Help Miss Flora of You & I Create a Family Play Garden!

TLDR: click here to watch a video of the explanation!

Hi! I'm Flora: wife, mother, and owner/operator of a small people over profit business in Bowling Green, KY. I love trees and children and being happy, and my favorite words are empathy, support, growth, and community!

So why are we here? What's all this about? A few weeks ago I put out an anonymous Google form garnering interest for an outdoor play garden. It got a couple hundred responses (amazing!) and the consensus was clear: YES! You think it's a great idea and want this available in Bowling Green. A few of you even mentioned under "activities you'd like to see" section to "talk to Flora, the girl who does music and nature classes" and it warms my heart to know you guys think of me when you think of quality programming for little ones!

So now here we are! Let's dive in to a little about my business, why we're here, and this daydream of mine...

Why You & I?

I named this business You & I for a myriad of reasons, though the most important being you & I as the first stepping stone to global coherence. It sounds simple: uniting the world with love. But where do we start? With you & I. Though I'm not coming at this from a standpoint of "I" being myself, Flora. In my mind, it's your POV looking at your baby, your child, or your partner and saying "you & I". I'm only here to help you connect with your family, so you can connect with other families and we can build a community - and then another, and another, eventually meeting everyone with love and gratitude.

What do you mean by holistic wellbeing?

I thought long and hard while coming up for a tagline to publish for my small business, and now it's proudly displayed on business cards, brochures, and my website: "Encouraging the holistic wellbeing of families through growth and connection." My goal is to encourage you and your children to connect and grow with your families so we can all connect with our community. We all do better with a little support, compassion, and consideration.

Why not continue to teach programs at Lost River Cave?

I love LRC and the space they have graciously allowed us to use as our outdoor classroom; I'm so grateful to have had access to such a special place all these years! Continuing on the path of growth, the next step is creating a unique outdoor play garden filled with magic, wonder, and awe.

Do you need an outdoor and indoor space?

In addition to the play garden, having an indoor space will allow You & I to continue offering all the programs and services you love: Little Songs, infant massage, babywearing dance (plus new programs that are in the works) conveniently under one roof as opposed to all over town! Think The Nest meets Lost River Cave meets fairy garden, but more. Magical!

Why use it as a rental space?

Bowling Green has some great spaces for private children's events. My intention for this one is to not only serve as a place for connections to sprout and grow, but as a rental space for parties and events (public and private) so all children can experience the magic of the garden and indoor space. I also know how hard it can be to find a space to use while you're trying to start your own business, so I am reserving space for like-minded startups to use as well.

People over profit: what do you mean by that?

My business philosophy isn't a good one in the average business person's eyes, and that's because I choose to operate in a "people over profit" way. Someone who I care for dearly once told me "you could make so much more if you switched from what you're doing [providing programs for families] to this [what she was referring to] instead." I was taken aback, because for me it's not about the money and it never has been. I offer these programs and services because I love them and want to help families, not because I want to get rich. Now try setting a meeting at the bank for a business loan and telling them you're people over profit. As you can imagine, it doesn't go well! Banks are businesses and businesses like money. In order for me to stay true to my ideals and values, I will not raise prices. Though while self-sufficient, You & I needs to turn a larger profit so I can afford the growth the community is dreaming of. So how do we grow without raising prices or squirrelling away revenue for the next 10 years? We ask for help! So this is me asking for help from my community, who I love so much, to foster this dream and best serve you, your children, and your families!

I can't contribute financially, but I want to help. What can I do?

Share! I'll be entirely honest with you, I dislike social media. I stink at it, it takes up so much time, and I don't want to spend my time posting and creating reels. However if I'm not active on socials, no one knows I'm here and offer the services they've been looking for! You can help in sharing the few posts I do make. Get the word out, even if you aren't local. I've found some of the best allies who share views from the other side of the country, and even internationally! Isn't global coherence amazing!? If you have just a small bit of money to contribute, consider ordering Okie Doughkie , my homemade, small batch, organic play dough. Or enroll in a program or book a service if you can! After all, those are my favorite since we have the ability to connect.

What do you plan to do with the money you receive from this campaign?

I believe in transparency and I love communication, therefore I plan to be entirely upfront with you as time goes on. I already have most materials required for programs and services, therefore I have bigger plans for all money received from this crowdsourcing venture. First and foremost, securing a physical location to support both indoor and outdoor capabilities, then to hire a landscape architect, as well as purchasing building materials for smaller projects that I can accomplish myself.

Will you hire help?

I'm just one person wearing way too many hats! I will definitely be hiring help. In addition to opening this space, I'm also looking forward to opening two job positions intended for women who are mothers to children ages 0 - 10. One position to mothers who have a background in IECE or Waldorf/Steiner or Montessori and/or are passionate about early childhood, parenthood, and supporting families, and one to an experienced childcare worker/nanny.

As a mother myself, I feel strongly that mothers who want to stay with their children but also perform a job they're passionate about should have every opportunity to do so. I am so grateful to be able to bring my children along with me to "work" and I want others to experience that as well! However, we can't always parent and work at the same time, which is where the nanny comes in. Someone to care for our children and ensure their safety as we all work together to make this space and these programs magical and helpful.

That's it friends! A bit about me, my dreams and intentions, and how you can help if you choose. I invite you to email me with questions and I will answer them to the best of my ability! I love chatting with families about the benefits these programs and services can offer and I love making friends, so let's get to know one another!

If you haven't filled out the Google form I mentioned and you would like to, you can do so here!