Moving to a different country comes with many challenges, more so when you are an entrepreneur.
Even for the most seasoned business owner, changing country and sometimes continent, means rethinking everything, from networking to branding and sales.
Australian-born florist Ruby Barber knows this well. After learning the ropes of floristry in Australia and New York, the young entrepreneur decided to embark in a new adventure by moving to the center of Europe’s startup culture: Berlin.
“It didn’t take me long to realize that I had to adapt to a different way of doing business. In Germany, floristry is not as established as in Australia where the art form is highly respected” says Ruby, who spent her first year in Berlin adapting to the new business culture.
“The beginnings were not that easy, I felt lonely and had no idea where to start to make a name for myself. But after one year in business, Olivia, a long-time friend from Australia, joined me. She had already helped me on several weddings and client work and we worked well together.” That, she says, was one important factor in growing her brand. “You cannot do everything alone, a partner that your trust is essential if you want to grow your business, it gives you some peace of mind and uplifts you when you have difficult days”.
With a work bench in The Store x Soho House, Ruby has come a long way and has established Mary Lennox as one of the top floral brand in Berlin. The duo has been able to create a good network of local growers sourcing the best seasonal produce to create gift bunches, site-specific indoor landscapes and artistic installations emphasising the simple grace of freshly cut flowers and the unassuming beauty of elegantly prepared foliage.
“The most important thing, when you arrive in a new country is to observe and be open to adapt” says Ruby “You might not be able to do business like you were doing in your country but, if you are patient, passionate and ready to work hard things will work out well”.
Inspired by her surrounding landscapes Ruby’s style is a unique blend of Australian exoticism, New York charm and the boldness of Berlin. Ruby’s floral art is shaking up the German perception of floristry. On top of styling fashion shoots and decorating weddings and events, the creative entrepreneur has created a collection of bespoke Mary Lennox seeds and has big plans to grow her business in the next years “We want to grow the seed collection and maybe in the future have our own greenhouse where we can cultivate interesting varieties of plants and flowers”. We can’t wait to see Mary Lennox flourish.
Discover more on Mary Lennox Website
Flowers picture by Ashley Ludaescher
