Paper Talk

Our paper florist friend from New Zealand, Wendy Anderson, chats with us about building her business with a support network both in person and online. How do you build a paper flower business all by yourself?  The answer is, you don’t. Even if you’re the only paper florist in your entire country, you need a support network to help you grow as an artist and a business owner. That’s the entire...

Listen to our guest from the UK, Rosie Wykes, as she discusses her paper flower journey, how she manages clients, and where she sources her crepe. Our paper flower community truly encompasses the globe, and we love to share, connect, and grow with all of the paper florists out there.  A huge benefit of gathering together virtually is that we can solve problems. Many of our listeners in the UK...

Jessie and Quynh chat about how to use competition in the paper flower industry as motivation to build a unique brand and embrace what makes you unique. Scrolling through Instagram, are you ever overwhelmed by what other paper florists are creating? We’ve all had those moments when we worry we won’t ever be as good as our peers, or we don’t know if we’re keeping up with pricing or trends in the pa...

Our Facebook admin Christina Funderburgh hasn’t been in the paper flower business long, but her artistry and business have taken off at an incredible pace. We chatted with her about how she has grown so successfully, so quickly.   You’ve jumped into the paper flower world. You know that you want to turn this hobby into a business. Where do you start? How long will it take? Christina Funderbur...

Stephen Brooks talks about the many facets of running a paper flower business: how to take great photos, which craft shows to enter, how to trademark your name, and more. If you’ve been lucky enough to see pictures of Stephen Brooks’ amazing paper roses, you’ll know why we were so excited to have him on the podcast as a guest. We love the aesthetic of his paper flower business, which was strong en...

Susan Bonn is an admin for our online group, teaching all of us with her wealth of knowledge about paper flowers. Learn more about how she teaches, calculates prices, and keeps customers happy.   If you’re part of our Paper Talk Facebook group , you’ve heard of Susan Bonn. She runs the monthly Makers Meetings where we join together with paper florists from around the globe to chat, share our...

Our guest Amy McGee has changed her business focus many times over the years. Hear how she decided when to try something new and how she did so successfully. Change is difficult and scary. When you are presented with a business opportunity or something is pushing you to transition to something new, how do you know if it’s right for you? What if you make the wrong decision? What if you fail? ...

Hear about the books Jessie and Quynh are reading right now and some of the valuable information they’ve learned about branding and building their businesses. Do you wonder where we turn for info about building our brands? While experience is important, learning from others can save a lot of time and heartbreak—one reason why we’re committed at Paper Talk to share, connect, and grow with our commu...

A copywriter can build your brand, engage your followers, and give you back valuable time. Kelsey Reed talks with us about what a copywriter can do for your business.   Have you ever wondered how we manage to write so many blog posts, emails, and social media posts? If you’re a small business owner, you know that this kind of content is important, but it’s often the first to get scrapped when...

Paper florist Sara Kim shares how she makes her brand instantly recognizable on any platform and how she’s successfully transitioned her business over the years   You know branding is important, but that’s easier said than done. How do some creators make their brand instantly recognizable, even across different platforms: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, everywhere? Sara Kim of Handmade by Sara...

Learn how you can improve your painting techniques and create stunning crepe paper flowers with advice from a watercolor expert and author Sarah Simon of TheMintGardener    If you’re unfamiliar with watercolors, you may be intimidated to try them on crepe paper. Do you have visions of a soggy mess when you think about it? Or maybe you’ve tried combining the two and didn’t get the results...

Learn how to price your products and services with advice from four small business owners in the paper flower, floral arranging, and flower farming industries.    Does your stomach tie up in knots at the thought of pricing your products or services? A quick search will show that paper flowers come with all sorts of price tags attached. How do other paper florists come up with those price...

Hey, Paper Florists! Do you want to spend more time on your craft and less time chasing down clients? Or are you a vendor who needs to reach more paper florists?   Well, look no further. Quynh and Jessie talked about this project in  Episode 57 , and now it's live.  The Paper Florists Member Directory  is finally here!  When you sign up as a Member, you’ll be listed i...

Photographer Caroline Tran lets us in on the secret behind making more online sales: showcasing your paper flower product in its best light, both figuratively and literally.   Have you ever browsed the competition and been shocked to find that other paper florists are charging way more than you are for similar products? How are they able to make such a higher profit? Why are customers swayed...

Listen to mixed-medium artist  Ann Wood  talk about her international exhibit and how she keeps herself inspired and challenged with her art.   Have you ever found yourself in a creative rut? Found yourself no longer joyful with your work, but simply slogging through? Maybe you’re having difficulty even imagining a different way to do things. Maybe you have a dream to chase, but the...

Listen to the world-renowned paper artist, Ceres Lau, about finding the confidence and perseverance to get your paper flowers featured in fine art spaces.   Does the idea of submitting your paper flowers to a gallery strike fear in your heart? Or maybe you’ve tried in the past with little success and have become disheartened. We have heard so many paper florists express apprehension abou...

Learn about the exciting new projects you can participate in that will promote and grow the paper florist community, and help us all succeed in our new industry.   You want to connect with more clients. You want your amazing creations to be enjoyed. Spending time to promote your work is not what you imagined doing when you became a paper florist. Well, we’ve got your back. There is strength i...

Learn from a marketing expert, Tonneli Gruetter, how to reach across industry lines to grow your paper floral business and gain exposure in print and digital publications. Let’s face it: our paper floral industry is strong, but still has lots of room to grow. To get our work out there and to help our community flourish, we need to collaborate with other industries. Getting featured in the mag...

Although South Korea did not formally implement a lockdown, South Koreans were encouraged to practice physical distancing and to wear masks in public spaces. Most of their economy is back to "normal" and we thought it would be interesting to speak to  Jasmine Sing of Merremade  about how she went about re-commencing her in-person workshops in South Korea, as it would be eq...

This week on our Paper Talk Podcast, we want to talk about when it's ok to work for free with our friend, Kate Alarcon. As much as we hate to admit it, we've all made paper flowers for "free" in one way or the other. Often, it's in the early stages of our paper flower journey, when we're desperate for exposure when we don't have the guts to ask for the right kind of compen...

Last week on our podcast,  Paper Talk , we dove into the world of branding with   Kalisa Jenne-Fraser and Missy Palacol of  Kalyx Group .   We loved and learned so much from our conversation that we extended into this week’s episode. Our focus shifted from finding the heart of your business (in short, the brand) to the ins and outs of marketing your business.   If you have...

We’ve all taken different paths to the wonderful world of paper flowers, but one thing that unites us is a love of our craft. It’s no surprise that many of us want to turn that passion into a business. But even if you make the most amazing, creative flowers, you may have found yourself feeling a bit over your head when it comes to the branding and marketing side of things. That's why we reached ou...

In this Episode, we talk to our friend and fellow paper florist  Anna Chedid  about how she is handling social distancing during this unique time in our history. For many of us, it's been weeks since "normal." We no longer leave our houses without hand sanitizer and a face mask. We count the number of people present when we hang out with our neighbours, friends, or family....

Today we talk to  Lucia Balcazar , the author of  Build a Flower: A Beginner's Guide to Paper Flowers . Lucia has an easily recognizable signature style of deep colours and strong graphic lines in her paper flower art. Formerly a statistician, she changed her career path to follow her love for the fine arts, and her art reflects a maturity and confidence that is a hallmark of l...

As paper flower entrepreneurs, we are always re-evaluating our business and trying to tweak our strategy so we can increase our profit margin while at the same time, saving time. In the last few years, subscription box offerings have been taking off (even our very own Quynh offers one!). So we wanted to explore why a business owner may decide to include a subscription offering as part of...