Sue Prutting

White Magnolia Designs

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Our guest this week is Sue Prutting, owner of White Magnolia Design based in the Washington D.C. area. Her Luxury Wedding and Design Business began almost 10 years ago and she's been a mentor and coach to help other businesses, especially freelance designers.

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I love this job.  That is all there is to it.  Who wouldn’t love being surrounded by beauty all day?  One of my favorite parts of this job is working with my clients. Helping them bring their vision for an event into focus and then translating it into real life.  

Living in the DC area has allowed me to be involved with so many exciting events including working with flowers at the most prestigious address in America.  Thanks to social media, I have met and worked with many of the greatest floral designers in the world.  Paris, NYC, Seattle, LA, Napa, Portland, Memphis, Philadelphia... (traveling for events is another big perk of this amazing job!!)

Whenever possible, using locally grown, seasonal flowers and supporting the farmers who grow them is another passion of mine.  Everyone wins - you get the freshest and most unusual flowers available, are helping to sustain the local good-guys and the environment is better for it.  

Hunting for joy, recognizing the gifts around me and finding beauty in everyday life is what I'm all about.  White Magnolia Designs is the perfect expression of that.  Join me on this amazing adventure and add a little beauty to your life! 

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Show Notes

  1. It can be helpful to find a mentor when starting out your business or floral career.

  2. Education is always a great place to start, but then look to gain experience by freelancing before you take the jump.  You can learn from others in the business and you get ideas for work flow and organization.

  3. Start spreading the word about your new business with a website and social media.  Be sure to post the kind of work that you want your business to be known for.

  4. As you decide about space and where to work out of, think of co-working if you know others that might have the same need.  Maybe reach out to a wholesaler in your area and see if they have space to rent or use.

  5. Creating contracts for your freelancers can help manage expectations for both businesses involved.

  6. When hiring freelancers check references, and try and get to know them.

  7. Get Help! As you start to grow your business realize that you’ll need help to increase your business.

  8. Lastly, don’t approach your business from a position of fear, but instead be positive and work towards your goals one step at a time.

Some others that Sue mentioned for mentoring and education is:

Holly Heider Chapple, Sweet Root Village, and Amy Balsters.

 
 


Coming Soon From Sue: Floral Freelance USA

Connecting Freelancers & Business owners all over the country, answering the hard questions, providing resources, workshops and community. In the meantime, to have early access to curriculum, discounts and all of the scoop, follow below or sign up for the email list to keep in the know! CLICK HERE