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FOR PLANET AND PEOPLE
This blog is part of our series bringing to your attention people or projects that we want to cheer on as we develop a culture of mutual support and encouragement at Planet and People. Our interests are broad - women in business, environmental living, the climate crisis, educating the next generation. It’s all worth shouting about!
Introducing Roberta Emmott, aka the Good Florist, Devon
Bethia: Roberta (‘Bert’) is one of those rare people who equally excels in things of the heart and things of the head. It’s unusual to get both in one person - Bert is creative and intuitive; she has empathy and is able to bring people together. She’s also got a good business brain. She’s organised and ambitious. She talks about profit as much as she talks about passion.
I think this pandemic has made many of us re-think where we’re heading. Some of us have lost jobs, security and that sense of moving along a path that is laid out before us. Many of us don’t know where to turn next - what to give our time and attention to. A lot of us are reinventing ourselves! Maybe we’ve had enough of the rat race and the pandemic has made us slow down and take stock? Maybe we’ve come closer to the edge of financial stability and it has scared us? Now we want an income that we can rely on to keep us and our families safe.
Bert, along with a team of professionals like her, have developed and have been running a five day course to equip people who want to launch a new career in floristry. Her course has two main themes - business management skills alongside floristry skills. The course offers individuals the chance to learn the creative and technical aspects of floristry. It also teaches business development, provides people with a professionally photographed portfolio of their work to take on to the next phase and covers website building and brand development.
One thing that Planet and People has in common with Bert is the belief that a personal approach is the best approach. We have had so much positive feedback about the response children give when they see their own name on something. When it is made for THEM personally. Bert’s approach is the same. The course has small numbers to allow her to get to know the individual and work towards their personal goal - whether it’s doing flowers for weddings, a subscription service or opening a shop. I think large scale, faceless business is something that we’ve all become used to but relationship-based business is so much more rewarding and also so much more effective at getting across a message or teaching a skill.
Another thing we have in common is our commitment to working in a way that is positive for the planet and for its people. Here are the ways that Bert has adapted how she works to benefit planet and people:
Here is her pledge:
The studio is 100% foam free. This means we do not use flower foam at all and are working towards becoming 0% single use plastic business.
Between April - October, we source our flowers and foliage from local flower farms, who are growing organically. When we do import roses out of season, we commit to buying Fair-trade.
Education - teaching sustainability is woven into all courses offered by us.
We support and partner with chosen charity Sleep Pod. For each wedding, we donate one Sleep Pod, which is an insulated emergency aid designed for rough sleepers.
Bert is a Mum of three, a partner, a farmer, a florist and a friend. She’s got heart and a good head on her shoulders. We need more women like this in business - women who are smart, savvy, flexible and push to move forward to build success without losing heart and passion in the process. Bert has been really generous with her time and encouragement to us at Planet and People as we develop each month’s Planet Action Kit. Her approach is vital - we must use our heads to address the issues of the climate crisis and we must tackle it with conviction, inspiring others to have a positive impact on our planet.
Check out Bert’s website and Instagram: @the_good_florist
The next course is the 19th-23rd April - http://www.thegoodflorist.co.uk/floristry-career-change-course
If you would like to feature, or nominate someone to appear in our current blog series then apply here by writing to us on hello@planetandpeople.co.uk. Read more about Planet & People and our eco products at www.planetandpeople.co.uk.