From $0 to $65M Selling Flowers From Her Dining Room | Christina Stembel

In this episode, Christina Stembel, founder of Farmgirl Flowers, reveals how she built a $65M+ floral business from her dining room—with no funding, no degree, and no industry experience.

She reveals:
✅ Why she chose a perishable, logistics-heavy product in a recession
✅ How she scaled with no marketing budget and $411 left in the bank
✅ The scrappy strategies that drove early word of mouth and virality
✅ Why she received 104 VC rejections—and why she’s now grateful
✅ How she handles seasonality, shipping subsidies, and customer obsession
✅ Why bootstrapping gave her the power to run the business her way

If you're building a physical product brand or navigating growth without outside capital—this episode is a masterclass in grit, resourcefulness, and strategic thinking.

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📸 Instagram →   / nathanchan  
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🔗 Connect With Farmgirl Flowers
🌍 Website → https://farmgirlflowers.com
📸 Instagram →   / farmgirlflowers  
📸 Christina’s Instagram →   / christinastembel  

00:00 - Intro
02:07 - The Unromantic Reason She Chose Flowers & Her Business Mindset
03:53 - Her Background Before Founding Farmgirl & Early Career Lessons
05:10 - Quitting a Stable Job to Start a Risky Business in 2010
07:14 - Running the Business on $49K & Marketing With Coffee Shop Bouquets
09:19 - Going From $56K to $920K in Revenue With $0.24 Marketing Budget
10:31 - Why Her ‘One Bouquet’ Strategy Was So Revolutionary
12:12 - How She Got Her First Real Paying Customers
13:28 - Growth Through Grit: From Flyers on Cars to Facebook Ads
15:13 - Beating the Odds: Solo Female Founder, No Funding, Still Scaling
19:10 - Building a Profitable, Purpose-Driven Business With No Investors
23:25 - Breaking Out of San Francisco: The Challenges of National Shipping
26:14 - Why She Refused to Compromise on Product Design or Quality
29:00 - How Farmgirl Manages Seasonality, Risk & Flower Supply
34:05 - Breaking $1M in Revenue Through Word of Mouth & Loyal Women Buyers
38:10 - Competing with VC-Backed Companies by Focusing on Product & CX
40:08 - $65M Revenue, Controlled Growth, and The Path to $1B
42:02 - Christina’s Biggest Lessons on Sacrifice, Team, and Longevity

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