In our ‘Spotlight on Small’ blog series, we are shining the light on small businesses. This week it’s Don’t Buy Her Flowers.
For all the ladies, whose house looks like a florist’s after every birthday, anniversary, and special occasion; you need to tell your loved ones about Don’t Buy Her Flowers. Steph Douglas is our 2nd small business in the spotlight, who has created the brilliant Don’t Buy Her Flowers, offering alternative thoughtful gifts for new (and old) mums.

What inspired you to start your business?
After I had my first baby, Buster, I received eight bunches of flowers. the thought was kind and no one needed to send me anything, but it just seemed such a waste as I didn’t have enough vases, and also I didn’t have the energy to do anything with them. In those first weeks after a baby, when you’re tired and emotional and sore and probably a bit shell-shocked, it made no sense to me that the go-to gift is another thing to care for. After that when a friend had a baby I’d send them some chocolate and a magazine in a jiffy bag or leave a meal on their doorstep if they lived nearby. They were all so grateful and I started to wonder why noone was doing this already. I did some research and 96% of new mums receive flowers, most more than 3 bunches, and decided I wanted to offer a thoughtful alternative.

What do you love most about what you do?
It’s so exciting to see something that started as an idea, and has taken a fair amount of sweat and tears, actually happening and growing. The feedback we get is so fantastic – a lot of new mums cry when they open our packages, overwhelmed that someone has thought of them. It’s an awesome feeling when I get an email from a customer to say how pleased they were with the reaction. We get a lot of customers buying our packages for any occasion – new mum, birthday, get well – they trust Don’t Buy Her Flowers and the response they’re going to get to the gift. That’s very cool.
Tell us about a typical working day.
I’m sure any small business owner would say, no two days are the same! I do whatever is needed that day – ordering stock, answering enquiries, researching suppliers and new packages, coming up with ideas to promote the business and reach more people. I had no idea how hard running a small business would be! But it’s also so personal and exciting that you just want to keep going. It’s actually quite addictive.

What are your bestselling products?