Perennial Success: How a Sydney Florist Keeps Flourishing After Two Decades

It's not quite business as usual for those in the bridal industry. It’s been a tumultuous few years for weddings. After a pandemic-imposed pause, there is a backlog of brides-to-be eager to get their plans back on track. And the most important item on the to-do list? The dress. Yet challenges continue to plague the wedding industry. That pent-up demand is colliding with supply chain interruptions, rising costs and critical labour shortages, forcing bridal business owners to once more adapt to “unprecedented times”. After navigating his way through countless lockdowns, Quinton Evans – owner of White Lily Couture , a bridal boutique in Queensland’s Red Hill – is working hard to overcome these new challenges. We sat down with Quinton to talk about the changes he’s observed, switching from the big-4 banks, and making mental health a priority. Tell us how you got into the bridal industry. My wife and I took over the business in 2013 — the previous owner had been running it since 2007. We realised we were sick of working for other people. She had been working for another retail business, and turned around their stores. One ended up being a million-dollar sales business, and another became the most profitable store in the state. I was a wedding photographer, so we figured we’d either run a florist or a bridal store. As first-time business owners, we were a little naive. The old business owner stayed with us for the first month, and at the time we thought we might have made a bad investment. Since then, there’s been a lot of sweat, hard work and learning. It’s been almost 9 years now, and we’re absolutely smashing it out of the park. How has COVID-19 affected the wedding industry? At the end of March 2020, we were really stressing. Appointments started to drop off, and once the lockdown was imposed we didn’t have a choice. We didn’t know what to do. We worked out how long we could operate and continue paying staff in full, and when the money would run out. JobKeeper was a real blessing, and an annoyance. The store was closed in April 2020, but we were able to reopen in May and within the first week our appointments were fully booked out. We have friends who own a bridal store in Sydney who were locked down for far longer, so we helped out by getting stock in as they were still able to run virtual appointments. What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing right now? It’s getting harder now with supply and recommended retail prices – literally everything is going up. A prime example is a company with its one factory in China. They get the base made at the factory, then it’s shipped over to Spain where all of the lace is sewed on. Then it’s got to be shipped back to the factory in China for final checks before it’s transported to the container hub, put on a ship, and sent over here to Australia. There are a number of things that could go wrong in that whole process before it gets to our door. Why did you switch from the big-4 banks? We’ve previously been with two of the big-4 banks. For a time, a relationship advisor was helping us to get all our accounts in order. They treat you like kings, and try selling you on insurance products, EFTPOS terminals , all of that. Any time I had a question about the weird, confusing stuff banks often come up with, I could ring him up and get an answer quickly. Then we were dropped. When we needed to contact them, we’d typically get put on hold for a couple of hours. It’s the same for any organisation — they get too big, they don’t care about the customer. How has the Zeller experience been different? When I first saw Zeller Terminal, it looked absolutely ideal. It was one of those things, thinking: "How can we use our cash smarter?" We did the calculations, and it works out that we’re saving $10,500 in fees by switching to Zeller. Firstly, that’s fantastic. Secondly, are you kidding me? And now, we accept AMEX too. We couldn’t with our old terminal, because with a 3 per cent fee it wasn’t practical. Zeller’s flat rate is just better. What advice would you give a first time business owner? Take time to look after your own mental health. Really make that a priority, because when it gets to the point where you’re needing it to be a priority, it’s too hard to go backwards. It’s hard to put those things in place when you’re working all the time. Customers are important, but there’s no business without yourself. Do something for yourself — book a time, make it part of your weekly routine. By the time you get to the point where you’re stressed out of your mind, and you’ve got nothing for yourself, it’s too late.

Smart social media marketing drew a two-hour-long line on opening day. The rest is history. Since Fluent first opened doors in 2020, the streetwear store has become a mecca for sneakerheads. Collectors travel from all over to see the rare sneakers on display, while the feature wall – adorned with the latest Yeezies, Jordans, Nikes, and more – entices passers-by to step inside and grab their first pair of kicks. The strength and size of Fluent's newfound customer base is a testament to the hard work that's gone on behind the scenes. Owners Logan and Esha began working on their business plan just under 18 months ago, while working as cleaners. After finishing the night shift at 8 AM, the couple would jump straight into business planning. Since then, they've juggled the creation of Fluent’s first website, two store openings, and become first-time parents. We spoke to Logan and Esha about sneaker culture, the risk and reward of starting a business, and the benefits of selling in-person versus online. When did your love for sneakers begin? Logan: I’ve always been a fan of basketball, and the culture that comes with it – the style, the fashion. I had a few pairs of basketball shoes as a kid, but they were always hand-me-downs from my older brothers. I never actually got a fresh pair for myself. Then I moved to Australia, started getting my own money, and started collecting. Esha: Then, from 2016 to 2019, we did a bit of traveling in America, Canada, and Europe. In each country that we went to, we made a point to find the best, hidden sneaker stores. It became a passion, and we starting thinking we’d like to create something similar at home – because we believe there’s a market for it. When we returned from our most recent trip, we started listing and selling our own collection of sneakers on Instagram – the sneakers we had collected during our travels. We really, really wanted to hold on to those sneakers, but we thought if want to make something, we’re going to have to sell something. So we made the executive decision, and that's what helped us get where we are today. How did you take your first steps into business ownership? Esha: From April 2019, there was a lot of work going on in the background. It was still a hobby at that stage – it wasn’t making enough to be our main income, but it was always something we wanted to make our focus. Our main job was cleaning, and we did night shifts. After finishing at 8 in the morning, we’d have the whole day spare – which is a lot of time to think about how we’re going to kick this off the ground. So, we went from selling on Instagram to setting up our own website. Logan: We figured it would set us apart from other sneaker sellers on Instagram. If you have an online store, you look more authentic. It was the next step in authenticating our brand. I think we only had 20 people on our site the day it launched, but we thought it was amazing – we had 20 people viewing our store! So that's where we started. What made you decide to take the leap from e-commerce to brick-and-mortar? Esha: I was the one who was more reserved and said we couldn’t open a physical store until we have enough revenue, or we have enough clientele. But then the pandemic began, and commercial tenancies seemed more affordable. We already knew that Perth customers like to see you face-to-face, because Logan was out on the road meeting customers all the time, so we looked at what was in our budget. We worked out how many pairs of shoes we needed to sell to afford it, and went for it. If the worst comes to worst, we thought we could just get rid of the car if we had to! Logan: In person, we can show customers the shoes and they can really understand what they’re buying, which helps grow our online presence as well as in-store traffic. It’s also a way to put a face to the brand, and deepen the connection with customers who have been shopping with us since we started. What are you doing to drive foot traffic to your store? Esha: There's always been a couple of things that we envisioned for the store, the two most important being great lighting and a large wall to showcase our shoes. That was one of the attractions for us when we traveled; every store had this amazing sneaker wall. No matter where we set up shop, we really wanted to try and achieve that. So, we built it. Then we teased the launch on Instagram using the wall, and I think it did help in getting customers here. The day we opened the store, we didn’t even have a chance to look outside. So when we pulled the drop sheet and saw the line, it was a rewarding surprise. We didn't check our clocks until two hours later and the line was still going. It was an amazing turnout. Any store owner’s hope is that people turn up when you’re opening, or launching a new product, or anything like that. Logan: Now, everyone who comes to our store can step back and appreciate the sneaker wall. It’s Instagrammable. Customers come in, take a photo and share it on their stories – which helps us grow. How does selling in-store compare to running an online business? Esha: Most customers that buy from you online already know about your products. They already know the price point and the reasons behind it. A brick-and-mortar shop gives us the opportunity to speak with people who don’t. In-store, we’re able to explain the shoes to the customer, which really helps them understand and become educated about why a sneaker costs what it does, and the culture and history of the community. Mums and Dads for example often don’t understand the sneaker game, or why they can be expensive. But when parents come in-store, we can educate them so hopefully they leave with a bit of appreciation about it. They often leave with a pair for themselves, that matches their kids. The customer experience is one of our core values as a small business. How is Zeller helping you provide a great customer experience? Esha: Our first EFTPOS terminal, from another provider, required us to switch apps every time we processed a transaction. It left room for human error. One of the main things we knew we wanted when the business grew was a sleek, user-friendly terminal we could both use, and give to any employees we hire without having to explain difficult processes. Zeller Terminal is ten times easier to use. Ease of use is critical when you're getting a lot of foot traffic. Logan: We recently went to a sneaker convention and found Zeller Terminal helped create a more trustworthy and friendly payment experience for our customers – which we feel is important, especially when you’re dealing with rare sneakers as they’re at an above-average price point. Some other stores were accepting cash or bank transfers, but we were able to continue to accept transactions at the event using Zeller Terminal, without breaking our workflow. And the battery lasted the whole day, which was great as we had no access to power. Do you have any other plans for 2021? Esha: Fluent already stocks Fluent-branded t-shirts, but we’d like to expand the product line. For that, we need to develop a team, find the right materials, and plan for production. The goal is to have a collection underway by the end of the year. That, and making the in-store customer experience as great as it can be. By sharing your details with us, we may contact you from time to time. 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Discover five ways Zeller helps keep business on track during the transition. Thinking about scaling up your business? Having the opportunity to expand to new locations, upsize to a bigger premises, hire more staff, or build out your operations is a sign you’re doing something right. Whatever step you’re preparing to take next, you should be proud and excited. There are some common mistakes merchants make during this transitional time, and the consequences that flow from taking on too much too soon can stifle – rather than encourage – growth. Fortunately, there are ways and means of scaling up sustainably. It all comes down to engaging the right tools. Here are five ways Zeller can minimise the potential for growing pains as you scale your operations. 1. Get a clear overview of all stores The more business locations you have, the harder it becomes to understand how each is performing. This is especially true if you’re juggling independent sales channels, staff and technology. Before you open a second location, take the time to gain a real-time oversight of your finances — something that will play a priceless role in future business decisions. Unifying your data in the one dashboard is a simple way to retain visibility over multiple locations, enabling you to quickly access key sales information from anywhere with an internet connection. Zeller Dashboard gives you real-time visibility over the financial health of your business, and each of the locations within it. When you accept payment via Zeller Terminal and make business purchases using Zeller Mastercard, you can see all of your incomings and outgoings at a glance. 2. Keep track of your customers When you run a single-location business, it’s relatively simple and straightforward to retain complete control over your customers’ store experience. You can take the time to get to know your regulars, give staff hands-on training, and provide attentive, personalised customer service. As your business grows, that positive customer experience can be compromised in favour of more sales. When you’re operating out of multiple locations, you lose some of that control. It’s impossible to be in two places at once, after all. One thing you do have control over is the technology you rely upon to grow your business. There are many customer relationship management tools on the market that can help you make your customers feel seen and looked after, such as the Zeller Contact Directory. Storing business and personal details in the one place will give you a clear oversight of every customer — what they buy, how they buy it, and where and when they bought it. This insight can be used to build clever marketing programs that offer rewards, discounts and communications that create a positive customer experience even when they’re not in-store. 3. Iron out inventory management Streamlined, accurate inventory management becomes more critical with every new business location you open. Issues such as displaced, miscounted and lost stock are a bigger threat to your business when you operate multiple shop fronts. With the right retail POS system installed, you can minimise the management required to keep on top of all your stock. Having one centralised platform makes it easier to transfer stock, track shipments and manage inventory levels. Many POS systems will also give you the ability to remotely order stock for any store, from any store, as well as identify and forecast product sales trends to facilitate smarter ordering. Make sure your payment system can seamlessly integrate with your POS system, adding an extra layer of data and control to your inventory processes while minimising the admin overload of keeping on top of stock. 4. Simplify your finances It can be difficult to keep track of the money going in and out of your business when you’re not the only one accepting payments from customers, or making business purchases. This is a common problem owners come up against when they expand their business. Plus, having more money to manage can be a hurdle in itself. One way to avoid the repercussions of mishandling your income and expenses is to employ a professional bookkeeper, but there are many tasks you can do yourself to keep administrative costs as low as possible. For day-to-day expense management, accounting software will help you keep track of invoices and get paid on time. For real-time information about the incomings and outgoings at each business location, Zeller Dashboard provides at-a-glance insights to ensure you know whether you’ll reach your sales targets. 5. Better coordinate your staff Expanding your store means expanding your staff and, while it sounds straightforward, the financial and time investment can be substantial. Hiring new staff will likely require a sizeable investment of your own time — you’ll need to bring them up to speed with products, systems and customer experience standards. Having intuitive tools can significantly streamline this process, especially if you use a fully-integrated system like Zeller Terminal . When your tools speak to each other, it reduces the need for staff to juggle multiple platforms. Keep in mind that, when it comes to hiring junior staff, there are some parts of your business you will likely want to keep secure. You may not want new junior staff to be able to process refunds, or change the settings on your EFTPOS terminals. With Zeller, you can secure these features with a PIN code. Taking the first steps towards growing your business can be daunting. Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to streamline the process and minimise any growing pains you may experience along the way. The trick is strategising for growth and ensuring you’re properly equipped to scale up. Having the right tools on hand will make all the difference. Now that you know how to smooth the path to expansion, keep up with the latest Zeller updates and announcements by subscribing to the Zeller Business Blog newsletter below. By sharing your details with us, we may contact you from time to time. We promise we won’t bug you — and you can unsubscribe from communications at any time.