Natasha Bartlett-Twivey - A Fabulous Faux Flower Florist
Updated: Oct 18, 2022
Natasha Bartlett-Twivey is owner and MD of Ferris Heart Sloane which is a florist business that specialises in artificial flowers.
"If you can imagine it, we can create it in artificial. From bouquets to buttonholes to flower walls and restaurant decoration"
For the majority of her career, Natasha worked in in-house marketing roles and with many well-known brands. She and her husband then decided to buy an artificial flower business as an investment opportunity and as a way to work on around their first daughter and new home.
Now that her daughters are both at school, Natasha has been able to focus on her business and it has gone from strength to strength. Ferris Heart Sloane proudly includes Marks and Spencer and Ralph Lauren in its' list of customers.
Natasha, when you started this, did you imagine that the business would be as successful as it is?
Nothing prepares you for starting a small business and essentially starting from scratch with an unknown brand. We've worked hard to demonstrate our capability and it's starting to pay off.
"I was scared that despite all my business and marketing experience, I wouldn't have a clue what I was doing... but the learning curve is fast and steep which I love."
How did you get into flowers?
I've always had a healthy obsession with flowers, roses in particular. I have over 100 roses growing at home!
Please tell me about yourself and what you enjoy doing
Naturally I love spending time with my daughters, along side I love travelling - I do my best thinking on planes.
I also spend a lot of time helping a variety of charities in different ways - mainly pro-bono marketing and fundraising.
Tell me something about yourself that people generally don’t know I lived in the Middle East for eight years - a fantastic period of discovery and entrepreneurialism.
I was based in Dubai. I flew a lot in my last two years with work. My then boyfriend and I flipped a coin having decided to go overseas and between Sydney and Dubai we ended up in Dubai. We had no jobs and no contacts but both had successful careers in our respective fields.
Natasha was interviewed by the Femail section of the Daily Mail. They wanted to find out what bags busy business women used when commuting into London.
Nobody would ever know that my daily £5,500 worth of handbags contain things such as pliers and twine for my job as a fake flower florist.
Natasha included an Alder laptop bag in the feature. She is a key supporter of new business and was looking for great bag that was available in colours other than black or neutral.
What do you see the future of your company being like? Exciting! As you know I am a marketer so by nature I see opportunities daily for Ferris Heart Sloane. Diversifying and following trends to ensure we remain relevant is key to our future.
I have also recently acquired www.theletterhirepeople.co.uk, which is a company that specialises in hiring out individual illuminated letters for weddings and events. I'm excited about its future and it compliments my floristry offerings perfectly.
How would you sum your personality up in three words? Optimistic, resourceful and friendly
What wise words do you say to your daughters? I've always liked this quote and the girls both have a wall hanging with the words in their bedrooms - "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."
As they get older I'm looking forward to explaining how relevant this is for their futures.