We were lucky to catch up with Makenna Carpenter Birch recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Makenna, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
The short answer: “Fake it till you make it”
The long answer: Starting in middle school and throughout high school. I struggled a lot with my confidence and sense of self-worth. I’ve always been a shy & reserved person, but I felt especially ugly and socially inept when I was surrounded by peers that were not. Toward the end of my senior year, I started to slowly develop more confidence, because I surrounded myself with people that made me feel comfortable & helped me feel more sure of myself.
In college, I felt that I had the opportunity to reinvent myself, because I had never met any of these people before. I decided that if I wanted to be more confident, I had to act like it. One of my college friends once told me something like “I love how you walk everywhere like you own the place.” I realized I had been faking confidence for so long that it came naturally to me now.
It took years, but I’ve gotten to a point where I can speak to a room of people, network with strangers, & promote myself & my business with minimal suffering. I still consider myself to be pretty socially awkward, & my anxiety causes me to look back on my interactions & over-analyze things I did or said. However, I’m better able to think on my feet & come across as confident in social situations. Anxiety is still a prominent trial in my life, but I’m able to manage it & keep it on the inside (most of the time).
From a business standpoint, my confidence has come from many sources. One, I went to school for Floral Design, so I know that I know how to make a visually pleasing design. Two, I still “fake it till I make it”, especially when I feel inadequate & start comparing myself to other florists. Three, I’ve been blessed with so many people in my life that help me learn how to operate in the wedding industry, & give me compliments/validation on my designs.
I’m so grateful for how far I’ve come, & I plan to continue learning & improving in the future!
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m lucky enough to have my dream job: I own a business providing flowers for weddings & events. I was obsessed with flowers & plants as a little kid, & I honestly have no idea what my career would be if I wasn’t doing this.
It’s very satisfying for me personally to create beautiful things, & I LOVE to use this job to create joy in others. The best compliment I can get from a client is pure excitement about how much they love their flowers!
I specialize in arrangements that I describe as lush, elegant, & dramatic. I love to use lots of greenery, a variety of flowers, & carefully planned colors. I also make it a point to never do the same thing twice! If I get asked for the same color scheme multiple times, I use different kinds of flowers in each one.
There’s plenty of excitement coming up for me & my business! My husband is currently applying to nursing schools, so we will be moving in fall 2024. While we wait for nursing school acceptances, we’ll be spending the summer in Italy with his parents! My last weekend booking weddings in Coeur d’Alene is Memorial Day Weekend, & then we fly out to Europe.
We don’t know yet where we’ll end up, but I’ll be updating my website & social media with that information as soon as possible. The most likely options are FAU in Boca Raton FL, or TCC in Tacoma WA, but we’ll see! I’m nervous to create a completely new networking & client circle, but excited for this new adventure.
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?
When I was in flower school, I had to learn to accept constructive criticism & move on. I’ve always been a diehard perfectionist, so it was hard for me to hear that my designs needed improvement. However, criticism from my teachers helped me develop an eye for things that need to be adjusted in my arrangements. Ultimately, I’ve become a better designer because I didn’t start out perfect.
I also really needed to learn when to stop. My first arrangements were so tightly packed with flowers that there was no dimension or movement – both elements that I consider crucial for a good design. It’s really easy as a perfectionist to just keep going because it’s “not perfect yet”, but eventually you reach a point of no return, & your design will never achieve the look you were hoping for. My arrangements have improved immensely since I learned to use negative (empty) space & make it a key point in my work.
The most important personality characteristic I’ve had to develop is PATIENCE. It applies to so much in business & in the wedding industry specifically. I’ve had to learn to be patient with little things, like waiting months for a photographer to finish & send me a gallery. However, the biggest thing that I need to be patient with is the fact that I won’t be a huge, successful florist immediately. It takes time to develop a clientele, create a good networking circle, & grow a social media following.
To anyone starting their floral journey, the best way to develop these qualities is to practice. Ask people for criticism, make more arrangements & work with negative space intentionally. Most important, be patient with yourself & be proud of the progress you’ve already made.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is someone who trusts me to make their wedding day beautiful. Their budget doesn’t matter – I may not be able to do a giant arch & huge centerpieces for $500, but I can maintain the vision & style within a comfortable price point for them. The customer’s job in this situation is to be flexible with their ideas & let me show them the best way to accomplish their vision.
I also want to work with someone who wants to work with me! If they aren’t sure whether they like my work, I’m probably not the best choice. That being said, I can design in any style I’m asked to, but there will always be a little bit of Makenna in whatever I create.
I’ve been so lucky to have amazing clients in the past few years! I’m incredibly grateful for people who are willing & excited to support a small business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://makennarenefloral.com/
- Instagram: @makennarenefloral
Image Credits
Headshot: Avalin Hanis Photography Purple flower pillars – Emily Haroldsen Photo Greenery bouquet – Emily Ek Photography Boho bouquet – Kelsey Adkins Photography Peach flower pillars – Sarah Noel Photography Boho triangle arch – Cheyanne Walters Photography Hexagon arch – Morgan Shea Photo Multicolored forest bouquet – Noël Brower Photography Burgundy & purple bouquet – KrysE Photography
