Jen is one of those women that makes sh*t happen. Creating a beautiful flower farm and venue location in a short amount of time, she has always inspired me! Learn more about her and her gorgeous place below.
1)What is your business name & how did you come up with it?
I wanted a name that clearly stated what the business did so there was no speculation. I also love alliteration! So Farm Fresh Florals was born!
2) What year did you start your business?
We started developing our Farm in 2015. We pined over what we could do with the land and after considering a tree farm or specialty crops, we decided on flowers after observing the seed to vase movement sweeping the US and learning that it was possible to grow beautiful cut flowers in our Northern climate. We planted our first rows of flowers in 2017.
3) What was your dream job growing up?
Talk Show Host. Would still jump all over the opportunity!!
4) What lead you to your job today / what is your “why”?
After struggling to find fulfillment in our lives, we decided to refocus. We wanted to move to the country where we could spend more times outdoors, hands in the dirt, working together.
The long term goal is to develop a business that can sustain a comfortable living, that we genuinely enjoy and gives back to the environment, local economy and community.
In the short term we are developing a business that benefits our need to cultivate and grow figuratively and literally and hope to inspire others to do so too!
5) What characteristic(s) do you think set you apart from other people in your industry?
Oh, tough question! Perhaps it’s my passion for the business. For always learning and taking calculated risks. I’m a self taught entrepreneur. I’m a self taught designer. A self taught marketer / accountant / shipper / exporter and overall business operator! As a small business you really do wear MANY hats! haha. I love to learn, mostly through trial + error. I get that from my grandpa. I believe in hard honest work, and I truly bust my ass to make things happen. I also heavily rely on thinking outside the box in tough situations and thrive on stress or deadlines. I think passion is contagious.
Our Industry is new and just starting to develop in Alberta.
Last year, I graduated from the Master Gardener Program at the University of Alberta Botanic Gardens and learned a tremendous amount about gardening in our Northern climate.
My training also put me in touch with amazing experienced growers and definitely limited the trial and error mistakes that I am certain I would have made otherwise.
We open up our farm to the public with our U-Pick flower gardens where I take individuals and groups through the gardens and can share information about the growing, harvesting and post-harvest care of their blooms.
We also offer DIY Wedding Florals, have an outdoor event space and unique photography backdrops for rent and will be opening The Silo (farm store) this summer to showcase local makers and artisans.
Educating and inspiring our guests is more important to us than just sending them home with a bouquet of flowers. We want the guests of our farm to have a unique and memorable experience each time they visit.
6) How do you define success?
Success to me is waking up every morning, loving what I do, sharing it with those I care about and at the end of the day feel fulfillment and accomplishment.
7) Who inspires you most?
My mom. She is straightforward, strong, smart, loving and funny! My mom and I are very similar, which could mean that we butt heads or not see eye to eye but that isn’t the case.
She is my shoulder to cry on and still as an adult, wipes away my tears and she is my strength when I need to be told to get my sh!t together. She isn’t afraid to tell me when I’m wrong and is always one of the first to congratulate me when things go right!
She has always instilled in me that you may not be able to control some of the situations you are put in but you are the one in control of how to react and respond.
8) What advice would you give yourself when you were first starting out?
Take MORE NOTES! I rely heavily on my camera roll to account for timelines. They say a picture is worth a thousand words…but I am often missing elements of what I need to know or am trying to remember.
9) What is your favourite motivational quote?
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a GIFT so it is called the PRESENT.
10) How do you attain a work / life balance?
Work / life balance has always been important to me. I work to live not live to work.
I started working a shortened work week years ago. I worked 32 hours a week. Mon-Wed for 9 hours and Thurs till noon. Which meant I worked 3.5 days and had 3.5 days off.
Thursday afternoon and Friday I would do all of the errands, groceries, cleaning so we had the weekend to spend together doing what we wanted.
I am now a Contractor and still work around 30 hours per week. In the summer although I spend 14+ hours a day working my regular job and then the farm…it doesn’t feel like work. But I do need to make sure that I make time away from the farm in our busy short season.
10) Where do you see your business in 5 years?
The best and worst thing about farming is that you are never in control. You have to learn to adapt to the environment and Mother Nature.
With that being said, in 5 years I want to be able to offer extended and consistent product and services beyond the short growing season in Alberta.
I also hope to have built an awareness of the importance of supporting local flowers and farmers and the positive impacts on the environment and community thereof.
11) What are 3 super random facts about you?
1. I just recently learned how to drive an automatic! I learned to drive on a standard and up until a few years ago, all of the vehicles we have owned were standards. I still miss it.
2. I make up song lyrics and bust out into situation songs regularly. You lost something….Whoop There It Is!
3. I don’t know how to swim and am terrified of water. I have learned how to float but there is no venturing into the deep end, lake or ocean for this girl.
Also, check out this wee promo video we did in the fall!
For more information, visit the Farm Fresh Florals website or follow along on their Instagram page.
