Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in floristry but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Sarah Kemlo, owner of Kemlo and Kemlo, located in Lymington, Hampshire, UK.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
We are a sustainable flower farm and floristry business. Our customers are style- and sustainability-conscious couples looking for maximum impact gorgeous wedding flowers with minimal impact on the planet.
Tell us about yourself
We are two sisters, Becky and Sarah, who, after ten years of treading very different paths (neuroscientist and luxury sailing yacht crew/cook), re-converged to start a business together based on our joint love of the natural world. We both craved a job that combined the opportunity to be creative, hands-on, and practical, but it was also essential to us that we built a business that protected the natural environment that inspires us.
We love creating beautiful floral arrangements, but we always knew we could only be floral designers if we could find a way to do it that didn't mean contributing to superfluous plastic wastage, pesticide use, and other unsustainable growing and trading practices. That's why we decided to grow our own flowers and foliage here in Hampshire as well as arrange for weddings and events.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
Being an events-focused business that survived COVID!
What's one of the hardest things that come with being a business owner?
Undoubtedly the lack of safety net and all the benefits (sick pay, holiday maternity pay) that come with being employed, especially during a global pandemic!
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- Find someone who shares your passion and go in on this venture together. Being business partners with your sibling isn't always plain sailing, but we both agree we would never have had the courage to do it solo, and we've been able to carry each other through each other's moments of doubt!
- Invest in training. For three years before starting the business, we both enrolled in relevant training and courses whenever we could. It's what we spent half of our holiday (and holiday money!) on.
- Network with other people in the same trade. Running your own business can be lonely work. We love meeting up with fellow florists and growers, photographers, venue owners, events organizers, etc., and collaborating with them. It's a great opportunity to share ideas, get inspired, be encouraged, and share wisdom. We've been very lucky to find that so many of the people we meet in the industry (even potential competition) have been hugely collaborative and mutually supportive. It won't always be the case, but there will be great, supportive people out there, so look out for them, and make sure you're one of them!
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.kemloandkemlo.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KemloandKemlo/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kemloandkemlo/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solopreneur that you'd like to share, then email community@subkit.com; we'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own subscription business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.