Lennie Larkin
B-Side Farm and Flower Farming For Profit
Image by Nurture Nature Photography.
Lennie Larkin started B-Side Farm in Sonoma County, California, in 2014, and has since moved the farm and settled on two beautiful acres outside of Portland, Oregon. B-Side has grown flowers for all kinds of retail and wholesale customers over the years and designed for hundreds of weddings. Lennie’s true passion lies not only in tending to her own farm but in helping other farmers thrive in their businesses. She has been an associate faculty member at Santa Rosa Junior College and served multiple terms on the board of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers. She is a vocal cheerleader for other growers and is known for advocating the value of business skills―the nuts and bolts that make this beautiful life of cultivating flowers possible. Through her research and educational business, Flower Farming for Profit, she teaches a business curriculum that she developed specifically for flower farmers, provides coaching and business advising, and conducts grant-funded research on cut flower cost of production and efficiency.
Show Notes
Photography by Roger Elliot Photography
It’s import to remember the joy that flowers can bring. They brought grounding and helped her sense of well being and mental health.
I thought it was great how she chatted with her customers to learn how they found their farm stand. She used that info to do a better job of targeting new customers especially utilizing her signs directing people to her store.
It’s best when growing not to start with the most expensive flowers. You might want to learn who your customers are before investing in these pricier crops.
Lean into the crops that you do well with and that there’s a demand. You don’t want to waste time and money growing crops that might not be suitable for your area.
It’s important to cut out the crops you loose money on. You want to become an expert in the crops you do well with and focus on those specialty crops.
Know Your Cost To Grow is a software they’ve been utilizing to look at the details in the costs of growing flowers with certain farms for Lennie’s research.
Find and create processes and efficiencies to help you become more profitable and help your whole team work better helping with the overall mindset and team culture.
Flower Farming For Profit
WHEN LENNIE LARKIN SET OUT TO BECOME A FLOWER FARMER, SHE FOUND ALL SORTS OF RESOURCES ABOUT GROWING FLOWERS BUT A SCARCITY OF RELIABLE INFORMATION ON HOW TO BUILD A PROFITABLE CUT FLOWER BUSINESS. HOW DO YOU CREATE EFFICIENT SYSTEMS AND ADEQUATELY VALUE YOUR OWN TIME AND EFFORT THROUGH YOUR PRICING? WHEN AND HOW SHOULD YOU CONSIDER SCALING UP YOUR FARM? HOW CAN YOU MAKE DOING WHAT YOU LOVE SUPPORT YOU FINANCIALLY?
