Today on Open Conversations we have the beautiful bubbly Kelly from Blush Flowers to shine a bit of light into our lives. Kelly has been a constant driving force in the floral word, ever dynamic and always pushing the industry to the next level. She possesses that elusive mix of innovation and creativity paired with business acumen. Thanks Kelly for your honesty and kindness which is evident throughout this conversation series.
How has your industry been affected?
Sadly the wedding and event industry was one of the first to get hit hard so it’s really affected us and our wonderful clients. It’s very upsetting and our hearts go out to those that have postponed or cancelled their special days.
We were due to open our new store in Commercial Bay on the 28th March so it’s been a little gut-wrenching that we had to stop planning/building etc, But we do feel so grateful that we are lead by an amazing woman like Jacinda who acted so quickly to ensure our health and safety here in NZ as at the end of the day that is what’s important.
| What pro-active things are you doing at this time business-wise? We are continuing as normal on social media sharing our work and things that inspire us. We are also using this time for planning and refreshing the BLUSH website. I am not a tech person but I am really wanting to better my knowledge with on our site and content creating. I have always done our social, but never felt it was overly considered – I’m always in a rush so this is a chance to slow down, plan and enrich my content, learn to edit a film – all those things I can never get to as a small business owner |
| Personally, what pro-active things are you doing at this time to stay happy? I am really going to try and use this time to get on top of my health and well being. I am admittedly a work- a- holic and I very rarely switch off. So pilates, yoga, big walks and healthy eating are my focus over this time. I have also been really enjoying time with my son Hugo playing lego and drawing and walking Freddie Mercury – our naughty dog |
| How are your wedding couples feeling and what are they saying to you? Everyone is very understanding and sympathetic to the situation. I think most people are just concerned about the health and well being of themselves and others. |
| Do you have any ideas for the industry in the short-term to help cope with this current scenario? Keep positive and upbeat. Support each other and reach out to others in the industry as they will be feeling the same. We’re all in the same boat so kindness and community are everything!! If your feeling low reach out – it’s so much better to be open and honest about how you feel – there’s a stigma that we are all meant to be perfect and it’s rubbish. “we are now all equal” Madonna – |
| How do you feel about the future, what do you think the industry will be like once this all passes? Like, everyone, I do feel a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future, but I think the industry will, of course, bounce back in time. Us Kiwi’s are tough and resilient so I know we will come up with creative ways to get by and to get through it. I do think it’s ideal to use this pause to reflect and moving forward perhaps make better decisions within the industry, our businesses and the way we work, so take all the positives you can out of this because I think there will be many. We have been the gift of time so let’s use it wisely – but most of all stay safe. Stay tough + positive and thanks Greta for giving me/BLUSH this opportunity to speak out. To see more from Blush Flowers click here for the website and here for their Instagram |
