OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — EverBloom Floral & Gift has been run by the same family for a few generations. Over the last few years, they have opened a second store, and during the pandemic, they have been as busy as ever.
"I would say 25 to 30% over the last year," said flower designer Vanessa Nkwocha.
Owner Jennifer Hammond explained gender should never get in the way of your success.
"I really don't think it's about male and female. I think it's really about grit, and sticking to it. One of my best qualities is that I don't quit," said Hammond.
Growing up and watching her mother grow the business, Nkwocha never felt like there was something she couldn't tackle. She encourages other women to go for it as well.
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"Tell the voice inside your head to just shut up for a minute, because the timing is never going to be perfect. You're never going to have a bajillion dollars just set aside,” she said. “You're never going to have a perfect business plan, a perfect business model, a perfect business partner. Perfection is a unicorn. You're never going to come across that. Once you can get over that hurdle of expecting things to align and be perfect, then I think that you have a good starting point.”
One thing that helps them stand out is they offer personalized arrangements.
"When you tell me you want to send flowers to your mom, I want to know is she bright and bubbly? Is she soft and sweet? Is she elegant? Is she whimsical? Tell me about her, and we will create something that just ticks all of those boxes. It's completely customized to the person that you are describing to us," said Nkwocha.
Nkwocha recently partnered with an area artist to make non-traditional cards to go with their personalized flower arrangements.
"All of the images are from original oil paintings of hers, and then the text is me cracking myself up,” Nkowcha said.
Their flower shops are not just full of blooming flowers but also products from other area business owners. EverBloom sources as much as they can locally.
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