When I Grow Up: Becoming a Shop Owner & Florist

Hey there! I'm super excited to be sharing Jessica McEwen's story with you today. I especially love her answer to the first question! Find out more about her now:

As a child, I wanted to be a ­______ when I grew up. I grew up in rural England and I desperately wanted to be a British version of Laura Ingalls Wilder!  I wanted to be an author and write amazing stories for young girls, filled with adventure and curiosity.  I was certain I would spend my adult life living in a remote cottage in the English hills composing novels on my trusty hunter green manual typewriter and taking long brooding walks across the moors.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Well, there is still a fair bit of brooding and typing, but I now live in a large city and spend my days working as a florist, which wasn't at all on my radar as a child.

 What is your official job title? I am sole proprietor of Periwinkle Flowers.

Ok, now what does that really mean? It means I am two things at once- I am a shop owner and I am a florist within that shop.  Because I own a retail shop rather than a floral studio, I have to wear many hats, not just my floral one. 

What is a typical day like? Twice a week I am up extra early to buy flowers remotely from the growers market.  Luckily technology has evolved since I began the shop, and now I don't have to physically be at market in the wee hours, I can sit in my pajamas with a hot mug of coffee and use my laptop to make my live auction bids, which is fantastic. Once my son Patrick is off to school I'll either head out to market to pick the flowers up or head straight to the shop. Mornings are spent in a mad dash getting orders made and out the door. Afternoons I try to fit in planning, paperwork, social media etc in between serving customers by phone or in person. Often I'll have an event to deliver, in which case my part time designer will work the shop while I drive across town and do the set up, which is always an adventure. No two days are alike.

How did you end up in this career? My childhood dreams changed a little, as my family moved to Canada when I was a teenager, which widened my world view a fair bit.  In high school I decided that writing for a newspaper was far more serious and grown up than literature.  I was accepted into University for Journalism but promptly flunked out two months in. Then followed a year of floundering, with lots of angst and lack of direction.  I ended up picking a year of floral school at a college in Toronto because my boyfriend (now my husband) was training there as an urban aboriculturist for a year and I didn't want to get stuck in a program if we ended up moving for his career. Considering I chose the course with very little thought as to whether I would want to do the career it was training me for, I'm pretty lucky that I ended up completely besotted with flowers and the florist life.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I took a full year long course in Retail Floristry at college.  The course was great, really in depth not just about floral design and mechanics but also design history, plant propagation and care, and we studied the business side of things too.  I even had to learn the Latin names of all the flowers and plants.  As part of the course I had to complete a work placement in a flower shop. I was lucky enough to get placement at a very high-end shop and they hired me straight out of the program. I then worked for several different florists as well as spending a couple of years freelancing as a designer with some event studios which was great exposure to that side of the business.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? If you can find a floral school that includes a work placement, take it. The biggest issue is not having on site experience and that is the easiest way to get it in a good supportive environment. There is a lot you need to learn, it isn't just making pretty flower designs all day- you need to have the background training to make sure what you are making is going to last as expected and not fall apart. And to complicate things even more, working in a flower shop you add in the extra skills of dealing with customers and running a business as well.  Work as many places as you can, meet people and expose yourself to different styles and environments. Make sure you get experience in all aspects of floristry, not just making arrangements- you'll need to know how to deal with the retail side too.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? I've owned my own flower shop for almost 14 years now, but last year I moved the space to a very different neighborhood.  It honestly feels like starting over and I'm in this wonderful phase of falling in love with the business all over again.  Suddenly everything is a new adventure and I feel like there is so much more to learn.  I can't imagine being anything but a flower shop owner for the rest of my working life, but I am really enjoying rethinking all parts of what that means to me and how I go about being that.

 Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Try not to get caught up in a funnel.  I did really well in school and looking back I can see I was getting pushed towards certain schooling by my teachers.  If I had been able to see outside of that I might have discovered so many other things that I loved to do and wouldn't have felt so lost when I realized I had no interest in university.  Find other things outside of the traditional education to pursue, find something that makes you feel happy and then don't discount it as a hobby or pastime.  If you are like I was in my early adulthood, and you realize you don't feel any passion for the career you thought you wanted to pursue it only means you need to look for something else.  Follow your passion, but be ok if that passion changes.

Thanks for your wise words, Jessica! If you want a peek into her flower filled world, check out her Instagram account or Facebook page. Or you can visit her website for more info!

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

When I Grow Up: Becoming a Blog Content Curator and Coach

Hi friends! Today I've invited Danielle Mapes to tell us about what she does and what she wants to be when she grows up. 

As a child, I wanted to be a Dolly Parton when I grew up. I carried a notebook around the elementary school playground and wrote songs. I thought that I was destined to be country music star!

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Not as close as I would like to think. Although I do write for a living, so I suppose my old notebook paid off in the long run.

What is your official job title? Content Writer and Blogging Coach

Ok, now what does that really mean? I write blog posts all day long for all sorts of different companies. I also meet with professionals who are trying to get their blogs going but need a little push. As part of my coaching, I have recently created an original blogging ecourse, called “Camp Blog” designed to help female bosses find their voice as business bloggers by first discovering who they are as business owners.

What is a typical day like? My mornings always begin with coffee in my home office. I like to spend the first ten minutes of my day by planning out which clients I will be working with, which projects I will take on and then create a roadmap of my day from there. I really try to only have a handful of “YES Clients” and “YES Projects” each day. I’ve come to realize that the more individualized attention I can give to my clients, the higher quality of work I can produce for them. And, by only tackling a certain number of projects each day I’ve definitely learned how to financially and effectively maximize my business opportunities. Most of my morning hours are dedicated to my shorter, simpler projects.

My husband is a business consultant, who also works from home, so we try really hard to have lunch together every afternoon away from our computers, and then escape for a quick walk outside.

Normally, I save my larger projects for the afternoon, so this period of my day tends to fly by! I love having bigger projects to do in one sitting!

Sometimes after dinner, my husband and I will sneak back into our offices and do a bit of work, or I like to spend the evening writing in my personal blog. It’s incredibly important to me that I dedicate a little bit of time everyday for “fun writing”. Soon we’ll be having a baby, so I know that I our evenings will start to look quite different. But for now I embrace the silence of that golden hour in my office.

How did you end up in this career? I’ve always enjoyed writing. And after about ten years in childcare, my husband and I were finally in a place where I could quit my day job and take the plunge! At the time, my husband had a website that I helped him manage. This gave me some “resume” experience doing blog writing and other content management for the site. It also helped me gain a lot of confidence in doing something so different than my previous career.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I have two Bachelors Degrees in English… but I wouldn’t say those really prepared me for this job. The best training I had for this job is maintaining my own blog and really getting into the habit of consistent writing. For a lot of years, I wrote as a hobby, even when I wasn’t getting paid.

The other thing that really helped train me was joining a local marketing group. I quickly realized the importance that comes in learning from other business owners and creatives. Through conversations with these professionals, I have been able to advance my career to much higher level than I ever imagined.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? Introduce yourself as who you want to be, not who you are. It took me longer than it should have to say, “Hi, I’m Danielle and I’m a Writer”. But once I did I felt inspired to really dive all in! Don’t be afraid of what you haven’t done yet. Make sure you believe in yourself and above all else, always, always represent yourself and your dreams with respect + dignity.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? I’m excited to create more writing courses for entrepreneurs and business owners. And my husband and I are really hoping to create an educational product to sell together some day, too. I kind of like where I am where right now and I hope that I never grow up too much. I hope there is always a part of me that still feels like that little girl on the playground humming tunes and writing down words.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? Stop worrying about what other people are doing. Put on your blinders and create your own path. The more time you spend looking at other people, the less you’re able to grow. Recognize that to get to where you’ve never been before, you have to do what you’ve never done before; and just focus on challenging yourself every day.

And that's what Danielle does! A huge thank you to her for sharing her story. If you'd like to know more about what she does, head to her website. 

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...

When I Grow Up: Becoming an Interior Designer & Stylist

Hi friends! Today I'd like to introduce you to Nina Dee Rattenbury, an interior designer and a stylist based in Brisbane, Australia. Her style is impeccable and her website is lovely. But see for yourself on her website, and read all about her below. 

As a child, what did you want to do when you grew up? I never had a specific title i wanted to be, all I knew is that it needed to be creative but also exciting. As long as I can remember I've always poured myself into the visuals of a glossy magazine wanting to re-invent those images in some way or make them come to life.

How close (or far) is your current career from that dream? Pretty close! Being creative isn't something you can escape. Working for myself, making up my own rules on how to do business and defining in my terms what an Interior Stylist is, is the dream, and I'm achieving it. That said the dream always gets bigger. I still have a lot to learn and achieve.

What is your official job title? Interior Designer & Stylist (Owner of Nina Dee).

Ok, now what does that really mean? I hustle! Being my own boss means having to wear many hats but for the most part I work on a number of interior projects ranging from private residences to prop styling for editorial and retail.

What is a typical day like? I could be out all day selecting furniture an other beautiful things or on-site delegating an installation to spending hours huddled over my laptop developing my online side of the business. Travel is also a vital part for my business. I need to know what's out there, experience different cultures, be on top of trends, source unique products to be creatively dynamic in my work.

How did you end up in this career? Like every self-respecting Gen Y'er there was no other option but univeristy and like the rest who didn't know what they really wanted I enrolled in BA of Arts. Eventually I realized I wanted to try Interior Design…

I started my first graduate role and kept pushing forward from there. I jumped around a bit finding my feet and niche but I have to say it’s always your first proper job that has the most influence on your career, whether it is positive or negative. Mine was both! But definitely set me on an entrepreneurial pathway and specialising in residential design.

What kind of education or training did you complete for this career? I completed my Bachelor in Interior Design and later went on to do a post grad in Business and Marketing. But nothing beats on the job training. Especially in this industry. So whilst i am proud of my formal qualifications I no longer rate it as the only pathway to gain entry into the industry. You can be taught the technical aspect of design but style and being able to visually translate concepts into reality is something (I believe) comes naturally. Travel and life experience is also a big thing. If you’ve been a little sheltered or not experienced other cultures then you have no reference to develop the depth that is needed for innovative and thoughtful design. Be it architecture, decoration or styling you are “designing” environments for people, therefor insight and an awareness of the world is required.

What advice would you give to someone who wants a similar career? Travel and then travel again! Gain some sort of technical foundation, don’t be afraid to move around and try different segments of the market. This is how you discover your individual style.

The industry is tough and competitive and unfortunately it really is all about who know. Therefor Passion Is A Must! But in the end stick with your strengths and you’ll go far. For me I wasn’t the best technical designer but have natural stylistic flare...and since transitioned from your more traditional interior designer to working on interior decoration and prop styling.

Do you have any other career dreams? What do you want to be when you grow up? I guess it would be to be a fully-fledged style adventurer! What does mean? Travelling the world as a stylist, whilst incorporating adventure along the way.  To travel more with my business and work teaching others what I’ve learnt so far.

Any last thoughts or encouragement for others trying to decide what they want to do “when they grow up”? If being successful means making a living out of what you love. Don’t think your creative passions won’t cut it. It is the only thing that will cut it in the end. Passion and determination is everything.

Thank you so much for sharing your story, Nina! If you'd like to learn more about Nina check out her website or find her on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

Previously on Mrs Robbins Sparkles...