Lessons from Flowers: 2020 Edition

July 19th, 2021

A bold and colorful bouquet created by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main, featuring local & seasonal blooms like dahlia & zinnia.
 
2020 started out so hopeful. I attended the Team Flower conference in Pasadena. The next week I took Amy Nicole’s Bouquet Bootcamp. I love education and I loved getting it in right at the beginning of what was sure to be a busy year. A profitable year. The MOST profitable year yet. (ha ha ha)
 
A modern cascade bouquet, created by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main in a workshop taught by Amy Nicole.
 
Photo: Rebekah Lemire Workshop: The Floral Coach
 
We did two beautiful weddings, a few brand activations, and one AMAZING celeb event (NDA be damned). We did our final design meetings for our spring weddings…
 
Red wedding details from Winston & Main, Malibu, California
 
Photo: Brooke Allison Photo Planner: Events by Emily Kay
 
A beautiful cascade bouquet in white, green, and orange for our Leap Day Wedding at the Ebell Los Angeles, as featured on Martha Stewart.
 
Photo: Miki and Sonja Photography Planner: Moxie Bright Events
 
A lush, foam-free, tropical installation by Winston & Main for a celebrity event in Los Angeles in early spring 2020.
 

And then the world shut down.

Our studio building, aka The Original LA Flower Market, shut down, and I had a couple hours to take everything “valuable” out of my studio. To watch my vendors throw their product/profit in the garbage. Talk about a surreal and heartbreaking day. What IS valuable in your business/workspace/life when you have to choose what to take with you?
 
Bold pink bouquet featuring peonies, dahlias, spray roses and more from Winston & Main, Los Angeles, CA.
 
After a month at home without flowers, I tentatively dipped my toe back in, and started figuring out how I could safely get flowers (both locally and from my wholesaler). There was a veeeery strange period of picking up flowers 100% no contact- checking out my pull from a parking lot, and then putting it in my car before dousing myself in sanitizer lest any covid nasties were hitching a ride.
 
Creating flower arrangements in my backyard during the pandemic.
 
Tabitha Abercrombie created a makeshift floral studio in her living room during the pandemic by keeping the lights low and the AC cranking.
 
I arranged flowers in my backyard and turned my tv/guest room into a temporary cooler by cranking our AC.
 
Iphone images of bouquets created by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main during 2020.
 
I advertised my new delivery biz solely via instagram AND the response was overwhelming.
 
Clients, old and new, embraced flowers in a way that felt absolutely sacred. The joy I witnessed when I delivered flowers from a grandchild to their grandmother, who was isolated at home alone, was beautiful and heartbreaking and so very meaningful.
 
A beautiful elopement planned by Opus Events Co. with photography by The Hendrys and flowers by Winston & Main.
 
Photo: The Hendrys Planning: Opus Events Co.
 
A beautiful elopement in Los Angeles, featuring a flower crown by Winston & Main, and photography by The Hendrys.
 
Photo: The Hendrys
 
A bride and her beautiful Winston & Main bouquet, photographed by Heirlume Photography at The Bel Aire Hotel.
 
Photo: Heirlume Photography Planning: P.S. & Associates Event Planning
 
A beautiful Joshua Tree Elopement, featuring blooms by Winston & Main, and photographed by Michael Gomez Photo.
 
Photo: Michael Gomez Photo
 
Getting married at home never looked so good- a bright bouquet from Winston & Main, beautiful photography by Faye Casaje.
 
Photo: Faye Casaje
 
There were elopement blooms too- in national parks, backyards, hotels, and homes.
 
A bold and local bouquet by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main, featuring dahlias, cosmos, and rudbeckia.
 
A bright & bold bouquet by Winston & Main featuring peony, dahlia, ranunculus, and zinnia for a 2020 elopement.
 
A colorful weekly delivery bouquet by Winston & Main.
 
2020 was an excellent reminder for me about just what I love about flowers.
An opportunity to come back to my WHY again and again, one bouquet at a time.
 
A lush arrangement featuring local and homegrown garden roses, by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main.
 
Flowers are magic and they have the power to transform spaces, people, and bad days alike. Flowers are a powerful reminder to be present, and they teach us to cultivate a more mindful relationship with ourselves and the world around us.
 
They remind us that joy is now.
 
This is one of the lessons I’ll be taking into 2021, and the busy season ahead.
How about you? What did you learn or relearn about your business in 2020?

Photography:
All photography by Winston & Main, except where credited otherwise.

Rebekah Lemire / The Floral Coach / Brooke Allison Photo / Events by Emily Kay / Miki and Sonja Photography / Moxie Bright Events / The Hendrys / Heirlume Photography / Michael Gomez Photo / Faye Casaje


5 Ways to Build your Biz while Social Distancing

March 12th, 2020

5 Ways to work on your small business while social distancing.
 
Hi friends!

If you work in the event industry (or let’s be honest, live in our COVID-19 world) you are likely a little bit scared right now.

Scared of the unknown- getting sick, cancelled events, lost bookings, running out of toilet paper. We ALL feel ya on that last one, right?

So wash your damn hands. Educate yourself.
And stop hoarding the TP.

Also, don’t panic.
 
Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main shares 5 tips for boosting your biz while social distancing and living in the COVID-19 era.
 

I am a big believer that action alleviates anxiety, so here are 5 things you can do while bookings are slow and we’re all engaging in social distancing. AKA working without pants.

It’s something you likely excel at if you’re an entrepreneur, small biz owner, or freelancer, so you’re already winning. Give yourself a pat on the back with those super clean paws and get on with it already. 🙂

Okay, all jokes aside- here are 5 things you can do right now to work ON your business and not IN it, so that you’re in a great place when those bookings start rolling in. And they will. Trust.

Here are 5 ways to strengthen your business without putting on pants:

1. Update your website copy. Seriously, when was the last time you did this?
2. Refine or Create Systems & Processes. Inquiry, Booking, Onboarding, Budgeting, Ordering, Event Week Execution just to name a few. You should have a rock solid system in place for each of these that you execute EVERY single time to deliver EXCELLENT results EVERY single time. Okay, I’ll stop internet yelling now if you’ll stop reinventing the wheel. Deal?
3. Update your Portfolio & Crank Out those Blog Posts. I know I’m not the only one with a backlog of 20 events that deserve to see the light of day. The SEO isn’t bad either. 🙂
4. Practice Self-Care. Workout. Meditate. Acupuncture. Yoga. Read a book. Take a bath. Try herb vaporizers-here’s what to think about before you choose one. Whatever you need- just start working these things into your routine NOW while you have time, and then continue them when you get busy.
5. Know your Numbers. Are you ready for tax season? Are you feeling good about how your offerings are priced? Are you tracking your numbers (or paying a professional) so that you can look at past booking patterns and see when you’re likely to be busiest as you deal with rescheduling your current clients? I always feel SO much better when I dive into my numbers and I bet your will too!

*Bonus- Do something nice for someone else. Drop off flowers. Go leave 5 reviews for your fellow small biz owners. Call your grandma.

Book Recommendation- The E Myth. Read it. Especially if you have no idea what the difference is between working ON your business and IN your business.

And finally- reach out if you need support in any of these areas, and we can book a germ-free mentoring session to deep dive into your specific biz needs.

 
Info graphic for small biz owners showing 5 ways to work on your biz while social distancing by Winston & Main
 

*Not a doctor. Not giving medical advice-
Please listen to scientists + experts. 🙂
** As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.


Fine Art Florals at Kim Sing Theatre

February 18th, 2020

Beautiful red ombre centerpiece featuring dahlias, ranunculus, cappuccino roses, and strawflower by Winston & Main
 
Now this is my type of ombre…
 
White dahlias, lunaria, and ranunculus arrangements in peach ceramic vessels by Winston & Main.
 
…And these are EVERYONE’S type of Dahlias? Yeah? I mean…
Just go quietly if you hate them, we can still be friends. Maybe.
 
Kim Sing Theatre an Event Space, and Hotel in DTLA.
 
We were so happy to provide these beautiful florals + a crystal/flower grid for an event introducing Kim Sing Theatre to the LA Wedding community, planned by our pal Renee over at Moxie Bright Events.
 
Kim Sing Theatre Neon sign lights up a cute lounge set up by Collective Rentals.
 
How cute is this space?
 
A petite red floral arrangement, perfect for a cocktail hour, sits on a coffee table with a brass mouse statue.
 
And how cute is that little mouse (and all the furniture) from Collective Rentals?
 
Floral Decor on DJ Booth created from monstera leaves and dried floral elements.
 
A cute conversation area featuring two pink velvet chairs and a bold textural red floral arrangement.
 
A bold & textural tomato red cocktail arrangement featuring ranunculus, and banksia.
 
Install detail on DJ booth for Supermoon DJ's.
 
Long & dramatic tablescape featuring floral runner, and ombre red floral arrangements by Winston & Main.
 
A floral table runner, ghost chairs, and ombre floral arrangements make for an interesting and textural tablescape.
 
An organic floral arrangement featuring white dahlias, strawflowers, and banksia by Tabitha Abercrombie of Winston & Main.
 
A wild and organic textural red floral arrangement by Tabitha of Winston & Main.
 
A fresh white and green organic floral arrangement featuring dahlias, ranunculus, strawflower, and banksia.
 
Lush centerpiece featuring King Protea, Ranunculus, Strawflowers, Dahlias, and more in shades of red, mauve, and white.
 
Small neutral flower arrangements featuring dahlias, carnations, and roses.
 
A birds-eye-view of a long ombre tablescape, and a ramen bar at Kim Sing Theatre.
 

 
Venue: Kim Sing Theatre / Planning & Design: Moxie Bright Events / Photography: Geoff Rivers / Floral Design: Winston & Main / Catering: Jennie Cooks / Bar: Cali Craft Cocktails / Desserts: Sugar Studio / DJ: Supermoon DJ’s / Rentals: La Pinata Party Rentals / Lounge Rentals: Collective Rentals / Linens: BBJ Linen / Graphic Design: Roseville Design/ Photobooth: Flipbooth / Essential Oil Blending Booth: Lather / Valet: Jeffrey Valet