Meet Natalia Diez of Flowerlink in Torrance

Today we’d like to introduce you to Natalia Diez.

Natalia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I graduated from Pepperdine in Dec 2003 and started Flowerlink in January 2004, I always had an entrepreneurial spirit and wanted to do something that I enjoyed while hopefully being successful at it, so right after college I started my business. I grew up around the flower industry. My dad has been growing roses for over 40 years and we have always shared the love of the business. I decided to start Flowerlink, a business where I could import and sell his beautiful product from Ecuador and tell people the story of how much goes behind the scenes of these beautiful flowers they work with on a daily basis.

I started bringing samples of the roses and went knocking doors throughout the city in my Ford Focus. I went to all the big and small florists and event planners I could find. I soon realized that growing up around the business and knowing about it, was very different than actually starting a business in Los Angeles. The first three to six months were very challenging. People didn’t know who I was and were reluctant to try my product when I didn’t even have a location or business van to transport the flowers.

Slowly, people started giving me a chance and Flowerlink started to take off. Later that year I bought our first van and by the end of 2005 I took a leap of faith and rented a small warehouse space by LAX and bought our first cooler. By then I had a full time office assistant and a part time driver. It was terrifying to grow and acquire more overhead but the business started growing and things worked out. That part time driver; Jose has now been with me for 12 years!!!

Since then we have expanded every year and have moved to bigger warehouses several times. We are currently located in Torrance and have 13 full time employees. They are a wonderful team who make the magic happen every day.

It’s been an amazing journey and a very humbling experience, even though it hasn’t always been a smooth ride. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the business I have, thanks to the continued support of my clients and to the Flowerlink team that goes above and beyond every day to surpass our clients expectations.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It’s been a great ride, not always smooth but that’s part of doing business, stressful and exciting at the same time. Some of our biggest challenges are due to the growing pains which I guess are good problems to have. When you start a business from scratch there isn’t a manual to follow and new situations arise daily where you have to make lots of short term and long term decisions not always knowing what the outcome will be. Sometimes you make mistakes and that is part of the learning process but it’s also empowering to see that a good decision could have a great impact on your business and your employees, I love being an entrepreneur, it is a big responsibility but a very rewarding experience as well.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Flowerlink – what should we know?
We are a full house wholesale florist; however, our biggest and most important item is the roses. It’s what we are mainly known for. We carry a large number of standard, garden and spray roses and are always at the leading edge, by growing and carrying the newest and most desired varieties

I am very proud of the great reputation Flowerlink has acquired throughout the years within the floral industry; it’s the result of many years of hard and consistent work to always provide the best products and the best service to our customers. I feel very grateful to have been able to turn my original dream into reality.

Flowerlink’s quality, service and reliability are second to none and it has set us apart from our competition.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Many people deserve credit, I used to be a one-woman show, but that gets old really fast and it’s impossible to sustain in the long term. My biggest mentor in this business is my father without a doubt; we have a wonderful father/daughter relationship and on top of that we have a deep love and connection for this business. For us it’s not only business, it’s personal. I’ve been fortunate to learn from the best in the industry and hope to continue to do so throughout the years.

When it comes to running the business and the many situations and questions that seem to arise almost daily, my biggest mentor is my brother who happens to also be my partner. If it wasn’t for his advice when it comes to business we wouldn’t be as successful; his discipline and knowledge have always been an inspiration.

Diego, my husband, has also been a key element to our success. He joined our team in 2008 and we definitely wouldn’t be where we are today if it wasn’t for his hard work and dedication. He is hands-down the most talented person I know when it comes to sales and he is the one that runs the show every single day. Aside from the three men I mentioned above, many people deserve credit; in particular every single one of my employees who works hard every day and show their continued commitment to what we do.

Contact Info:

• Address: 1207 Jon Street
  Torrance, Ca 90502
• Website: www.flowerlinkla.com
• Phone: 310-848-1843
• Email: info@flowerlink.biz
• Instagram: flowerlinkla
• Facebook: Flowerlink

Image Credit:
Christine Moore

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