Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays . . . with so many occasions appropriate for flowers, a florist shop is an enticing business to start. If you have a love for everything green and a desire to forge your own path, starting a floral business is ideal for you. Perfect your floral-arranging and customer service skills with a traditional florist shop; brighten others' days with an office plant-care service; or encourage creativity with a pick-your-own-flowers establishment. This guide gives you advice on everything you need to start out right, including:

For more than four decades, Entrepreneur Media has been setting the course for small business success. From startup to retirement, millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners trust the Entrepreneur Media family; Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, Entrepreneur Press, and our industry partners to point them in the right direction. The Entrepreneur Media family is regarded as a beacon within the small to midsized business community, providing outstanding content, fresh opportunities, and innovative ways to push publishing, small business, and entrepreneurship forward. Entrepreneur Media, Inc. is based in Irvine, CA and New York City.