Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amber Taylor. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amber, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I think everyone deals with imposter syndrome, especially entrepreneurs. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve successfully overcome it! It’s definitely something I must continue to work on but I’ve noticed that as I continue to develop my skills, my confidence level increases as well. Experience will help with most things, but I’ve also come to realize that when I’m feeling my least confident or I’m starting a new project that stretches my comfort level, I just have to step outside of myself for a second, look at everything I’ve accomplished and my “qualifications” and it usually does the trick. A little pep talk never hurt either! It usually goes something like “Come on, Amber. You can do this. You’ve done *insert crazy achievement* and did great!” In the end, I just have to remember that I’ve been hired to complete a job which means my clients trust me and like my work. Plus, they wouldn’t have hired me if they could do it themselves!
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I work with sola wood flowers to create everlasting arrangements, wedding pieces, and decor items. Sola wood flowers have been around for ages, but most people in the United States haven’t heard of them yet!
They are made from the stem of the sholapith plant which is native to the marshy areas in West Bengal and parts of India. It has been used in creating beautiful religious and cultural pieces for centuries. The wood comes from the bark of the plant and is among the lightest wood in the world.
Sola wood flowers are 100% natural and sustainable and if cared for, they could last a lifetime! Since each flower is hand-made, no two flowers are alike which makes each flower arrangement even more intriguing. Just a few of the amazing benefits of wood flowers include that they’re hypoallergenic, require minimal maintenance, they’re more eco-friendly than their fresh and faux counterparts, and they are completely customizable – they can be colored virtually any color!
I started working as a florist when I was 15 and then off and on through college up until I was pregnant with my second kid. I loved the creative outlet it gave me, but I needed to be more present for my family. When I started working with wood flowers, I realized it was something I could do part-time from my home and so I started Wood Flower Barn. It’s been a great way to stay sharp and relevant, fulfil my creative tendencies, and stay home to raise my kids.
I’m heading into my fourth year of business and throughout this time I’ve noticed some patterns with my clients. Most of the orders I get are from people sending their condolences to loved ones who are mourning the loss of someone dear to them. Next in line are get wells, congrats, and “I love you” gifts. Some are customized to represent something special about a person and their relationship with them. Nearly all of them are gifts.
It’s very humbling for me to recognize that people are sending my designs to loved ones to show their love and support. Of all the millions of options out there, they are choosing to have ME make their flowers and send them to the people they love and are thinking of. Perhaps it’s because the gift will prove to be a lasting one for them. A beautiful, sentimental floral arrangement that will hopefully bring them peace and happiness for years to come, something that is tied to a memory or a moment from which they can look back and see the support and love.
Another side of my business that I absolutely adore is the wedding side! Couples come to me who are wanting an alternative to fresh flowers, something they can keep forever, and something that can match a color palette that would be hard to achieve in fresh florals. My favorite challenge is pieceing together a variety of details such as color scheme, size, shape, aesthetic, the couples personality, etc. and producing something that is so unique to the couple that it could never be reproduced. All of my weddings are completely custom. Since no two couples are the same, why should their weddings be?
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?
Absolutely. There’s plenty of advice any small business owner will willfully give but it’s important to see what makes sense for you and your business. I wish I would have known and actually “been ok” with implementing the following:
1) What works for others may not work for you and that’s ok.
Starting out, I felt like I had a pretty good idea of what could work to get my name out there. I dove into Social Media knowing it was “critical for success” only to find out years later that it wasn’t. I wasted so much time trying to build up my following only to realize after a few years that those people weren’t buying. Sure, my profiles were pretty, but in the end, it’s been my SEO that has really shown through.
2) Don’t try to do too much, too fast.
They say “slow and steady wins the race” for a reason! I had grand visions of new products every season, rotating out old designs to keep things “fresh”, a great selection of choices so there was “something for everyone”, etc. But for my specific business (and life) it wasn’t working. I was stressed all the time trying to keep up with my goals and I wasn’t benefitting from it. I recognized that I didn’t need dozens of new products each season and that my shop could still perform with half as many designs if it meant I could gain back some of my sanity.
3) Your business should serve you, not the other way around.
For me, this goes hand in hand with #2 and it honestly took me a while to figure out. I nearly put everything on pause for a while until I realized that my business was created to serve me (while serving others through beautiful, flowers, of course!) and that I was the one trying to serve it! My needs as a human and entrepreneur are different now than when I created Wood Flower Barn, and that’s ok! I know it may be different for everyone, but I believe that businesses need to morph with their owners. If it’s not fulfilling whatever you need it to fulfill, then step back, see what needs to change, and then make the adjustments until it feels right again.
What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?
This is totally cliché, but I need more time! I’m a mom of three young boys and my husband and I have chosen not to put them in childcare. It’s tricky for me to run a business, have family and personal time, and ensure my kids are getting the attention they need. I recognize they won’t be young forever and have had to learn to be ok that I can scale my business later if I want to. Now is the time to be with them as much as I can.
Remember how I said to have your business serve you, and not the other way around? This is a big factor in that decision. It may seem counterintuitive as a business owner, but when I was stressing over growing and scaling my business, my kids (and health) took the sidelines. That wasn’t ok with me. There’s a time and a season for everything and right now may not be the season for me to be a big boss flower lady. Now’s the time to develop my skills by taking on a limited number of weddings and projects per month so I can have balance and sanity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://woodflowerbarn.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/woodflowerbarn
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/instagram
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-thompson-taylor/
- Other: https://www.westtenth.com/shop/ut/salt-lake-city/wood-flower-barn
