 2020. As well as an online shop, she also runs online flower drawing and bridal bouquet courses.
Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Ellie is about teaching and sharing her love of flowers and floristry. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring.
Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode21