A Blue Lady, LLC is a full-service florist located in Peachtree City, Georgia that has experienced solid growth during its first year of operation.The business is owned by Kimberly Morrison who opened her florist after attending a micro-enterprise course for start-ups. The 14-week course was offered by the Women’s Economic Development Agency which is an SBA certified Women’s Business Center based in Atlanta.

“The WEDA course was a great help to me,” said Ms. Morrison. “It was divided into small segments and that made it easy to comprehend.” Morrison said a major benefit of the course was the help she got in developing a business plan for her new florist. After the WEDA course was over, she took her business plan to a local bank in hopes of getting a conventional small business loan. The problem came, however, when the bank wanted to use her house as collateral for a loan. At the time, Morrison was going through a divorce and the house could not be put up as collateral.

Fortunately, Morrison heard about the SBA’s Community Express Loan Program which does not require collateral. The program combines technical assistance with small business loans that range from $5,000 to $50,000 in Georgia. With her loan from Business Loan Express (BLX) she was able to buy equipment, including a van and floral cooler, as well as interior fixtures to set up her shop in Kedron Village Shopping Center in Peachtree City.

Prior to starting her business, Morrison had gained some experience in the florist business when she worked part-time for another florist. “My business has grown very quickly,” she adds. “Even my daughter is helping out after school and on Saturdays.”

Since she opened her shop in August, Morrison has landed a number of exclusive contacts to provide floral products including a country club operation that owns a total of 15 facilities, along with a local County Development Authority.  It also helps that one of her employees is a floral designer with 27 years of experience.    

“A Blue Lady has proven to be not only a profitable expression of Kimberly’s floral abilities, but a catalyst for her metamorphosis from a newly-divorced, former full-time homemaker, into a self-assured entrepreneur,” observed Deardra Campbell, Executive Director of WEDA.

Morrison’s growing success in building relationships helped in her selection to chair the Fayette County United Way Campaign for 2006. This position will hopefully help her further increase the visibility of her expanding business.

A native of Lorain, Ohio, Morrison graduated from high school in Newnan, Georgia. She later attended the University of Georgia in Carrollton where she earned a degree in English.

A Blue Lady, LLC

1247 North Peachtree Parkway  

Peachtree City, GA 30269

770/632-1955  

www.abluelady.com                                                    

Release Date:  December 21, 2006                      

Contact: Jim Hightower (404) 331-0100, ext. 215

Release Number: 06-45