Today we’d like to introduce you to Simone Stark.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
In 2008, I was looking for supplementary work and decided to rely on my background in the arts when showing up at a florists door interested in a job and having never worked with flowers in the way that would be required. But in my eye, flowers, plants, were another medium that could be shaped and molded. After about 9 months of gaining many needed skills and the opportunity to start piecing together my personal aesthetic when working with plants, I decided to venture out on my own.
I was able to gain clients via word of mouth. I also cold-call introduced myself in person to business owners and Miami restaurateurs and was able to gain a commercial client base. My first landscaping job came when a potential clients said to me, “I don’t need flowers for my restaurant, but I do need landscaping…” And of course my answer was ‘Yes, I can do that,’ knowing that I would figure out what I needed to during the process, but that the answer is always ‘yes.’
Since then, my business continued to shift from the interior floral side to now landscape design and installation. I firmly believe my business has unfolded in this way over the past 10 years as I have gained the working knowledge and experience needed to truly understand the intricacies of landscape design, our unique South Florida environment and how to mesh that with my personal aesthetic when expressing my passion in this area.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been a straight or smooth path but that is one of the huge lessons about entrepreneurship and also what leads to creativity, endurance and valuing why you got yourself into this in the first place. Finding my voice and style, even within my own company, is a process that has taken time to refine. I believe the time it takes for one’s company to grow is an opportunity to find one’s own voice/style/aesthetic in a field, and inspiring confidence to move into the next level of entrepreneurship.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about La Petite Fleur Miami – what should we know?
I specialize in full scale landscape design and installation. I work with General Contractors, Architects, Interior Designers and other creatives to design functional and unique outdoor spaces that incorporate as many of the senses as possible. I love working not only with the visual elements of landscape design, but also the opportunity to work with sound, smell, and vast amounts of texture. I strive to create whole spaces, where energetically each area of a space can be enjoyed independently while participating seamlessly within the design as a whole. I enjoy working with the concept of duality within my designs, active and passive spaces, fire and water elements, etc. as well as working with existing permacultural elements. I am 100% hands on with all of my design and installation work. Every plant and element has a specific place and purpose and I feel it’s important for me to be on site to make sure this is being achieved during installation.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
As an entrepreneur, it huge asset can be an openness to change as well as evolution. Being open to my business evolving from floral design when I started 10 years ago, to landscape design now has been the most fulfilling and successful moves I’ve made in my business. Often we are caught up on what we are pushing for or staying where we are comfortable, but sometimes the easiest and most valuable move we can make is by simply choosing to be in the flow and letting things unfold and evolve naturally, and then putting our efforts in that direction.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lapetitefleurmiami.com
- Phone: 305-450-5085
- Email: lapetitefleurmiami@gmail.com
- Instagram: Lapetitefleurmiami
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