The Big 30! !

In today’s post I am sharing with you some of my tips on how to start your own wedding and event floristry business. Starting with the first fundemental question you need to ask yourself. 

As some of you may already know it was my birthday last Thursday & I turned the big 30 (she gasps & places her hands over face for dramatic effect!). I have always been a bit funny about getting older, at my 21st birthday I distinctly remember saying oh god I will be 30 before I know it & bam here I am! You can imagine that on the weeks leading up to my birthday I had been dreading it, but how do I feel now I have well & truly waved good bye to my 20’s?

Well I’m not quite terrified of 20 year olds, that poster just made me laugh! One big advantage I do have though over the big 30 is that I have always looked young for my age, when I first entered the ‘going out out’ territory I would always be the one out of my friends to get asked for ID, every single time! I would dread approaching the door men as I knew what was coming, thinking I just wanted the ground to swallow me up or else die with embarrassment! I would moan to my mum about it the following day & I always remember her response being ‘your be grateful when you get older’ which at the time I hated hearing but now, well she couldn’t be more right! I recently went to California & of course you have to be 21 to drink there & most places we went too I got asked for ID but this time I was only to happy to show them, so yes although I might be 30 it definitely feels wonderful knowing I look younger.

I often hear women in their 30’s say that they prefer it to being in their 20’s, one reason being that they feel more comfortable in their own skin. Now I have been thinking about this & one thing I would say is that I have become more accepting of who I am and people liking me for me. Now what I am about to tell you is something very personal, which may even come as a surprise to you but I was born with Spina Bifida. (If your not familiar with the condition you can find out more about the disability here). Whilst I was in hospital being operated on at just over a year old I caught meningitis which left me completely deaf in my right ear. Now you may wonder why I have decided to share something so personal on my blog? Mainly to reiterate my point about being more accepting of who I am which I think has happened gradually as I have got a bit older. Whilst I am truly thankful that I am not effected severely by my disability, I have been lucky enough to lead a fulfilling life. It does of course come with its problems & limitations, which in the past I have found upsetting wanting to be like everybody else. Not letting on that anything was wrong, but now I know that its okay & I don’t need to pretend or hide away from it. When I was younger I of course like most if not all teenagers just wanted to fit in, so this was a subject I never felt that comfortable talking about but since I have got older I have realised that I have a truly amazing support group around me with my family, friends & of course Steve that love me for who I am!

Life plan?

When you were at school did you have the ‘life plan’ conversation with your friends? Mine went a little something like this…I’m going to be married by the age of 23, have a baby at 26 & somehow have also managed to have a successful career & own a home too all before the age of 30! Now I think back to those conversations & laugh at my 16 year old self, how clueless I was. As my wise 30 year old self now knows, life just isn’t quite that simple. The point I’m at in my life now isn’t exactly where I thought I would be at 16 BUT overall I have to say I am happy with what I have achieved so far. I have tried my hand at various different job roles in business administration, retail, fashion and home ware and have been lucky enough to travel, something which I absolutely adore and is a great love of mine, closely behind flowers of course! I had the time of my life (the dirty dancing lyrics were not quite intended) travelling through Central America visiting Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala & Mexico for 3 months in 2008 living out of a backpack, the most amazing memories which I will never forget! Breaks to Europe, Belgium is another place I am very fond of especially Ghent such a picturesque city with its quaint river running through it & gorgeous architecture. Last month myself & Steve went on an epic road trip through California (you may have seen some of the snaps on my instagram feed), we visited; San Diego, LA, Santa Barbara, Monterrey & San Francisco, if you haven’t been I highly recommend you do it!. Now  don’t get me wrong there are still lots of places on my ‘to visit’ list but I feel lucky that I have had the opportunity to experience some of the world.

Love life?

During my single years I kissed some toads & have a few very funny stories (not for the blogs eyes) but 4 years ago I met Steve & feel so very lucky that I did. The most loving, supportive & caring partner any girl could wish for & he took me by complete surprise when he popped the question a few weeks ago when we were in San Francisco, so much so I immediately burst into tears! I just felt so overwhelmed with emotion & happiness I can’t quite put it into words and of course I said yes, so now we have our own wedding to plan! Can’t wait!

Studies?

I gained a 1st in my Floral Design & Event Management degree. Studying on the course was by far one of the best things I have ever done! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed my time at university. Attending as a ‘slightly more mature’ student (I was 25 when I started the course) I found I was a lot more focused & so eager to learn. Without sounding corny (but I’m going to anyway!), my degree allowed me to fulfill my creative potential & led me to realise what I am good at & truly love, working with flowers.

Career?

I am so incredibly proud of all that I have achieved with Joanne Truby Floral Design in the last two years. How far the business has come, building it up from scratch without a penny to start off & no business loans. I have been lucky enough to flower some of the most prestigious venues, had my work featured in national magazines & on renowned wedding blogs. As well as meeting some of the loveliest people in the wedding industry, many of whom have become great friends. Yes I am not completely at the point where I want to be just yet with the business but I am excited for what’s to come in the future, the best is yet to come as they say!

 

So I guess turning 30 is not to shabby after all 😉

How did you feel when you turned 30? For those of you who are not quite there yet, how do you feel about the prospect of turning 30?

signature - joanne this one

 

 

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