Have you ever broken it off with a romantic partner, only for them to turn around and make you feel like you got dumped? Yeah, that's how I felt after requesting to cut ties with Bloomnation: the online host and website manager curated for florists.
It had been 2 years of stop-and-go sales, a hefty monthly fee accounting for "SEO services, backend functionality, a bunch of other web and e-commerce words that never stuck in my brain, etc.", AND credit card processing fees on all orders. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of green flags going into it and I did enjoy having control of my products and pricing. It was user-friendly and the support team was mostly responsive and courteous when it came to hiccups I needed help with.
However, 8 months in I was about to go broke. When initially launching the website, they recommended I feature 25+ products of varying style and colors. Great! I spent the money to create new styles and color combinations as well as planters with different products such as orchids or succulents. I invested a lot because I trusted this company from the jump.
(During the cold call I received from a Bloomnation salesman he noted that two florists he personally signed up netted $42k and $75k in their first year, and that *mostly* Bloomnation was an all-inclusive web provider/host. Music to my ears!)
The problem with having that many products of varying color and style is this: say the order is a pink and white arrangement with 3 statement flowers, 5 filler flowers of two varieties, and greens; most flowers come in 5-10 stem bunches at the wholesaler, so if I didn't get another pink and white order all week I will have paid for and wasted 15-30 stems. I tried Instagram story sales to recoup the absence of orders to utilize the remaining flowers but it was truly a hit or miss.
I inquired to Bloomnation about how to increase sales and expressed how much I was struggling to pay business expenses- including their monthly fee that cost more than my car payment.
I was provided a laundry list of suggestions, some that were out of my realm of computer knowledge (almost everything is out of my realm, apart from signing up with my email address and re-setting a password). I could do the local listings but, inserting backlinks to make my website more relevant? Add MORE products that I was already blowing money on product to create? Increase email marketing with Bloomnations generic campaigns that literally generated zero sales for me ever (with flower photos that aren't even from The Old Soul)? I was bummed, to say the least.
Not to mention I was working full time. That was another perk about Bloomnation- I got text notifications for any new orders and could fulfill said order before work.
This was not sustainable and I made the ultimate decision to end my relationship with Bloomnation. During my 27 years on this earth I've slowly learned to not trust the big guys on top- the ones with such a far reach that I'll never meet them in person; the corporations. I can't avoid them all but, where I can help it I will.
In the end, Bloomnation tried to bargain and offer new pay scales I had never heard of in the 2 years I had been with them. Finally, I really put my foot down and said 10 more days, I'd like to follow out my contract and not renew once the anniversary is passed. Well...I guess they put their foot down too- within 24 hours my site was shut down premature of my contract date.
No longer salty, and just happy to have a website, I hope you don't make the same mistake as I did. Run the numbers, ask for a better deal, and don't always listen to other people in your industry. I've realized some of us like the corporate experience, like these companies are taking care of us or something. I haven't quite made my mind up about it.
I do know that I appreciate the local web designer and fellow florist Tammy of LORA Bloom Consulting. I feel so much better and more comfortable working with someone who knows me personally and professionally.
Here's to the future of locally focused e-commerce, collaboration, and small business success!