Inspiring Conversations with Michelle Roh of Misofloret

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Roh

Hi Michelle, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
G’day mate! I’m from Sydney, Australia and that’s where my flower journey started! Back in Sydney, I worked as a tax accountant during the week but ran my own floristry business on weekends doing weddings and events. In 2019, I relocated to Hong Kong for work and had to take a break from floristry for about 3 years (I still took one-off arrangement orders here and there but wasn’t doing it regularly. It was during COVID as well!). In Hong Kong, I met my husband and we eventually relocated to Philadelphia and got married. We had the most amazing two years in Philly with our newborn, but I was always desperate for an outlet to keep my creativity flowing and wanted to start floristry again. When we finally moved to Dallas earlier this year, I took the leap of faith to start Misofloret again – now I’m enjoying working with flowers again on a daily basis.

I was drawn to the floristry industry about how creative you can be and how much joy you can bring to people for their most special occasions – from their proposal, wedding to the birth of their first child. I also appreciate how you can really see the circle of life in this industry, as flowers can also be an expression of grief, sympathy and encouragement to people at tough times. I love the seasonality of the industry and how it’s always evolving and changing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
As most businesses do, there were a lot of challenges and struggles along the way. I think the biggest struggle was when I started Misofloret again in Dallas this year.

Back in Sydney, Misofloret was always a ‘side gig’ that I was doing for fun, which meant that I was relatively stress-free on cashflows and financials. Also, I had a good network of friends who were all getting engaged and married which provided lots of good opportunities for me to build my portfolio, not to mention my reliable florist friends who helped out each other when needed.

When I decided to start again in Dallas, I had to build everything again from scratch. However this time I had no stable income from my corporate job, no friends recommendations or industry network whatsoever! And this was all on top of my mom duties too.

But having said that, I am happy I am pursuing my passion. It opened up so many new opportunities to meet other florist friends and I was able to gain new perspectives in life. Also I can see myself evolving from just a girl who loves playing with flowers to an entrepreneur who is learning how to properly run a business!

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Misofloret is an online floral studio based in Dallas and we specialize in custom-made floral arrangements, weddings and events. I love to use a lot of romantic textures, soft pastel colors and a touch of movement in my flower arrangements.

I have a diverse background – I am Korean but have lived in Sydney, Hong Kong and Philadelphia. I am influenced and inspired by Korean florists for their natural, rustic and feminine style but also understand the western culture when it comes to weddings. A lot of my clients are Asian-Americans looking for a florist who follows and understands the flower trends in both Asia and the US and also who is able to communicate directly with their venue and planner.

In terms of future offerings, I am dreaming of opening up my own studio and hope to start floristry workshops and classes too – please stay tuned!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Do not be afraid to reach out! As mentioned earlier, I had to start from scratch in Dallas and I knew nothing about the floral industry here. I have reached out to countless wedding and events florists on social media and offered to help when they needed extra hands. Thankfully, I’ve had many opportunities to freelance for other florists which opened up new opportunities to meet other florists – it all expands from there!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.misofloret.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misofloret/

Image Credits
Snaps by Tiffany