Today we’d like to introduce you to Maegan Ferguson.
Hi Maegan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I’ve always enjoyed design, but I definitely didn’t expect to end up here! I studied and graduated from O’More College of Design with my BFA in interior design, and then did two three-month internships with Engineering Ministries International in Calgary, Canada.
After school and internships, I was exhausted and burnt out. I came back to Nashville and took a nanny position with a fabulous family and let myself “decompress’ a bit. I was working part-time for that family and ended up taking a second job as a delivery driver at a local floral shop to make a little extra money.
I had always wanted to work in a floral shop, It was my dream as a teenager to go work for summer for my cousins at their floral shop, Flowers Etc. in Russellville, AR, but I never did. In my time as a delivery driver, I got to learn a few basics of design and how to work with and care for fresh florals. A few months later, I ended up freelancing with a wedding florals designer in Nashville and I fell in LOVE with wedding florals. It was magical. I worked with the designer off and on for fall weddings that year, and then the next spring transitioned into working as a wedding coordinator to be able to continue growing in the wedding industry. That was 2020.
Obviously, things changed quite a bit over that year for everyone with the COVID pandemic. That was when I started dreaming up The Floral Pop. It felt like a dream straight from God, and I never imagined that I would be where I am today. The past few years have not been easy and I have had to learn and grow a lot. I completed the Nashville Flower Market School of Design in Spring 2021 and immediately began working that May to start The Floral Pop officially. I had the first two official Floral Pop weddings in the summer and fall of 2021.
During the “dead season” of 2022, I had the opportunity to do a photoshoot with HannahMac Photography out in St. George, Utah, and that bouquet from our Snow Canyon shoot might be my favorite bouquet I have ever done. Honestly, I didn’t even like that bouquet when I first got it put together, and wanted to take it apart and try again. My friend Lexi wouldn’t let me do it though, and once I saw it through the photographer’s lens at the photoshoot – I completely changed my mind!
The best part of running my own floral business is that I have had the honor of doing the flowers for two of my best friends’ weddings this past July! I loved getting to be a part of their days and couldn’t be happier with how their florals turned out. I have a few more weddings booked for the fall of ’22, but I am still doing consults and taking on more bookings for 2022 and 2023 – should you know of anyone who needs a floral designer!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No! Haha, I would like to act like I have it all together, but I totally don’t. I am learning every single day. I have learned when things are not my strength, that it is best to outsource to friends or other businesses who know more than I do! That’s why you won’t catch me working on website design for The Floral Pop – I work with a close friend, David, giving him my thoughts, ideas, and inspiration, and I let him be in control of all of the website because it’s not “my thing”.
So right now, the hardest part for me is the business side. Keeping up with the paperwork, accounting and taxes is not my strength. (One day I’ll pass this off to someone else hopefully!). Thankfully, for now, I have my momma as a resource, she has run a business for years and usually, she can help me make heads or tails of whatever paperwork I’m trying to figure out.
I also have worked to become better at having a work/life balance. It’s crazy starting a business, and we are told over and over by so many voices that we should hustle and fight for every bit of business. And while I find it very important to strive to do well, work hard and be the best, I also want to go ahead and have a good balance in business and life by building good habits now, rather than later when I’ve already become set in my ways and have a husband and kids added into the mix!
Setting those boundaries (emails, texts, Instagram) is very important to me. I am intentional in my time with my clients, and with my family and friends.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business? What do you specialize in, what are you known for? What sets you apart from others?
I am a floral designer, and I specialize in weddings and events.
I don’t know that I’m “known for” anything yet, but I would love to be known for The Floral Pop starting a “give back” initiative, in which clients will get to choose one of our favorite organizations that we partner with to donate 10% of the floral profits from each event. We just launched “give back” last week, and we can’t wait to see how our brides get to make an impact and give back to our community and the world around us!! I’d also love to be known for how much I enjoy and value getting to know my clients and their stories. I’m most proud of the fact that I’m 26 and I run my own business. I didn’t think I would be doing this at this time in my life.
I think one thing that sets me apart is that I don’t ever want my florals to become run-of-the-mill or look the same in every picture. I strive for each bouquet, boutonniere, and arrangement to be a little different each time. I want each bride to feel that her flowers were created JUST for her and that no one else’s flowers will be exactly the same.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve had so many friends and family cheering me on, it means the world to me. A few of the people who really mean the most – one is my friend and mentor Carlee, who has cheered me on and encouraged me through the last few years of personal drama and then starting the business.
Another is my momma, who is always there to answer questions, reminds me of the goals I set to accomplish and be my accountant when I need it. I also owe a big thank you to my friends Sydney and Lexi, who let me do the flowers for their weddings. It was such an honor and I got to do my first big floral cloud for Sydney. I also love that they’re always down to jump in whenever I call and ask for a floral assistant.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thefloralpop.com
- Instagram: @thefloralpop.20
Image Credits
Hannah Lee Photography, EmJ Sorensen Photography, Hannah Mac Photography, and Robin Co. Photography
