Guides
Building florist service packages around real capacity, staffing and cash
'best florist services' connects customer access, operating capacity, staffing, and cash. The point is not to copy a national benchmark or another operation's.
What to take away
- Offer four to six packages in 2027, not seventeen. Two designers can run birthday, anniversary, sympathy and one recurring contract without hiring.
- Typical listed pay is $16 to $22 an hour for designers, $25 to $35 for event leads. Product runs 25 to 30 percent of retail.
- Take 25 to 50 percent deposits on dated events, and 50 percent once stems are ordered.
- Valentine's Day 2027 falls on a Sunday, so the delivery rush lands on February 12 and 13.
- Each package below lists the minimum designers, hours and vehicle it needs.
What changes for 2027
Two dates move the season. Valentine's Day falls on a Sunday, and Mother's Day falls on May 9.
A Sunday Valentine's Day pulls the crunch forward. Corporate accounts take Friday February 12, residential orders bunch on Saturday February 13, and many offices close Monday. Move pre-order cutoffs a week earlier than usual.
Wage floors reset on January 1 in most states. Check your state labor office before publishing 2027 prices.
Wire service orders through Teleflora or FTD keep roughly 20 percent of retail, so a $75 order returns about $60 before product.
Card processing sits near 2.6 to 2.9 percent plus 10 to 30 cents an order. Subscriptions and small tickets feel that most.
Delivery cost, not stems, breaks a route, and cold chain limits still cap your radius. If you are still choosing where to trade, the best markets for a florist business sets out how local demand, rent and seasonality interact.
The 17 packages and the capacity each one needs
Packages and capacity
| Package | Typical retail | Minimum capacity | Cash timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birthday bouquet | $55 to $85 delivered | 2 designers and 1 driver per 20 orders | Paid at order |
| Anniversary bouquet | $85 to $150 a dozen | 1 designer, 30 minutes | Card at order, reminder 10 days out |
| New-baby gift | $50 to $75 | 1 designer | Paid at order, hospital cutoff applies |
| Sympathy arrangement | $150 to $250 spray, $200 to $500 casket | 1 designer, 2 hours, 2 for a casket spray | Invoice funeral home, net 30 |
| Wedding personals | $150 to $400 bridal bouquet | 1 lead designer, 6 to 10 hours | 25 to 50 percent deposit |
| Ceremony flowers | $350 to $1,200 arch | 2 people, 3 to 4 hours install and strike | 50 percent deposit |
| Reception flowers | $75 to $175 a centerpiece | 2 to 4 designers for setup | 50 percent deposit |
| Corporate reception plan | $150 to $400 per site | 1 designer per 4 sites | Monthly invoice, net 30 |
| Restaurant weekly plan | $60 to $150 each | 1 designer, one van route before service | Monthly, net 15 |
| Holiday office package | $75 to $150, $500 to $2,500 multi-site | 2 to 3 designers, extra van | 50 percent deposit by November 1 |
| Home subscription | $45 to $80 a delivery | 1 designer per 15 deliveries | Prepaid card, 2.6 to 2.9 percent fees |
| Event tablescape | $1,500 to $6,000 per 10 tables | 2 to 4 designers, 6 or more hours | 50 percent deposit plus mockup fee |
| Elopement package | $500 to $1,500 | 1 designer, half day | 50 percent deposit |
| Prom package | $25 to $45 corsage | 2 designers plus pickup counter staff | Paid at pickup |
| Graduation package | $50 to $150 | 1 designer, confirm lei supply | Paid at order |
| Workshop party | $65 to $125 a seat | 1 instructor, 10 to 20 guests | Full room paid in advance |
| Venue installation | $2,500 to $15,000 and up | 2 to 4 people, van, certificate of insurance | 50 percent deposit, balance on strike |
These figures assume a 40-hour design week and one van. Add a van before a seventh recurring account. Add a designer before a second Saturday wedding. htm) describes the work as ordering, processing, arranging and pricing stock, which is what a capacity plan must budget for.
Tier comparisons sit in the florist services and packages guide, worth reading before you publish 2027 prices.
Deposits, card fees and the cash clock
A 50 percent deposit on a $3,000 wedding covers product bought 10 to 14 days out. A 25 percent deposit does not.
- Price product at 25 to 30 percent of retail and test it against three months of supplier invoices.
- Set event deposits at 50 percent and hold a card for the balance.
- Invoice recurring accounts monthly at net 15 or net 30. Curate, Floranext and Square handle recurring billing.
- Review cash weekly against payroll dates. Stems bought early and paid late are the usual squeeze.
Example: a two-designer shop choosing four packages
Two designers at 35 billable hours each fit birthday bouquets, anniversary bouquets, sympathy work and a Tuesday restaurant route. That mix needs no second van and no contractor.
Quote weddings only when the calendar shows two clear prep days. Add a wedding package after turning away three enquiries, not before. A second designer is easiest to justify on margin per labor hour, which florist profit margins and break-even points walks through.
What to check before you commit
- Confirm the wage floor that applies to you on January 1, 2027.
- Match every advertised delivery window and price to what you can deliver. The FTC advertising guide sets that standard.
- Keep purchase, payroll and sales records that show income and expenses, as the IRS recordkeeping guidance describes.
- Carry a certificate of insurance before any venue installation.
- In Canada, GST is 5 percent and provincial HST differs. Confirm your rate and threshold with the Canada Revenue Agency.
- Track deposit collection monthly. The florist performance indicators worth a monthly review flags trouble early.
Verify Before Acting
- BLSfloral designer tasks and demand
- FTCtruthful ads and endorsements
- IRSrecordkeeping shows income and expenses
- Keep documents for purchases and payroll
