From Flower Lady to Floral CEO: The Identity Shift That Transforms Your Business Strategy

We’re live! Episode 1 of Behind the Stems just dropped—and it’s all about the moment I stopped calling myself just a flower lady and started owning my role as a business owner.

I studied floristry for 2 years, I did my formal training, got my certificate (actually I don't know if I ever got a real physical certificate tbh), freelanced for wedding florists while I was learning and landed a full-time job running the florals department of a styling company.

At the warehouse where we worked it was filled to the brim with styling items on shelves, napkins, vases, candleholders, plinths, cushions…

Along the edge of the warehouse were the offices and kitchen. There was the owner and the 2IC at the front, the graphic design department next, a little kitchenette, and then there was my space.

Not long after I started working there, Mel, one of the graphic designers, created little signs for each door stating the department. When she got to mine, it said “Floral Designer.” And when I saw it, I asked her if we could change it to “Flower Lady” because I felt more comfortable.

🔥 I thought it was quirky. Funny. Less pressure. More me. Or so I told myself.

I didn't know it at the time, but this small action was cementing a strong identity that would limit my growth and keep me small for the next 5 years.

Last week I asked wedding florists to send in their proposals for me to audit and review. Our current module is called “Powerful Proposals,” and we're showing you how to build out a high-converting, sales-focused, beautiful proposal to send to your clients.

During the live training, I brought up one from a talented, fun florist whose brand is full of colour, personality, and warmth, and she had injected so much of that into her document, which we love.

But one thing caught my eye. And I called it out fast.

The document showed her beautiful personality—but it didn’t show her as a serious business.

And I knew exactly why.

It was the same reason I wanted to be called a “flower lady,” not a “floral designer.”

Let me ask you this:

• Do you ever say the words, “I’m just not a business person”?
• Do you refer to yourself as chaotic, creative, messy?
• Do you think of yourself as a flower lover who just happens to have a business because you “fell into it” or “you don’t like being told what to do”?

If you said yes, you, my darling, are experiencing a fun lil thing called imposter syndrome.

Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes:

When we identify as something, unorganised, shy, annoying, bad at maths, our brain takes that on as fact.

Just like when we identify as kind, generous, sophisticated.

It’s more than just thinking “I have a messy desk sometimes.”

It’s saying: “I’m an unorganised person.”

🔥 Our brain locks it in like a script. Then it casts us in that role and expects us to play it perfectly.

So you leave clothes on the floor, you’re late for coffee dates, your systems are non-existent.

It’s OK, because that’s just who you are. Why would you act any other way?

Why would you bother? It’s who you are, you can’t change that… or can you?

Now, when we identify as something positive, say, “kind”, we do the exact same thing.

Our brain goes: “Yep, got it.” And we act accordingly. We send flowers to our friends. We smile and say thank you to the waiter. We put our trolley back.

It’s ingrained. Because not doing it would go against who we believe we are.

OK. So back to the “flower lady” identity.

I saw myself as a cute, chaotic, messy, creative flower lover who was bad at maths, unorganised, and found business boring.

Putting the words Floral Designer on the door challenged that identity. It felt off-brand. Uncomfy.

This is someone who was running three weddings a week, hiring teams, consulting with brides, formally trained, full-time in the industry, non-stop floristrying.

Why didn’t I feel comfortable? Because it was safer in the identity I already had. And, honestly? It was less work.

🔥 The lower the expectations, the more I could coast.

If I’m just a messy, creative, chaotic flower lover, I don’t have to:

• Learn how to set up systems,
• Put more effort into my emails,
• Manage and track my numbers,
• Do rosters on time,
• Or even ask my boss for a pay rise.

That’s scary, hard stuff—and I’d really rather not.

And because I wasn’t a real floral designer, I gave myself an out.

What would happen if they did write Floral Designer on my door?

Well… someone might expect me to act like one. And then, if I wasn’t delivering? They’d realise I was a fraud. Call the police. I’d obviously go to jail.

🔥 That’s what my brain was telling me. And brains don’t need logic, they just need a good reason to avoid risk.

I was basically self-sabotaging to avoid hard work.

I used to do a similar thing in school. I was good at learning but bad at studying. So I’d tell myself I didn’t care about the exam, just so I didn’t have to try, and possibly fail.

Because what if I did try, and still failed?

What would that say about me?

I did it in job interviews too. And now, I was doing it again.

I see so many florists doing this with their business.

They adopt the identity of someone who isn’t a serious business owner, so they don’t have to show up as one.

It feels comfy. But it doesn’t get you where you secretly want to be. It doesn’t lead to your actual goals.

You might not have planned to be a business owner, but you do get to choose if you're going to become one.

All it takes is calling yourself out. Choosing your direction. Shifting your identity.

This is the harder choice. It means you have to do the work. It means you might try and fail. It means you can’t self-sabotage and play small anymore.

But it’s also the shift that transforms your life into something you get to control.

🔥 This is how you grow your side hustle into a business. And your business into a brand. And your brand into a legacy.

I know this might seem like a big leap from a simple proposal audit… but the power you’re letting this made-up identity have over you is literally stunting your growth.

TANGIBLE MINDSET SHIFT ACTIVITY

So, here’s something tangible to help you shift this:

Step 1: Rewrite your identity, on purpose.

Right now, jot down three sentences that describe who you’ve accidentally been identifying as.

Examples:

• “I’m bad with numbers.”
• “I’m a creative, not a business person.”
• “I’m too messy to be taken seriously.”

Now, flip them into the identity you’re choosing to step into. Use “I am” statements. Keep them believable but bold.

Examples:

• “I’m a creative who’s learning to love the numbers.”
• “I run my business with clarity, structure, and confidence.”
• “I’m a visionary and a floral designer.”

Step 2: Write down 10 things that version of you would do.

Really take a moment here. What actions would this identity take on a day-to-day basis?

For example:

• Send invoices on time
• Follow up with leads confidently
• Schedule time to review finances each month
• Raise prices without over-explaining
• Say “no” to projects that don’t align
• Create systems to make things easier
• Show up on social media with purpose
• Speak up in meetings or collaborations
• Ask for help when needed
• Celebrate wins like the real boss they are

This becomes your action plan. You don’t have to do all 10 this week—but you do need to start acting in alignment with the identity you want to build.

It’s not magic. It’s psychology.

Identity first.

Actions second.

Results follow.

Curious what I actually told that fun, colourful florist to tweak in her proposal? I break it all down inside Wildflower Academy.

You’ll get the full replay and audit in the “Powerful Proposals” module, plus step-by-step guidance to help you craft proposals that are persuasive, profitable, and totally on-brand.

It’s practical, it’s juicy, and it’s designed to help you show up as the business owner you secretly know you are.

💛 Join us inside Wildflower Academy and start building like a CEO

Ash

xx