As we discussed at the start, when you start up you may have to deal with stereotypical attitudes to what you do. Breaking down barriers to point out that yours isn't just a service for the very rich or exclusive home or office may be you first job.
"I've been to offices where they'd never even thought of having plants," says Brendan Wilson. "I then have to persuade them that a few plants will be a cheap and easy way of brightening the office and will make all the difference."
You will be visiting people by appointment and generally more at their convenience than yours. This means you need to be flexible. But it doesn't mean you should give the impression you are always available. As far as possible, arrange work to suit both you and the client.
"If I have an evening appointment, I'll have a lie in the next day," says Jo Tempest York. "And one time when a client needed to discuss the job but was literally only going to be in the country for a few hours I picked her up from the airport, talked on the way to the flat and made decisions when we got there. Flexibility meant the job wasn't delayed."
To some extent the franchisor will keep you up with the latest fashions and trends. But there is a danger that with vast quantities of products flooding the market you could be overwhelmed.
Stay on top and don't try and offer your clients an endless choice. If you do they will look and decide endlessly. Looking unfortunately does not equal buying.
And it's a risk in any new business but manage your cash flow effectively. You will get a certain amount of money up front for the materials but you need to keep an eye on whether you can deliver on time to get the rest of your fee. Sara Allday of Colour Counsellors gives an example:
"You might have a £1000 worth of fabric in on time to make all the curtains but if the £20 worth of braid you need to finish them won't be in for two months, you're going to be out of pocket. You really need to keep an eye on things like this."
