Lux Wedding Flowers for Less...Meet DC startup Poppy
If you live in DC you’ve probably heard of popular florist Urban Stems. Well, this flower startup has spawned another flower startup in the wedding space called Poppy. Founder Cameron Hardesty is the former Head of Product at Urban Stems. Listen in as she explains how she started wedding flowers on a budget company Poppy.
Photo courtesy of Poppy lookbook
SHOW NOTES
Meet Cameron Hardesty, owner of Poppy
How long have you been in business?
Since July 2019
What areas do you serve?
Washington, D.C. and 55 mile radius around it, NYC, and, as of this week, we're shipping flowers nationwide
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I went into my last job, Head of Products at UrbanStems, knowing I wanted to start my own company after I left. At one point, I realized I had a lot more to give, and wanted to put all my ideas and energy to work for myself.
What's the coolest thing about owning your own business?
Getting to turn my ideas into reality, and working with a team I get to hand-pick. They're amazing.
To engaged couples, I think our entire approach to wedding flowers is unique. We're trying to meet the customer where she/he is at, often that's online, and make the flower planning process convenient and fun, not burdensome or time-consuming. Well, only as time-consuming as they want it to be! We have some clients who want to really dig into the details, and some who take less than 30 minutes to digest and sign off on a proposal. We love both types.
For wedding professionals -- in general I think we could do with more tech adoption across the board, and truly believe the "pie" is big enough for everyone, so encourage open-mindedness.
Onto the fun stuff!
Do you have a favorite story to share?
We got started sub-leasing space from a local artist, Meg Biram, in her studio. It felt like home for us and I loved being in the midst of all Meg's creativity, but earlier in March we had the biggest 2-day photoshoot we'd ever done, and we literally took over every square inch of the studio. It felt like just yesterday that we were brainstorming ideas in the studio, but it had been 8 months, and it was in that moment that I realized we had outgrown our little playpen!
What challenges have you had to overcome?
Suffice to say, "global pandemic" was not in my business plan for 2020. Launching a business is hard enough, but launching a wedding flower business in an environment where weddings are effectively cancelled for weeks if not months, on top of the floral supply chain literally falling apart -- it's been stressful. But we're literally in the middle of a pivot that, if it works, will help us get to revenue quickly while we wait out the effects of Covid-19.
What advice could you offer to someone starting a business like yours?
A flower business -- get to know your suppliers, and treat them well. A tech business in weddings -- be prepared to put the customer pain you're solving in terms that an older male will understand, someone who has never experienced that pain and will likely have a bias against why it matters.
ABOUT CAMERON’S WEDDING
What, if anything, would you change about your wedding?
We completely forgot to have a guest book or family photos. I really wish we had done that! And we had a really long engagement and our poor wedding planner actually became pregnant and gave birth only 6 weeks before our date! She was a trooper -- she wore her newborn to the rehearsal. I also wish I had had more alone time with my parents during the wedding weekend.
How did you choose your wedding vendors?
Lots of research on Instagram and The Knot.
What advice could you offer to engaged couples planning their wedding - as both a wedding professional and a married human?
PLEASE get a planner. Get a planner! Don't skimp on this. And let them help you manage your budget -- it will save you so much money in the long run.
What was the most important decision you made about your wedding?
I managed the flowers myself and I'm so glad I did, although I wouldn't recommend it to someone who isn't in the industry or doesn't love military-style minute-by-minute agendas.
Have something else to share? A funny story? Something crazy that happened?
One of my husband's childhood friends drunkenly did the splits during our reception, which was hilarious and fitting since he was a high school cheerleader...but later we found out he actually tore his groin muscle! He also fell asleep in the bathroom of our hotel suite, where we had an afterparty for about 100 guests, and we couldn't get him out...on our wedding night loll
SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: yourpoppyflowers
Facebook: yourpoppyflowers