Pressed Floral
In 2019, Sarah Ebert had an epiphany that would change the way we cherish and preserve the flowers that accompany life’s most significant moments. At just 25, she has transformed her creative vision into Pressed Floral, a fast-growing business that captures the beauty of wedding bouquets and turns them into timeless works of art. From humble beginnings in her backyard shed to now running a successful operation across multiple locations, Ebert's passion for combining her love of business and creativity has led to an inspiring journey of growth, innovation, and artistry. We spoke with Sarah about her entrepreneurial path, the challenges of perfecting the delicate art of flower preservation, and her vision for the future of Pressed Floral.
tell us about yourself.
As I write this, I am 25 years old, married to my perfect match, and living in Atlanta, Georgia building my dream. I love to spend my time with my husband, family, and Pressed Floral. I enjoy traveling, trying new restaurants, baking, pilates, long walks through beautiful neighborhoods, training for races, and doing my morning routine. I value the relationships in my life, and really cling to those loyal to me.
“I am an entrepreneur at heart and strive to be a great leader.”
As well as an inspiring artist, a wonderful wife, friend, and one day a mother.
HOW DID THE CONCEPT OF PRESERVING BOUQUETS SPARKED YOUR PASSION TO TURN IT INTO A BUSINESS?
I remember vividly telling my dad when thinking about my future career–
“I want to do something that combines my love for business with my creative and artistic heart.”
I dreamed of being an entrepreneur, and when the idea came to me, I instantly knew it was so unique and original. As soon as I thought of it, I knew it was something worth pursuing. I quit one of my jobs the next morning to start working on Pressed Floral. It was the love for creativity, the the excitement of building something incredible that sparked the passion for Pressed Floral.
HOW DO CURRENT TRENDS IN THE WEDDING INDUSTRY INFLUENCER YOUR DESIGN PROCESS?
I love social media of all kinds. Being on top of design trends in fashion, home, and brands really helps me pave the way in the industry of floral preservation.
“We strive to stay ahead of the curve and always be new and exciting to our audience.”
from working in a shed in your backyard to now running pressed floral in your dream shop, how did you manage such rapid growth, and what key moments stand out?
What a question. I have so many mentors to thank during these years of massive growth in Pressed Floral. I am not perfect, and have not done everything perfectly, but I am so proud of how I have responded in times of stress, and being able to turn those moments into points of learning to improve moving forward. I have really tried to always look into the future rather than just in the moment. Plan for the busy seasons ahead, plan for what investment now will pay off for the growth that I am hoping for. There are many moments that Pressed Floral made investments that would have only been beneficial if we experienced great growth. I believed in myself and my team that we would make it happen.
“because we have always aimed to look into the future we have been better prepared for market shifts, and business growth.”
Key moments that stand out to me as being pivotal are:
Hiring employees for the first time.
Moving into a brick and mortar store, and opening a second location in Georgia.
Hiring a frame supplier to work with us exclusively as a floral preservation partner.
New original design launches and original frame color launches.
Building a bloom shipping box to help all our clients ship their blooms to us with ease of mind, while saving shipping costs.
THE PROCESS OF FLOWER PRESERVATION CAN BE HIGHLY INTRICATE AND DELICATE. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME CHALLENGES IN PERFECTING THIS ART FORM?
I had little to no knowledge about preserving flowers when I first started, and there wasn't much information out there on how to do it effectively. I laugh thinking back on all the ways I experimented with pressing flowers, and where our processes have come to now. I ruined so many flowers in the time before I launched, so many that I almost gave up. I really just kept preservering and we work every year on our preservation techniques to continually improve.
“I am so proud of our natural, dye free process. Our blooms hold character and texture.”
There is so much life in the blooms, despite them being pressed and dried forever. Another challenge that was pivotal for me was learning to teach others my design technique. Although I didn't know it at the time, I had become an artist. My clients loved the art I created, and teaching others how to design the way that I envisioned was a challenge. We have grown and evolved over time and have been able to turn our Pressed Floral design into a beautiful system that can be replicated while being organic, creative, and unique with each design.
what qualities do you look for when growing your team, and how do you maintain the creative standard?
We have team values at Pressed Floral, and in every employee we look for these. Teamwork, creativity, adaptability, kindness, and loyalty. Pressed Floral has grown a lot, but we are still a small business, because of this it takes team members' desire to step up, adapt, and see an opportunity for improvement, and voice it. I value feedback and I embrace change, I think because of this it allows my team to think creatively while staying true to our Pressed Floral standards in each art piece that we create.
“WE HAVE many trade secrets that build the standard behind Pressed Floral.”
As we grow, it is so important for our clients to have the same measure of exceptional quality with each art piece, which is why we have created trade secrets, machinery, processes, and systems to keep our product exceptional through all of the growth.
preserving a wedding bouquet holds deep sentimental value for your clients. how do you approach this responsibility?
Pressed Floral's mission is to preserve life's special moments through fine art. Each arrangement that comes into our shop has meaning far beyond the beauty that we see. We truly create priceless pieces of art. To remember the sentiment behind each arrangement we bring back our "why" throughout our processes at Pressed Floral. In all team meetings we share a "why moment", we share special stories to our social media weekly, and value an empathetic approach in all of our communication. Pressed Floral has client support like no other.
We answer every call, respond to every email, message, and dm in a very timely manner. Our team truly wants to leave no problem unsolved and wants to leave every client overjoyed with our service and attention to detail. We have invested in an app to help our clients follow their blooms through each step of our process, and we work one on one with each client with their design. Each design is approved by our clients before we send it, and we can customize to most all desires that we are capable of. All of these systems remind us of the precious cargo that we care for, and remind our clients that we understand the value of the blooms that we hold. I believe our experience is special because of the time that we put in with each client, and the opportunity they have to be directly involved in the design process of their piece.
“Our materials are top of line quality, as they should be for a piece of art to last for generations.
in what ways do you still find time to nurture your personal creativity outside of your work?
I look forward daily to keeping my home a home. My husband and I love to cook together, bake together, and try new things.
“I love keeping my home seasonal and cozy with each holiday.”
I also love being creative in gift giving, note writing, and vacation planning. I love to keep journals and write. With all of that said, I am so lucky to have been able to work with clients on large more custom pieces through Sarah Ebert Art. This has allowed me to continue to create art, while I have moved into a more administrative role at Pressed Floral.
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO CONTINUE SCALING the business WHILE KEEPING THE PERSONAL TOUCH at pressed floral?
I never imagined Pressed Floral to be what it is today.
“Being able to create jobs and careers for dozens of people is so fulfilling.”
I plan to continue to look for team members that value what I value and that I can trust. It's the team, and how we work together that allows us to scale while staying true to our values. Every piece that leaves Pressed Floral passes multiple quality checks, with quality at the core of what we do, our quality will never falter, and our personal communication with our clients will not either.
WHAT FUTURE TRENDS DO YOU SEE EMERGING IN THE FLORAL PRESERVATION INDUSTRY, AND HOW DO YOU PLAN TO STAY AHEAD OF THE CURVE?
“I see trends in the future, and trends that I believe Pressed Floral will pioneer.”
We have two AMAZING products that we are preparing to launch so soon, that will change trends on their own. We are so excited to bring more unique offerings to our catalog. I know that through the years we will always be changing and adding to our frame and design offerings, as well as new products to cater to all of our clients. I want to continue to have my eyes ahead, not to the side or behind, so we will always be onto our next big thing to stay ahead of the curve and pave our way.
what’s next for pressed floral?
Pressed Floral opened our second location this year in Atlanta, Georgia. We want to continue to be able to be very easily accessible to our clients all across the country, and maybe some day the world! We have big plans to dive into other industries, markets, and product lines in the coming years. I would love to collaborate with large influencers, companies, and celebrities on custom collections. My mind is constantly thinking of one million different things, so it is fair to say that in a couple years we will have so much that is new, and I can't wait to share it with all of you!
@PRESSEDFLORAL_ →
Preserving life’s special moments through fine art
© All Photos via Pressed Floral