Meet Shanda of Eszi & Flor
We are really excited to be featuring her talent today!
What is your business? What do you offer wedding clients?
I am a floral designer based in the Northern Virginia area. I pride myself on only working one wedding per weekend and that allows me to really focus on my clients. Once I start working with a couple, their dream becomes my dream and I like to think that I build lasting relationships with them, relationships that go beyond the wedding day. My heart and soul goes into each one of my designs so I believe all my clients have a little piece of my heart.
How did you come up with the name of your business?
This one is interesting. The name came about by having a discussion about this with my husband. My initials are “SZ”, so my husband, being as practical as he is, suggested that I just name my business “SZ Flowers”. Obviously, that did not stick. I kept thinking about it and I thought to myself, “why not spell it out? EsZi.” I am originally from Costa Rica and I wanted to include something in Spanish with my business name, so I decided to add the word flower, but in Spanish. A couple of months later “Eszi & Flor” was born.
What is the inspiration for your business? How did you get started?
I have loved flowers ever since I could remember. When I was a little girl I would stick my face in what seemed to me like huge flowers and be amazed that it could cover my entire face. Since then, I’ve always been drawn to them. I literally gasp and sigh when I see some of these beautiful and delicate stems. Even though I had been doing small arrangements for small dinners and the like, I never thought about opening my own business until a wonderful stranger saw my work and asked the question “why don’t you do this as a business?”. I had no answer for her. So, that simple question is what helped me realize the true passion I had for floral design.
What is your best advice for a bride-to-be?
There are probably a million things I could say here, but as a floral designer I often find that brides feel horrible when having to throw away beautiful arrangements after a wedding. My advise to them has always been the same. Just like any human being has a purpose, flowers are the same. Their purpose is portray who you are through their beautiful petals on that special day. Their purpose is to be awe-inspiring and to bask in their glory for every single one of your guests to enjoy. They have bought joy on a special day to all those who admired them. They weren’t wasted because they fulfilled their purpose.
What is your favorite thing about a wedding day?
I’m going to cheat and say that I have two favorite things. I love when I deliver a bridal bouquet and get that overjoyed reaction from my brides, but I also love when they get to see their reception space for the first time with no one in the room except them. I love that they can take the time to appreciate the details that will be lost once the room is full of guests.
What are your goals for 2018?
Oh goodness! I want to have fun with my brides and my designs! My goal is to learn how to relax and just let my hands do what they know how to do. Really define my design style and trust myself a little more.
What keeps you motivated to face the challenges small business owners face?
Challenges can be frustrating and sometimes down right discouraging. I have tried and failed at many things in my life. I’ve even given up on certain occasions, but when it comes to what you love, giving up is not an option. There are so many people in this world that are still searching for what they love. I’m fortunate to have found what I love, challenges and all. That thought alone keeps me going.
What is your greatest fear, and how do you manage fear?
My greatest fear is to fail at delivering amazing designs for an event or completely forgetting I had an event! I’ve heard horror stories from other florists who had forgotten an event or had a wrong date. That sends chills up my spine. Of course, there are other fears, personal ones. When those creep up, I try to remember a quote I read once. It said “If you can’t beat fear, do it scared”. That’s exactly what I do when I’m afraid.
What characteristics does your ideal client carry?
Trust. My ideal client would be one that would trust me to create what she is envisioning. When I get those clients, they always say the same thing, “this was beyond what I ever imaged!”. My ideal client will just allow me to create and trust my hands to do what they know how to do.
What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
I could totally binge watch NetFlix! Is that a hobby? On my non-work days, you can find me at home planning my next trip or researching the next food spot to check out. My husband and I like to think of ourselves as extreme foodies. We love trying new restaurants and new food. We also love to travel! Put us on a plane and we are in our happy place. 🙂
Where are you based? What areas do you serve?
I am based in the Tyson’s Corner area and I serve: Washington DC Northern VA Maryland *Available for Travel*
Eszi & Flor LLC IG: @esziflor Facebook: Eszi & Flor Pinterest: Eszi & Flor Website: www.esziandflor.com Blog: www.esziandflor.com/blog