My life has been touched by some uber amazing women whose passion for life and the way they choose to live it have really inspired me. Some are bloggers, some are not, their lives are all different and they are all special. I feel honoured and privileged that they are sharing their stories and sprinkling a little bit of their awesome right here. May you be wom-inspired!
Meet Sarah Regan.
Sarah is a friend of a friend. When my friend told me how Sarah had quit her corporate job to start Little Flowers I thought that was just glorious because a) I love flowers and b) I’m always inspired by people who follow their dreams. I continued to follow Little Flowers (but not in a stalkery way) because you have to love a company that has #makingsydneysmile as it’s hashtag! Sarah and I finally crossed paths when she helped me and Lisa say it with flowers when we practised The Art of Kindess. Once I experienced the joy of Little Flowers first hand, and saw the happiness that Sarah and her team create on a daily basis, I stalked her via inbox until she agreed to be in this series. I’m so pleased she said yes, because she’s just so inspiring!
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I started Little Flowers just over three years ago, with my friends Ben Sampson and John Kane and partner Chris Berents.
The idea came about when we realised that it was almost impossible to buy a really beautiful, simple bunch of flowers at a reasonable price, especially if you wanted them delivered. We knew that with flowers, it’s so much about the gesture, but the high price point really put people off sending. We were on the receiving end of that, and it was kind of annoying!
We thought there was a gap in the market, and there just had to be a smarter way of doing it. By offering just one style of flowers each day, we knew we could get an economy of scale, have less wastage and make flower delivery more affordable. This got us really excited – and so Little Flowers was born.
We now deliver beautiful little bunches in Sydney for just $30, including delivery and spread hundreds of smiles across the city on a weekly basis. It makes me very happy!
Tell us 3 things you are and 3 things you’re not.
I am:
Tenacious
Out of practice, but quite good at drawing.
A huge fan of Prince. I saw him recently at the Opera House – amazing.
I am not:
As tidy as I would like to be.
Able to confidently cook a roast dinner, much to my dismay!
A huge fan of public speaking. It fills me with the fear of God.
Complete this sentence, ____________________ changed my life. How and why?
Ben Sampson and John Kane changed my life. Ben and John are co-founders of Little Flowers and I worked with them to develop the idea and turn it into a fully-fledged business. It turned my life upside down, in so many ways. I’ve gone from being an employee in large corporation to self-employed, making my own rules and really having much more control and possibility in my future. I feel very lucky.
What has been life’s greatest lesson?
Gosh, I’m still learning. But I think from my career change I have learnt a huge lesson about being capable of more than we give ourselves credit for. I felt so nervous about giving Little Flowers a go because I doubted my own ability and I didn’t want to fail. But I knew that it was such a great idea, with such good business partners, that I simply had to try. So I decided to think positively about what I was capable of and have a go. And, so far, it’s working…
What is your biggest achievement?
Helping to make Little Flowers the success that it is to date. It’s by no means a one- woman show, so many people have helped us get to where we are today. I feel very proud of what we’ve achieved, and very excited about what the future holds.
What has been your toughest obstacle and how have you overcome it?
I think it was the sheer workload at the beginning. I had no idea what was involved and the enormity of what I was trying to accomplish. I literally had to learn everything on the go as I’d never owned my own business before, and I wasn’t a trained florist. It was quite overwhelming at times!
I think the short-term answer to overcoming that problem was just having the grit to power through the hard stuff without giving up. Staying optimistic and surrounding yourself with people who said ‘you can do this!’ But longer term it’s been about having a great team of people working with us at Little Flowers, and having really good professional advisors to turn to when the hard stuff comes up, to help keep you on the right track.
Viktor Frankl says “Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how.” Everyone needs a purpose, what’s yours?
Our purpose at Little Flowers is “more smiles, more faces, more reasons”. And we want those smiles to be on the faces of everyone our business touches – our team, our customers, our flower-recipients. It goes without saying that running your own business isn’t always easy, but knowing that we get to make the world a little bit better with each bunch sold makes the hard stuff worthwhile.
What are your words to live by?
“All you can do is your best”. This is what my mum still tells me, when it all gets a bit hard! I think we can all put a lot of pressure on ourselves – personally and professionally. But if you’ve done your best you can have no regrets. I think it’s good advice.
If you could have any mentor, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?
I think Anita Roddick. She was the founder of the Body Shop in the UK (I’m English). The Body Shop was huge in the 80s when I was a kid, and Anita managed to create this amazing business that was not only a huge financial success, but also managed to operate a business with a social conscience that helped change the world for the better. That’s very inspiring to me. She was an amazing lady.
If you could play hookie for a day what would be on your list to do?
I’d go and hide somewhere along the Spit to Manly walk. Have a little picnic on the beach, read a book and go for a dip. Haha, you’re giving me ideas now…
You give so much to others, what do you do to take care of yourself?
I like to spend time in nature – we’re so lucky in Sydney with good weather and beautiful landscapes. It’s really relaxing and gives me perspective. I went to Icebergs in Bondi for a swim after work last week. It was freezing! But they have a sauna there that looks out to the ocean. You can’t think because it’s so hot, and you have this beautiful view, and the sound of crashing waves. It was amazing. I don’t do it nearly enough, but I try!
Thank you for sharing, Sarah x
Let Sarah inspire you a little bit more…
over at Little Flowers
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