Business Hour
Forty-year old Charlotte Gleave from Preston had a passion for flowers from a very young age
Growing up on her parents’ farm in Whitestake she loved collecting wildflowers from the fields and hedgerows, filling milk bottles and jam jars with her posies and then dotting them around the barns and outbuildings.
Whilst at school Charlotte pursued her love for flowers, gaining a Saturday job at one of the local florists. But then when it came to enrolling at college her career took a completely different turn, from flowers to studying English Literature and Language and Media Studies, before going onto university to do a degree in Public Relations and a post graduate Diploma in Marketing.
Charlotte then took the plunge into the world of PR and marketing, spending 15 years working in a number of corporate roles in the private, public and voluntary sector, winning awards and speaking at industry conferences.
She spent almost 15 years working in communications for the NHS. She said: “It was a tough environment, working long hours and constantly under pressure. I loved the job and no day was the same, but at the end of the day I felt I was making a difference.”
A large part of her time in the NHS involved working with those affected by drugs and alcohol, to use marketing to try to motivate this hard to reach group to make huge lifestyle challenges. “It was a real challenge,” explained Charlotte. “I had no experience of what life was like for those individuals, budgets were tight and communications had to be targeted accurately. But the work was extremely rewarding, especially when the results came in which demonstrated how campaigns had helped to reduce overdose deaths and contributed to a rise in the numbers of those accessing help.”
But as Charlotte reached the highlight of her career as a head of communications in the NHS, she decided she wanted to go back to her farming roots and pursue her interest in flowers and nature. “I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy decision to leave the job I had worked so hard to gain. I was proud of my achievements. I was ambitious and was working towards director level, but I could feel my creative strings pulling and I had a yearning to do something completely different.
“Having recently had a new baby as well as already having a toddler I wanted to ensure I could spend precious time with both girls. I started to explore how I could combine my skills in marketing with my love of flowers, to create a business that I could fit around my family and that’s when I created Ivy and Primrose. Leaving any job you love is difficult but leaving the security of a high-level career to start up your own business, especially when you have a young family is a huge risk.
“I spent most of my maternity leave on my parents’ farm. I wanted my girls to enjoy the beauty of farm life. Even though my dad is in his early 70s he still farms in the same way he always has, he loves his work, and he works hard. He is my inspiration. And whilst I knew I didn’t want to milk cows or hand-rear a beef herd, I started to think how I could work on the farm. And then I remembered the wildflowers and the natural beauty surrounding the farm.”
Charlotte started hand arranging together small seasonal bouquets and posies which she sold in local coffee shops. She wanted to create simple and affordable bunches for people to enjoy. Bunches that were ultra-fresh and that were different to the flowers you can buy elsewhere. She then created a ‘flower-round’ similar to a ‘milk-round’ offering a delivery service which meant that her customers could arrange for her flowers to be delivered to their homes whilst they were at work.
“I know my marketing background has really helped to support the growth of the business, I’ve been able to understand my customer’s needs, the changing dynamics of how people shop and genuinely offer something different. For me it is not just about selling the flowers. Ivy and Primrose is about making flowers enjoyable and accessible for all.”
Two years on and her flower business continues to grow. “A big part of my business model has been to work with other small businesses and look how we can work together not just for ourselves but to be able to offer our customers more too.”
This has led to collaborations and friendships. The Vintage Chandlery has worked with Ivy and Primrose to produce exclusive floral inspired fragrances, as well as local card designer A G Designs who has designed a range for Ivy and Primrose.
The success of the business has led Charlotte to expand into floral workshops for both adults, The Flower Social and children The Flower Club – where Charlotte’s daughters help out, offering peer to peer support to the next generation of florists.
Charlotte’s highlight has been the opening of a regular Pop Up Shop in the old stable, on her parent’s farm where Charlotte first started filling jam jars with wildflowers over 30 years ago.
The business continues to grow with exciting collaborations with local award-winning gin makers Goosnargh Gin, which is teaming up with Charlotte this month to offer Gin Tasting and Wreath Decorating in the run up to Christmas.
“It is a juggle, and I feel I am working harder than I’ve ever worked before, but it’s a dream come true to be back doing what I loved as a little girl, in the very place I grew up.”
