We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shelby Wallace. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shelby below.
Hi Shelby, great to have you with us today and excited to have you share your wisdom with our readers. Over the years, after speaking with countless do-ers, makers, builders, entrepreneurs, artists and more we’ve noticed that the ability to take risks is central to almost all stories of triumph and so we’re really interested in hearing about your journey with risk and how you developed your risk-taking ability.
I have never considered myself a risk-taker, up until very recently. I have always been fine with keeping my two feet on the ground, doing what feels comfortable, and never really needing to take a risk. Even as a kid, I was never a risk-taker! Doing tricks on a bike – not for me! Climbing a tree – absolutely not.
It wasn’t until I became a business owner that I finally realized I HAD to become a risk-taker. I had to be ok putting myself out there, engaging with potential customers, and trying things I never imagined I would be doing. It was scary at first, investing a lot of time, effort, and money into things that might not work out, but I soon realized that taking a risk, simply trying, and being ok with pivoting were all essential to starting and running a successful business.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My name is Shelby Wallace and I am an elementary teacher and a small scale flower farmer. I was born, raised, and still live in Howell, Michigan which is located in the southeastern part of the state. My husband and I live north of town with our dog, Wally, and our cat, Sparkle.
I knew I always wanted to be a teacher, but the journey to becoming one was actually quite lengthy and challenging. It took me 3 years (and many teaching interviews) to finally land my dream teaching job – teaching 4th grade in a smaller district close to home. I have been teaching for 6 years now and looking back I am thankful for the challenges because they allowed me to grow, learn, and adjust to the obstacles. Being a teacher has also proven to be a large stepping stone in starting and running my own business. I always thought I would be just a teacher, but there was more in store for me and I thank God everyday that I had faith in what was ahead.
In 2020 I unintentionally started growing some cut flowers, zinnias and sunflowers, in my garden. That fall I ended up planting 500 tulip bulbs which grew and bloomed the following year. I marketed them a bit and sold all of the usable stems I had! In 2021, I focused on growing different kinds of cut flowers and expanded my garden. I sold some bouquets, mostly to friends and family, and started thinking about how I could turn this whole idea into a business. I immersed myself in books, YouTube videos, articles, podcasts, and social media posts to learn more about growing cut flowers and how to run a business. 2022 was my first official year as a business. That year provided me so much knowledge and wisdom on growing flowers, but I also started to think about my flower farm as a business and not just a hobby.
2023 was a life changing year in terms of my business. I expanded my garden again, sold 25 spring bouquet subscriptions and 25 summer bouquet subscriptions, hosted 12 floral arranging workshops, planted 5,000 tulip bulbs for 2024 blooms, hosted a mini holiday market in my barn, was a guest on a podcast, and brought in five times more in sales than I did the previous year. It gave me so much clarity on where I want to go with my business.
I have started sowing the seeds for 2024, literally and figuratively. I have so many goals, hopes, and dreams for this year including hosting more workshops and small events, expanding my growing space (again!), growing more flowers, and focusing on the business side of things. I have slowly been growing my business over the last several years and I am ready to pick up the pace a bit. This year is going to be an exciting one!!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I have grown so much as a person as I have moved through adulthood. My teaching job and my business have shown me so much about myself! Three qualities or skills that have allowed me to grow as a person, as a business owner, and as a teacher are: being a lifelong learner, always staying true and authentic to myself, and connecting with others.
Being a lifelong learner.
If I thought I knew everything I wouldn’t be a good teacher and I wouldn’t be able to successfully run my business! It excites me knowing that I DON’T know everything and that I will continue to learn and grow throughout my life. I love that I can learn something new every day by listening to podcasts, reading books, learning from other people (including my students!), and by just trying things out for myself.
Being authentic.
I remind myself often to stay in my lane and don’t worry about what others are doing. I am the only person that can do what I do, the way I do it! Staying true to myself has been very important to me in successfully growing my business and I encourage other business owners to do the same.
Connecting with others.
That saying “It’s not what you know, but who you know” has proven to be true for me. When I was interviewing for my current teaching job one of my references knew someone on the interview committee. I firmly believe I got my job because of the positive conversation they had about me. In terms of my business, I have connected with so many incredible small business owners, including other flower farmers. Their support and the inspiration they put out into the world has been so helpful to me as I grow my business. If I have a question, need extra flowers, or have an inquiry I cannot fulfill, I can reach out to the other flower farmers I know and ask for help. The connections I’ve made have allowed me to continually grow my business and the connections I’ve made with my customers has provided me with so much fulfillment. I couldn’t ask for better people in my life – I’m so grateful!
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Something I have really focused on lately is running my business with a business mindset. I don’t have any formal education or training in any business-related field – I got my bachelor’s degree in elementary education! It has taken a lot of time to change my mindset from “this is a hobby” to “this is a business”. Luckily I have an amazing husband with some business knowledge that is able to help me with business related questions and ideas. I am constantly thinking about ways I can be more efficient, how I can reach more people but also keep my returning customers happy, ways I can reinvest the money I make, and how I can pivot and change what isn’t working. Keeping this business mindset has allowed me to see my business through a different scope and I hope to continue on learning about how I can better run my business as we move through each season and year!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.flowersonfaussett.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flowers.on.faussett/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flowers.on.faussett/
Image Credits
photos 1 & 2: Liberty Schroen Photography
