Georgia Martin on the journey from nine-to-fiver to business owner and full-time creative
Georgia is wearing our Linen Top in the colour Ecru
We recently sat down with the lovely Georgia Martin, co-founder of online store "The Undone" and one half of the uber talented duo that started “My Flower Man”, a go-to Sydney based florist and a tasteful minimalist's flora heaven. Down-to-earth and candid, Georgia shares with us about her journey from her 9 to 5 office job to business owner and full-time creative.
What do you do for work?
I own a business with my partner Kieran called MyFlowerMan. We started four years ago, very organically. We didn't think it would be anything at first it was a hobby for Kieran and then it snowballed. I also still freelance in the PR and content creation world and love collaborating on creative projects and things like that, so I definitely keep my toes in that industry. But my main focus at the moment is definitely MyFlowerMan.
I also co-founded an online store with a good friend of mine called The Undone. This year I stepped back from that operationally to focus on MyFlowerMan and other projects.
Where do you spend most your time during the week?
Most of our time is spent in our studio in La Porte Space, it’s in Roseberry and it's a creative space. We have a studio shop that we operate out of, so definitely a lot of time spent there and definitely a lot of time spent at home. I’m a huge homebody – I think if you work for yourself, as much as you’d like to have home and work separate, it definitely merges for myself and I’ll often be spending time on the couch on emails or planning with Kieran at home.
Home and the studio are definitely our two main spaces or our local park with our dog Dillon during the week. On the weekends, we love to get out of Sydney.
What did life before MyFlowerMan look like?
Kieran worked in real estate and I worked in PR. We both weren’t loving what we were doing – so life was very different. Kieran first went to the flower markers with a friend randomly and it struck a cord with him, he kept going back and asking our friends and family if they wanted anything. I then started freelancing with PR around the same time. It was kind of a cute little hobby for him and I started him an Instagram and I said he was ‘My’ Flower Man, and it really took off from there.
What is the most memorable moment in your early career?
I’m really proud and grateful of what we have created with MyFlowerMan, not just the business but the lifestyle, freedom and independence it’s given us. In the early days I was just working on it from a social media, PR sense and I guess in the first few months of starting the business, Kieran was featured in Vogue, Broadsheet, Sydney Morning Herald and Real Living, that was a surreal and memorable moment.
I would be in meetings with these media outlets and I’d be discussing other clients and I’d be like… well I’m also working on this: this is Kieran, he’s doing this. And they responded so well to it – I think it’s a bit of a shock, but it also made me realise that the idea of the business really had legs.
Kieran was working in real estate and he just switched and went to flowers, within 6 months he quit his job it was very random but exciting and I think it was also inspiring for people – not being in the corporate grind anymore. We still get lots of emails from people who work in corporate job and they often come in and ask can I do work experience for you or any tips for starting a business on the side.
Do you think its also timing, so it doesn't matter what you do, maybe someone could have done exactly the same thing, but it didn’t work out.
Yes exactly, I think its about letting it happen and “what will be, will be” and you just kind of have to go with it. That is very much Kieran’s personality, he is the most relaxed person I know and it’s slowly rubbing off on me.
What are some of the places you go to when you want to get out of the city?
We love to go home to Yamba, it’s an 8-hour drive so if we could take a Friday off, which we often do, we go Thursday night for a visit. It would be easier to fly… but we want to take Dillon with us so we always drive. Or we’ll go camping or rent an Airbnb on the South coast just to switch off and take some time to ourselves.
What is the first thing you do when you get home what does time for yourself look like?
I, like many am constantly ‘on’ or have a million things going on at once. It’s the norm these day and I certainly spend a lot of time on social media or online for work – I love it but when I take some me-time it’s definitely about switching off from all of that and enjoying what’s in front of you. If you’re an over-thinker, which I definitely am, it can get all get a little draining – it can be hard to switch off sometimes but I definitely when you can do it, you should.
I love putting a mask on, cooking and hanging in our local park with Dillon or just resting at home is basically what me-time is. I also love getting a facial, or doing a class or something like that is a nice thing to do for yourself. Or even just a wine with friends is always a great unwind.
Name 5 things your grateful for:
My family, and friends and health. I’m very grateful for little Dillon, I love her. I’m grateful for wine, wine is very high on my list, I do love a glass! I’m grateful for the opportunities that I have, so that I can be creative and love what I do. Opportunities allow you to take chances and risks and that’s something to be very grateful for.
I love how wine is in there (as she chuckles).
What does Kieran mean to you?
Kieran means… that's a really hard one because he covers so many facets of my life. We wear a lot of hats between us and in our relationship as well. I guess everyone does but we’re partners in that we’re partners in a business, we live together, but he’s also a dear friend, he means the world to me really.
What do you love about yourself?
Self-love is such a complicated thing for everyone. I know how easy it can be to know what you don’t like about yourself but how hard it can also be to name what you love. It’s something that as I get older I find a lot easier.
Self-love is essentially about acceptance of both the good and the not so good. So in saying that it’s about embracing it all. The good, the bad and the ugly. I guess if I have to name them I love that I’m loyal, strong, opinionated, loud, open and caring.
Is there any one you’d like to thank that helped you grown in your character and/or in your career?
I’m so lucky to have such amazing and dynamic strong women in my life. But I’d have to say my mum for this one, because I’m such a mummy’s girl and speak to hear every day if not twice a day. She is the first person I turn to if I have exciting news or having a bad day. I often turn to her if I’m unsure or having an issue too, but it’s also nice to have been raised knowing I can handle it on my own too but if I need someone she’s always there. I definitely can see a lot of her in myself, especially in my mannerisms – I’m very similar to my mum, which makes me cringe a little, but I love it at the same time.
Georgia is wearing our Linen Jumpsuit in the colour Black
If you could go back in time to a certain place, where would it be and why?
Whenever I think of a really happy time, Kieran and I and a few of our friends actually went on a trip a couple of years ago to Turkey. We spent this week on a boat and we really didn't do anything, it was a beautiful week sailing around Turkey, having no phone, no contact, electronics or anything like that, like you slept on top of the boat, you woke up for a swim, you ate something, you went for another swim, you went for a nap, didn't have to wear any make up or do anything for a whole week… that was one of my favorite times in my life. It was so relaxing and one of the only times when there was no pressures or things to do.
When did you start to really embrace who you are and what advice would you give other women?
I think I continue to embrace who I am as I get older, I’m 26 so I can see how much more comfortable in my skin I am compared to my early 20’s. I’m looking forward to how that grows as I mature, it's a really nice thing to be comfortable in your skin and in who you are.
I’ve never been a very uncomfortable person or an insecure person at all– I definitely have my insecurities, everyone has their own, but even looking back over the last year or even 6 months I think I’ve really grown and accepted who I am and also importantly what I want in life.
I personally had a really interesting year last year – I was feeling quite powerless and exhausted at the end of it actually, so I, taking that power back and re-claiming what I want to do, where I want to go and who I want to be, has been energizing and motivating this year. A lot of things didn't go how I’d planned and this year at the start of the year I was like: ‘just take a step back and see what happens, just be happy’. So that's kind of my mantra this year, just be happy. It’s very simple and a cliché but also much easier said than done, and I guess that would be my advice to people: if you’re not happy or doing what you think you have to do not what you want to do, you definitely have the power to change that.
If you could give advice what is your advice for younger women?
I have a little sister, she’s 18 – so whenever I think of that I think of her and what I tell her and hope she knows. I think to know your worth is really important and that failure is also as important if not more important than success. It’s important to learn for yourself and not be scared or feel like you have to live up to others expectations. Know your worth and not let anyone tell you any different and stand your ground but also to be flexible and allow yourself to change. It’s also a really formidable time right now, the MeToo movement is so powerful because you are seeing it on every level. Lots of conversations with friends have been about sharing experiences and I’m so glad my sister is growing up with that level of openness, transparency and support. It’s got a way to go but it’s a start and it’s better than when I was her age so that’s encouraging.
