On the most recent episode of The Female Founder Show, Liza Roeser, founder and CEO of FiftyFlowers, shares how a chance assignment in Ecuador with the Peace Corps sparked a two-decade journey to transform the floral industry. Roeser built one of the first online platforms for farm-to-door flowers, pioneered DIY floral kits, and now delivers to thousands of weddings weekly.
According to Roeser, her leadership mantra remains simple: fall forward, empower your team, and never stop believing in the big dream.
Before launching FiftyFlowers, Roeser was living in Ecuador as a Peace Corps volunteer when she unexpectedly landed a job running an accounting department for a flower export company. “I just fell into flowers,” she said, crediting her early exposure to the supply chain for fueling her business idea. From there, Roeser bootstrapped her way to success, using $2,400 worth of Peace Corps-issued bonds to fund her startup.
Believe you can do it, dream bigger, and just go do it.”
Founded on a simple yet meaningful name, FiftyFlowers was one of the first direct-to-consumer flower delivery services. Roeser was told she was “crazy” for launching a web-based floral business in the early 2000s, but she persisted. She notes that the company now delivers to 4,000 weddings a week.
But the journey hasn’t been easy. “Flowers are a perishable product…you’re dealing with planes, trains, automobiles, and Mother Nature,” Roeser said. Early hurdles included logistical disasters, volcanic eruptions, and operating in a foreign country without formal business training. “There’s no SOP for when a volcano explodes,” she joked.
Still, Roeser emphasized a “fail forward” mindset as crucial to her growth. “Let’s go fail and celebrate it, because it’s a learning opportunity,” she said. That mindset also helped her evolve as a leader. Now on a sabbatical from day-to-day operations, she’s empowered her COO to take over while she focuses on writing a book, which unveils the science, logistics, and beauty behind every bouquet.
Roeser also discussed the importance of visibility and vulnerability on social media. “Not everyone’s going to like you… listen to your biggest cheerleaders,” she advised fellow founders. Despite a strong digital following, she says she still looks at her numbers and thinks, “there are a couple of zeros missing,” but that mindset is what she focuses on.
Looking ahead, her Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) is simple: “I want everyone in the U.S. to have flowers from FiftyFlowers pass through their dinner table at some point.”
Roeser’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? “Believe you can do it, dream bigger, and just go do it.”
ASBN, from startup to success, we are your go-to resource for small business news, expert advice, information, and event coverage.
