Presenting

Business 50 September | 2022 who want to take their designs to the next level, and we charge additionally for those." Foxgloves' classes are typically held in the shop's studio, at local gymnasiums and shopping centers, and even in care facilities for the elderly—anywhere there's a space large enough to host eight to 25 students. "Eight is the minimum number of students required to make it worthwhile for us to run, and we tend to cap them at 25 so that we have time to talk to each student and give some hands-on attention," O'Farrell shares. "We bring on an additional instructor when the class number rises above 12." O'Farrell says that Foxgloves provides workshop participants with kits of materials they will use to construct the project. "During the pandemic, when in-person classes were not an option, we sold wreath kits comprising all the materials needed to create the wreath as well as how-to instructions," O'Farrell recalls. "I even recorded a step-by-step video that the participants could watch as many times as they needed to learn the specifi c techniques required." Regarding the best days and times for workshops, O'Farrell says they tend to off er midweek evening classes as well as weekend classes in both the mornings and afternoons. "If we can book some back-to-back classes, it helps with labor, and we have to set up and tear down only once." For Foxgloves, having a website that sees a lot of traffi c has allowed the business to just post the holiday workshop notices—that's it, in terms of marketing. Check out foxglovesfl owers.com/ fl oral-design-classes. O'Farrell off ers the following advice to fl orists who have not yet incorporated workshops as part of their business plans. "Give it a try! See if it is something you feel comfortable with and if teaching is your thing. ose who come to classes become lifelong customers because you have time to create relationships with them after spending time teaching them to embrace their creativity. ey think of you the next time they want to do something fun or need to send fl owers."

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