Meet the business queens riding the highs and lows of being in charge

Starting a business is often a daunting prospect for those who have never owned their own company before – and it can be even more daunting when customers doubt if you are the owner.

That’s something that has happened to Rosy Elesmore on several occasions – as she’s often asked for the manager and met with shocked reactions when they are told she’s right in front of them.

Rosy, a florist owns Odds and Buds in Tavistock. She took over her parents shop in 2012, when she was just 18 – after getting interested in flowers and foliage from a young age and working at one of London’s top florists.

Rosy began her apprenticeship in floristry, studying level 2 with Bicton College, then went on to study level 3 in floristry with Cornwall college down in Camborne. She then finished her floristry studies doing Level 4 Intermediate Certificate of Floristry (ICSF) with the Academy of Floral Art.

Rosy was also awarded the prestigious bronze medal at the Chelsea Flower Show in ‘young florist of the year’ competition. Now 30 years old, she says people still assume she isn’t the owner of the bussiness – but did find it was more frequent when she was a teen.

She said: “They always expect it to be an older person running the business. On a few occasions I have had people ask for the manager and they are shocked to see a now 30-year-old stood in front of them, I would say it was more of a problem for me when I was 18.”

Sharing her own advice to other businesses out there Rosy advises “don’t be afraid to listen to people’s ideas and other people’s input into your business journey”. She added: “Take on board the negative comments and learn from them, it’s okay to grow with a business it doesn’t happen overnight, just keep going and enjoy it all.”