Like Netflix-For Flowers?

 

As Netflix skyrockets in popularity, other entrepreneurs have begun to take note, and follow suit. But who would have thought that anyone would have gotten flowers involved! But 36-year-old Bryan Burkhart and 35-year-old Sonu Panda, former software gurus, decided to abandon technology in favor of something sweeter smelling. While Burkhart and Panda admittedly know little about horticulture, they explain that their concept should be appealing to many flower fans.

Burkhart explains, “We’re the Netflix of flowers…We enable customers to sign up for luxurious flowers with convenient delivery at really affordable prices.” Essentially, this make them a floral subscription service. The company, H. Bloom, charges $29 per bouquet, and customers may subscribe to weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly delivery. Customers also have the option of stopping delivery when they vacation. So is H. Bloom as successful as Burkhart and Panda had hoped? It’s hard to say. They are still a relatively new company, but are gradually gaining traction and expanding to multiple markets. They only started in April 2010, but were able to bring in an impressive $342,000 in revenue that year alone!

H. Bloom is based in New York, and they currently boast 200 “corporate” customers and 600 consumer customers. With the attention H. Bloom has been receiving lately, those numbers are sure to rise within the next year. In fact, Burkhart predicts that their 2011 sales will surpass $2 million. H. Bloom fits in a new niche, as companies like 1800Flowers haven’t aimed towards a subscription service, and there’s nothing quite like H. Bloom on the market right now, that is available for regular consumers as well. According to Burkhart, “I think we fit really nicely in between, because we provide the luxury arrangements and convenience of delivery that a high-end boutique would offer but, because of the subscription model and being able to buy directly from the farms, we’re able to offer prices much more closely resembling a grocery store.”

There are some challenges that Panda and Burkhart have faced with their floral business venture. As their company rises in popularity, one issue that arises is expansion. Panda and Burkhart have responded to this coolly by establishing SEED- Startup Education and Entrepreneurial Development. This SEED program is intended to train would-be employees, and get them prepared for leadership in different branches of the H. Bloom empire. According to Mr. Burkhart, “If we can do this well, first, it will allow us to succeed as a business and expand across the country, but also I think it will train a whole host of future entrepreneurs.” What are your thoughts on H. Bloom? Will the company continue to blossom?

 

Rileys Flowers
1000 S 4th St
St Louis, MO 63104
www.rileysflorist.net

 

 

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