Episode 60: Friends of TPFC - How to Beautifully Photograph Your Products with Caroline Tran

friends of tpfc season 2 Aug 20, 2020

Photographer Caroline Tran lets us in on the secret behind making more online sales: showcasing your paper flower product in its best light, both figuratively and literally.
 
Have you ever browsed the competition and been shocked to find that other paper florists are charging way more than you are for similar products? How are they able to make such a higher profit? Why are customers swayed by their offerings? 
 
Caroline Tran of Caroline Tran Photography sold her own creative goods, once upon a time, and was puzzled by the price discrepancies she found. After some sleuthing, she figured out the reason why and let us in on it in this latest episode of Paper Talk. Here’s a clue from Caroline: “The way you present your stuff is going to make the difference between whether someone’s willing to pay $80 for it or $8 for it.” 
 
 
She also provided extremely useful information about photographing your products to showcase online....
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Episode 56: Friends of TPFC - Getting Your Paper Flowers Featured in Magazines and Blogs with Tonneli Gruetter

friends of tpfc season 2 Jul 23, 2020

Learn from a marketing expert, Tonneli Gruetter, how to reach across industry lines to grow your paper floral business and gain exposure in print and digital publications.

Let’s face it: our paper floral industry is strong, but still has lots of room to grow. To get our work out there and to help our community flourish, we need to collaborate with other industries. Getting featured in the magazines or blogs of other groups is a fabulous way to grow your business. An obvious one is the fresh florist market. We can create pansies with long stems or an iris for a dried bouquet. The possibilities for collaborating with florists are endless!

You may wonder if a fresh floral magazine or blog will feature your paper flowers, and the answer is yes! On our latest episode of Paper Talk, Tonneli Gruetter— a marketing expert and writer at the Florists’ Review magazine—spoke eloquently about the amazing collaboration that can happen when we choose to look outside of our...

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Episode 53: Friends of TPFC - How and Why Branding and Marketing Go Hand in Hand (Part 2) with Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol

friends of tpfc season 2 Jul 02, 2020

Last week on our podcast, Paper Talk, we dove into the world of branding with Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol of Kalyx Group. We loved and learned so much from our conversation that we extended into this week’s episode. Our focus shifted from finding the heart of your business (in short, the brand) to the ins and outs of marketing your business.

If you haven't listened to "How and Why Branding and Marketing Go Hand in Hand (Part 1)" be sure to listen to that Episode!

 


Let's learn a bit about Kalisa and Missy:

 

1. Introduce yourself to us (again)!

Kalisa Jenne-Fraser is co-founder of Kalyx Group, a brand and marketing consulting firm headquartered in Seattle. Kalisa is a brand marketing consultant who specializes in strategic brand planning, content marketing and digital media strategy. She has spent almost her entire professional life delivering marketing strategies and insights to global brands, non-profits and startups alike. In 2016, after...

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Episode 52: Friends of TPFC - How and Why Branding and Marketing Go Hand in Hand (Part 1) with Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol

friends of tpfc season 2 Jun 24, 2020

 
We’ve all taken different paths to the wonderful world of paper flowers, but one thing that unites us is a love of our craft. It’s no surprise that many of us want to turn that passion into a business. But even if you make the most amazing, creative flowers, you may have found yourself feeling a bit over your head when it comes to the branding and marketing side of things.

That's why we reached out to two incredible ladies: Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol. They are the talented duo behind the consulting firm, Kalyx Group, and in this podcast episode, they share insights and tips to help businesses succeed.
 

 
First, let's learn a little bit about Kalisa and Missy:
 
1. Introduce yourself to us!

Kalisa Jenne-Fraser is co-founder of Kalyx Group, a brand and marketing consulting firm headquartered in Seattle. Kalisa is a brand marketing consultant who specializes in strategic brand planning, content marketing and digital media...
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Episode 50: Friends of TPFC - The Ins and Outs of Starting a Subscription Box with Rachel Heath

friends of tpfc season 2 Jun 10, 2020

As paper flower entrepreneurs, we are always re-evaluating our business and trying to tweak our strategy so we can increase our profit margin while at the same time, saving time. In the last few years, subscription box offerings have been taking off (even our very own Quynh offers one!). So we wanted to explore why a business owner may decided to include a subscription offering as part of their monetization strategy and how they would go about designing the offer and launching it. Naturally, we reached out to the perfect person to give us a frank perspective - Rachel Heath, the face behind the Flora Fun Box, and the designer of Trill Flora
 
Rachel launched her Flora Fun Box (which is full of floral goodness) in December 2019. In this Episode, we talk to her in depth about why she decided to pivot her business, how she decided the subscription offering, and the things to consider when launching a new business product.
 
...
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Black Lives Matter

friends of tpfc season 2 Jun 04, 2020

BLACK LIVES MATTER. Today, we wish to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.  To support its community and give voice to their cause. We are actively educating ourselves about Black Lives Matter and how to be better citizens. Here is a list of resources that we are currently reading, listening and/or donating to:

blacklivesmatter.com

www.naacp.com

www.joincampaignzero.org

www.blackvisionsmn.org

 

In honour of #podcastblackout, we are not publishing our regular podcast this week. Our podcast is a platform of privilege and we have the privilege to decide, on a daily basis,  who's voices to amplify at any given time. This week, it's to the black community. Consider listening to these podcast episodes this week instead:

 

1619 by New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2020/01/23/podcasts/1619-podcast.html

 

Code Switch by NPR:  www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch

 

About Race: ...

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Episode 46: Friends of TPFC - Spreading Hope with Flowers with Holly and Alex Chapple

friends of tpfc season 2 May 07, 2020

One of the highlights of Quynh's involvement in Design Days 2020 was having the chance to meet  Holly Heider Chapple! You've likely seen Holly's beautiful work all over social media and she's been featured in numerous wedding magazines and wedding blogs. Her flower arrangements are always exquisitely composed and styled. 

One look at her websites (yes, she's got 3) and you can see it reflects her personality and her style perfectly. She's the founder of Chapel Designers, the owner of Hope Flower Farm, and the artist behind Holly Chapple Flowers. She's a HUGE name in the floral industry, so much so that she's dubbed the "Flower Mama" by her peers. You wouldn't know it because she is so incredibly down-to-earth, warm and engaging. 

With the help of her family, she's turned her floral business into an empire. In this Episode, she is joined by her son, Alex, the Director of Education and Communication, who has become...

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Episode 45: Friends of TPFC - Exhibiting Your Work at an Art Gallery with Tiffany MacIsaac

friends of tpfc season 2 Apr 30, 2020

Last year, Jessie had an amazing opportunity to showcase a few pieces of her floral sculptures at The Freedom Factory Toronto after one of the owners of the gallery, Tiffany MacIsaac, handpicked her to be a part of a juried group show of 60 artists. The experience was rewarding for Jessie in so many ways - exposure to the local art community, engagement with other artists, commissions and other unexpected opportunities, and taking a prize home for placing 2nd in the juried event. The most exciting was meeting Tiffany herself - a self-taught artist, curator, and visionary behind The Visual Arts Movement.
 
In this Episode, we chat with Tiffany about her unique approach to curating art, her no-commission art gallery, and her advice to aspiring artists.
 

 
1. Tell us about yourself. Who is Tiffany MacIsaac?
 
I am a Toronto based self taught artist and curator, as well as co-owner of The Freedom Factory Toronto.
 
2. Tell us about The...
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Episode 43: Friends of TPFC - Bookkeeping 101 with Meka West

friends of tpfc season 2 Apr 16, 2020

April is Financial Literacy month so it's the perfect time to talk about money with Meka West of Penny Smart Girl! Meka is a certified accountant and she is the founder of an online bookkeeping and money coaching firm called Penny Smart Girl.  April is also the month for tax-deadlines so we are picking Meka's brain today on all things bookkeeping and tax-related! She has generously shared her experience and advice in this Podcast and in this Blog post. She is seriously a wealth of information and generosity!
 

 
1. Tell us about yourself. Who is Meka West?
 
I’m a Midwest original that moved to Seattle in my twenties. I bought a house at age 21, raised my son as a single mom until he was 12 and have been lucky to work in some great roles along the way.
 
I believe in living life with a cherry on top. Which means creating a life of balanced with work but also time to enjoy the things that bring us joy and make us feel....
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Episode 42: Friends of TPFC - The New 90 G Italian Crepe Paper with Mike Benson

friends of tpfc season 2 Apr 09, 2020

We are catching up with Mike Benson of Carte Fini. Carte Fini is based on San Diego, California and it is an online distributor of Cartotecnica Rossi Italian crepe paper and ships worldwide.

 Mike chatted with us on Paper Talk way back when we first started this podcast, on Episode 2. You can read and hear more about Mike on Episode 2: Friends of TPFC - Chatting With the Crepe Paper King.

 Carte Fini has been a generous sponsor and collaborator of our workshops. In addition to sponsoring the 2019 Masterclass in Monroe, Washington, Mike also attended our Toronto Workshop in September 2019.

 Both of us were lucky recipients of a sample package of the 90 g Italian crepe paper and we were one of the first few to have tested the paper. We are incredibly thrilled to see that it's now available for purchase on Carte Fini's online store.

 

Today, we talk to Mike about our love for the 90 g and Carte Fini adding Design Master...

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