Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Wilcoxon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer , we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
When I think about it, my purpose really began when I was a kid growing up in upstate New York, though I didn’t actually find it until my late 40s. After a career in Marketing and many years as a stay-at-home mother, I was restless and knew I wanted to start a small business doing something creative with plants and flowers.
My parents’ garden, filled with dahlias, cosmos, and roses, was a constant presence in my childhood. Growing up in Rochester, New York, I’d run through it on my way to and from friends’ houses or spend hours playing there. It was a private, special place. I also loved spending time in a wooded area near our house, where I’d build forts and collect moss from fallen logs. In the winter, we would ice skate on the pond in those woods and spend hours playing in snowbanks. We lived only a mile from Lake Ontario, and I would ride my bike there, swim in the lake, and collect tiny shells from the beach. I loved being outdoors and have always felt connected to nature, admiring the beauty of the natural world.
I didn’t actually start gardening until much later, after my husband and I moved to a house in SW Portland in 2000 that boasted a large, beautiful, established rose garden. Initially, I felt compelled to simply keep the roses alive. However, the more time I spent caring for them, the more I realized how much I loved watching plants grow.
In 2019, when my daughters were 11 and 15, I began searching for something beyond motherhood to continue my own personal growth. My initial idea was to design and plant custom containers for people. This allowed me to tap into my creativity while working outdoors and utilizing my gardening knowledge and skills. I started with a few friends and neighbors, and word quickly spread. Soon, clients were requesting cut flower arrangements. I reluctantly agreed to a job creating bouquets of pink and white peonies for a late spring birthday party, arranging them on my dining room table and enlisting my friend to help me. After that, I was hooked!
My confidence in my own creativity grew after taking a few workshops and attending a flower school in England at Tallulah Rose Flower School, where I also learned the fundamentals of pricing and marketing, specifically for a floral business. I realized I could create a client base and cultivate a community simultaneously by conducting my own workshops.
Beyond knowing I enjoyed being creative with plants and flowers, I believe finding my purpose arrived at a time in my life when I was ready for something new, open to new possibilities, and willing to take risks and be vulnerable.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Held first in my garden, and now in the home studio I built in 2021, as well as at private homes and businesses, my workshops allow me to introduce flowers to people who didn’t realize what they were missing. Spreading joy through flowers gives me the satisfaction of watching people with no floral design experience walk away with beautiful arrangements, knowing they can do it again themselves. It also allows people to get more in touch with the natural world and do something tactile using all of their senses, which doesn’t often happen in the age of iPhones! My workshops range from kokedama to small container design to cut floral workshops. I often collaborate with like-minded businesses as well.
A challenge I’ve given myself is to try to make my business as local, seasonal, and sustainable as possible while still creating beautiful arrangements. I opt for chicken wire or tape instead of floral foam as my main mechanics, which is more environmentally friendly. I get my flowers from local flower farmers or my own garden as much as possible, and I’ve enjoyed becoming part of the Portland flower community. Most of my clients are either in my neighborhood or in nearby Lake Oswego. This has helped foster a community for me now that my kids are older.
It is sometimes challenging being a small floral design studio because everything I do is made to order. I recently started a bi-monthly flower delivery service, and it has been a wonderful way to offer clients fresh flowers for their homes while also being more efficient. Every arrangement is “designer’s choice” which allows me to choose seasonal flowers and have fun with the design.
Events have become a significant part of my business as well, and I have done floral arrangements for birthdays, graduations, bar mitzvahs, anniversaries, baby showers as well as corporate events. One of my most exciting projects was creating a flower bar for 200 people at a Women in Business event for one of my corporate clients.
The potential for growth in this field seems endless, and this is what keeps my business exciting. I’m doing this as much for my own growth and creative outlet as I am to make money.
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 think the first important quality in finding your purpose and what you truly want to do is openness. As soon as I was open to the idea of starting a business where I would create with plants and flowers, I found a path to do so. The second most impactful quality in starting my business was vulnerability. Looking back at my early work, it is apparent that I have come a long way, and you just need to keep creating to hone your craft and realize that sometimes things you create are beautiful to others even if you see the flaws. I was terrified to post for the first time on Instagram for fear of imperfection, but at some point, I realized that you have to start somewhere! The third quality I think is important to starting your own business is authenticity. Just be yourself! People will give you advice, but in the end, you just need to do what feels right to you and follow your own instincts.
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?
I’m most excited about the possibilities for collaboration when it comes to creating more types of workshops. I have collaborated with yoga instructor Carla from Carlabeyoga to offer a spring workshop called “Balance and Bloom.” I also collaborated with a company called Sprig and Spread to offer a “Garden Party Workshop” where I walked everyone through how to make a garden-style floral arrangement, gave tips on tablescapes, and then the owner Michele and employee Erica provided instruction on how to make your own summer crudité platter.
Last Mother’s Day, I collaborated with local artist Ali Lanenga to offer flowers in her handmade ceramic vases. I am about to launch a candle line with my friend Isla from Crescent Creek Candles, and we collaborated on scents, container design, etc. I am looking to collaborate with more small businesses that naturally work well with flowers. The possibilities are endless!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.florawoodpdx.com
- Instagram: florawoodpdx
- Facebook: florawoodpdx
Image Credits
@annadoshinaphotography @ fleuropean (2,8) @alicenhumphreys (3) @orangephotographie (5) @milanagilliganphoto (1,4,6,9,10)
