This summer, I started a side-hustle business, selling fresh flowers I grew from seed in my garden. Most of my revenue came from farmers markets, but I also completed a few ad-hoc custom orders. Here’s everything I learnt in the last 4 months.

1. Pricing is key when margins are low

On my first market, my bouquets were seriously underpriced and I needed some encouragement to raise my prices.

Luckily, my boss @nathanbarry shared some timely advice:

Following Nathan’s tips, I refined my bouquet tiers, increasing the price and quantity of the medium and large tiers.

That next week, I thought no one would buy my more expansive bouquets. Instead, I sold out and and my sales grew by +135%!

2. Perfect your flower mix

I wished I planned my plant selection better in winter. I felt very limited by my past decisions. When shopping for seeds, graph your choices in Excel to make sure you have a balanced & profitable selection:

3. Working with the weather

I try to grow flowers sustainably, that means no pesticides and minimal watering. In 2021, it rained the majority of the summer. But guess what happened in 2022? The drought of the century, no rain for 4 weeks!

It slowed down my production dramatically and shortened my flower season by a good month. My practical advice is make sure to have more seedlings ready to go at all times. My philosophical advice is to learn to let go: gardening will challenge all your controlling tendencies.

4. Side-hustle vs full-time gig

It may sound like I am always outside but I actually spend the vast majority of my day in my home office, working on new features for @ConvertKit. I soon started fantasising about one day retiring from tech and being a flower farmer full-time.

This summer has shown me that I am not ready for this switch just yet. By keeping flowers a side-hustle, it takes a lot of the pressure off and it’s much easier to mentally manage extreme weather or an empty market. It also made me appreciate my day job a lot more.

5. Profits and costs

The big question: how much did I make? With five markets and a few custom orders, I made a total of £450. Did I cover my costs? Nope, not even close! This year alone I invested almost £800 in getting the farm running.

That being said, about 80% of my costs came from compost (I can make my own going forward) and tools I will use for years to come. Going forward, I believe I could make around £500 per month, from June to September. At that point, my side-hustle will pay for itself.

So... what's next? My fresh flower season is over but I’m still very much inspired by the nature around me. I’m currently busy processing flowers for drying and I’m hoping I will be able to sell my dried-flower and pressed-flower creations in the autumn, probably on Etsy.

I’m also working my calligraphy, illustration and sewing skills and I will try to document this process through my newsletter and Instagram. If you’re interested in seeing what I’m making and discovering fellow inspiring makers, join my email list here ✨: thenewprovincial.ck.page/posts