Today we’d like to introduce you to Tisa Zellers.
Hi Tisa, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My floral career began my junior year of college. I was studying philosophy at The University of Dallas, and needed a part-time job. I saw this charming flower shop with a carousel horse in front of it. Horses and flowers! What a combination! So I had to check it out. They were hiring Valentine’s Day help, and I was hired on the spot.
After I graduated from college, I traveled through Europe and lived in Ireland for 2 years. The flowers there were so so beautiful! When I returned home I decided to pursue floral design and management as a career. I was so fortunate to work for Zen – the in-house florist for The Mansion and The Crescent. We did high-profile, luxury weddings, events and photo shoots. I was then recruited by designer Brian Bolke to work at the original Avant Garden in Highland Park Village. That was the job that really cemented in me that I wanted to become a creative entrepreneur.
After kids and a short stint as a horse trainer, I went to work for Todd Events. This further exposed me to some great designers, and I studied how he operated his business. It wasn’t long after that that Sage was born! We have been in business since 2014. I worried at the beginning that we would not be able to keep the lights on, but we have grown year after year!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The biggest lesson and obstacles have been related to work-life balance. In the wedding industry, burnout is quite common. I tried to operate as a one-woman show, then realized that I could not do it all myself. I was exhausted, feeling drained, and if I kept going this way, I was going to make myself sick!
I slowly learned that, in order to grow, I would have to hire people and create systems. That is a scary process! Fortunately, despite having more labor and overhead, the company thrived! By leveling up and learning to delegate and lead, I could prioritize my own health and happiness, still pay the bills, and operate in a way that was sustainable.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I own and operate Sage Fine Flowers – a luxury floral design studio. We specialize in custom wedding and event design. We are known for our excellent team of designers, who perform flawlessly on the most important of days. I am so proud to say that we have a team of passionate creatives that operate out of kindness and love! We are a family in every sense of the word. We have each other’s backs both professionally and personally. Our ship runs on gratitude and mutual respect.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I see flowers becoming more important to weddings and every day life. We are walking through dark times! The ugliness and uncertainty of life makes it more necessary to mark milestone with beauty. Flowers are the perfect reminder that life is fleeting and precious!
Over the next 5-10 years, AI will replace many jobs. But the creation of custom wedding art will not be one of those!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sagelovesflowers.com/
- Instagram: Sagefineflowers
- Facebook: Sagefineflowers
