Let’s Celebrate Local!

By Charlotte Phipps the owner of new business Charlotte Phipps Florist Limited. Charlotte sells fresh & dried flowers and plants, and can offer delivery in the town and surrounding areas. She offers her floristry services for weddings, funerals and events and organises floristry workshops.

How are you feeling about your business? 

Im feeling really positive, although news of further restrictions sees the wedding industry slowed down again which isn’t great for my industry. Other than that, my business is in great shape for the year ahead as I’ve just this week opened my own shop in Wanborough. 

How are you feeling about business in general? 

Overall, whilst the current climate offers challenges, I feel that you have to adapt to your customers as quickly as possible. I feel positive that whatever happens in the coming weeks and months with the pandemic, I have plans in place to work through another lockdown or easing of restrictions to offer the best and safest service possible. 

Tell us how you now apply this phrase to your business and/or life ‘buy local supply local’. 

I think my business has benefitted hugely from people switching to support local businesses, over lockdown, people couldn’t use garden centres for example so they turned to florists to help send gifts and plants to improve their homes. This has continued even with lockdown easing as I think people know when they buy from a local independent, they are supporting a family, not a shareholder. 

I have certainly made sure I buy more local products too, switching to using a local butcher for our meats, dairy products from Berkeley Farm wherever we can, as well as using more locally produced products whenever I see them, from candles to beauty products. I think as long as the quality is the same, or in many cases better, it is always worth paying more to support local, if you can of course.

What has changed for you positively as a result of lockdown? 

I have been a florist for 17 years now, but I only launched my own business from home at the end of April during lockdown, so having an overnight success of my own business has been hard work, but amazing! 

One of the best parts of my job is seeing the kindest spread throughout the town as people sent plants and flowers to each other to cheer each other up, some of the messages were incredibly heart warming and is another reason I love what I do so much. I have so much to look forward to in the future, and having the support of the town behind me during what has been such a challenging time has been incredible.

Tell us what makes a ‘good’ local business. 

I think that you MUST put your customer experience ahead of everything that you do. I constantly challenge myself on how I can make the customer experience better, I ask myself ‘would I be happy to receive the service I’m offering?’. Of course things can go wrong in business, but when they do, you have to put them right immediately, and all of these reasons create a loyalty between you and the customer where they know they can rely on you. Otherwise, if you have no personal relationship with your customers, they may start to look at bigger, national companies. You also have to make it easy for customers to work with you. 

Can you name a local business which you support around food & drink? 

We started using B.V.Berry & Sons Butchers in Wroughton as we made an effort to buy local during lockdown, and the quality and value was amazing, so we keep going back. 

Whilst it may seem more expensive to buy from a butcher, we’ve found we don’t need to buy so much as the quality of meat makes it much more filling than supermarket meats!

Can you name a local business which you support around health, wellbeing or fitness? 

Thrive Fitness is a local personal trainer that I’ve used to help keep me active and healthy, both mentally and physically as I find it really important when you’re working hard to also unwind, and exercising really helps with this I find.

https://www.thrivefitnessuk.com

Can you shout out to any local clients you wish to celebrate? 

B&G Jenkins have been great to me, giving me a contract to supply all of their new boiler installation customers with a thank you bouquet. 

Fiona Scott who has been a great customer of mine and also helped me discuss business challenges over lockdown.

ND Services Ltd who have been a great customer, using me to supply office plants and flowers for reception areas, communal areas and desks for staff.

Can you shout out to any local suppliers you wish to celebrate? 

I would like to shout out Mark Puffett from MLL Print who is great at supplying me with all my stickers, business cards, message cards and everything in between, even at short notice!

Can you name on person in your life who has really helped you during this time? 

My husband, Andrew who has supported me 100% both with the workload and being a great sounding board for new ideas! He also does all my marketing and website work which takes a massive weight off my mind!

What are your business plans for Q4? 

Q4 is a busy one in floristry! I already have over 125 people booked in for wreath classes already and am almost sold out, despite adding more dates! Q4 predominately will be laying foundations and plans to maximise the busy Christmas period by working as efficiently as possible and managing my time! 

Any special offers you’d like to mention? 

I’m just launching my new shop as I type so am currently offering 15% discount off any orders when you visit my new shop! You can continue to get this deal by quoting ‘total15’ throughout October

And finally: 

I just want to say thank you to all my customers, as I continue to grow, I want my customers to know that I never take any order for granted, and their continued support is much appreciated!

For more information visit www.charlottephipps.co.uk