The Cut Flower Podcast

Navigating the Transition to Flower Farming

• Roz Chandler • Season 1 • Episode 140

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In this episode of the Cut Flower Podcast, Roz Chandler discusses the journey of transitioning into flower farming. She emphasizes that this transition is a gradual process that requires careful planning, understanding financial realities, and building a brand. Rosalind shares insights on the importance of time in farming, the necessity of trial and error, and the significance of marketing and business management. She encourages aspiring flower farmers to learn from others, build their story, and create strong foundations before fully committing to the profession. The episode concludes with a reminder that transitioning is a strategic choice that allows for growth and sustainability in the flower farming journey.


Takeaways

  • Transitioning into flower farming is a journey, not a leap.
  • Understanding your financial needs is the first step.
  • Flower farming involves more than just growing flowers.
  • Building a brand takes time and effort.
  • Your story is a powerful tool in marketing.
  • Healthy plants and soil take time to develop.
  • Trial and error is essential in finding your niche.
  • Marketing is a significant part of running a flower farm.
  • Community support is vital for success in farming.

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Rosalind Chandler (00:00)
Hello and welcome back to the Cut Flower Podcast. It's Roz here and today I'm doing a solo episode on something I get asked about all the time. Should I quit my job and become a full-time flower farmer? And my answer is always the same. Not yet, but absolutely yes, in time and in the right way. Today I'm going to talk to you through why transitioning into flower farming is a journey, not a leap, and why that's actually the best news for you. So let's just dive in.

Number one, understanding what you need to earn. Before you walk out of your job, and I know it's really tempting and I did too, the very first step is understanding the financial reality. Flower farming can be profitable, it can give you freedom, flexibility and a life surrounded by beauty, but it doesn't deliver a full-time income in the first season or even the second. So work out what you need to earn. What is the minimum income you need to keep your life afloat?

what does comfort look like to you? And when you know your numbers you can make decisions from a place of clarity and not panicking. And transitioning gradually means you can reinvest money into the infrastructure instead of needing it for immediate bills. There's really, really nothing more stressful than not making the money you need to make to cover all your bills. So it's just about understanding what you need. And for everybody, it's different. Do you actually love it? Point number two. The next point is a big one.

There is a lovely romantic idea of flower farming, and I'm sure you haven't got it, of sunshine, birdsong, pretty bouquets, and go one step further and it's people in gingham aprons singing along with a willow basket. Nothing could be further from the truth. There's mud, there's weather stress, there are huge amounts of pests, there's huge amounts of admin, there's marketing, and there's very early mornings. And there's weekends if you tend to want to do weddings and so on.

and you only discover whether you really love it by doing it. A transition period gives you space to test the lifestyle before staking your entire livelihood on it. So yes, I love it, but there are times in November when it's pouring with rain and we need to get our tulips in, though it really isn't what we thought it was going to be. Number three, brand building takes time. You need to start now. People always say to me, well, should I start before I've actually thought about this business?

or if I'm just going into it and I'm early stage and the answer is yes, you can never do it too soon. Your brand is what will ultimately bring your customers to you, not your flowers. Building a brand takes time. You need your voice, your story, your ideal customers, who you naturally attract, probably people like you, and what you want to be known for. You can start building this today even if you only have a tiny patch of flowers. It's your journey. It's what people buy into.

It's your learnings, your failures, your aha moments, your oh no moments. All of that is part of your story. By the time you're ready to go full time, people have already connected with you. And it's about building a brand that has integrity and honesty. And I know this firsthand because I built a brand, obviously it's Field Gate Flowers and a learning portal for Cut Flower Collective. But I built a brand and then in early 2024, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

And for a while, I really wrestled with telling the truth. I didn't want sympathy. I definitely didn't want sympathy. And I didn't want people to feel sorry for me, but I didn't want to lie either. I didn't want to say that everything was hunky-dory when it definitely wasn't. So I managed to introduce it, I hope, in a very good, positive way and ask people throughout my journey to contact me if they were going through the same thing so I could help them. And I still continue to do that today. And that became part of me and my brand.

I think you need to be honest and I think you need to do it with integrity, but you can start your brand now. Number four, plants need time to especially foliage. And I always say this to people, put your foliage in now, put your foliage in now. This one is often overlooked. Your business model relies on plants and plants run on their own timeline. Woody foliage, which is your huge profit driver can take two to five years to mature. Perennials take a few seasons to hit their stride.

So if you dream of a foliage rich perennial heavy farm, start planning now while you still have another income supporting you. This is why transitioning is so smart. You're letting mother nature do her work in the background. Number five, trial and error, finding your lane. Some people think they want to do weddings and they discover they hate the pressure. Some think they'll do bouquet subscriptions and realize they prefer wholesale. You cannot know your lane until you've tried a few things.

A transition period is a gift because it lets you experiment without the fear this has to work immediately. Number six, growing is only half the job. Actually, I think it's only 20 % of the job. This is the part most flower farmers underestimate. The job is not just growing flowers. It's about running a business, a serious grown up business. It's about marketing, pricing, social media, customer service, branding, cash flow, systems.

selling, planning. If this surprises you, I hope that's got through to actually marketing. It's about 80 % of flower farming. Unless you market yourself and people out there know who you are, then you might have flowers in the field to sell, but no one's going to buy them. Number seven, learn from others while you're transitioning. Use this time to just absorb, absorb, absorb. Visit other farms, join communities, listen to podcasts, like this one, I hope.

Take courses, ask questions. Flower farmers are some of the most generous people I know, and you will learn faster and avoid costly mistakes by spending time in other people's worlds before creating your own. Number eight, build your story now. Your story is your superpower. People buy into you. They want to follow your journey. They connect with your why. You can start this today with 10 followers or 10,000 followers. Share the tiny beginnings and share the transition.

share the first seed tray and the first crop. Your future customers are watching you grow literally and that's what they buy into. Number nine, build soil and systems before you quit your job. Healthy soil takes years, so do good systems. Use your transition to build compost, beds, perennials, foliage lines, drip irrigation, a workflow, a marketing rhythm, a smooth customer journey. These foundations make your business strong.

once you do step into it full time. Stress test the business before relying on it. Number 10, this transition period is where you'll test everything. Can you consistently sell what you grow? What margins are you achieving? What crops do your customers want? Does the lifestyle work for your energy levels? Testing reduces risks and increases confidence.

Number 11, don't forget your support network. Flower farming can be really isolating, especially at the height of the season. And if you're coming out for a career where you've been surrounded by lots of people, that transitioning can be quite hard. So build your community of friends, family support, farming connections, masterminds, memberships. Community will carry you when you're exhausted and overwhelmed and help you out. Your health matters. This goes back to my other point earlier. Your health matters so builds the sustainability.

You don't need to sprint into this career. In fact, please don't. Burnout is real. Farming is totally physical and marketing is constant. And life will throw curveballs at you. It will throw illness at you. It will caring responsibilities, unexpected events. Transitioning gives you space to build a business that supports your wellbeing rather than drain it. Number 13. Transitioning isn't hesitation. It's a pure strategy. So let me finish with this.

Transitioning into flower farmers is not a lack of commitment, it's a commitment to doing it well. You're giving yourself time, you're giving your plants time, you're giving your brand time, and you're giving your future customers time to get to know you. Start now and start small, but start with real intention. You are building something beautiful and beauty takes time. So if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with someone thinking about making this transition.

And if you want support, community and accountability in your journey, I'd love to welcome you into either my best bunch membership, which is a monthly membership, or in January we will be launching a career changer course. So do keep in touch. Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time.