From Social Sharing to Full-Time Business With FLRL by Esther

Growing into a website

With so many moving pieces to manage-while getting a crash course in business operations-starting a website can be far from urgent for a lot of new businesses. But, like many entrepreneurs, Esther quickly outgrew the Instagram selling model.

"Instagram is a great way to share our work and connect with the community, but isn't great for placing orders," she says. "Messages would get lost, especially since we'd need to collect information like addresses, budgets, etc. via DM."

Having a website gives FLRL by Esther a single place to collect project information, highlight their work, and share more about what they do with potential clients and customers.

Plus, for a business like FLRL, where aesthetics are a selling point, a website builder that offers creative freedom is key. For Esther, that's one of the perks of Squarespace.

"Floral design is one form of my personal expression, so I try to carry that same mindset into other parts of my business," she says. "Squarespace makes it really easy to adjust layouts, colors, fonts, and personal logos in a way that's true to our brand. It was also a great way to legitimize our business, instilling confidence to our customers that we provided true and beautiful arrangements," Esther says.

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A command center for business admin

The need to formalize and streamline operations is one of the biggest motivators for business owners to start a website. For Esther and Mara, their website allows them to simplify the basics of running the business-and explore new opportunities with the time saved.

When asked about the Squarespace tools that are most valuable for their business, "Our most used tool would definitely be the invoicing feature," Esther says. Invoicing on Squarespace includes a dashboard to create, send, track, and collect payments for branded invoices, plus client documents like proposals and contracts.

"Our offerings range from single arrangement orders to large scale events, so this tool makes it easy for us to accommodate all order types," she says. "The invoicing feature also makes it super easy to calculate sales tax, automatically applying to physical items invoiced, which is just one less thing I have to worry about."

Alongside invoicing, Esther cites contact forms as one of the tools they use most to keep FLRL running smoothly. Forms offer a hands-off way to collect leads on for potential events and client inquiries, and customization capabilities help them get necessary details upfront. "From there we can easily facilitate consultations and already have an idea of what the client might be looking for," Esther says.

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