Bump to Business Owner

S3 E1: "It was a now or never moment" with Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings, Founder of FLOWERBX

Published: 1 February 2024 at 02:00 UTC

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Episode notes

After nearly 20 years as Tom Ford’s right hand woman, Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings went on maternity leave with her third child, and knew she was never going back.

Mat leave was a now or never moment, Whitney knew that the nascent FLOWERBX, set up 7 months before, was a good idea, but she needed to commit. And she never looked back.

There is some real honesty from Whitney in this conversation, what it was like being a young mother working in the fashion industry, ‘hide the baby, lose the weight’, and how difficult it has been creating a business since 2016 amongst Brexit, Covid, inflation and the cost of living crisis.

We spoke about how scary it can be leaving behind a career that has been a defining part of your identity, whether that’s to become a mum or to found your own business.

There’s also a lot of practical tips in there - Tom Ford’s #1 piece of advice, how to create the right team at home and in business, what Whitney wished she had learnt sooner and the 3 things that she wants every female founder to know.

Links:

Website: www.bumptobusinessowner.com

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

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolinepooley/

About Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings

Back in 2016, Dallas born Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings quit her job as head of global communications for Tom Ford where she had been for 19 years and started the online floristry company FLOWERBX

Whitney, was in search of luxury, single-variety flowers at an accessible price point, but could not find a florist or supplier that made her experience simple, reliable, and premium.

And she was not alone, with like-minded flower lovers from London to Manhattan encountering the same inconvenience.

Whitney recognised a niche in the market to deliver best-in-show florals to the front doorsteps of customers across the globe. With that, FLOWERBX was born, and their mantra has remained the same ever since.

Whitney Bromberg-Hawkings’s Links:

Website: https://www.flowerbx.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/whitney-hawkings-643a3317/

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