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Life-Changing Lessons

by | Feb 12, 2020

Jennie Love, Lisa Mason Ziegler, and Dave Dowling.

You know what I love the most about this adventure of producing online courses for others? It’s witnessing the wisdom and experiences pouring out of these amazing teachers. 

Their messages are powerful and the lessons are life-changing. Overly dramatic statement? Not at all, because when your business soars, your life is changed. Soaring may mean financial reward, having more free time, or the satisfaction of success. Learning from seasoned experts can make it happen.

Never did I dream that I could tackle a project like this and make it come true. But it is happening. For a longtime, I’ve been this determined urban flower farmer doing things that others said weren’t possible. And I almost believed them… but the deeper I dive into this new business of helping others share their message the more my passion is engaged. 

My vision of helping others build their own businesses into what fits their lifestyle and to create profit for their family is very personal for me. Many in this flower farming industry never make that crossover to becoming a profitable business.

The beauty of flowers can cloud our view of getting down to the business side of the floral trade.

The intoxicating effects of flowers pulls us in fast, heavy, and hard. While this can be a  great marketing tool to use in our businesses—-many of us fall so hard for it ourselves, we never stop to learn the backside of starting, building, and maintaining a sustainable flower business. 

That’s what I want to change.

I didn’t deliberately set out to start producing courses. The idea began to develop as we were completing my course Flower Farming School Online. I wanted my students to be able to continue to build their businesses. Stepping to the next level after learning how to start a professional business, to farm, find customers, what to grow, and how to sell it seemed like the next natural step. 

I knew they were ready for Dave Dowling.

Suzanne and Dave recording Dave’s classes for Advanced Flower Farming School Online.

Dave Dowling’s Advanced Flower Farming School Online was the first course I produced with another instructor. I knew Dave’s reputation as the walking encyclopedia on growing flowers, but I was not prepared for seeing all the pieces come together in one project. 

Watching Dave spill the details of growing information on lists of different flowers with zero notes was so impressive. His layout of the information is very direct and easy to understand. His delivery is an unparalleled source of information. During recording, he had Suzanne and I ready to grow every plant in the course!

So many bits and pieces to the tech side of creating online courses. Suzanne is constantly working out glitches.

Our next online course need became clear to me as I watched our students beginning to make their business dreams come true. They were carving out niches, developing their businesses, and supporting and helping one another. It was inspiring. 

But, students were hungry for more ways to build their flower businesses. Some started dabbling in wedding work and others expressed interest in learning more about the wedding and events business. This led me to approach the foremost farmer-florist in the industry today to create a course, Jennie Love.

Jennie has a realistic view of the farmer-florist business because of years of firsthand experience on starting, managing, and sustaining Love n’ Fresh Flowers. Providing her own full time living from this business has afforded her experiences and information that will save years of trial and errors, dollars, and disappointment for the new farmer-florist.  

Jennie recording one of her sessions. Some instructors like to stand, others to sit.

Jennie’s course the Farmer-Florist School Online: The Wedding Process covers step-by-step of how-to get into the wedding business and to make a profitable. Learning this backside information can be the pivot point of business success or failure.

Learn about all courses, when registration for each opens and sign up to get our Subscriber offers. 

Keep your eyes open because I have a secret list of those whose life work I admire, are powerful speakers, and have meaningful messages I want to invite to do a course. More life-changing lessons…

Why We Do It

Putting aside the good of all of the knowledge and wisdom shared in these online courses, Dave, Jennie, and I have grown to become good friends. We work together in the leadership of the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, Jennie current president, Dave past president, and Lisa a regional director. Working for the greater good of sourcing cut flowers locally is our common passion.

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Lisa Mason Ziegler is a cut-flower farmer, author, and nationally recognized speaker on organic cut-flower farming.

Founder of The Gardener’s Workshop and Flower Farming School Online . Award-winning Author of Vegetables Love Flowers & Cool Flowers. Connect with Lisa on Facebook  and Instagram.