Daily Inspiration: Meet Lisa Kummer of A Little Bit of Green by Lisa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Kummer.

Lisa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I learned the art of floral design working part time at a local Cincinnati florist and quickly realized how much I enjoyed working on wedding florals. So for several years, I worked Wednesdays-Fridays, learning and appreciating the different techniques taught to me by my co-workers. But once our oldest daughter started kindergarten, which was 1/2 day everyday at the time, working and paying for childcare for our other daughter, just wasn’t sustainable for our family.

Fortunately, a mom at my daughter’s school ask if I’d be interested in providing flowers for her sister’s wedding. After a few steps here and there, A Little Bit of Green by Lisa was created! One wedding turned into two weddings. Two weddings turned into 4 weddings. And after all these years, this sole proprietor business of mine has become a full time job!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There was definitely a learning curve initially figuring out how much product was needed for each event, the correct costs and the length of time to make everything. But, for the most part, it’s been a pretty smooth road. I have an amazing and supportive husband who is ALWAYS willing to step up and help wherever I need it. And he cooks, so he always keeps me and our girls fed! (which works out well, since I don’t like being in the kitchen!) The biggest struggle, like most of us, is trying to find that work/life balance, which is very difficult to do when you run a business out of your home. Now that my kids are both in high school and my time with them is limited, I’m learning to limit how many weddings I take, and schedule some weekends off here and there. Unfortunately, with the pandemic and all the postponed weddings, it was very difficult to do this past year!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think I’m most known for being down to earth, easy to work with and affordable, all while creating beautiful arrangements. (From what I’ve been told!) Flowers are expensive, there’s no other way to put it. But, when couples bring me a picture or two of inspiration, I’m really good at figuring out what product I can use to create the look and texture they want, while staying in budget. What sets me apart from others and what I’m most proud of, is that I’ve created this business all on my own. I’ve trusted my instincts and stayed true to myself. I consistently have 2 weddings every weekend during wedding season, (this past year, more like 3!) and do everything myself. Some days, I work 4 hours, some days 16/17 hours, depending on what needs to be done. I have other florist friends who call me crazy, lol, but, it’s about staying focused and having good time management. (Did I mention my husband keeps us fed?)

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think the definition of being a risk-taker is different for everyone. Some may think it’s a risk for having just one person in charge of all of the wedding work, while others find it intimate and personable. Those are the niche of people that I’ve had the honor of working with over the years.

I take their trust, with respect and honor and in return, they know I will work hard for them. I’ve had years to learn what works for me and what doesn’t. But it doesn’t mean I’m finished learning all that I can either, not in the wedding industry! There are always new designs, new products and new techniques that can be learned in floral design. That’s what keeps it fun. So when a couple asks me to design something that I’ve personally never done before, I would consider it a challenge, because it’s new, but not a risk.

No one wants to hear “this is risky” when planning the biggest day of their life! If I truly believed I couldn’t do something, I would address it with a conversation of how we would be able to make it work. But most times, it just takes a little bit more research and networking to figure it out. So in short, I prefer the word “challenging”, not “risky” with wedding florals!

Contact Info:

• Email: lkummer22@roadrunner.com
• Website: www.littlebitofgreenbylisa.com
• Instagram: @alittlebitofgreenbylisa
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/ALittleBitofGreenbyLisa

Image Credits
Ashley Hoehn Photography
Kortni and Chris Photography
Alex Marie Photos
Maddie Berry Photography
Brittany Bays Photography
The Citrus Collection
Layna Bee Photography