Why I sold my Wedding Business
Becoming a business coach was one of the best decisions I've ever made but getting to this place was a bumpy road.
I was juggling a brand new coaching business and a successful floral design business but I had to make a decision about where my life was going to go with both businesses.
I'll bring you back to December of 2015, I got an inquiry to do a styled shoot in my business, PAID and paid well.
Doing one of my favorite weddings // Photo by City Love Photography
At the time I was building my coaching business, doing in person work shops around my town, and creating an online course.
When I got the inquiry I remember thinking "Wow, I'm getting paid to do styled shoots!? That's awesome, but..is it awful that I'd rather work on my coaching business than proposals!?"
When I finally got around to doing the proposal for the styled shoot, the woman coordinating it, was nice enough to say that "I was a little too late, and they found another designer."
That wasn't my first time having thoughts that my heart really wasn't in the floral design business.
When I began this business I was always a business woman first, a designer second. Which meant I wasn't obsessed with the craft, the design, or the flowers, I really loved the strategy, learning new marketing, and how I could book more brides.
On top of that: There was another big house sized reason to get out of the wedding business.
My husband and I spend the winters in an apartment outside of NYC and the summers in a shore house in South Jersey.
My husband was able to work from home and I had spent our past 2 summers running back and forth from the apartment to do weddings. The shore house was a special place for us, it really sucked to take time away from it.
Right then I realized giving 50% to one and 50% to another wasn't the direction I wanted to go in. I knew that the floral design business wasn't in my future, I wanted to either shut it down or sell it in a couple years.
But, my floral design business was my full time job, my coaching business wasn't bringing in more than $150 per workshop!?
What to do?
Well I thought...there's a couple ways I could go about this, I already booked more than I had last wedding season..so Ill just turn down any more weddings that come my way.
But...if I wanted to sell the business the following year it wouldn't look attractive to go to the new owners and say "Look same revenue 2 years in row!" I would have to show promise of growth.
I walked to my computer and put a posting on Craigslist..(Yes, haha Craigslist!?) "Floral Design Business for sale" (I can't disclose the amount or name of the business because of confidentiality contracts).
I really didn't expect for anything to happen but it did. There it was....my answer.
My way to have some money to live off while I was growing my coaching business, and a new home for my floral design business.
I got a call the next day and we met at a Starbucks. They were a great fit to take over, we signed the contract a month later.
I can say to this day, the new owners are amazing, the business is growing at a huge rate, and I was able to get this beautiful note from:
Did I make the right decision?
Definitely. :)
