Three Quinnipiac University first-year business majors created a new small business, Perfect Petals, focusing on the creation of handmade faux flowers with the use of simple materials.
Individuals can purchase their products online for anything from room decor to gifts.
Vyhan Nguyen, Melissa Flores and Adrianna Zinzi initially met through their Business Environment 101 class while learning about the responsibilities that come with managing a business. However their newfound friendship evolved into a passionate business venture.
“What began as a group project quickly blossomed into a close friendship,” Flores said. “We all share a deep appreciation for creativity and art, which led us to choose flowers as our product. We have thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and we feel it would be a shame to stop now.”
“Selecting a name for the business was challenging, but we were inspired by the concept of artificial flowers that never wilt, symbolizing timeless beauty,” Zinzi said.
The team spoke a little bit about their own personal roles as founders of Perfect Petals and what some of their duties entail in handling the business.
“In terms of responsibilities, we ensure that tasks are distributed evenly amongst the three of us,” Nguyen said. “Each of us contributes to financial discussions, crafting the flowers, and promoting the business. This shared workload allows us to collaborate effectively and address any challenges that arise.”
The students expect to experience some difficulties regarding managing the workload their business requires. However they plan to work through these challenges by working together. This shed some light on the responsibilities that come with maintaining a successful small business all whilst balancing their own busy schedules.
“We believe that stepping out of your comfort zone and having strong support systems are key factors in the success of a small business.” Nguyen said.
Once providing a little insight on their own experience and the fears they had in creating it, the team began to describe what they think it takes to create a small business.
“Gaining visibility can be daunting, but it’s essential to building a brand,” Nguyen said. “The experience may be intimidating at times, but the rewards are undeniable.”
After learning a little bit about their experience in building their brand and what they hope to accomplish, the team explained how one of their biggest goals is to develop a deeper understanding of the business world and the process of starting and running a small business.
“There’s a lot of care and effort involved, but we believe it’s a highly rewarding journey,” Flores said.
The team looks to spread joy, positivity and kindness to everyone around them while achieving strong sales growth.
“Bringing smiles to others is incredibly meaningful to us, and knowing we’ve made someone’s day is so inspiring,” Vyhan said. “We believe that art should be shared with the world for this very reason.”
Prices for both currently sit at $2 for individual flowers and $10 for bouquets.
“We offer a broad range of colors and are always open to customizing flowers based on customer preferences,” Flores said.
Perfect Petals products can be purchased through the Google form linked on their Instagram @perfect_petals_28. They currently accept Zelle, Venmo and Cashapp for payment and are only selling to students located on campus. Zinzi hopes they will sell outside of campus one day.
Although starting your own small business may be daunting as the team described, here are some words of wisdom from Perfect Petals.
“Perfect Petals has become something that holds great significance for us and for anyone considering starting their own business, we encourage you to take the leap,” Zinzi said. “We’re excited to see where Perfect Petals will go, and we look forward to continuing this adventure.”
