Starting out
How to start a flower business from home: a practical checklist
Plenty of lovely flower businesses start at a kitchen table. You don’t need a shopfront to begin, but you do need a few things in place before the first order. Here is a practical checklist, in the order most home florists tackle it.
Phone photo
Studio photoThe checklist
Choose your niche
Weekly bouquets, weddings, sympathy, dried flowers or subscriptions. A clear niche makes every other decision easier.
Check local rules
Ask your local council or city about running a business from home, registering for tax and any licence you need, and get insurance for your work and deliveries.
Find suppliers
Visit a wholesaler or flower market, and look for local growers. Start small and learn what sells before you buy in bulk.
Set your prices
Price from your costs, not your nerves: use the free flower pricing calculator.
Pick a name
Short, easy to spell and free as a social handle: try the flower shop name generator.
Take your first photos
Make three to five signature designs and photograph them well. These are your menu, your Instagram and your first website.
Choose where to sell
Instagram and Facebook with a simple order form, a small website, Etsy for dried pieces, and word of mouth.
Plan your deliveries
Decide your area, delivery days and fees, and how you keep flowers fresh in the car.
Your first photos matter most
Before you have customers, your photos are your shop. You don’t need a studio: one phone photo of each design becomes a 4K studio photo in a room made for flowers with ShotSetter, so your first menu looks as polished as an established shop’s. Read how to photograph a flower arrangement with your phone.
Where to find your first customers
- Friends, family and neighbours: a launch post with a small introductory offer.
- A Google Business Profile, even for a home business, with a service area.
- Local cafés and shops that would display a bouquet with your card.
- Etsy for dried and preserved pieces: read selling flowers on Etsy.
Made only for florists
The photo tool every florist should have
Your flowers are the product. ShotSetter makes the photo as lovely as the arrangement, wherever you share it: one phone photo in, a studio photo out.
For social media
Fresh posts and Stories every week, without a photo shoot or moving a single bucket. Download post and Story sizes with your logo and a caption, and let your flowers shine in a calm, professional feed.
For selling on your website
A studio product photo for every design, all in one house style, so your shop looks like a boutique. Customers see your real work instead of stock photos, and get what they saw.
- Skip the photographer. A studio photo from one phone photo, in about a minute.
- From 33¢ a photo. Every photo is 4K and uses 1 credit. A trial pack is $9 for 10 credits, good for 30 days.
- No subscription needed. Start with a one-time trial pack. Try 3 photos free, no card.
- Your real flowers. Your flowers and vase kept natural, so customers see your own work.
- 200+ rooms made for flowers. Studios, pedestals, homes, weddings and every season.
- A free fix with every 10 credits, if something isn’t quite right.
Quick answers
Can I start a flower business from home?
Yes. Many florists start at home. Check your local rules for home businesses, tax registration and licences, get insurance, and start with a small menu of signature designs.
What do I need to start a home flower business?
A niche, a supplier, prices based on your costs, a name, good photos of a few signature designs, a way to take orders and a delivery plan.
How do I get photos for a new flower business without a photographer?
Photograph each design once with your phone in soft window light, then use ShotSetter to place it in a studio room. New accounts get 3 free photos.
