From the NHS to Becoming a Farmer Florist with Sarah Whiting

My Small Business & Me

#48 - Farmer florist Sarah Whiting shares her small business journey. After working for many years in the NHS, she took redundancy. And having always been a keen gardener, spent time in her garden. Then seven years ago, she decided to set up Nettlewood Flowers.
Born in Australia, Sarah spent over 20 years in senior management in the NHS in the UK. On taking redundancy, she set up a consultancy business, but found it soul-less. So she decided to take some time off and having always grown flowers, set out a cutting garden.
When she had surplus flowers, she began giving them to neighbours, asking for a donation for charity in exchange. Then having grown even more flowers, she sold them from her garden gate in Teddington, London.
One day, she mentioned to her husband the possibility of turning her flower growing into a business. After having put together a business plan, she did some floristry courses and secured a work experience placement at The Real Flower Company. She then went on to work there part-time for two years, before leaving to concentrate solely on her business, Nettlewood Flowers.
She talks about her move from London to East Sussex in December 2019, her why, the impact of the pandemic on her business, together with her plans for 2022. You'll also discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring.
Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Sarah is about her relationships with her clients in the floristry world and seeing how they use her flowers, which often have been featured in magazines.
Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode48