Many people dream of one day owning their own businesses and being their own boss. If this applies to you, and the business you dream of running happens to be a florist shop, here are a few helpful starting points

There are a range of vocational floristry courses available nationwide. They cover everything from artistic flower arrangement, through to small businesses management and marketing, preparing you for many of the challenges ahead.

Check out your clientele. Selling flowers in Manchester is sure to be a very different ball game to opening a florist shop in a quiet village in Kent. Know your customers and you are far more likely to be successful.

If you want to advertise your new business to as many people as possible, try and set yourself up with a stall at a local flower market. Not only will you make sales during the day, you can also arm yourself with a giant sign and plenty of business cards to make sure your customers on that day are inspired to use your services again in future.

In any creative service there is often tension between what your artistic inclinations lean towards and what your customer is asking you to do. You are offering a public service so ultimately, as the paying customer, the choice is always theirs. Tailor each service to match the desires of your client perfectly and you will soon build yourself an excellent reputation.

Why not extend your floristry business in a new way? For example, Venus florists in Manchester now operate an interior design services, preparing homes for parties and receptions with appropriate floral decorations. You could offer evening workshops in floral arrangement. You could expand your business to include other floral products, such as essential oils from rose and lavender plants, or if you happen to live in a student area you could advertise services in fresh floral corsages and hair pieces suitable for the many formal student balls taking place throughout the year.

A fantastic source of inspiration is the Chelsea Flower Show. Here you can take a look at work from some of the world's most prestigious floral and horticultural designers. Once you've had a taste you might even feel compelled to submit some of your own designs in subsequent years.

Talk to people. Any veterans of the trade are sure to have a few friendly words of advice on the topic of starting up your own business. Doing your research will give your business a better chance.

Maricruz Tennill writes freelance articles. After exploring the website Interflora.com she was inspired to write this article on flowers in Manchester.