Interview with Owner Caitlin Dunnagan. Be sure to follow CC’s Flower Truck on Facebook & Instagram.
How have you been able to pivot your business model? What have you done in response?
When starting my business this past January I initially envisioned pop-ups and rentals with the truck being my main focus. That’s what I dedicated most of my time and energy towards; establishing connections throughout the community to host pop-ups at local businesses and establishing a presence in the wedding/event industry. COVID-19 has changed all of that and I now have shifted my day-to-day operations towards contactless flower deliveries! With no pop ups or events to attend, delivery has become the lifeblood of my new little business! At the risk of sounding cheesy, flowers hold a lot of power. So I immediately knew I wanted to do something to help spread as many flowers as possible right now. Nursing homes were the first thing that came to mind, since so many people couldn’t go visit their loved ones I realized flowers could help show that we’re here…just from a distance now! So I started using a portion of all my delivery sales to go towards donation bouquets. The response was great so I expanded it to healthcare workers & other essential employees. I’ve now paired up with CUPS and their cUPLIFT program, which is awesome and am adding flowers to a lot of their coffee & food donations for front line workers!
What has resonated with you most through your community (or employee) giving?
Seeing how many people are contributing to the donation bouquets is incredibly moving. And then seeing the people receiving the bouquets and how something as simple as flowers can create such an emotional and grateful response, it’s all overwhelming! I think right now small random acts of kindness are what people need. We need to be reminded that we will get through this and that we’re not alone in this. Flowers can do just that! Being able to be a part of this has been really gratifying and has helped spread some much needed positivity throughout the community.
What do you or your business need most to succeed/stay resilient?
In order to keep my new business afloat throughout these uncertain times, I just need people to continue to see the value in having fresh flowers around and keep ordering deliveries! Before all this started I was really gaining momentum in the community and within the wedding industry by getting my name out there and getting people excited about the truck. So I hope when all this is over people will continue to be excited about this new business in Fort Collins and want to rent the truck and find us popping up around town!
What else would you like to share with the community?
I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support I’ve received during this time and I’m just so thankful for every new customer I get. With each delivery that goes out it helps me continue to move forward and remain open! Also collaborating with local businesses has been such a rewarding experience during this. Fort Collins has a ton of wonderful small businesses and many have been so welcoming and eager to help me continue to get my name out there and collaborate! Places like CUPS Community Coffee, The Welsh Rabbit, and Jessup Farm have all been really supportive and fun to work with!
