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50 March | 2021 Above: StolenMagnolia Opposite: Michler's Florist Peterson and Carroll extended their dried botanical offerings into bottled essential oils and body care products. is next step in their product line gives them a reliable, shelf-stable complement to their highly seasonal florals. "We didn't anticipate getting into this business at all," Peterson assures. "But now we see what it can do for our business revenue year-round. ose possibilities are really exciting." Adding a passive packaged product to their online store also increases order add-on potential and possibilities for national distribution. ink it through: How could you extend one of your product offerings one step further? A seed rack for easy annuals? Potpourri from dried flowers? Flower petals for weddings or Valentine's Day? Sprouting kits for kitchen counters? Annually scheduled arrangements for anniversaries or birthdays? Brainstorm 10 things in 10 minutes, with no constraints. en narrow the list to one or two realistic options for serious consideration. Leverage Your Connections Embrace a culture of collaboration beyond your usual contacts. Small businesses benefit from bridging their products and services with other businesses in the area. You don't necessarily need new products. By commingling products and services, you cast a wider net of customer appeal than with yours alone, often with no more effort. Suzanna Cameron goes beyond buying locally grown flowers; she partners with her New York growers on collaborative social media posts to expand both of their followings. "Instagram is a huge platform for us," she reports. "We started the business there, and it's how we show our customers what we are all about—seasonal and sustainable. We love to tag our local growers and highlight their farms. We also reinforce that message of local, seasonal and sustainable on our website. It's what we're known for." Cameron is also investigating a same-day online delivery option via the new Uber Cornershop service that serves New York small businesses, much like the well-known Uber Eats. is version of outsourcing allows her to offer more customer convenience with no inconvenience to her daily workflow. Peterson and Carroll teamed up with a local bed-and- breakfast to offer socially distanced flower farm tours with local chef-prepared meals on site. "We're always getting calls from local wineries asking about tours and workshops," Peterson mentions. "We've been building our logistics and skill-sets this year, and next year we plan to offer tours; floral design workshops; wreath workshops; and even seasonal pairings of food, flowers and wines." Flowers and design make beautiful companions to many products and services. ink it through: Is there a local food delivery service, winery, home cleaning service, farm, massage service or gift shop you could tap to benefit you both? Or a local café or boutique with reliable foot traffic to consign flowers when you need to turn inventory fast? Consider paired product combinations, on-site events, social media crossover or delivery sharing. en just ask! Many of these business owners are wading through the same issues as you. You'll be surprised at how many of them welcome your new ideas.

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