Of course that was June 2006, when people were still spending freely. By the following year, the first signs of recession had begun to appear. “I’d started off by pitching the


business at the top level so when the recession hit, it called for a pretty serious review of things” she recalls. Not that Emma was prepared


to compromise on the quality or style of her products, because she had that strong brand image to maintain – but what she did do was rein in the staffing budget by not replacing a part-time florist, working more hours herself and using freelance help when needed. Currently she runs the


operation with one full-time apprentice florist, Lottie, and a bank of reliable, on-call freelancers.


94 F&wb Spring 2013


She says she also learned


to “buy smarter” through purchasing less but more often, reviewed delivery charges and areas, and weeded out smaller and less profitable product lines from the shop. Then she addressed her rising


transport bill by selling her old Renault Trafic and leasing a VW Caddy van – a move that she says has slashed both fuel and running costs. That strong brand worked from


day one in attracting upmarket wedding work, and this is one area of the business that continues to thrive. Bookings are still increasing


year on year, and many are for brides who grew up in the town – or were educated at its top-rated schools - and want to marry there. In keeping with her classy


branding, Emma prefers to promote herself with a certain subtlety, via talks, demonstrations and occasional workshops at the five star Bell at Skenfrith hotel. “I find in this area that it’s good


to put yourself about without having an overt sales approach,” she says. That’s why Emma is now turning


her attention to building her customer database and exploring new ways to “subtly put myself in front of people”. Over the years this understated


way of marketing has won her the trust of local funeral directors, who tend to recommend her for the “more creative” type tributes. And whilst she doesn’t get


much in the way of regular contract work – there being very little industry in the area


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