Meet Michelle Besu | Wild Coast Flower Preservation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Besu and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Wild Coast Flower Preservation was created in 2020, a time when the world was forced to literally stop and smell the flowers. During our family pandemic camping trips, I picked wildflowers, learned to press and preserve them. Inspired by love and nature, I wanted to create beautiful art, and resin became the medium. My business took off on Etsy (www.etsy.com/shop/wildcoastresinart) quickly gained traction with preserved flower items from my garden, but I started receiving requests on wedding bouquet and memorial flower preservation. Seeing the window of opportunity, I rolled with the requests; and thus, Wild Coast Flower Preservation bloomed.   

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We strive to make flower preservation easy for everyone; just shop our website, mail us your flowers, and we do the rest! When I started Wild Coast Flower Preservation, I researched my competition and realized that resin preservation was not easily attainable for the general public. Specialized preservation artists could not keep up with the demand, had booked calendars pricing by request only, and astronomical order minimums.

On a mission is to make flower preservation easily accessible across the U.S., I built our Etsy shop and website to show transparent pricing with no order minimums. We ramped up our team to handle high volume in order to meet demand, and accepted last-minute orders. Our prices are affordable in the preservation industry. We offer a wide variety of functional home decor items that are customizable, and are excited about our future products in development.

Ultimately we found success in leaning into our differentiators and providing outstanding customer service! I am proud that Wild Coast Flower Preservation has been able to accommodate thousands of brides who simply could not find an artist, and I’m thrilled that our preservation artwork is in over 8,000 homes across America!

The journey is ever evolving and certainly not for the faint of heart. Growing a new business requires pushing yourself past your comfort zone. A dream without action is only a dream. I wanted to see growth in the flower preservation industry, so I put effort toward building Wild Coast Flower Preservation every day. It was awkward to have a small home business, exhausting to work a day job then roll into all-nighters, and the change was emotional on all levels. I stayed motivated by the fact that I was making an impact across America,

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Being from Pompano Beach, I am always impressed by the renovation projects of my developing home town. We would likely spend time at the beach and new restaurant area in Pompano (Beach House and Oceanic). During our week together, we would likely jump on the water taxi Fort Lauderdale for some fresh salt air and a relaxing view of the waterfront homes on the intracoastal. I would schedule a few fitness classes (yoga, beach walks, bike riding, skating). Maybe go down to Markham for some trap and skeet shooting at the range…. I didn’t name my business “Wild Coast” randomly. We are wild people who live on the coast!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Building a small business from home required the help of my immediate family. When Wild Coast Flower Preservation became popular on Etsy, the orders were rolling in, as well as boxes of fresh flowers to my doorstep. My husband jumped in to help with pouring resin, my sister-in-law helped with pressing flowers, designs and answering messages, and with the support of friends, we grew!

Website: www.wildcoastflowerpreservation.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildcoastflowerpreservation/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildcoastflowerpreservation

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@wildcoastflowerpreservatio8326

Other: www.etsy.com/shop/wildcoastflowerpreservation

TikTok: WildCoastPreservation