Business of the Month - Krazy Flowers

Krazy Flowers is owned and run by two sisters, Kelly Nicholson and Zoe Malone. They have an intern who is learning all about flowers and plants and they pay for her lunch and transport expenses. They opened their shop in April 2007.

A year ago Kelly was working as a florist and Zoe was about to start a college NVQ level 1 on flower arrangement and has 3 years experience. Kelly has been working as a florist for over 9 years (3 of those as shop manager).

When asked why they decided to start their own business Kelly says ‘I was fed up of working so hard for other people and wanted a real challenge. An opportunity came up so we went for it’.

They have always fantasised with the idea of having their own shop and last year they decided this was as good a time as any to try.

Before opening the shop they explored and researched different areas and market trends. That was after meeting with one of IEA’s business advisors for the first time. They researched Interflora options too, thanks to experience they knew that linking up with Interflora was an important step to survive as a flower shop. They had already a wide range of suppliers and knew how to market themselves, this is a strong advantage when wanting to start your own business.

Their business is a flower shop in Caledonian Road. They have a delivery service and cater for all occasions. Also they are part of Interflora so they have a considerable amount of delivery business through it. They offer corporate accounts for offices, restaurants, hairdressers and any business.

They learned about IEA’s free business support (funded by Business London) through the Princess Trust. From their business advisor they received help in writing their business plan, research skills and general advice on retail.

Kelly and Zoe raised the start up costs through their friends and family.

They appear in the yellow pages and also have a strong logo with flyers and business cards. However, they have a strong base of clients through word of mouth.

In 12 months time they would like to open another shop and they hope that their current shop is thriving!

Both Kelly and Zoe agree that the main challenge in their business has been understanding: Tax, VAT, NI, etc. IEA is currently helping them to understand these with the help of a business advisor and accountant.

Their advice to anyone wanting to start their own business is: ‘research loads and loads!’