Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsey Morando.
Hi Lindsey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I first moved to Jacksonville, I had no real direction of where I saw my life headed, except that I wanted to be happy and make others feel the same. A few years of planting roots in Jax went by, and the pandemic hit. I felt the community was missing something and wanted to remind people that bright spots were everywhere. From there, BLOOM was born! I had just left a job that was eating me alive- I was so stressed and overwhelmed that I was convinced I’d die of a heart attack before age 30- and I promised myself I would never spend my entire day feeling like that again.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a smooth road?
BLOOM is the real-life version of a Paint doodle I drew at my office job after hearing about other flower trucks on a morning podcast. I had never started a business before, but I thought that since I have a master’s degree and experience running multi-million dollar restaurants, I would be a rockstar at getting this off the ground. Boy, was I humbled quickly! Everything about BLOOM is grassroots. We imported the truck from Tokyo and had it painted and restored ourselves. The metal frame was built by a local business that was super patient with my abstract ramblings of what I was trying to achieve. The pink tarp that brings shade was hand-cut and sewn by me, my mom, and grandma. I had never had to outfit a vehicle before, so there were lots and lots of different learning opportunities that came with that aspect. I hired a social media manager to help me with the back end of the business, and she also helped me with some floristry tips and tricks. I still mispronounce flower names because I read about them- I don’t have any official florist training. The emotional and mental aspect of business ownership is a steep learning curve that I am still learning to grow with. It’s hard when a potential client ghost you, but it also is an amazing feeling when someone tells you how much they love the product. It’s important to take it all in stride. I firmly believe that anyone can learn a skill as long as they possess drive. So I keep that mentality through all the ups and downs.
As you know, we’re big fans of BLOOM Flower Truck. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
BLOOM is Jacksonville’s first original flower truck. We consider ourselves a flower shop on wheels! We meet the client exactly where they’re at and allow them to choose what brings them joy via our build-your-own bouquet model. We are proud to be woman-owned and proudly partner with charitable organizations across Jacksonville regularly. We exist to “Bring Joy to Jax” in whatever sense, so if the client wants pre-made arrangements for an event or just a single stem when they walk up to the truck at a market, we are here for them.
What does success mean to you?
Success for me is contentment- but I also consider myself “proud but never satisfied.” If I can provide for my family and myself to where we don’t have to turn down the things we “want” for what we need is where I find a happy medium.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bloomtruckjax.com
- Instagram: Bloomjax
- Facebook: Bloomtruckjax
Image Credits
Urban Honey Photo (all images)
