Name of your website?
Floralpride Silk Floral Designs
Your name?
Bernadette Atkinson
Your Location (city, etc)
Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Please give us a short summary of your website?
My website is based mainly on wedding bouquets made from silk or artificial flowers. I make all the products that are for sale in my workshop based in the Grampian region of Scotland.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
We had to relocate to Scotland due to a close relative needing intense nursing, upon his death we decided to stay up here. We could not find any shop premises locally, so decided that the internet would make a good 'shop window' We try to promote the quality of work and use only the best quality of artificial flowers, and this is seeming to pay off. We now have brides worldwide, and hope to service many more
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Floralpride was launched in spring 2006, and has evolved from then
How did you decide on a name for your website?
We went through weeks of thinking up 'flowery' names, all seemed to be twee, I cannot remember which of us actually came up with Floralpride, but it seems to sum up the company.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
We offer the bestt quality silk flowers available at reasonable prices. All our bouquets are made in the traditional way of being wired. A large bouquet takes on average 6 hours of wiring each and every leaf or bud. Most other floral sites use floral foam holders in which you can make a bouquet in approx half an hour. I prefer to use the traditional methods, giving a much more substantial product, and also being able to adapt your flowers in ways that you cannot with foam holders. I take great pride in my work.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
My eventual goal is to make Floralpride a trusted brand name, expanding the company into other markets such as corporate and wholesale.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
My greatest investment is in time. This is my 2nd full year, and we are now going from strength to strength.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would source my flowers directly, not having to rely on wholesalers. I would also take more staff on, preferably one person who is computer literate for the admin and promotion side of the business. I enjoy the hands on experience. I have one trainee who is very involved with Floralpride, and would dearly love to employ more young people and train them.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
Floralpride has expanded vastly in this last year. We have recently gained a contract for mini displays with a dining company, and also a small contract with a small wholesaler selling our displays. If we had any more contracts come our way, we could source the staff quickly and the premises we have are more than adequate. |We would/could also use homeworkers who are unable to travel to work/housebound/disabled. Our products are not technical, just require attention
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
The largest headache was having to relocate at short notice, but mow that we have, it has improved our lives drastically. We now have dedicated workshop and storage facilities
What has been your biggest challenge?
Getting floralpride 'found' on the internet and getting the customers trust in the product.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
Sending business cards and pamphlets with all wedding / event orders. The customer who is happy with the quality and workmanship is our best promoter. Other than that we find wedding forums are a good source of customers, but the majority of new customers seem to come through Google
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
It has actually been slightly easier than I expected, I was very lucky to find a very good web designer who gave me a site with a very easily managed database so that I can arrange my products how and when I want.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
I have run this site since spring 2006 and cannot see me stopping for a good many years.
What makes your job special to you?
I love working with flowers. I started using silk / artificial flowers in the late 1970's and have seen them evolve over the years. When we stand at a wedding exhibition, I love to be able to tell disbelieving brides, Yes, these are ALL artificial and all handmade. I love getting the cards, photos and emails from brides telling me how they love their flowers. I can only say, I love my job!
What is your website address?
Floralpride Silk Floral Designs
