Becoming a Farmer Florist With Milli Proust
#026 - Farmer Florist Milli Proust shares her small business journey. After studying to be an actor, then working as an archivist, a move out of London to West Sussex led to her growing flowers using sustainable practices. She now creates designs for weddings and events, plus has a nationwide bouquet delivery service. Inspired by her grandmother, Milli has always loved flowers. At the age of 18, she considered becoming a florist, but ending up following her other passion, which is storytelling. And she got a place at RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art ) in London and studied acting. Before, during and after spending time at RADA she worked in an archive, which was predominantly a photographic archive. Then she was headhunted and went to Battersea Power Station to be their archivist. In her free time, she did flowers as a hobby. About 5 years ago, she moved to West Sussex, where she's currently based. And she realised that she could grow her own flowers. By the end of her first year in business, she had created wedding flowers for a friend. Over a period of 2 years, she slowly reduced her office work and increased her time growing flowers. Then by January 2020, she had manoeuvred to be solely focused on growing flowers and running workshops. When the pandemic struck, she decided to set up a nationwide bouquet delivery service, which she continues to do now, as well as create wedding flower designs. Milli discusses how she learned how to grow flowers, her photography journey and her photography process from taking photos on her camera to posting them on Instagram. She also shares her plans for the remainder of the year. Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Milli is about capturing her floral journey through her photography and her passion for storytelling. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode26