Meet Candace Causey

 

We recently connected with Candace Causey and have shared our conversation below.

Candace, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.

For me, I have learned to be patient with myself. I am human, as all of us are, and I can only do so much. I have learned to not over commit, over think or over complicate anything that I do. Chipping away at tasks, and telling yourself, “you will get there” become my advice to others, as well as myself. We are not perfect, which makes life so interesting. I have learned to love me, and what I am about, what I look like, what I am capable of, and I do challenge and stretch myself in small quantities, which end up helping me grow in major ways. Doing small things that make me happy, watching a sunset, wearing a favorite outfit, fixing my hair in the morning, taking a breath, all these small things just ground me. I pause, I didn’t use to, I do now, because sometimes you need to stay still, be silent and listen.

Some of my confidence and self-esteem has come from others, my husband. He always has faith in me, he trusts me, and builds me up when I don’t think I can do something. Having that support system has been key. Because you can’t be 100% positive every single day. Practicing self-care, which is hard. Who has time for yourself, when you work full time, are a parent, have a start-up business on the side, and maintain friends and family activities. It’s exhausting just thinking about it. But I decided to chip away, to start small, and build. Rome was not built in a day.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My story really started years ago, when I would joke, I am going to have a flower farm one day, when I would get frustrated with my corporate job, which I am still working at currently. It seemed like a fantasy, and I would daydream about what that might look like. Rows of beautiful blooms, cutting bouquets, selling at local markets, and to florists, possibly designing florals for a wedding, it all sounded glorious. And would get me through the tough moments in a corporate world, learning how to grow flowers from tiny seeds. Never did I think I would actually be living a portion of this, and not that soon. It was a pipe dream, down the road.
Fast forward Covid 19, such a strange time in everyone’s lives. I was home with my family, and we were trying to be creative. I started watching podcasts and all sorts of blogs and videos, and landed on flower farming and gardening options. We started doing work in our yard and renovating areas that had been neglected, and soon had raised beds full of flowers, herbs and vegetables. We would have friends and family over but outside, and they would enjoy the fruits of our labor in the gardens. One day, a friend told me that I really had a knack for growing, and I should do more flowers. Why not! Then, friends would tell me when I would bring them free flowers in mason jars, Candace you really should consider selling these, they are beautiful, and you arrange them so well. The wheels were churning.
Soon, our back yard became rows and raised beds. I quickly found resources to purchase unique seeds online. I bought a greenhouse, bought irrigation, bought supplies. Flowers started coming up! But what was I doing? Who would be my audience and who would I sell these to? What was my business name? Lots of questions, no answers, and didn’t know even the first thing about a business license. It was time to research and become legitimate.
I poured through sites, read articles about farming, county restrictions and regulations, tax information, business license info, insurance, it was terrible. I wanted to grow, not be a businessperson, but it’s part of what you have to do so I had to embrace it. Now to name this said business. What a difficult concept. This would be the name of your business, like naming a kid, its forever. One evening, by the fire pit, which was where my husband and I had most all our great ideas, like starting a flower farm….coming up with names. I think we were there 2 hours, with a pad of paper. Sweet Pea, which was the nick name that he had given me all these years, and it had carried over to our 2 daughters. There were 3 of us, he would call Sweet Pea. Three Sweet Peas showed up on the pad of paper and I paused. It was perfect. There it was, embracing flowers, and what was most important to me, our girls and my husband’s love for us.
You never know what it’s going to take to start up a business. Website, social media, logo, emails, supplies, all the administrative tracking of receipts and costs, then you have to actually do the business and market it. I chipped away, slowly, and continue to do so. Every season, I learn more, I stop this activity, or start this other one, sometimes your ideas don’t work out. I am patient with myself, I am learning as I go, I am going to fail, I am going to succeed, I will not have time, and I will not be everyone’s cup of tea. Thats ok.
I continue to work now with florists in town from time to time, I am inching into the wedding market, to actually design small wedding florals, and I do small markets. We have bouquets at a local butcher shop, and I collaborate with other small businesses with bundles. I am working on subscriptions now, and email marketing. We also have enhanced our offerings with Rosie our vintage red truck, that has become the face of Christmas mini photo sessions in our area. We have even made her into a flower truck for an event. More exciting things to come with Rosie, as we journey through what its like with a vintage truck.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

A big quality when starting a business is patience. You have to be patient, because everything takes time. If you are doing it all yourself, you have only so many hours in a day, and you type only so fast. Your brain will get overloaded, and you have to take a break. You won’t make money right away you will spend it though. You might even not break even your first year or two. It is risky but because it’s something you have created pride in your work will help you get through the tough moments.

Flexibility! Cannot say this one enough, there is always going to be an obstacle, physically or mentally. For us, weather is a huge factor, or whether seeds germinate. I have a list of flowers I won’t grow again, due to lack of production or the time it took was not worth the outcome. I find that working with the public causes me to find ways to be flexible. Working in a highly known corporate company with a big name allows me to move quickly through markets, and get things accomplished. When you are a start up with no equity because you are spending what you make to re-stock and resupply, you hit walls often. I just flexibly climb around them and keep moving forward.

Trust what you are building and yourself. Have that confidence that even though this is small now, it will grow, and you will get there.

For us, having social media and marketing skills was not my area of expertise. I have had to learn this skill, practice, fail, read and study like I am in school. I have also had to learn a lot about soil, germination, the weather, the climate in our area, irrigation, fertilizing, planting, farming, bugs! I have a lot of respect for farmers that grow for the market and have large facilities and fields.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Being a small business, support from other small businesses is so important. Networking and introductions are very important in the journey, getting your name out there, and doing the same for others. Collaboration is something we are actively working on now with many other small businesses in the local area. Coffee shops, florists, small boutiques, bakeries, photographers, wedding coordinators, and other service and product providers. It takes a village, not only in your personal life but in your professional life. We will continue to connect and network with those small businesses, as well as other local flower farmers. Thus far, that has been a wealth of knowledge, not just locally, but all across the states. There is so much knowledge sharing out there, and other farmers are willing to support each other and share. I have enjoyed meeting farmers in North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, and Colorado. We continue to reach out and meet others and learn from their business. Thats what it is all about, that sharing of ideas, and supporting each other.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Charles Molton Photography, LLC
www.charlesmoltonphotography.com

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