Lee Madzvamuse of Lee Florist

Lee Madzvamuse of Lee Florist

Lee Madzvamuse is the head florist at Lee Florist based in Harare which services the whole country specialising in bouquets, events as well as landscaping.

Tell me about your experience as a florist. How long have you been in the field?

I have been a florist for the past four years now and it’s something I thoroughly enjoy. I am self-taught by observing and using YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok and I have become passionate about flowers. I also have a love for entrepreneurship and business and I love learning new things in my field. The reactions when people receive their flowers are also my other reason because it gives them joy which in turn makes me happy too. The journey has been quite challenging as there are a lot of lessons we have learned along the way.

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What areas of floral design do you specialize in (e.g., weddings, events, everyday arrangements)?

The main arrangements that I make are everyday bouquets and boxes – the bouquets that you would give to your friend, your mother, a birthday bouquet, or bouquets for your loved ones. We also do sympathy bouquets, wreaths, and sprays but as per order as well as events, bridal bouquets and boutonnières, centrepieces, and floral arrangements- so all in all we could say I am an all-rounder florist specialising in everyday bouquets

Do you have any formal training or certifications in floral design?

I do not have any formal training as a florist. I am self-taught – I learn by observing other florists on various social media platforms. I also learn by reading a lot of texts on flower preservation, flower arrangements, and the flower business. The internet has been a well of information.

What is the best thing about being a florist?

The best thing for me is the freedom it gives me to express myself as an artsy person. It’s also about being able to become part of people’s celebrations and that makes it worthwhile.

Besides Valentine’s Day, what’s your busiest season for flowers?

I would say Mother’s Day is also a busy time as people celebrate their mothers.

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How have you innovated and diversified your business as a florist?

To diversify my business I have started a Logistics company that is parallel to the florist company that handles all deliveries around the city and will soon be available around the country as well.

Describe a challenging floral project you overcame and how you did it.

The biggest challenges are usually the big days like Valentine’s Day. Meeting all the clients’ requests and handling the pressure becomes a bit difficult but we learn and improve as we go.

How do you build rapport with clients and understand their needs?

We have an open communication policy with customers so that we can meet their different needs and guarantee customer satisfaction.

How do you handle customer complaints or dissatisfaction?

Handling customer complaints is basically about fixing all the complaints the customers have and the root cause of dissatisfaction.

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What’s your strategy for upselling or suggesting additional products?

In both our physical shop and our online shop we offer additional products that one might need to gift and therefore the customer gets to pick what they deem fit to go along with their chosen bouquet.

Do you have experience with sales and marketing, particularly online sales?

I do have experience in digital marketing as I worked as a community manager in a digital marketing agency and then later as a freelance digital marketer for different brands and companies.

Which social media platform gets you the most customers?

All social media platforms work together to get us customers

Describe your process for creating a custom floral arrangement.

Usually for custom arrangements, we consult with the client, if it’s multiple arrangements then we do a sample. If the sample satisfies the customer we then deliver the custom order or make corrections as needed.

Do you have experience with different flower care and preservation techniques?

I have been working with flowers for quite a long time now and you pick up certain tricks as you go

What are some tips and tricks for elongating our flower bouquets at home?

Make sure that your vase is clean, keep your flowers away from direct sunlight, cut your stems at 45 degrees, add a cap of thick bleach to the water, and make sure there are no leaves in the water. Also, change the water often after 3 days.

What is your favourite flower and why?

My favourite flowers at the moment are orange roses. They are beautiful to look at as they are bright.

What’s the most difficult flower to work with?

The most difficult flower to work with has been the gerbera as the stems are quite flimsy and they need support to hold.

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Tell me about a time when you helped someone express their emotions through flowers.

It is very hard to pick out a single time as all our flowers are meant to invoke emotions.  I would say the most exciting are marriage proposals and the most emotional are baby welcome flowers.

How do you stay informed about new flower varieties and trends?

I stay informed about trends by researching via different avenues such as books, social media, and tutorials. I also let my creativity out through my arrangements.

Do you grow any flowers yourself?

I do not grow any flowers myself but floriculture is one of my plans for the future if God and finances allow it.

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