Meet the Young Creative Who Left Corporate America to Jumpstart Her Floral Design Business

What advice do you have for someone who wants to get into the floral design business?

It’s not a profession that you need to be certified in, but there are definitely programs out there like New York Botanical Gardens that you can enroll in if you want certain technical skills. But I would say just get every opportunity you can to work with flowers and practice your skills. Also, surround yourself with people who are doing that type of work. For me, shadowing at the floral design company, Blossom and Branch, was really a fast indicator that I wanted to do this. I got to see the day-to-day operations and watch what was being done well and what wasn’t.

Was there a specific person or incident that gave you that extra push to finally step out there and start your business?

I think even though my parents were a little concerned about how I would do this, they always encouraged me to be business minded. I also understood from a pretty young age that I wasn’t going to build wealth if I did not own my own business. So owning a business was always the goal, it was just a matter of figuring out what type of business. I just started thinking long term about what I could really see myself doing and I knew I wanted flexibility.

Where do you see your company in 2-3 years from now?

I definitely want to continue working on weddings and events. Last December, I launched an interior design division of Makini Regal Designs so I want to be able to take on more interior design jobs. I would also love to do more speaking engagements and really talk to people about some of the ways to start a business and some of the rewards to starting a business.

To stay up-to-date on Brereton and her business follow her on social media @makiniregaldesigns.