Lovie Pascual, who used to work as the head florist for Hessa bint Ali Al Khalifa, member of the Bahraini royal family, now has her own flower shop in Sampaloc, Manila.
Pascual, 50, told Entrepreneur Philippines that she returned to the Philippines in 2012 for a short vacation. However, her original plan changed and she decided to stay in the country for good to establish her flower business at The Manila Flower Center or Dangwa.
“My original plan was to have a vacation. But then I had the idea of opening my own flower shop out of the blue while I was staying here with my family. Suddenly, I found myself surfing the Internet and looking for a commercial space that I can lease,” she told Entrepreneur.
Pascual said that she was able to save some money from her overseas employment and decided to use it as her business’ capital.
She said that just like other businesses, running a flower shop also has its ups and downs, primarily because selling flowers has its seasons.
Pascual said she often experiences financial losses but adds that she is able to cut back on her losses during peak season or from October to June.
She also said that she makes sure that her flowers are of good quality. Most of her local flowers are from Baguio. She also sells imported flowers, some of which are picked from Holland.
Pascual said that one of her secrets to having a successful flower shop is keeping her customers satisfied.
“I assured them (clients) that I’m great with this kind of work. I show them how great my products and services are. They even refer me to their friends. That’s one of my business strategies. Besides having a Facebook page, I also rely on word-of-mouth marketing,” she said.
Photo credits: Entrepreneur Philippines
