Nezza Blanquera is the owner (aka Chief Flower Officer) of My Little Posy, a flower delivery service that offers same delivery for one low price. We love this idea that people can put a smile on someone’s face with hand-picked fresh flowers and a hand written note for just $30 (includes delivery).
Hometown: Vallejo, CA
First job: selling hats at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, CA. Back then it was known as Marine World Theme Park in Vallejo, CA and it was where everyone got their first job (they were the only place that hired 16 year olds without experience). I would go there on my days off and get in free, get discounts on everything (employee perks) and thought I was the queen of the park. At 16 I thought I knew everything. Didn’t we all?
Favorite AZ restaurant: D.P. Dough in Tempe because I love a good Calzone (folded over pizza). A lot of Phoenicians don’t know of them because they’re an East Coast concept. They’re new and up and coming. They deliver until 4am on weekends and I’ve ordered from them way too many times to not give them a shout out!
Person who has impacted your life the most: My Dad because he ruled with an iron fist and tough love. He’s the definition of High Expectations Asian Father. He didn’t care about my aspirations, he celebrated my achievements. He didn’t give me an “A” for effort, he whooped my butt if I wasn’t #1 at everything I did. Because of him I’m not a wimpy, sensitive, and entitled Princess. He raised me to be a competitive beast.
Your biggest accomplishment in your eyes: Going hard in 3 cities: Hong Kong, Sydney, and Phoenix. I moved to Hong Kong without knowing anyone, no job, no connections, not knowing Cantonese, didn’t know the culture, etc. In 6 months I had 3 jobs, a work visa, got my own flat, made a lot of friends, and knew enough basic Cantonese to direct my taxi drivers to take me places. Then I moved to Sydney, Australia and same thing: didn’t have a job, didn’t know anyone, no connections, didn’t know the culture and I had $500 in my bank account. It was a do or die situation. In 6 months I got a good job in Corporate Finance, they secured me a 4 year working visa, got my own flat, made friends, and had a full resident life in Sydney, Australia complete with health insurance, a retirement fund, etc. Thereafter, I moved to Arizona, didn’t know anyone, had no job, no car, etc. I launched My Little Posy after 6 months and here we are. We’re the #1 Florist in Scottsdale (Google it) and Top Ten Metro Phoenix Florist (as stated by Phoenix New Times) and have gotten numerous press.
The biggest obstacle you have overcome: Lack of connections or knowledge. I moved to Phoenix not knowing anyone, didn’t have a car, job, limited funds, and I knew nothing about flowers. I knew next to nothing about Trademarks, Corporations, Contracts, Hiring, Digital Marketing, Social Media, Web Development, Accounting, and all the fun stuff of running a business. I hired a floral consultant, watched a lot of YouTube, researched the web extensively, annoyed my Growers, Web Developers, Accountant and Social Media Manager with a million questions, and taught myself how to run this company from top to bottom.
Someone who inspires you: Anyone who goes against the grain and what society defines as the norm, does what they want, and gets paid a lot of coin doing it. Yes, there are people who are successful in their own right because they are happy doing what they do as an artist, yoga teacher, musician, etc. But they’re living paycheck to paycheck. I’m inspired by beauty bloggers who play with makeup all day, Jonathan Adler who makes pottery all day, Perez Hilton who gossips about celebrities all day, Amber Rose who twerks all day, and they all GET PAID a lot of money because they have business acumen.
Favorite quote: Besides “Send Flowers like a Boss” (My Little Posy’s slogan, yes, shameless plug) my favorite quote is “You’re only here for a short visit. Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.”
Advice to someone pursuing a career path in what you do: Have a good trust fund or wealthy spouse (kidding, not kidding). Be like Nike and just do it. Have fears but ignore them. Don’t waste energy trying to change opinions or get people to like you. Don’t keep comparing yourself to others who seem more successful than you. Stay in your lane, be focused on what you do, and your time will come. Yes, you will make mistakes, gain 20 lbs in the 1st year because you’re constantly working, your eyes and fingers will bleed from 80 hour work weeks, you will waste money on things you thought you needed but actually don’t, half the time you look like you rolled out of bed, you’ll get unsolicited advice from people who’ve never owned a business, you will have anxiety about paying bills, you’ll feel like you’re chasing your tail, then all of a sudden when your checking account is down to $13.47, the sales pour in, you get a 5 star Yelp review, and a voice in your head (because you’ve gone mental from working so hard and long) says, “You’ll be ok.”
What makes someone fabulous: Being a generous human being without expecting anything in return.
Learn more about My Little Posy (and order some flowers!) at mylittleposy.com.
