Silver Lining (n): Finding hope in an otherwise negative situation.
Welcome to The Silver Lining: A series highlighting businesses and industry leaders across the nation who have persevered to remain on top during COVID-19.
Meet Mie Manniche and Niki Brown, a creative duo and marketing powerhouse who teamed together to create Wilde Flora Co. during COVID-19.
I’m excited to hear about your business. Tell me a little bit about it!
Wilde Flora was founded in February 2020 because we were looking for a way to collaborate and utilize our creative abilities. We wanted to bring aesthetically pleasing home decor and the dried floral Pinterest dreams to everyone in an approachable and affordable way. Being that we were all stuck at home this was the perfect time to start this venture!
Why did you decide on this type of business?
We knew that we both loved the feeling of adding decor or dried flowers to our homes because it brought a cozy feeling to our personal spaces. Being that we source goods from various vintage & second-hand stores we loved the idea of being sustainable in a way and making something beautiful out of something that was left on a shelf unnoticed for its otherwise distasteful appearance.
Was this something you always wanted to accomplish before the pandemic?
This small business came purely out of wanting to collaborate during the pandemic. Being that Niki is a creative genius and marketing director and I was looking for a creative outlet, we came up with a way to use our strengths and that’s how Wilde Flora was born!
Share with me one positive feeling/attitude you have with your COVID-19 experience as a business.
We are obsessed with our customers and the joy of seeing our pieces and flora in their homes. Being that a majority of us are all home it is so exciting to be bringing something that we enjoyed creating into someone else’s home. During this time we’ve received so much love and support for small businesses, not just ours, but the support of small businesses as a whole, and I couldn’t be more excited to see it.
What would you tell others who wanted to start a new business/hobby but are afraid of failure due to these uncertain times?
I think more than ever people are willing to support & shop small. We have seen such an incredible response to this baby business that brings us so much joy. If you do everything with passion and put your heart into something you have nothing to lose and all of the experiences and lessons to gain!
It’s good to keep looking forward to the future. Five years from now, do you think you’ll still be doing what you’re doing? Or is this a temporary pandemic hobby?
Wilde Flora was a business that we created to bring us joy, whatever the business evolves into or what the future brings for Wilde Flora will always focus on being creative together!
Whether you’re just launching a new business or you’ve had your business for 10 years, to continue its success you must shift your way of thinking. What is one way you’ve shifted your way of thinking to make your business better during the pandemic?
With mostly all of our time is being spent at home during the pandemic, we centered our focus around bringing comfort to each person who came across our business. We emphasized creating virtual content via Instagram and promoted our business through word of mouth.
Times are tough as we ride out this pandemic. What is one thing you have had to do differently for your business to remain profitable? (ex. More of an online presence? Heavier social media presence?) What’s your business structure pre Pandemic to now?
As stated previously, we started during the pandemic and had to make adjustments along the way. During hard lockdown we had to get creative with sourcing our vases, so we resorted to online thrifting and finding treasures virtually.
Why did you decide to give each piece a unique name?
We love coming up with names that fit the personality of each vase. For example, if it’s a sexy chic black vase, we’d come up with a sexy guy name like Hendrix or Jagger, from our first collection. It’s fun for us to build a storyline for each vase, plus it makes it personal to our customers and gives people a good laugh.
Change is good. If there’s one thing you could change about your business since the pandemic, what would it be?
In the future, we would love to one day meet our customers in person whether that be during a local market or in-person somehow someday! For now, we’re riding the wave of this pandemic and creating when time allows.
Lastly, what’s your favorite part of the process when creating?
From start to finish we love it all: The sourcing of the vases, repurposing them, photoshoot day, and then launching them on social media. It’s so rewarding seeing the whole collection come together when we shoot content. Also finding the treasures that have great potential and seeing it from start to finish is so exciting to see.
To lean more about Wilde Flora Co. follow them on Instagram @wildefloraco
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