Floralearth

Sector	Retail Florist
Location	Holywood
Status	MAP participant
Key Results	Improved communication throughout all areas of business Greater professionalism and business focus Staff now have clearly defined roles and understand how they fit into the overall business strategy

floralearth, under the management of accomplished florist Tim Kirkpatrick, has been operating for just over 11 years. This family oriented business employs a mix of both full and part-time staff. During this time floralearth has established itself as one of Northern Ireland’s leading florists and specialises in events such as weddings, funerals and corporate functions. Tim’s passion and commitment to thebusiness has meant a busy year with bookings across Ireland and many parts of the UK.

THE CHALLENGE

While the business was flourishing, the pressure was also mounting on Tim and his team to deliver a substantial order book. “While it’s great to be so busy, especially when the economy as a whole is struggling,having such a packed calendar has brought its own pressure to bear on the business. Yes, everyone carries out their roles and all orders are delivered to our own very high standards, but we noticed a degree of slippage in the way we were managing the business. Job roles crossed over and too many things were missed – not to the detriment of the client, but more so in the way the business operated and was administered.”

Tim knew that more professionalism was required for the business and he had identified areas that needed to be tightened up. “We needed to look at ways to make the business better. With mounting orders, it was time to fill the skill gaps that existed within the business in order to help us grow and continue to deliver the highest quality products and services to our clients.”

It was with this in mind that Tim took the decision to look externally for training and development options that would meet his needs.

THE STRATEGY

After what seemed to be an endless amount of research and investigation, a business associate made Tim aware of the management and leadership training that was being offered by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL).

“I took time to visit the DEL website to learn a little bit more about the types of courses on offer and to identify the ones that I thought would meet the needs of the business” said Tim.

Happy that he had earmarked the right courses and training, Tim then made contact with DEL’s Management and Leadership (M&L) Branch. “The DEL M&L team were fantastic; they listened to my plans for the business and to the issues that needed improvement. From there they talked me through my options.” Having analyzed Tim’s needs the DEL M&L team advised him that his best option would be the Management Analysis & Planning (MAP) Programme. This advice proved invaluable to Tim as he explains, “As part of the MAP programme DEL assigns a specially trained business adviser to assist each business. I have only words of praise for the DEL floralearth business adviser. Not only did he know his stuff, he also took the time to listen, and to understand my business. For me this was worth its weight in gold and really helped tospeed things along.”

Business blooms at floralearth

The MAP business adviser has helped Tim and his team with a great many business improvements, but perhaps the most significant was helping floralearth to define a clear direction for the business. Put simply, floralearth has pulled its socks up and now takes a very professional approach to the way in which it conducts its business. “Each member of staff now has a very clearly defined job role, understands what this role is and how they are positively contributing to the overall business strategy. This is not to say that we all do our bit and then go home, rather, we all pitch in, in a more controlled manner, with each person understanding the other's role.”

THE RESULTS

From Tim’s point of view the MAP experience has been a very positive one. “The business always worked, but I knew that there were elements of how we did business that could be improved. Knowing that things need to change is one thing, but it’s another knowing how to go about implementing change. The MAP programme helped to point us in the right direction and to reinforce many aspects of the business that we knew worked. The training has been of benefit to all of us – I really think that we have become a tighter team, but more importantly we’re a team that knows how we are all contributing to the success of the business. I am personally delighted to see how the training has been deployed within the business. Each staff member now manages a specific element of the business. This has helped to define the services we offer and to enhance the experience of our clients.”

The business’s standing has also been enhanced, with feedback from customers pointing towards a florist that takes the time to make them feel special and to deliver a service that exudes professionalism, understanding and a passion for quality. “The DEL training has been fantastic for us and I would, without question,recommend its management and leadership training to other business owners. My business is in a much better place since undergoing the training, so much so that we are currently investigating other DEL training courses that can help us to further improve what we do – so what are you waiting for?”

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