Business
13 November, 2024
Self-taught florist scoops award at Cloncurry Local Business Network Gala
Sammy Campbell was delighted to win the Startup Superstar award.
From a disused goat pen to a flourishing field of flowers that supplies weekly bouquets to Mount Isa and Cloncurry – the evolution of Rosebud Station Flower Farm is the story of careful research, experimentation and cautious business expansion in a relatively untested market.
Having made it past the initial 12-month trial and now running a committed, full-time operation, business owner Sammy Campbell has been recognised for her against-the-odds tenacity.
On Saturday night she was presented with the Startup Superstar award at the Cloncurry Local Business Network Gala.
Sammy would be familiar to many across the North West for her almost decade-long journalism career in the region.
Married to Eddie Campbell, whose family has managed Rosebud Station between Mount Isa and Cloncurry for five generations, and with three young children at home, Sammy admits she had always been in search of her own small business idea.
It was while casually scrolling through Instagram last year that inspiration began to blossom.
She was following micro flower farms in southern states on the social media platform and wondered if there could be a market for fresh bouquets in the North West.
But before any customer base could be sought, Sammy needed to determine whether she could even grow a consistent supply of flowers in an arid landscape and so began months of diligent research.
She started in a 30m2 goat pen while she experimented with flower varieties she believed might sprout to harvest.
“I thought we could do a 12-month trial because I didn’t even know if we could grow flowers out here; then we would evaluate the situation,” she said.
“Growing flowers in the Outback might not be what you would deem a viable business opportunity so it was good to spend some time testing the waters to see what would grow.”
Sammy wasn’t even initially focused on selling flowers – in fact there were times she was giving them away – with an early Christmas marketing campaign involving simply walking down the streets of Mount Isa handing out bouquets to random strangers.
But word of mouth slowly began to spread, and it was around Mother’s Day this year that Sammy realised she might have a fledgling business when she found herself arranging bouquets until the early hours in order to meet the order demands.
She soon moved out of the goat pen and now tends to a 600m2 field on the property that is operated according to an evolving planting schedule that aims to have fresh flower varieties available for harvest year-round.
Sammy now loads up her car with bouquets twice a week and, with her kids in tow, she travels to Mount Isa and Cloncurry to deliver the flowers direct to customers.
She has also expanded her product line, collaborating with another Instagram-inspired business, Noss and Co, to offer Tasmanian Kirsty Hawkins’ handmade ceramic vases to North West customers.
Sammy encouraged others who have a hobby or a passion to research and trial how they might be able to sprout a new business from initial idea to full fruition.
“Starting a small business is daunting but it gives me a sense of fulfilment that I haven’t felt from anything else in my working life,” she said.
“Starting something from scratch and seeing it develop and grow is very rewarding.”
AWARD WINNERS
Start-Up Superstar
Rosebud Station Flower Farm
Movers & Shakers
Cloncurry 4WD Services
Workforce Warrior
Cloncurry Bakery
Community Champions
Cloncurry Constructions
Radical Retail
Brodie Hardware & Rural
Construction & Trades Titan
Auzscot Constructions
Tourism & Events Excellence
Curry Merry Muster Festival
Mining Master
MMG Dugald River
Stellar Small Business
Cloncurry Pharmacy
Hospitality Highflyer
Urban Leaf Cafe