Today we’d like to introduce you to Caroline Carrillo.
Hi Caroline, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Becoming a florist and being a business owner was not something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, nor was it something I expected even a few years ago. I moved to Austin at age 24 with a job and a plan after coming out of working for a full-time summer camp in Kerrville, Texas. I both nannied and started a full-time corporate role in operations for a fitness company headquartered in Austin. Neither felt like the right fit long-term, but I knew I loved Austin for all it was worth, so I started immersing myself in the community around me. I lived in Brykerwoods then, right down the road from Austin Flower Company, my now wholesaler. They also sell retail, so I would often take little strolls over to AFC, purchase blooms, and arrange them at my backyard table for fun. My family, as the supportive beings that they were, would have me make small arrangements for co-workers’ birthdays, anniversaries, etc., but it was still, at the end of the day, just a hobby.
One day, I had a newly engaged co-worker message a Slack group in our company asking for florist recommendations for her wedding. I quickly messaged her and told her that while I wasn’t a florist, I was passionate about flowers and learning design. I would likely be the cheapest option she would find in the city as I was entirely underqualified and had never done a large wedding. After sending her a shared album of my work via iCloud, she hired me to flower her 150-person guest wedding at Laguna Gloria in September 2021. I had an insane amount of imposter syndrome leading up to the day. A lot of “I’m not good enough”‘s, “Why did I do this,” and “What if I suck” were uttered while I plugged along, figuring it all out and teaching myself as I went along. All of these doubts and insecurities melted once the wedding day came along. I fell in love with the process and rhythms that event designing holds, and I soon went to bed, dreaming of what it would look like to do this full-time and create beautiful things for humans around me as a career. I started Caroline James Floral in February of 2022 after a rowdy breakup that sent me into a quarter-life crisis. I intended to keep CJF fairly quiet and use my wholesale license to be able to flower friends’ weddings on the side. After some nudging from the right people, I started up with weekly deliveries and small events on the side, all while still working my full-time corporate job that was starting to feel like a pair of pants 2 sizes too small. I had thought of leaving for months but knew the safer option was to stay, with the nagging fear of failure always at the forefront of my mind. The biggest blessing came in May of 2022 when I was laid off from my corporate job due to budget cuts, propelling me into running CJF full-time and making flowering into my real-time career. I jumped into the deep end immediately and have worked hard since then to build Caroline James Floral from the ground up. I feel blessed to be able to stand here as CJF nears her second year of operation, all while continuing to bloom, grow, and thrive. I work out of my home garage studio, where I’ve worked to flower 17 events, 5 photo shoots, 80 home deliveries, and open my new market in Colorado in all of 2023. Although there has been a slew of trials and learning curves within the last 2 years, I feel so lucky to be able to do what I do and work in this beautiful mess day in and day out to say it with flowers for my clients + communities.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
If anyone tells you being a small business owner is a smooth road, they’re 100% lying to you, haha. Not all good things come easy, but hard work and grit can get you far and fast. Figuring out my preferred design style, brand, and voice came easy. However, reaching the clientele that matched this vision immediately as a newbie florist with a small portfolio took time. One of the things I hold fast to is that all weekly deliveries unless you pursue a custom route, are fully florist choices. I like using my weekly deliveries to showcase my style, edge, and who CJF is at her core.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love that I offer flowers for any occasion you could dream up. However, my most consistent offerings are weddings, events, and weekly deliveries. One of the sickest parts of flowering in Austin is the communal aspect. Some talented florists live and operate here in Austin, and I’ve been beyond fortunate to learn and grow next to so many of them throughout these last two years. Working next to these amazing humans has helped me in foundation-laying and shaping who and what CJF is and what it gets to be. I hear the words often, “I’ve never seen an arrangement this unique,” and this praise makes my heart grow 10 sizes! I take pride in the designs and color palettes that CJF delivers. I crave color along with funky, weird, and unconventional blooms. I favor structurally sculptured designs along with growly organic shapes that almost look like they were pulled from the ground themselves. Things are left a little messy, bold, and organic. I love that my work has a specific brand, look, and feel and that I deliver it knowing it’s 100% CJF.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
CJF (apart from my amazing, incredible accountant) is a one-woman show! I use the verbiage “we” often because I think it gives a professional voice to verbiage. Still, it’s just me – Caroline Carrillo, responding to your emails, taking your calls, posting on Instagram, designing your events. That said, I was able to pull off the events I do with my amazing team of freelancers who come out and make the magic happen with me. I made the massive mistake of flowering my first CJF-titled wedding by myself, and I’ll never do it again.
Pricing:
- $6000 minimum for complete package weddings
- no minimum set for elopements or intimate events
- $75 + tax for our Juliet Delivery (small market bouquet)
- $95 + tax for our Janice Delivery (standard arrangement + vase)
- $125 for our Ashley Delivery (large arrangement + vase)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.carolinejamesfloral.com
- Instagram: @carolinejamesfloral
Image Credits
@tracescollective @annmark.photo @emwhen @katylynnmcnab @ritter_max
