How to Start Bouquet and Greeting Card Making Business From Home?

For the last year, individuals work from home due to the pandemic. It is one of the main reasons why starting a business from home has become a way for individuals to nurture their hobbies and earn from them at the same time. This time has also led to the realisation of the ease of doing business from home among many!

This period has witnessed a great upsurge in new businesses which are mainly operating from home and are built on hobbies or passions like baking, planting, painting, designing, etc. Moreover, technology and online selling platforms have given all such individuals a good kickstart to start their businesses.

If you are one of those individuals passionate about flowers and have a creative mind for designing, you must plan your own small business. An online bouquet and greeting cards business could be your way to go for fulfilling your wish to have a business. If you feel it is a good idea and you don’t know where and how to start. Well, don’t worry, we have jotted down some tips to start a small business for you.

Let us consider both options individually and look for a way to move ahead.

Start greeting card business from home:

1. Observe other products and use them to get creative ideas

Go out and do some research on greeting cards already present in gift shops or online marketplaces. Try to observe them individually and look for ideas that you can execute differently to stand out from the crowd.

Greeting cards are available at many marketplaces but, to stand out you need to find a way to do better or different than what is already available for customers. To do that, look for what is missing in already available cards and think of things you would like to add or remove in any greeting cards.

2. Be more creative

Use decorative items which you didn’t see on any other available greeting card. You might try painting, stitching, paper quilling, pop-up cards, customised parts for individual customers, as per their wish, adding photos, etc.

Being creative is not limited to the decoration of the card as making greeting cards also includes messages which you can work on to make it more attractive and appealing. Play with words, use different tones, try to convey a message in fewer words.

3. Choose your way of designing

You either make handmade cards or design them on a computer and then take a printout of them. It solely depends upon how you would like to do it and which way would be more appealing to you and your customers.  

After you have sorted out how you would design, it is time for you to purchase materials to make cards. To make handmade cards, you would require different paper, pens, colours, decorative items, glue, working tables, etc. For computer-designed cards, you need a desktop with designing or editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Spark, Greeting cards studio, etc. Also, you will need different printing paper as greeting cards need to be a bit glossy rather than any usual paper.  

Start Bouquet business from home:

1. Select range of flowers  

Out of so many flowers available to make bouquets, it is now possible for a small business to stock all flowers or even has a regular supply. It means you need to decide which flower range you will work with.

Bouquets are made from natural as well as artificial flowers. It is up to you to decide which one to choose. However, making bouquets with the flowers at home can be challenging as they have a limited life span, and you cannot store them for long.

2. Try to take a different approach

Simply tying a bunch of flowers together and adding ribbons and sprinklers would not make you stand out from the crowd. You need to think differently and be innovative. Try making bouquets with different flowers or different colours which might suit together.

While decorating doesn’t just stick to traditional methods, use new decorative items with different styles. Use the latest props or think of items that could suit the purpose of bouquets.

3. Select purpose of bouquet and supplier for flowers

Certain flowers are meant to deliver a certain message when given to someone. Like- the red rose is seen as a sign of love, white rose as a sign of peace, joy, and innocence, etc. Deciding the purpose of bouquets will help you select flowers as well.

Whether you choose natural or artificial flowers to work with, you need a supplier so that you can receive material regularly. Try to find someone close to your home/office who can provide you with the material at a cheaper price as it will further affect your profitability of doing business.

Now, here are some tips to keep in mind whether you do greeting cards business, bouquets business, or both.

• Have a business plan - To start any business, planning is required. First of all, to start a business, get funding and a team to help you if needed. Have a view of your company as to how you would like people to see it and remember it for. Name your company and apply for a business license if needed.
• Set up your inventory - Have a nice decent place where you could keep all your products safe and reachable to you anytime. In case you would like to open a walk-in store, open it at an appropriate location and have a decent interior for the shop.

Get in touch with your customers -  Reach out to your customers through social media. It provides a platform for you to get in touch with your potential customers and educate them about your brand. Maintain good relations with current customers. Have a record of their special days and connect with them on those days. Message them on some special day or event.

Also read:

1) What Are the Business Ideas I Can Look at If I Am an MBA Graduate?
2) 20 Business Ideas for Stay-At-Home Parents
3) 21 Successful Small Business Ideas for New Entrepreneurs in India
4) What are Some of the Best Online Businesses?
5) OkCredit: All you need to know about OkCredit & how it works.

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FAQs

Q. Where can I sell my small business products?

Ans. You can sell your products on online marketplaces or any online floral or gift shop if they allow you to do so. You can also create your website and social media page, which will exclusively be for your products, and you can receive orders directly.

Q. What are the occasions when greeting cards and bouquets are given?

Ans. Greeting cards are given on occasions, like birthdays, graduation, new job, new home, engagement, holidays like Christmas, new year, Halloween, etc.

Bouquets are given on occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, housewarming, thanksgiving, baby showers, etc.

Q. What can I do with an unsold bouquet of natural flowers?

Ans. You can ask your supplier if they restock old flowers or might be of use to them. You can also sell them at discounted prices to lure customers into buying them before they get dried. Sometimes you can also distribute them to hospitals or care homes.