Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rence Baumgart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rence, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I’ve had a job since I was able too at the age of 16. I had my own bills to pay, and sometimes had to help with family bills as well. I started as a hostess at Chili’s and that began my start in customer service and the restaurant/service industry. I learned quickly that if you had a good attitude, showed up, did your work, and did the best you could, there was more than likely to be a good pay off. I’ve worked several service industry and customer service jobs since then and the one that brought me the most joy was a small local flower shop. I started here as an “every job” kind of girl. I answered phones, took orders, kept tidy work areas, organized, assisted customers, cleaned buckets, priced items, the list goes on.
It wasn’t until a few years after this job that I realized I truly had a love for creating things that brought people joy. I moved to Indianapolis from Evansville Indiana and tried again at a local flower shop, which was not anything I thought it would be. I quit that job and searched for as many florists in the area I could, I sent them all emails asking if there was room for me to help in any way. From there I met Duet Floral and it was through this small company that I realized I could do this on my own.
Owning my own business was its own challenge and taught me that perseverance, compassion, and hard work could get me where I once dreamt of being. Today I am 2 years into being an independent florist and owning my own operation. There are still many learning curves everyday but I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am a florist and business owner!
Being a florist is far more than cutting stems and putting water in a vase. As a florist, I create floral art designed specifically to your needs and wants. As an everyday florist, it’s important that I recognize the occasion and what this floral arrangement will represent. As a wedding and events florist, the same applies but on a much deeper level. It begins by an inquiry, from there I get to know the client and what their visual muse is for the pieces I’m creating. Once I’ve gotten a better understanding of the atheistic, I then spend my time creating a budget and a quote, figure up the cost of the flowers, order the flowers, order any hard goods, vases etc.. create a digital mockup for the client as well as floral “recipes”, and then put together an invoice. Once the time has come, I’ll pick up the flowers, process them – (strip leaves, thorns, any imperfections, cut and put in water); I then create all my mechanics weather it be floral foam, chicken wire, water tubes, or sometimes actually building a structure. Then the fun part – adding in all the florals! Once everything is prepared for the client, I carefully pack all these creations and get them to where they need to be!
This job is physical and mental. It’s not an easy job, but its certainly fulfilling. Seeing a room come together because of the florals or seeing someone cry happy tears all because of something I carefully curated based on their likes and dislikes is the best feeling. I love creating big flower arches and doing anything “out of the ordinary”. I love working with colors and different varieties of florals. I lean more toward natural, organic, wild flower, whimsical designs vs your average rose.
Working in a traditional flower shop, I had to relearn and reteach myself that there are no rules in flowers, you can essentially create anything however you like and you’ve got yourself a floral arrangement. However, floristry is an art and a difficult one at that. On top of having my own business, I also freelance all over the Indianapolis area for an array of florist. Through freelancing, I have picked up on a variety of skill sets that have all led to my currant design style and abilities. This makes me more adaptable and even though I have a certain style i’m accustomed too, doesn’t mean I cant match a photo or a style a client may be drawn too. My style is ever changing and improving. I am always evolving with the new trends of the year.
Red Daisy specializes in weddings and events, we also are available for funeral services and everyday arrangements – especially for big holidays! We sell grab and go bouquets in fountain square at Tuggles Gifts and Goods and are looking to expand those grab and go services at other local shops.
We recently launched our website which is a great place to inquire about any floral needs someone may have. I pride myself on being unique in that not all my arrangements look like a fan, or round blobs. I feel as though I create with more thoughtfulness and art than the traditional style.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Knowledge is something that can be very easily overlooked. I feel like I knew what I was doing in a lot of ways, but lacked the confidence to put my work out there for everyone to see. I felt as though, ” I know how to do this and this and this…” but what was missing was in fact that yes I did know how to do these things..but I only knew how to do them the way I was originally taught. In the floral industry, and any creative industry, there are many ways to do one thing. Knowing this now, I am always so eager to help and engage with fellow florists because when I do, I always learn something new. There is always something to be learned in this world of ever changing!
When I started designing, I lacked a lot of confidence. I felt like nothing I created was good enough, especially if it didn’t sell. I would constantly ask “should I put this here or there, or maybe here”, and by the time I would finish an arrangement, Id have spent over an hour on this one assignment. My confidence increased with time, practice, and most of all patience. It’s important in any creative role, to simply be nice to yourself! It’s easy to second guess yourself but do what feels right and cohesive with your design.
I get a lot of questions on how I became the designer I am today. I feel like in general I’ve always leaned more into the arts, creatives, and working with my hands. I took a few classes at Ivy Tech before going back to flowers and I was studying to be a graphic designer. I took classes such as fundamentals in design, social media courses, and more art classes like photoshop and editing styles. These classes taught me color theory, texture, contrast, and more design elements I wasn’t previously aware of. The biggest attribution to my success in creating was asking questions. I would ask so many questions, so many “why did you do that?”, and although it felt annoying, and still does, because I still ask questions, I got so many answers! Don’t ever be afraid to ask and even over ask how something is done or why someone made the choice they did!
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
This past year, I’ve leaned a lot more into the business side of my floral operation. I’ve made templates, spreadsheets, documents, and have tried to get a reign on organization – which as any artist or creative can probably relate – is not my strong suit. I got a website up and running and have made it easier for folks to inquire, ask questions, or get ahold of me. I’ve done a number of consultations and I feel more and more confident in communicating with my clients and pinning down the visions in their head.
Sometimes getting the ideal client means representing yourself well. I feel I do good enough at this, although there is always room for improvement. I pride myself on being myself and in some cases, I’m probably not the most professional or well representation of someones ideal florist. I mean this in the best way. For me, it’s hard opening up to someone in a suit, robotic, matter of fact, has a brief case and never smiles. I strive to be the friendly face that my clients feel comfortable saying “I don’t like that” or “I actually wanted something more like this..”. I want my clients to leave our meetings feeling confident and trusting in my services. I want my clients to be open if they do or don’t like something I’ve pitched, because at the end of the day I’m here to make my clients dreams come true. I want my clients to feel like they can be open and share their questions or concerns with me so we can discuss and work through them. Most of my clients and I are still in touch, a lot of them become close friends and I’m extremely proud to say that!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://reddaisyfloral.com
- Instagram: reddaisyfloral
- Facebook: Red Daisy Floral
Image Credits
Headshot – Makenna Lynn Photography
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