Lessons Learned from Teaching My First Wreath Workshop

This year has been full of "firsts" for me. First time homesteading in Oregon, first time "monetizing" our homesteading efforts, first time starting up several businesses, first time running a booth, and now, first time leading a wreath-making workshop.

And well, as with many firsts, there's bumps and hiccups along the way.

I have been making many great connections with local shops on Instagram, so I decided to reach out to a shop in the nearby affluent community to see if they'd be interested in carrying my products. The shop owner asked me to come in with samples. I was elated to have a foot in the door!

We ended up chatting over two hours and she agreed to consign two wreaths, several bouquets, and schedule a workshop. Within the first couple days of sharing the workshop on social media, two tickets sold and we were both in high spirits.

And then, nothing. A week later, still no ticket sales.

The shop owner reached out to let me know we would need to cancel if there were no other sign ups. Two was just not enough to go through the work of setup, break down, purchasing food & libations, etc.

I was in middle of a plane ride with @sagescrub when I received the text and was completely crushed. I told him in a pretty dejected tone, "I think it's not happening." And then I began to reason with myself that it's actually better because we're just coming back from our trip and I wouldn't have had much time to get ready (That's a total lie. I had all my flowers already prepped in baskets and pretty containers just for the workshop - normally they're just in a bunch of cardboard boxes). I also remembered that I have another series of workshops coming up in June at a very popular, well attended women's gathering, so hey, shake it off, move on.

Then the NIGHT before the workshop was scheduled to happen, the shopkeeper messaged me that we got two more sign ups, so it's back on!

Lesson Learned

Early prep always pays off. Had I not had all my materials ready to go, this last minute notice would've put me in a difficult spot. But because I already planned ahead for the workshop, it was just a matter of getting in my car and getting there.

On the evening of the workshop, the shopkeeper had prepped mulled wine, cheese, bread, and grapes to snack on. I contributed fresh pressed apple and pear cider. We put on holiday music and lit candles. The atmosphere was perfectly cozy and festive.

And then a wonderful thing happened. The attendees arrived, full of good cheer. The shop is very tight, so the small number of people actually worked out perfectly. Any more and we wouldn't have fit.

Lesson Learned

Sometimes it's actually better when things don't go exactly as you planned.

I began with introducing myself and shared my process. I felt very proud when the students showed a lot of enthusiasm and appreciation for the fact that the materials I brought were home grown. I realize then how meaningful and unique that is, and it's what makes my wreaths different from others.

Lesson Learned

Share your personal story. It's what separates you from the crowd.

I showed a few different examples of my work and demonstrated wreath making, step by step. Although I brought a large array of options to choose from and I encouraged the students to be creative, all the students wanted to re-create exactly the same wreath they saw on the workshop flyer. They asked me which plants I used so they can use the same ones. Luckily, I had plenty of materials to re-create the same design.

Lesson Learned

People will expect to make exactly what they saw, so choose your workshop photos wisely and be prepared with the necessary materials.

As the students made their wreaths, they were in awe of the texture of the zinnia flowers, the rattling of the poppy seeds in their pods, and the playfulness of flax seeds. They were not used to these materials. And I really loved watching them discover each of these plants and putting them together new and unique ways.

It can be so easy for a business owner to get lost in the nitty gritty (what did or didn't sell, unexpected costs, pricing, etc), that I forget the little things that drew me to this craft to begin with. And through my students' fresh outlook, I was able to remember again.

Lesson Learned

Let the students teach you. What students will always have that you do not have is new eyes.

I'm very thankful I had this experience and I now feel more empowered and inspired to lead more workshops in the future.

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