Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Darling.
Sara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
One of my first jobs through high school and college was in the banquets department of a busy Marriott Hotel. For five years or so, I spent most Saturday nights enveloped in the production of wedding receptions, class reunions and any social function in between. In the years that have past since, I’ve worked as a private events coordinator, catering coordinator and planned a number of events for friends and family. Somewhere in there, I briefly worked as a floral assistant and very quickly fell in love with arranging and playing with flowers. It made the world slow down and finally felt like an artistic medium I felt comfortable in, capable of expressing myself with. It’s quite memorable when you experience this kind of overwhelming realization. I held onto it until the time was right, another 4 years or so, assisting other florists here and there, and studying art history abroad. After relocating to Miami in 2014 and struggling to find my place in this new city, I gave myself $100 at the public flower market and an afternoon of arranging. It changed everything. It was that day, I promised to carve out an intentional path to flowers. And ROSE COLOURED was born shortly after – first as a floral subscription service and then a bespoke floral design studio for events and special occasions. Where we began and where we are now is just the sum of hundreds of baby steps, everyone of them filled with all of the courage, sweat and tears a lady can muster.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This journey as a business owner and designer has been one of self-discovery more than anything. And in that, you become more acutely aware of your strengths and weaknesses as an individual, which has been incredibly eye-opening and yes, unimaginably hard. But also, so fun! It’s getting to know parts of yourself that you never knew existed, while also developing others you never thought you might be capable of. As an art student, I was never encouraged – and definitely not interested on my own terms – in business education and I’ve always been miserable at anything numbers-based. Who would have thought, I’d come to love spreadsheets as much as I do! A huge aspect of my day to day is trial and error and re-correcting, debriefing with my team about past events or client experiences and continue to improve and learn as we go. The most important lesson learned has been about taking mistakes or less desirable outcomes in stride, as an inherent part of the process and not to get hung up on imperfection.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about ROSE COLOURED Floral – what should we know?
ROSE COLOURED is a boutique floral design studio based in Miami, Florida specializing in organic and lushly textured arrangements for life’s most special occasions and the everyday. With a truly fine art approach to floral design, ROSE COLOURED emphasizes the use of seasonal flora, herbs and foliage to create our signature bespoke pieces. Culling inspiration from the natural whimsy of a meadow of wildflowers or an overgrown secret garden as a means for bringing wild beauty to unexpected places.
Unlike other full-service floral design firms, we don’t work from pre-made event packages, but build out every element as unique as our clients. So much of our design ethos is based on client lifestyles, their love stories and style, which makes getting to know one another over coffee or happy hour cocktails a necessary part of the process. Together, the RC team works to ensure our creative vision is fully trusted and every last detail is perfection. We LOVE flowers but there’s no doubt, RC is most passionate about bringing our clients’ floral dreams to life.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have an incredibly supportive, business-savy partner that never ceases to stand by my (and RC’s) side and he undoubtedly deserves way more credit than I am able to offer in words and love alone. But I’ve also had a huge team of cheerleaders along the way – friends, family and past clients – that keep this baby growing. Many of whom probably have no idea how meaningful and true their sentiments rang.
Further, I’m incredibly grateful to be a small business owner in a time where the resources for people like me are overflowing. From the New York Times bestseller list, to entrepreneurship podcasts, bloggers and marketing coaches, webinars and YouTube, we live in a world where we are so easily connected with others who are working in similar fields and can offer their knowledge and guidance at the click of a mouse.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rosecolouredfloral.com/
- Phone: 786-505-1608
- Email: hello@rosecolouredfloral.com
- Instagram: rosecolouredfloral
- Facebook: rosecoloruedfloralMIA
Image Credit:
Francisco Moraga, Andrielle Photography; Donna Irene Weddings; Erika Diaz Photography; Zaitography
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