First of all, I have to say that I've been adoring these Small Business Series shoots. It's so hard to hold them back and not share every single business all at once, but I'm going to try to be good and stick to my schedule of sharing them once a month. My first spotlight in the series is the sweet florist Katie Huskerson of Birdie.
I chose Katie to start with because she is talented, fabulous, oh-so-kind and gracious, but the main reason is because of this:
A couple minutes after I got to her workspace, she pulled into the hall to show me this portrait of her grandmother. Katie is a 4th generation florist. Framed and mounted she had a photograph of her grandmother, much like the one of Ryan's great grandfather that inspired me to do the Small Business Series. It made me feel close to this project and fall in love with it (and Katie!) even more.
So I'm asking everyone to tell me a little bit about their business, so here is what Katie had to say: Name - Katie Huskerson Business Name - Birdie Website - www.thebirdiesnest.com Favorite Dessert - Vanilla Ice Cream with berries and honey Favorite Artist/Album - Depends on the season but today I'm going with ...Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker When did you start your business? - October of 2009 What inspired you to start it? I grew up in my families flower shop in McAlester. When all my girlfriends began to get married, it felt natural to get involved with their flowers and create a business of my own. What would you say was your biggest challenge to overcome? Striking a balance between time with my family and work. When we made the decision to move our business to a studio setting, things just became more cohesive. It feels empowering to limit the amount of work I take on. My family time is cherished and then I am more inspired to exceed my clients expectations. What is your favorite part of your business: The flowers! I get to work with some of the world's most beautiful creations. I always look forward to the changing of the seasons and the flowers that follow. Left over flowers to scatter around the house is a nice perk too! Anything else about your small business that you’re passionate about? Theodore Roosevelt said “Comparison is the thief of joy.” That has been one of the single best thoughts for me to keep in mind as a business owner. You should have a solid business plan of course, but if you focus on being joyful and thankful you get to do what you love, the rest will fall into place.
Thanks so much for sharing with us Katie!