Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashleigh Dinan. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ashleigh, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
I’ve never been asked this question but I definitely have thought about this many times because it is rare to take risks but I have realized I kind of do it a lot, haha. I don’t take risks in the way of life or death, when you hear the phrase, “risk taker” most people think of someone who risks their life in a physical way. There is another side of risk taking that has a more long term effect and not just the immediate “jump off a cliff” effect. I definitely am more of the long term risk taker, (but I’ve also jumped out of a plane 2 times and zip lined on the longest/highest zip-line in North America so… I guess that statement is arguable.)
What I am trying to get at is, I look at a risk as an investment. Whether it has to do with money or not, an experience, positive or negative, it is an investment. It’s an investment in yourself. It helps you learn and grow. I have taken financial risks but only in the case that I know it has the probability of growing something that I am pursuing. BUT! at the same time, I do realize when I make these decisions, that it could very well go the opposite way and screw things up for a while. This has happened and every time I just say to myself, “welp, you live and you learn.” One way or the other, I think it’s worth it because at the end of the day I learned something that I didn’t know before. I experienced it first hand and can now realize where I could have done something different, why something went the way it did, how I could have prevented something from happening……… and how I will successfully do it in the future.
I was raised with a “figure it out yourself” type of parenting. Most people I know, their parents bought them their first car, paid for their college tuition, paid for their rent until they got on their feet, etc. ….. definitely not my case. I paid for my first car, I paid for my college and dropped out because it got way too expensive…
I saved and saved and saved to move out of my parents house. Years later, I saved and saved and saved to start my business. I didn’t have any advantage! I rode my bike to work 6 miles a day to the flower shop because I didn’t have a car. Talk about zero advantage, lol! I had to take risks because that was the only way I could possibly make something work. I had to risk everything I had because it was better than not trying at all. At the end of the day, money is a material, not life or death. I think of it as a resource that I have mined and I need to use it in a way that could potentially take me to the next level rather than shoving it under my mattress for who knows what reason. TAKE RISKS! YOU WILL SURVIVE! I promise. <3
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I have always been obsessed with flowers. I’m telling you, obsessed! For every birthday or special occasion, my parents/grandma’s would buy me beautiful exotic orchids or send me flower arrangements ever since I was about 7 or 8 years old. Most kids would be excited to go to Toys R us and I hated that place. I wanted to go to a nursery and pick out my “baby” that I could take care of and watch grow. Luckily, my mom and Nana were also as obsessed with flowers and plants as I was so we all meshed very well together in that subject. We would go to flower shows, enter plants into contests, grow orchids from seed, propagate plants, grow gardens, go tour famous gardens…. the list go on! Obsession…..
My favorite birthday gift that I received around the age of 10 or 11, was an encyclopedia on orchid growing. Come on now…
The reason I am so passionate about flowers/plants is why I am so in love with my job and think it is so important!
What makes doing wedding and event flowers so special for me is the fact that every event is such a major part of my clients life. Moments that bring families and friends together to create life long memories. It’s very cool to be able to often witness love and happiness within so many people.
Being able to provide something that will always make someone smile is extremely rewarding. <3 Flowers make everyone smile, in sickness or in health, my job will always bring positive energy to the situation. I love bringing a little joy and helping people feel better in all different scenarios.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Oh jeez….where do I begin? Owning a business is so hard. At least in my opinion. You have no one to report to. You are IT! So there is a lot of trial and error, I’ll tell you that straight up. You will fail, you will make stupid mistakes, you will learn from those mistakes! You will lose money from your mistakes. You will get in some sketchy situations and also learn from that. You will get ripped off, you will pay for something that isn’t worth it. You will pay for something that you realize you could have easily done yourself.
I said it before and I’ll say it again, owning a business is so hard! BUT…… It’s worth it, I swear! It’s all just one big learning curve. It seems easy because social media makes it look like everything is a breeze, but listen to our elders when they say, “anything worth it doesn’t come easily.” The old are the wise.
A quality that I think is most important when owning a business is having patience. Patience is honestly the biggest factor. As a business owner, not only do you have to have the patience for the initial things that come to mind such as, slow but steady growth, no immediate results, marketing, book keeping, organizing, scheduling, lots and lots of time spent to just get your business launched…. the list goes on.
The most important part of patience as a business owner is having patience with your employees. Some employees can be… somethin’ else. You have to be patient with them and not freak out even though you know you are doing everything in their favor. Trust me, you will get employees that will try to rake you over the coals even when you have given them everything they could ever want. You just have to remain calm, construct a professional, yet personal, conversation (that doesn’t involve screaming in any way shape or form!!!!) and come to an agreement…and/or move on. Employees are such a huge part of a business’s growth on both sides. The more the business grows, the more the employees get paid/ benefit. The employee wants to get paid well, get promoted, do a great job and be reliable. The business owner wants all of the same things and the business’s reputation grows immensely when the employees remain consistent! Plus, when you love who you are working with it’s so much better and soooo fun! Bottom line is; pay your employees what they are worth, regardless of what the rate is for that position. If I love an employe and they are going above and beyond I will pay them even more than what they are expecting because I appreciate them that much. I take the whole, “making money” factor out when it comes down to paying my employees. I will literally take money out of my own pay to give them a bonus if I think they went beyond my expectations because I pay based on effort and loyalty, not ROI’s or federal minimums. We are all people doing our best and we should be rewarded based on our efforts… in my opinion. <33
Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
This question is sooooooooo relatable to me!! I struggle with debilitating anxiety. As long as I can remember, I have been having panic attacks that come out of no where to the point of puking/ passing out. I have no idea what causes them, it just happens some times. As a child I didn’t have anything traumatic enough to cause these episodes and as an adult I still go through this once in a while, it’s unexplainable.
Thankfully, my husband Michael, is always so supportive, understanding and comforting when I am going through the experience of a panic attack. Although he has never experienced one himself, he somehow can put himself in my shoes and guide me through. I love you Micheal!
I wanted to bring the unexplained anxiety up before I went into the “overwhelmed” question because I would like to make sure to establish the different types of, “overwhelmes”.
With a business, there are so many things that you either should be doing or could be doing at all times. Even if you complete all of your day to day tasks, as a business owner that doesn’t mean your work is done. There will always and forever be things that you COULD be doing…things to grow your business, things to be more organized, things to make you more profitable, introducing ways to expand… woof.
SO! As a person who owns a business and also suffers from hereditary anxiety, what I tell myself and my clients (who are usually overwhelmed with their wedding planning) is…”ONE THING AT A TIME.” My mom has always said this to me for as long as I can remember. She is so right! You can’t solve multiple things at one time! So take it one by one. Thinking of all that you need to do all at once is overwhelming for anyone. Prioritize by writing it down and making a list. A written list (physically written or on your phone, whatever you prefer) can make things feel so much more organized and achievable. You can look at it as a task that you can see, achieve and cross off the list. Thinking about all of the tasks at once in your brain without anything written down or categorized will just add unnecessary panic.
Go back to the basics if it makes it more achievable and impactful for you. That’s what I do. Pens and paper still exist. Soak those artifacts up while we still can! <33
Contact Info:
- Website: www.loveterracotta.com
- Instagram: @terracotta_florals
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/terracottafloralstudio
Image Credits:
Emily Thao Photography Tayler Ashley Photography Ariel Min Photography Kara Reynolds Photography
