Startup Story
Everyone loves flowers, for their homes and their offices, and in Kenya, entrepreneur Mary Nyaga, founder of LorMar Florium, is harnessing the power of technology to bring flowers to everyone’s lives. The business combines a flower subscription business using silk flowers, with a new app called Flowerhood, creating virtual floral arrangements and messages for customers to send to their family and friends.
LoA chatted to founder Mary Nyaga to find out more about this enterprising business.
Tell us about yourself
My name is Mary Nyaga and I am the founder of LorMar Florium, a business launched in 2019. Together with my co-founder, Lorna Wachira, we started our flower subscription company using the highest quality Silk artificial flowers. This year as a result of COVID-19, business continuity was a priority for us. Being passionate about skills development, I decided to take the business to another level by giving people an opportunity to create their own flower designs and personalize them with messages through our App, Flowerhood. I am an entrepreneurial spirit and a creative having tried a few businesses. Taking women through a Leadership program where they have to draw their goals really motivated me to capture my dreams in my own form and drawing. Our new app, Flowerhood, allows customers to create virtual arrangements that they can send to their dear ones near and far, giving the gift of thoughtfulness to dear ones. I see the flower industry as a great opportunity to bring connectivity to others.
“Being passionate about skills development, I decided to take the business to another level by giving people an opportunity to create their own flower designs and personalize them with messages through our App, Flowerhood.”
When did your start your business?
I started my business in 2019, though I had been selling flowers before for about 5 years before that time.
What does your company do?
Our Company, LorMar Florium, is a flower subscription company with different arms and product/service offerings. We have a flower studio with amazing flower delectables, creating a setting for brides or other people to come choose the array of colourful silk flowers. We also do flower design training and photography at our studio. And our latest baby, Flowerhood, now on Google Play store.
What inspired you to start your company?
I love flowers, and from a young age I saw my mum coming home from work and go plant her new rose stems she had bought for planting in her compound. It was not until my flower experience in Uganda that I got to the floral space again. Coming back to my country Kenya, I wanted to be in business like I was in Uganda, experiencing that freedom with entrepreneurship that gives you the balance of work and family. Unfortunately I did not know where to start from. Finally I ended up getting a job and working as a Project Coordinator for a Female Leadership programme, one that gives women a platform to develop their leadership competencies. While there, one of the activities was drawing your visualized goals of what we want to achieve and how to get to our goals. This one time, I took the place of a participant in this training, I drew my goals with no complication at all, with ideas churning out one after the other. Thats how LorMar was born. I shared my flower business idea with my now cofounder. It was not easy but I slowly started going to exhibitions, garden events and taking every opportunity to use my networks wisely by telling them what I was doing in business. Networking has really helped. Here is where we get clients, from networking here and there. With Covid-19, we had to think which way we were turning to. We visualized a flower company that would bring in and add flower experiences to what we already have with fresh blooms, we wanted unique flower varieties that we do not easily grow here and that we do not have in Kenya. High quality real to life flowers are pricey, so I came up with an idea of how to give people an opportunity to create their own flower arrangements, personalize them with a message, and to allow people to choose from our app store flowers that we have in our studio. Our new app, Flowerhood, is now launched on the Google Play store and I am excited to see what this will bring to the business. Innovation is so important especially now that we do not know what more impact the pandemic could bring, especially with new businesses coming up through e-commerce and virtual spaces.
“Our new app, Flowerhood, is now launched on the Google Play store and I am excited to see what this will bring to the business.”
What makes your business, service or product special?
Flowerhood is a product and component of LorMar Florium, and it is special in that people get to design their own floral arrangements or bouquets, personalize with a message and send to anyone in real time. Creating that bouquet is very special, it is therapeutic, and a good space for busy corporates to take time out and be creative. It is also a good platform to bring about connectivity with those that we have in mind and rarely gift. It has a wide range of options as to what one can do with it. It is also one of those things that we must keep upgrading to stay relevant. Fresh blooms are always welcome, the smell, colour and texture is aesthetic. Our real to life flowers, however, don’t have the scents, which is a disadvantage that we can work with. However, LorMar Florium, does silk flower subscriptions to both corporates and individuals. We have just finished our Christmas wreath making session which was a success from the satisfaction it gave us.
Tell us a little about your team
We are the two founders, and from time to time we engage with young designers, two of them who assist with flower arrangements for the studio and set it up to look great for some of the sessions we do there for our customers. Our studio sessions include product launches, photography, and also a great setting for people to have a basic floral design course over snacks and drinks.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I have been a jack of all trades, living in other countries and just picking up on what could come in as an extra income, and this kind of leads you to where you want to be. I had a school that I founded In Uganda which I had to let go after moving back to Kenya. On the side I had a jewellery and shoe shop selling high end and unique products, and at one time I also ran a clinic. This also enabled me to network unconsciously, but now I do understand how intentional networking is. Moving back to Kenya accelerated my Leadership journey and yet it was my entrepreneurial spirit which led to starting up my flower business, LorMar. My Grandfather was an entrepreneur and some of my family members too. My mother has a streak of entrepreneurship, so I can say there is an entrepreneurial background in my family.
“Innovation is so important especially now that we do not know what more impact the pandemic could bring, especially with new businesses coming up through e-commerce and virtual spaces.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plans and aspirations are many, and hopefully through the development of my business, other alternatives will show up at the door. Those that I dreamt of are now in planning mode.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
For me its pure motivation with many benefits. You have the assurance that you can balance work and family life. I can take out some me time to think more about where I want to be and take my business, I am not limited to ideas. There is a little bit of freedom to do other little activities that give me a boost, mentally, spiritually, emotionally and physically. Basically account for your time. It may not be easy to achieve the freedom you imagine, as you have to work extra hard.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Ladies, women, young and mature, I would just say start. Write down the areas you are interested in, see how best you can do in your different business ideas, single out them out. Do your research, network, get a mentor, be confident in yourself, and do not be afraid to speak up. For me, not speaking out cost me. Now I know better and I can say look at me now. Be proud of yourself and note down every little success. Those little successes put together are key milestones.
Contact or follow LorMar Florium
WEBSITE | EMAIL dir@lormarflorium.co.ke
Why LoA loves it….
Keeping ideas fresh and constantly innovating is key to business success, and for Mary Nyaga, harnessing the power of technology and launching an app is helping to take the business to new customers. Her new Flowerhood app is a great way of helping customers connect with the power of messaging through flowers, and importantly for Mary, it creates a new niche offering in the marketplace. It is wonderful to see an entrepreneur taking a passion for floral business to a whole new level of creativity and innovation. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa