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Ep. 144: Evelyn Krebs: Choosing Her Own Way as a Florist

Botanical Brouhaha Podcast

Release Date: 01/15/2026

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More Episodes

Redefining Success as a Florist

In today's BB Podcast episode (No. 144), we're visiting with Evelyn Krebs, a Swiss florist, shop owner, and creative entrepreneur with nearly three decades of experience in the floral industry. As founder and owner of Stil & Stiele in Zurich, Switzerland, Evelyn shares what 25 years of shop ownership taught her about growth, courage, and building a business that actually supports your life.

We talk about her unconventional path—from apprenticing in the late 1990s to owning a long-running flower shop in Zurich, launching a concept-driven retail store, and reimagining what a sustainable, values-aligned floral business can look like. This conversation explores courage, redefining success, and building a business that truly serves your life—not just industry expectations.

Whether you’re a florist questioning traditional shop hours, dreaming of a different retail model, or simply craving permission to do things your own way, this episode offers thoughtful perspective and real-world insight.

Join us as we chat with Evelyn about:

  • her journey into floristry and opening her first flower shop in Zurich
  • using farmers markets as a high-end marketing and client acquisition tool
  • balancing creative work, management, and personal health
  • the impact of staffing, scale, and “growth at all costs” thinking
  • why fewer employees can sometimes mean higher profit and less stress
  • building a second, non-floral concept shop with higher margins and fewer demands
  • flexible staffing models using shared calendars and trust-based systems
  • selling emotion and experience rather than just products
  • redefining success over a long career
  • courage, boundaries, and opting out of the hamster wheel
  • self-service flower shops and retail models in Switzerland

Links mentioned in this episode:

Connect with Stil und Stiele:

This episode of the Botanical Brouhaha Podcast is brought to you by:

BLOOM TRUST CO.

A curated collection of floral resources you can trust.  Click here to learn more.

 

You can find show notes and more episodes of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast at botanicalbrouhaha.com, and you can find the BB Podcast co-hosts on IG @botanicalbrouhaha and @hey.nataliegill.

This episode of The Botanical Brouhaha Podcast was produced by Joel McGee. Original music by Landon McGee.