Paperflowerz.ly From Hobby to online store

Project Silphium
Jul 27, 2017 · 4 min read

We recently mentored and helped the founder of @paperflowerz.ly in her journey from hobby to online store. In just a few months with a bit of logistical assistance at the business was able to flourish.We gave her a call to catch up on her progress.

How did you get the idea of starting @paperflowerz.ly ?

My favourite website of all time is @pinterest I was always browsing and saving images in hopes of recreating some of the crafts. One day I had some leftover coloured paper and decided to make one of the creations for a relative. She hung it on her wall and her neighbours kept asking her where they could get one too. She gave them my number and through word of mouth I started receiving orders even from Bani Walid.

Even though I never had a job before I was encouraged by friends and family to give this new project a chance.

I received some discouragement at first but I was determined to not let that get in my way. I had 100 dinar in my purse that I used to start buying material with and immediately began creating my first few orders.

What made you want to take your project online ?

I realised that word of mouth would only get me so far, If I wanted to reach a wider customer base I would need to get online. However I didn’t have a Facebook account and didn’t even know how to use it. No one was supportive at first, they thought I was wasting time. That’s when someone suggested I ask Project Silphium for help.

How did those first few weeks of support help your project?

It was a whole different experience, I didn't know how to do anything online. The team helped me learn how to manage the Facebook page by myself eventually. They taught me which apps I could use to make my photos look nicer. They even gave me basics on how to price my flowers. At the beginning I was only taking into account the cost of material. I forgot to add the hours I spent hand making the flowers. Every flower takes time, I make sure to create every one with care.

A lot of Libyans don’t appreciate hand made crafts but it really does take a lot of hours to bring to life a flower bouquet.

What has been your biggest moment of achievement so far?

It has definitely been landing the mozart catering order. Mrs Inas bahri saw our flowers online and made a large order for Ramadan. I remember staying up that night to create samples to take to my very first sales meeting. I got some tips from my husband and the Project Silphium team beforehand.

One of the window decorations for Mozart

I can’t thank Mrs Bahri enough for believing in my work and giving me a chance. Another big supporter was Ms Hajer who works at Mozart catering. Both of them were tremendous supporters and I will always be grateful for their help.

What do you have planned for the future?

I hope to keep developing my skills and learning more about basic accounting. I still rely on my children to do my accounting for me, I would like to learn how to do it myself. I’m also continuously developing my paper flower techniques to provide better things for my clients.

Has it been hard to operate in the current economic climate?

Yes, it’s been really hard, especially since I have to order some of my material from #amazon. However I’ve managed to create a separate fund from my profits to help me pay for my tools. I consider them a return on investment and i’ve found that they allow me to offer a wider selection of options to my customers.

I’ve also realised that Life goes on and people continue to celebrate. My creations bring happiness and joy to other people and that means the world to me.

Despite what’s happening in the country, people still want to celebrate with their loved ones and fill their houses with joy.

Thank you for reading. Click the heart button if you enjoyed this interview.

You can order some Paper Flowerz at @paperflowerz.ly

Project Silphium

Written by

Libyan women raising awarness/sharing Real life stories/warnings and struggles/successes http://www.facebook.com/projectsilphium projectsilphium@gmail.com

Project Silphium

Project Silphium is a platform that allows Libyan women to connect and network in a safe interactive online space.

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