Build a Spreadsheet by Georgianne

Dreaded words - build a spreadsheet. Well, at least they are dreaded by me but certainly not my husband, he's a whiz at those. Thank goodness I dragged the guy into working with me full time because I don't know what I'd do without him. Ok, back to the dreaded spreadsheet comment.... Actually, I love spreadsheets. I have no idea how to build them but man, I don't think I could live without them and so the inspiration for this business blog.

What spreadsheets do I use and love? Well, the hubby has built me a spreadsheet that I use for ordering wedding flowers. I put in the items needed such as bouquets, corsages, centerpieces, etc along with how many of each are needed. I fill in the flowers to be used, determine how many go in each and magically I get a grand flower total. As long as my math is good on giving the bride the correct number of flowers to fit the budget and I order that many flowers, everything works out perfectly. When the time comes to create each piece, I hand off my handy dandy spreadsheet to the designer and everything works out like a dream. No shorting the bride or stuffing the piece with extra flowers all done with very little hand holding being needed. The designer has everything he or she needs to create the wedding designs correctly.

Another spread sheet he built for me is one that I use for ordering my flowers each week. It breaks my order down to flowers, fillers, roses and greens and adds it all up so that I can stick to my budget. I send a copy to my wholesaler, put a copy in our incoming products book so the staff know what's coming in and when and then I can put my feet up and relax (just kidding on that one).

Anyway, I'd be happy to share a spreadsheet or two if you shoot me an email to georgianne@mondayflowers.com but truthfully, if you have a person at your company that is pretty good with Excel, they are easy to make. Sometimes the hardest part is making the connection between what can be done and how it can make your job easier!