Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Josephine Brown. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Josephine, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
It took me a while to realize, accept and really lean into being the only one who probably thinks and works like I do. I spent a lot of my late 20’s and early 30’s sort of battling that part of myself. As an entrepreneur, I have had the privilege to work with different types of people over the last decade, and those experiences allowed me to accept my strengths, weaknesses and be comfortable with knowing not everyone is going to be a good fit for you (or your business). It takes a lot of self reflection and humble thinking for sure, which I know can be uncomfortable for a lot of people! But really make a point to work with utilizing a balance of considering the opinion of others and being confident in knowing what your purpose is for yourself and your business.
It really hasn’t been until recently that I have noticed long term positive shifts in my work and home life where being comfortable with my working style and leaning into that have been working with me, not against me. I am a big picture thinker and my brain is usually 10 steps ahead of where it probably should be in a present conversation… which was really challenging for me to not get overwhelmed and constantly have a dozen “pending” ideas floating around that were never getting done. This is the first year that Michigan Flower Barn is ready to take on more team members (staff), and releasing the day-to-day responsibilities to others has allowed me to focus on more of the big picture stuff!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am very much a creative entrepreneur through and through. I have always had a hard time with the concept of committing to one “job” for the rest of your life, so that has naturally turned into me having a few things on my plate at once in the terms of professional work.
I graduated college in Detroit with a BFA in Graphic Design and Marketing, and spent the next several years working in that field for corporations and small businesses, to non-profits and national events. My husband and I landed in Traverse City for a few years which is where I began to explore the world of artisan and farmers markets. While living there, in addition to my full time job, I began baking to sell at farmers markets and for weddings. Then after my own wedding, I knew I wanted to do more specifically in the wedding industry as a creative person. I really love creating thoughtful, meaningful things for people – whether it be a custom brand or event related. That’s when I began to narrow down my creative mediums and seriously considering what I can do professionally that didn’t involve sitting at a computer all day.
I began taking floral design classes and took on a lot more side work for event design while also baking (all while still working for an ad agency). I also launched a wedding planning company with a previous business partner and ran the creative side of that business. It was during that time I was able to combine my love for all the things I was doing professionally into one outlet.
After becoming a Mother in 2017, everything really changed as far as perspective for me, professionally. I worked really hard to be able to work from home during those next few years and find a balance of being a stay at home working mom. From there the last several years sort of happened naturally. My husband and I moved back to mid-Michigan with a goal of owning our own land, to start a flower farm and do a few other things with our space that included a lot of what we loved. We made that happen in January of 2019 and that’s when my ideas for myself and working with flowers full time began.
Fast forward to 2021 I officially launched Michigan Flower Barn. This is something that is currently evolving and growing so when I look at how far we’ve come in a few short years I am really proud of what we are doing for this industry today. Michigan Flower Barn is a flower farm collective that is supporting both sides of the floral industry with sustainable cut-flowers directly from the farmers to floral designers. We also provide flowers directly to customers with our three floral packages that include: DIY buckets of flowers, design and pickup arrangements and full service floral design. Everything we do includes 100% locally grown flowers, foam-free designs which I think is really important for the industry as a whole. We focus on working with what grows during each season when it comes to our designs, allowing us to create some unique garden-inspired pieces for our customers. And the designers and floral professionals that buy from us are helping support our mission as a whole, setting a new standard for the wholesale flower industry and supporting over a dozen local farmers.
We’ve got our first annual Dahlia Day event coming up on September 21st at our farm – open to the public! We’ll be featuring thousands of stems of fresh-cut dahlias from our farmer collective featuring: specialty designed arrangements, DIY buckets of dahlias and a fun bouquet bar to make your own dahlia bouquet!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three important areas of knowledge to have as a small business owner, specifically in the creative industry that are pretty much impactful at any stage:
1. Understanding the legal stuff. You should really be familiar with the legalities that are involved with any contract, partnership or business venture you’re entering. Read everything and make sure you understand it, ask a lot of questions if you don’t or something feels off. Pay for the service of having formal documentation and contracts written for you by a professional, have a business attorney review anything before you sign it and to advise on requiring if there should be a contract when working with other people or the public!
2. Pay for someone to do your taxes. For me, my time is valuable and spending it on tasks that people do for a living always make me ask myself “is this a strength of mine?” There are always going to be services that are a necessary investment to keep a small business organized on the back end of operations. As a creative person, that part of business is overwhelming for me, to say the least. The peace of mind is worth it, alone!
3. Don’t compare yourself to others in your industry who are also just starting out. Your first step in business growth could be someone’s fifth attempt at something similar. It’s easy to follow along on social media channels and be totally consumed in your industry. Inspiration quickly becomes comparison – leading to overwhelmed and doubt. Keep your values as the foundation of your business, stay original to yourself and the growth without comparison will happen naturally!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed I need fresh air and/or quiet time. I also need to ask for help.
Taking a break and asking for help have always been two challenging things for me to do. At this point, I know they are required or I am useless.
If there are negative emotions surrounding something, I usually give myself 24 hours of time to reflect and space to think before I decide how I will respond to that situation. And if the overwhelm is from a very long to-do list and I don’t know where to start, I lean on my husband to help keep my list organized and work through the most urgent items. I tend to go for the quickest or most ideal items to tackle, which are usually the things on my list that are least urgent – so having him keep me on track for the week is a huge help for deadlines!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michiganflowerbarn.com
- Instagram: @michiganflowerbarn
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michiganflowerbarn
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