Today we’d like to introduce you to Katie Rocheford.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
The road that led me to where I am now was an interesting one! I was working as a medical device sales rep, a job I had held for quite a while. My background was in exercise science, so my career was the perfect fit for my knowledge within orthopedics as well as for my personality. Everything was going great… and then, I found flowers. Initially, I was just having fun picking out flowers and arranging them for when family and friends would come over and then I started to really love how much I enjoyed being around them. I had always had a creative side, but I never believed I would be able to base my career from a creative passion.
Right around this time, I had my first child and I began to really think hard about what I wanted to do with my life and how much I was willing to sacrifice for time spent with her. The idea of starting a floral business popped into my head and really from then on, I couldn’t let the idea go. I had no idea how much money I could make or if I could even start a business, let alone in a field of which I really had no experience. So, I started to absorb much knowledge as I could about flowers… I read about them, bought them whenever I had the opportunity, and shadowed an amazing designer who taught me so much about design as well as the wedding industry.
A few years later, after the birth of my second child, I decided to throw caution to the wind, left my full-time job and took the largest leap of faith I could have imagined taking. Some people thought I was crazy, but I believed in this wild idea, and more importantly, I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn’t just TRY.
It’s been four years and though it can be hard at times, I wouldn’t change that decision for anything!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I don’t think starting and owning your own business could ever be struggle-free. Though most small business spark from a passion, there is also a whole lot of hard work, dedication, blood, sweat, tears mixed in. I now know that this is why business owners have so many personal feelings intertwined with their business. Some people even refer to them as their “babies”, and as someone who has babies, I get that. Neither owning your own business or your own babies is easy.
It takes an incredible amount of dedication to get up each day and be your own boss. No is telling you HAVE to do this. No one is waiting for your project completions and no one, other than yourself is depending on you. You have to be able to work towards something that didn’t exist until you thought it up.
There is also no one telling you HOW to do things, so that means that so much of what you do is by trial and error. And there will be errors. Making mistakes is the best way to learn, and so if you can stick with it, you will begin to build something incredible. And I cannot think of anything more satisfying than standing back and realizing that this wild idea you once had is now SOMETHING.
That email account you start one day, with zero emails for days, weeks, months because no one knew you existed is now something you can hardly keep up with. It is hard, but it is awesome.
My advice to anyone with a wild idea is to not ignore it. I so strongly believe that ideas come to YOU (specifically, you) for a reason. Read “Big Magic”… it’s all in there. Take that idea and play with it. Try things on the side if you can to test it out. Talk about it, read about, it, submerge yourself in it. If it’s still feeling really good after all of that, go for it. You can always go back or try something else if it doesn’t pan out, but definitely, don’t ignore it. You’ve got one shot at this life and what you do with it is entirely up to you.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into Sweet Annie Floral Design story. Tell us more about the business.
Sweet Annie is mainly event/wedding-focused. Being in New England means the work is greatly seasonal, meaning we are in full go mode from about May until November.
I would say that my designs are “garden-inspired”, loose, natural and organic. We tend to work with couples who are looking for full, lush designs without being overly wild.
I, of course, love flowers, and since starting the business I have fallen more in love with them. But what I really love is giving people a really great experience. One of the reasons I wanted to start the business was that I love making things special for people. Life is busy and it can be hard, so when there is an opportunity to make things fun and special, I am all for it. I am the mom who goes crazy with birthday themes and I am the friend who sets beautiful tables with candlelight when friends come over for dinner. Not because I am trying to be perfect or a Pinterest Mom, but because I believe these tiny details make people feel special.
I figured that I could carry that small passion of mine into the wedding world. I want my couples to feel special and I want to help them to make their guests feel special. A wedding is a huge life event. It should be just the way the couple wants it, and I hope for every one of my weddings, that the guests will never stop talking about how those flowers looked. And for each couple, how much they loved working with their florist. Anything can be an experience, and I think this is an important one.
Do you have any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general? What has worked well for you?
For sure, find a mentor! My mentor was an amazing woman named Apryl, who taught me so much about the flower world and who years later, is still cheering me on. It has meant everything.
I strongly encourage you to find someone within your aspired field whose work you admire and who you think you could learn from. If this is something you really want to pursue with your life, this is an invaluable experience. If you are lucking enough to find someone who sees a spark in you and who is willing to take you under their wing, do it! Ask all the questions, watch all the crazy go down, and be thankful that you are there getting a front row seat to a life you want for yourself.
Networking is also wonderful. It is also incredibly helpful to find a buddy who is in a similar stage as you with their business. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the same field, but just someone who can relate to you and who you can encourage and vise versa. My buddies from when I started are still amazing friends, and I know we all helped each other tremendously. Plus, our victories were always a good excuse to celebrate, something else you should do a lot as you navigate through starting your own business!
Contact Info:
- Address: Sweet Annie Floral Design
7 Prince Place, Unit 102
Newburyport, MA 01950 - Website: www.sweetanniefloraldesign.com
- Phone: 781-424-8190
- Email: sweetanniefloral@gmail.com
- Instagram: sweetannie_floral
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetanniefloral
Image Credit:
Hello I’m Joe Photography, K Angell Photography, Sarah Jayne Photography, First Mate Photography, Tiffany Vod Photography
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
