Head Petal Tamer Sapphire of The Flower Arranger and The Coven Talks Unconventional Career Paths

“So my journey is a bit of a random one… [With The Flower Arranger] I never had any special love for flowers and I definitely never had any urges to work for myself. I originally started my A-levels with the aim of becoming a doctor – I told you it was random! I got kicked out and thus that plan failed. I didn’t give up, however, I just hopped onto the next subject that caught my eye – fashion and retail.

I studied fashion for two years in London before deciding that it wasn’t really for me and I wasn’t prepared for the bitchiness and competitiveness needed to get to the top of the industry. I had a short stint in media and did a work experience placement at ITV and briefly considered recruitment because I’d heard you could make big bucks. None of them stuck and I was running out of ideas. I worked in Primark and was in charge of folding t-shirts and knickers, as well as supervising the customer service department – this essentially meant I spent 10 hours a day arguing with customers other whether or not they could return their underwear – they could not – and their items without a proof of purchase – again, they could not. It was definitely not what dreams were made of.

Cut a long story short and I ended up sweeping floors in a local florist. I was quite good at the flower part and got myself a trainee job. After becoming a qualified florist I couldn’t agree on a new contract with my boss that I was happy with and I quit.”

“I ran off to Thailand to experience a life with no responsibilities and lukewarm beer… It was great. So I was in Thailand spending my days in waterfalls and napping in Hammocks, drinking Thai beer. My money was starting to run out and my bills at home needed paying. I had no job and was slowly starting to panic about what I was going to do. The thought of having to work for someone else again filled me with dread, no way did I want to do that.. I’d tasted freedom and wasn’t prepared to settle for anything less.”

“It was actually my mum that suggested starting my own florist – She gave me a lot of other ideas too but I just kept saying ‘no, no way, boring, nah, don’t want to do that, nope’. When we reached starting a business, I got excited and for the first time considered how fun it could be to be my own boss. So I did it. I contacted a web designer and she built my site whilst I was in Thailand – still in a hammock, still drinking beer, just with an additional notepad. Found a studio and the rest is basically history. That was two and half years ago and I haven’t questioned my decision once, best decision I – well my mum – ever made.

The Coven idea came just six months ago whilst I was in New York City watching reruns of Friends and this time drinking margaritas.  There seems to be a running theme here. I thought about all the times I’d felt lonely during my two year journey of running my florist, the answer was a lot. I realised that it can be hard to find friends, mentors, business confidants that understand what running a small business is all about, the good and the bad. I wanted to create a platform that brought women together, supported them on their journey and helped them grow by teaching new skills on a monthly basis. So again, I did it and here we are.”

“I don’t think I’d change my own journey anymore, I like how random and unexpected its been.  If I’d gone a more traditional route to starting my own business I think I would have felt bored and trapped before I even got to the good bit.

I’d tell my younger self at 17, having just been kicked out of sixth form that everything will work out for the best. I’d of put less pressure on myself to find my thing, the thing that was going to make me and my career and just let life roll.”

“That’s such a difficult question – I don’t have a business superstar I don’t think, I prefer unconventional idols and muses.  One of my idols is Steve Irwin aka Crocodile Hunter – RIP Steve. I currently have old episodes running the background whilst I work – true story. I love Steve for his pure passion and devotion he had for doing what he loved, a great man to look up to.

And the second would be Bill Murray, my number one guy. I love Bill for his attitude towards life, he’s amazing at acting but he’s never taken himself too seriously, he’s done what he’s wanted to regardless of pressure from others – he has a 0800 number that you have to call to get hold of him and he might – or might not – call you back.

I never wanted to be a businesswoman, it never struck me as a path I would go down so I don’t have any particular business people I look up to. I admire people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson for the incredible brands they’ve built, those brands hold so much power and all made by an individual person and their idea.”

“My favourite part of running a business is firstly being in charge of myself – I’m not egotistical, I promise. I just have never dealt well with being told what to do – it never sat well with me. I like to be in control and was always that bossy kid in class and the bossy supervisor at work who would take control of the situation and delegate accordingly so that everything ran smoothly.

I also love having freedom over my days and my schedule, I love taking spontaneous holidays or long backpacking trips. Sometimes I just stop working to sit and read a new book – you couldn’t do that if you worked in an office!”