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Goody Girl Flower Farm, Marina Goody
"I am the owner of a pesticide-free, organic flower farm in the Buffalo, NY area that does much more than just grow flowers. May of 2022 was the 1-year anniversary. Previously, I was working in a law firm and my duties included planning travel, conferences, continuing education, corporate wellness, events, and administration in the office. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I lost my job as many of those things no longer existed.
The one thing I always thought would be great was to work in a flower shop where I could work with beautiful flowers every day. I really wanted to give being a business owner a shot. I definitely had a lightbulb moment when I realized I could grow my own flowers at the farm we purchased years earlier that had unused land. I'd become a florist while being environmentally friendly. I would start a flower business where I'd sell bouquets and make floral arrangements.
I decided to take a business course to prepare myself for this next huge step. It was all done online during COVID-19, via Zoom. Part of an assignment was to put out a free offer to other classmates that dealt with our future business. I had no idea what offer to come up with since it was all just an idea. We had to create an ad for our class list the details and hold this class on Zoom. Yikes! With much thought, I decided to have a bouquet makeover class. Teaching that class scared the heck out of me and even made me lose sleep with the thought of having to do it, but it also changed my life."
"I grow many perennial flowers and cut annual flowers that I use to hold my own, in-person floral workshops! I grow 150 lavender plants of all different varieties which I am able to dry and make more products from. I also grow flowers and herbs that are edible.
We remodeled one of the barns at the farm and that is now my shop. This is all because of that scary Zoom class I had to teach. I love having classes now! Since the start (I opened in May of 2021 for my first private workshop and from there have since had dozens of classes. I recently decided to start renting out the barn as well for another form of income. I purposely incorporated some areas on the farm to plant flowers as a unique photography venue which I absolutely LOVE. I am also a wedding florist! I caught that bug too."
A friend of mine from the law firm (before I lost my job) kept giving me compliments on the way I was creative with everything I did, from wrapping gifts to the way I made my food look beautiful. I always loved the "presentation" aspect and being creative in every way possible, even with clothing and home decor. I told her I always wanted to have my own business where I could be creative. She kept saying... "It's never too late." I kept laughing and dismissing that because I was already over 50 and thought that meant I was too old. When I lost my job, I started to remember what she kept saying and then I started to believe it.
My business is so special because I work with flowers, there is always happiness encompassed and intertwined with it. People are generally so happy. You can do so many things with flowers and they are versatile for any type of occasion. I am also so very proud that I do not use any chemicals and my flowers grow just as beautiful as the ones that have chemicals applied. So, I know they are not necessary, and they also kill the most needed things, the microorganisms that we don't even see, but that are so crucial to all of the aspects of life, not just flowers!
I wanted to have as much help as I could to ensure that I would be successful. I thought that having a mentor would help me to not make some big mistakes or to guide me in directions I may not have thought about. Overall, someone who was knowledgeable about business and was comfortable with the things I needed help with.
I think the section that is called "What's great about your mentor" and a combination of some of my other answers would be the same answer I give here.
I feel that SCORE has helped me build confidence and knowing that you can reach out with questions anytime is reassuring. I have definitely made important decisions with my SCORE mentor's guidance. I love that there are options for webinars in a variety of different business categories which I have found helpful. It's also a source of accountability in a sense.
Steve is such a kind mentor who is so knowledgeable about business. He helps me come up with great marketing ideas. Sometimes he leads a conversation, and it helps me think outside the box. I love his professionalism and learning new things! He reminds me that I have the "gas pedal" and I am always utilizing what he has taught me. Steve always makes me feel confident. He shares a lot of helpful links with me and sometimes sees something that I would benefit from or be interested in and doesn't hesitate to email me about it. It is so meaningful to me when he tells me he is proud of my accomplishments; that pushes me to strive for continued success. Because of Steven Martin, I really would like to be a mentor someday to help give back.
I would love to tell them that they can do it! Find something that you LOVE doing and that you don't care if you are up past midnight working on. That means you are passionate about it, and it won't feel like work or that you have to force yourself to do it. They should definitely seek out a mentor from SCORE to help them along the way, so they have someone professional on their side who's willing to assist and wants the best for them.
I would tell them not to hesitate and that it is so worth it! It is a wonderful resource not only for accountability, but for reassurance. I feel that SCORE only has your best interest in mind and wants you to be happy and successful.
I can help you start, run and grow your business. I am an experienced entrepreneur, owning and...
