AN INDEPENDENT Rugby florist watched her business bloom during her first year in the town centre – thanks to a business support programme which helped her plant the seed.
After giving up teaching at the height of the Covid pandemic, Gemma Kettle established Teapot Flowers in 2020 as home-based business selling domestically grown flowers, to cut down on the carbon-footprint required to import them.
Her cousin Jane – who Gemma describes as one of her biggest cheerleaders – offered land on a small holding to grow the flowers.
Wanting to draw on her teaching roots and run more workshops, Gemma began the search for new premises – and found support was available through the Business Growth Warwickshire programme, delivered by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce on behalf of Warwickshire County Council.
Her business adviser Saffron Medway offered time management strategies to help Gemma to better cope with running the business at home alongside completing orders.
She also focused on marketing and communications strategies as well as instilling confidence that Gemma was getting her pricing right.
Comprehensive marketing, business and financial plans were developed – and Gemma’s trusty cousin Jane found the perfect location for the business in Railway Terrace.
The move has meant Gemma can stage more of her increasingly popular workshops.
She said: “I’d been a teacher for 16 years and during the pandemic I decided it was time to move on from it.
“I was working from home during the pandemic but that was from my cellar and, increasingly, it was becoming unmanageable.
“I also wanted to find more customers because I was too reliant on word of mouth.
“Saffron gave me lots of practical support around marketing and finance, but it was the confidence she gave me that was the biggest help. It made me believe that I could do it.
“I wanted to be different. The flowers are grown just four miles from ‘The Studio’ and while I do buy from other growers and wholesalers, the carbon footprint is reduced massively.
“I am so glad I did it, and it’s great to be celebrating one year in Rugby town centre.”
Saffron said: “I am so pleased to see all of the work that Gemma has put in paying off.
“Gemma has taken on all of the advice and support and I am confident she can continue to grow – in more ways than one!”
Visit https://tinyurl.com/yeuhbaeh for more information about the programme.
