Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Vo.
Hi Alicia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
There was this one day when my fiance and I were talking about flowers and then an idea came to my mind as I was driving back home. I asked him, “Should I make floral arrangements for other people? Like for my family, friends, and anyone who would want one from me?” He answered, “Yeah, you should. I think that it would be really cool if you did. I know how much you love flowers and how you always want me to get you flowers.” Anyways, long story short, my fiance helped me make this idea a reality. He encouraged me to do what I want and go for it. I am really so blessed and thankful to meet someone like him.
Once we arrived back home, I immediately started to create my business logo and a business Instagram account. I began watching tons and tons of Youtube videos on floral arrangements. pinning flower bouquet pictures from Pinterest into my own business board, and visiting websites on learning how to have a successful floral design business.
I was always scared of doing my own thing. I have always followed someone else’s path and hope for the best in the future. I now realized how important it is to listen to your heart. Ask yourself, “What do you really want to do? Are you doing what you love rather than what is easiest? How can you make yourself proud?” These questions frequently come up in my mind and I ignored them. I know how much I was into anything with beauty, fashion, and makeup. I did not know where to start, but I knew I wanted to always make my parents proud of me.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. All of the Youtube videos and pictures of people making their floral arrangements looked so easy! I thought how hard could it be? It is actually not what it quite seems like once you start doing it yourself.
One of the things that have been the most difficult for me is how to run a business. Yes, being an entrepreneur is great. I think being a business owner also has a nice ring to it. However, what is it really like to do this all by yourself? I had to look for all of the materials in order to make the floral arrangements. I needed wrapping papers, tissue papers, ribbons, tape, strings, etc. These were all necessary to have beforehand and I did not exactly know where to find them. I went to many stores and searched for hours in those stores. Another thing was the financial aspect. I had to invest money into buying the materials, especially the flowers. I did not know how expensive flowers could be, therefore, I felt like I was blindsided. I asked myself, “What did I really get myself into? Why did I not think of these things before?” Well, unfortunately, this is how we as human beings learn right? We have to make mistakes along the way to learn from them. On another note, I never wanted to give up on this idea. I kept moving forward and telling myself to trust the process. I am content with where I am now with my floral business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I recently became a registered nurse! As a nurse, I wanted to help people, both personally and professionally. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a doctor. I thought this was the only way to be able to help people. Then, when I was in high school, I found out more information about how to become a doctor and thought that this was not really for me. I still wanted to be involved in the healthcare field and I still wanted to help people somehow, which is why I decided to do pre-nursing and applied for nursing schools in college! I am mostly interested in working with geriatrics, mental health, and adults in general. I love talking to older adults. I think they are so precious, funny, and always have the best stories to tell. Mental health is pretty cool too. I believe I can relate a lot to others with mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and other disorders.
I would say that I am most proud of my accomplishments in academics. I graduated high school with high honors. I got accepted into two universities, where one was for finishing my pre-nursing prerequisites and the other one was for graduating from nursing school. I have always been someone that wanted to do well in school even though I did not like doing homework assignments or taking quizzes and exams. I love learning about anything! (as long as it doesn’t involve schoolwork).
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My one piece of advice for those who are just starting out is to believe in yourself. If you believe in yourself, then you can do it. You need to have faith that this is meant for you. Only you have the power to make what seems impossible, possible. It is also never too late to start now. You only have one life so make the best out of it.
I do wish that I knew how much patience it would take to get to where I am now. I wanted results to happen instantly, but I knew that is not how it is supposed to work. You need to have patience in yourself, in your business, in your schooling, and in your occupation(s). According to Arnold H. Glasow, “The key to everything is patience.”
Pricing:
- Small: $30 – $40
- Medium: $50 – $60
- Large: $70 – $80
- X-Large: $90 – $100
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.fleursforvous.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fleursforvous/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/fleursforvous
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@fleursforvous
