For Sharon Nicholls, her path to flowers and design unfolded late in life - but it happened when she needed it most.
As the face behind Driftwood Blue Florals and Events, Sharon’s love for weddings, coupled with a passion and flair for the natural and whimsical, is what inspired her to create a service to help couples bring their wedding dreams to life.
“ I am very ambitious but really love what I do, especially the customer interaction and consultation aspects. In this line of work some people shy away from this interaction, but it’s something I love.”
A passion and flair for the creative side of life was a big part of what led Sharon Nicholls on her current journey. As the owner of Driftwood Blue Floral and Events - a business she’s been running since 2018 - Sharon wanted to create a service that would help couples bring their wedding dreams to life. For Sharon it’s about more than just flowers; she combines consultation, design development and creative exploration all in one. Now, her hard work and efforts are being recognised with industry accolades by being named the national winner of the Australian Wedding Awards for 2022, and winner for the Brisbane region for the last three years running.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Sharon certainly met her match when she began her journey with Driftwood Blue Floral and Events. With an interest in weddings, and a natural flair for floral design combined with her passion for helping others, she was spurred on. Now five years in, Sharon is busier than ever and has grown her business to include several freelance creatives to make more magic happen for happy couples.
“I always knew I wanted to own a business by the time I was 45, but I also wanted to have a positive impact on others,” Sharon says. “I feel my goal was very driven by this. I am very ambitious but really love what I do, especially the customer interaction and consultation aspects. In this line of work some people shy away from this interaction, but it’s something I love. That’s what feeds me my purpose, and having these design sessions where I get to engage with the bride and groom, that’s what it’s all about.”
To Sharon, receiving recognition for her achievements in the industry creates a mixture of emotions, especially when it’s measured against so many other amazing design creatives.
“I love my job and I do have pride because I have worked my butt off to get to where I am,” she says. “It sounds cliché, but I don’t do it for the awards; they give me the recognition and confirmation that I am good at what I do (but) it’s not all about being the best florist. It's about all the other stuff. As the national winner, it’s about being the best business person in the wedding-florist arena. It measures things like website presence, social media, response to enquiries, all those things that unless you get those right, you can be the best flower designer and still not provide a good service. Because of my business background, I've really had a focus on that side of it. So it's a huge pat on the back, but it's also recognition I'm doing it right.”
So what is it that sets Sharon apart from others in the industry? It’s her ability to tie floristry and wedding design into one business and it’s certainly making a difference.
“It’s more than just flowers,” she says. “Usually with my weddings, I create a complete styling design based on my client’s initial ideas. We talk about the whole picture in a holistic and cohesive sense. That's where my clients love me; because they are listened to and they're not just dealing with the florist, they're actually dealing with someone who can bring it all together. They're not going to two or three different people and then have to bring it all together themselves like a jigsaw puzzle. It's all done for them.”
To find out more visit www.driftwoodblue.com.au.
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