A Floral Inspiration

Toni Campbell is the 2011 Student Entrepreneur Alberta Champion

By Vahida B., Staff Writer

“There are few people who would be prepared to take the risks involved with entrepreneurship so it can be hard for people to understand what you’re doing and why.  You just have to trust your vision and look forward.”

Planning a wedding can be overwhelming for brides as they try and put all the pieces together before their big day.  It can be quite stressful especially when it comes to dealing with a budget.  The venue, the dress, and of course the flowers have to be just perfect.

Flowers are an integral part of every wedding, and that is where Toni Campbell comes in.  Campbell is a 23 year old student at the University of Calgary and is the Owner of Floral Inspirations.

Floral Inspirations, situated in Calgary, Alberta, is a business that Campbell started in 2007 as a simple flower company.  Using previous work experience in the industry as a starting point, she decided to launch her own business.  “At first it was just for fun,” Campbell says, “but when I was able to grow my business I realized that my passion was not just for creative design but it was also for entrepreneurship.”

The company has been growing since then, and Floral Inspirations is now able to offer services in floral design, cake design, and décor rentals.  Most importantly, Campbell offers her services at a cost that can support the bride’s budget without sacrificing quality.

Whenever possible, flowers are obtained from local growers throughout Alberta and British Columbia.  She says, “I’m most proud of running an honest business in an industry that is known to overcharge brides that are unfamiliar with the planning processes.”

[pullquote]There are few people who would be prepared to take the risks involved with entrepreneurship so it can be hard for people to understand what you’re doing and why.  You just have to trust your vision and look forward.[/pullquote]

As an entrepreneur, Campbell is familiar with the types of challenges and responsibilities that are inevitable as a business owner, but that is what drives her as an entrepreneur.  She describes entrepreneurship as “a chance to do something based entirely off of what you enjoy the most.”

If it is something that you love doing, Campbell advises it is worth the sacrifice and hard work.  She says, “There are few people who would be prepared to take the risks involved with entrepreneurship so it can be hard for people to understand what you’re doing and why.  You just have to trust your vision and look forward.”

Serving 50 weddings per year on average, Campbell hopes to continue on this path to expansion as her vision for Floral Inspirations is to become an all inclusive wedding business.  Amongst some of her business accomplishments, such as increasing revenue by 836 percent and securing contracts to expand her business after graduation, Campbell has also been recognized as 2011 Student Entrepreneur Alberta champion by Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) this past February.

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