Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Bloom.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
About 7 years ago, I had some personal upheaval and felt the need for a big change. I had been working as a landscape designer in a retail setting for almost a decade and knew that I wanted to continue working with flowers, designing beautiful things and that working for myself sounded like the best option at that point in my life. Every time a friend was getting married, they would come to me for design advice, and I would often create the florals for their celebrations, and, occasionally, would coordinate their weddings, too- I was hooked.
The combination of getting to work with beautiful things, while having to consider logistics and being organized appealed to me in so many ways, and, so with the encouragement of my friends, I launched Bespoke. in the Fall of 2011 Originally, Bespoke was a coordination and floral design company but quickly realized that I preferred the flower side of things, and that it was too difficult for me to do both things well for the same event. Today, Bespoke is exclusively Floral Design, primarily for weddings and corporate events.
Has it been a smooth road?
Looking back, I can’t quite realize how foolhardy I was to start a business the way I did! I just jumped right in, with little money, and no real business plan. I rented a small studio in a Barrio Logan collection of artist studios, and worked on my business every day, whether there were clients coming in, or not. I did a fair amount of networking and was really lucky to book some wonderful clients who trusted me, despite my meager portfolio.
At first, Bespoke was my only job, but, starting out a business in the wedding world didn’t exactly pay all of my bills, so I had to get a part-time job. At times, I felt like a failure for needing another job and hid it from my clients, so they wouldn’t feel like I was any less legitimate of a designer. It was tough to juggle prepping for weddings, writing proposals, meeting clients, going to my other job, and still having a personal life. I think, at one point, I went 40+ days without a day off.
I know a lot of creatives who work an additional job to make ends meet refer to their creative businesses as a “side hustle,” but, that always seems like the wrong way to look at it to me. I always thought of Bespoke as my primary job and my other job as the one on the side. It was a means to an end and helped push me to a place where I could quit the job and be Bespoke full time.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’ve always thought of myself as a Practical Daydreamer, meaning, I like to think big and get creative, but all the while, thinking of the logistics of implementing these ideas. I love creating installations, and I’ll have not only one back up plan figured out for the mechanics of an installation, but usually at least two. I’m and over-planner, which may be a detriment to my ability to sleep, but is definitely a benefit to my clients!
My background in landscape design has left me with a geekier than usual love of flowers. I tend to speak in botanical names and seek out varieties of plants that may not get used too frequently. There’s often a fun surprise element added into a bouquet, or centerpiece because I just can’t help myself, and get giddy with excitement at the ingredients I get to use. This love of the unusual and quirky results in botanically inspired floral designs.
My favorite weddings are those where I get to feel like I’m conspiring with the clients to bring their vision to life- the clients who think it’s fun to add woodland creatures into their fairytale forest inspired wedding ceremony, or, who don’t think I’m nuts for wanting to float a manzanita branch with candles and flowers above the sweetheart table for a beachy meets wildflower wedding. I want to see their vision and expand it into something truly wonderful.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
What I love most about being a wedding floral designer in San Diego is our amazing community of creatives. I don’t know if it’s like this in other cities, but in SD, most floral designers don’t see each other as competition, but as supporters and cheerleaders. We help each other out, when in a jam, and give advice freely when it’s asked for. With so many talented people in the wedding community, it would be difficult not to be inspired or feel supported. For someone who’s just starting out, I would recommend immersing yourself in the floral business any way you can.
Offer to help clean flowers and scrub buckets. Help set up a wedding, even if it’s just schlepping boxes of candles and sweeping up; you can learn so much from the sidelines, and it’s good to be reminded that while flowers are beautiful, designing for a wedding is far from easy and glamorous most of the time! As hard as it is for so many of us, get out there and network. The connections you make at these events can result in really great friendships, both in your work life and personal.
Solo entrepreneurship can be lonely, so make sure to have at least one person in the same industry as you who you can text and chat with throughout the workday. Your significant other probably doesn’t want to hear about your work allllll the time, and won’t have the same understanding about it as a friend in the industry. (This is not to say that I don’t have an amazing husband, who lets me talk flower and business all the time, but, he doesn’t have the same perspective on how the Quicksand roses came in a pinker shade of beige this week).
Don’t undervalue your work just because you’re new. I completely understand the feeling of just needing to book something, and of being too insecure to charge what you probably should, but, you are running a business, and need to make a profit! If you undercharge, not only are you cheating yourself out of income, you’ll burn out faster, and you set a bad precedent for future clients, as well, because, hopefully, you’ll be getting referrals. And, charging what your worth means you’ll keep friends in the same industry as you because you are undercutting them.
Lastly, it’s ok to have another job while you’re getting your footing in a new industry; I actually ended up with clients and opportunities for my business that I wouldn’t have had without my side job. And, I would encourage you to think of your business as your main job, and your day job as the side job. Even if your primary income comes from your job, and not your business, that slight tweaking of your frame of mind will keep pushing your business forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bespokeoccasions.com
- Phone: 619.850.2408
- Email: info@bespokeoccasions.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bespokeoccasions
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bespokeoccasions
Image Credit:
Let’s Frolic Together, Sierra Solis Photography, Elate Photo, Shane & Lauren Photography, France Photographers, Natalie Bray Photography, Brogen Jessup Wedding Photo
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