Success Story: Flowers, Etc

Flowers, Etc – Lisbon, 2021

LISBON –Teresa Kasprick has had a unique journey to get to where she is today. Going from majoring in animal science to currently owning her own flower shop is a career shift Teresa never saw coming. But after working in retail her whole life and developing a significant background within the flower industry, she knows that she is exactly where she is supposed to be.
Kasprick’s flower shop, Flowers Etc., is an indoor flower shop that offers items from flowers and plants to gifts and decor. Since opening her doors in November of 2018, she has moved into the Hammelton Building on Main Street in Lisbon. (Learn about the restoration of the Hammelton Building in their success story).

The ND SBDC has been lucky enough to work with Kasprick from the very beginning stages of starting her business. In the early phases of her journey, Teresa reached out to the ND SBDC for help with issues like registering her business with the Secretary of State’s Office to assisting with her financial statements. She was connected with Ian Carlstrom, ND SBDC business advisor for our southeast region.

Since Teresa and Ian met they have been able to work closely together to help Teresa establish a proper business plan for her flower shop, create proformas, and to set realistic goals year after year. Teresa explained that, “Ian was so nice and patient with me. He was able to walk me through all my numbers, tell me what they mean, and show me when I would potentially start being able to make a profit. He also helped me prepare to secure my financing from the City of Lisbon.”

Through Lisbon’s STAR program she was able to receive a grant and a zero percent interest loan for two years. She sincerely thanks Ian for helping her with her business plan and financials; she explained that without the knowledge Ian provided her there would have been no way that she could have secured that kind of financing.

Flowers Etc. has had success year over year since its inception. Starting out as a one-woman shop to hiring two part-time employees, to now looking to hire a full-time person to keep up with demand, Teresa is knocking it out of the park being the sole flower shop in the city of Lisbon

On being a business owner Teresa says, “There are so many joys from being a business owner. Being able to come in when I want is one of the best perks. Coming in at five or six in the morning and not leaving till the job is done is not something you can do when you work for someone else. Also, bonding with my customers and building a relationship with them is my absolute top perk. Getting to know them, creating repeat customers, and building brand loyalty is huge for me.”

Overall, from Teresa’s experience with the ND SBDC, she highly recommends their services to other small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. “I don’t think there is any possible way a person can understand their business and understand the depth of their numbers as much as they [ND SBDC] do. I would not have been able to this without Ian and the ND SBDC.”