How to build a business in the field of flowers. The story of “Bicycle Flower”
An unusual idea helped Sonya Polsky to organize a business, enjoying pleasure and profit from her favorite activity. “Bicycle Flower” is an original and demanded service that helps people give a piece of warmth and beauty.
The story of the origin of the idea is quite banal – Sonya went to the station to meet her grandmother with her granddaughter on an unremarkable morning of the weekday, and in addition received a huge box of wild flowers from the country house.
This small flower island from the Moscow region visited the Moscow railway station, traveled to the central Moscow street, and got into the “Dial” on Tverskaya, where it turned into many lovely bouquets. All this beauty will be for someone a surprise, sweet joy, fragrant gift from a serene summer.
From idea to business
Art critic by vocation, Sonya Polskaya was an opponent of bouquets, cut flowers, she always treated all living things with trepidation. Pathetic bouquets of roses, lilies and the like Sonya did not like, it was easier to please her with a modest bunch of field plants.
The idea of opening “Flower Flowers” dawned on Sonya at the moment when she realized that there are no such shops where you can buy a bouquet of wild flowers.
Three years ago, the first bouquets of field plants, she sold for 250 rubles, and, they flew in no time. Initially, Sonia began selling flowers simply, without forming bouquets. But buyers wanted something beautiful, not just an armful of daisies, but a bouquet. The request to make “something” of these flowers was so frequent that Sonya refused to sell flowers and began to collect them in compositions that were very beautiful and diverse.
As Sonya noted, even in the absence of the florist’s special education, each bouquet is beautifully obtained through hundreds of practice bouquets.
“Bicycle Flower”
This name was associated by Polish at once with two favorite things that it was possible to combine. Flowers are Sony’s unconditional vocation, and the bicycle for the big city at that time became a trend, bicycle lanes were established and this sport was promoted. Sonia was an activist in cycling, but it was not the basis for the name. The need to pay for renting a place anywhere has fallen away thanks to a bicycle basket — you can simply ride around the city selling fragrant bouquets to passers-by.
Profitable business and its development
There was also no need to open a shop; a regular cart fastened to a bicycle allowed us to carry a stock, an island of summer, with us. The beginning of the business was a bit chaotic, since the absence of various devices forced a bunch of bouquets to be transported, and in order to be able to choose, Polskaya laid out bouquets on the asphalt.
In order to grow, the flower girl decided to get a diploma at the Timiryazev Agricultural Academy. She believed that it was here that she would be able to obtain the necessary skills, learn more about how and what colors to take care of.
In addition to studying, Sonya worked hard and hard. She dug up seedlings and dragged boxes of soil, which helped not only to get material support, but also to find the first suppliers. For bouquets, Sonya began to buy flowers at the academy at personal prices created for her. The academy simply did not have other buyers of such a specific product. Polish bought what employees Timiryazevka previously simply disposed of.
At one time, the florist stepped back from her undertaking, having settled in as a manager at Tsiferblat, having lost two years. She returned to the “Cycling Flower” only in early 2015, this was the second birth.
The return of the “Flower Flowers”
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On May 16, 2015 the cycling flower cycle was re-launched. In search of suppliers, Sonya decided to turn to social programs, and through Facebook she was able to find retirees who were ready to grow wild flowers.
The ad placed on the page was seen by more advanced teenagers and children who passed Sony contacts to their grandparents, so there were a lot of calls and she was able to choose enough summer gardeners who provided enough flow of flowers. For Poland, the origin of flowers was important – she didn’t want them to be torn in the fields, suppliers had to grow plants at their dacha and bring them in boxes.
The issue of payment was resolved just as unconventionally as the entire “Bicycle Flower Girl” business. Due to the different sizes of wildflowers, Polish decided to pay for the agreed amount – a box that was filled with different colors (no shorter than 25 cm). The amount for this box was 800-1000 rubles, which ensured a good gain for pensioners and allowed Sonya to collect bouquets from flowers at affordable prices.
