Business Digest

Making a living from flowers

Saturday, 25 August 2012 18:34 Kenan Kalagho, EAST AFRICAN BUSINESS WEEK

DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA-Until recently flowers were never treated as business that one could venture in, to earn a living. It was mostly looked at as a décor to home surroundings or planted around homes as a way of preventing dust from penetrating the house.
Mrs. Haika Sichone owns a florist shop at Namanga, five kilometers to the north of Dar es Salaam city and says that being a florist requires largely a taste for colours.
“The florist business does not necessarily need a person to attain a class but the knowledge of playing with colour arrangements and the creativity in designing the shapes and flowers designs in the interest customers,” Sichone said..

(Mrs Haika Sichone a florist at Namanga in Dar es salaam says flower business is booming and many florist shops have opened up around the area, Photo By Kenan Kalagho)
Sichone notes that back in 2003 when she was first introduced to a florist business by a colleague with a capital of only $300, there were only two of them in the trade until recently where about 26 flower shops have opened up in the same locality.
"Back then people didn't know what it was all about trading in fresh flowers because most of them could trade in plastic/ artificial  flowers" Sichone says
With the progress that Sichome realised from the business, more people open up more florist shops and increasingly trade in fresh flowers.
“Customers are continously gaining taste for fresh flowers which has made many florist business people to follow the trend,” she said adding that
"Fresh flowers are more appealing  than plastic ones and the biggest market dominated by Europeans likes carrying fresh roses and other flowers to their partners as a way of symbolizing that their relationship is 'more living than dead."
Sichome imports the greatest share of flowers.
" We import flowers like Roses, Mums, Wisteria, Greens, Carnations and many more others at a price of $1,265 (Tsh2,000) per stem and sell them at $ 1.581 (Tsh2,500) a rose"  Sichone says.
The greatest problem according to Sichome is the perishability of flowers which results into losses especially those transported by bus that end up shrunken and not fit for sale.
‘The flower market is very seasonal, with peaks at Christmas, Valentines and Mothers’ Day amomng others and so in times of off season, sustaining the business can  be a great challenge,” she adds. “We still have very few Africans buying these flowers as presents to their parents, fiancées or as gifts to their friends because most of them still do not value that originality goes along with fresh flowers.”
Sichome has expanded operations into decorating wedding receptions, funeral, inetrior and  office decorations.
"I usually charge between $ 632 and $1,265 (Tsh1,000,000 and $2,000,000) for a wedding decoration, however, the price may either go up or be reduced depending with the capacity of the hall and the type of flowers used but at times we go to as low as $300 depending on the size of the venue,” explains Sichome.
She says that the choice of flowers for a client determines the cost of doing business.
"For instance, the roses' are the most expensive flowers and so any inclusion of flowers is an automatic increase in costs,’ Sichome says.
She says that despite roses being more expensive, they have a  short life span of at least four days before they start to shrink as opposed to Carnations that takes almost two weeks.
Sichome explains that depending on the cutting style of flowers one has applied in her decorations, the same flowers can be used in decorating more than just one function.
"Cutting very short flowers limits usage for other events for intance an office décor requires long cuts than the wedding décor,” Sichone says
Flowers are a big part of people’s lives. Their beauty and color allows people to convey their messages perfectly get-well soon for sick friends and family, congratulatory messages to a newly promoted colleague, condolences to a grieving family, and to express  love to another person. Every occasion is celebrated with flowers.
Sichome says a florist can be a Floral supplier, whole sale florist service or retail florist service.
“For one to be a floral supplier requires selling the various non-growing components that floral designers use in making arrangements: ribbons, vases, baskets, floral foam, wreath, frames, stands and other supplies which requires an extensive inventory and an efficient distribution system,” notes Sichome.
Retail florist services range in size and function from a hospital flower kiosks to large flower shops in the mall serving different customer needs.
“A flower shop may focus on providing arrangements for weddings, funerals, gifts, and other occasions and deliveries. A business floral service caters to business people where floral designs tend to be more conservative and longer-lasting,” sehe explains.
“A hospital flower kiosk offer primarily bright and cheerful flowers that need little maintenance as possible and  you can also choose to create a niche.” 
Sichome does not regret starting the florist business because it has been the sole source for educating her children.
“My children can hardly miss school due to lack of school fees, I have as well established a personal home as well as expanding the business to serve more people at a time,” Sichome explains.
With the business, Sichome expects to further expand boundaries to create room for serving more customers and open up more outlets.