Born and raised in Hong Kong, Karin Lee moved to Sydney to study and decided to call it home. Since she was a kid, she’s always wanted to have her own venture. Karin started her career in Marketing and after 15 years in the corporate world, she joined Motherhood in 2017.
With no family support in Sydney for her family of 3, a need for flexibility pushed Karin out of her comfort zone to pursue her dream. Karin wanted a business doing good and making a difference, so the world becomes a better place to live. She also wanted to be her daughter’s role model showing that we all can live our dreams, big or small.
Karin had the idea of repurposing flowers simply because she cherishes flowers. They are not only beautiful but also therapeutic with their natural power to touch our souls. Karin’s passion for flowers led her to learn floristry skills, she then soon realised that a lot of waste is produced in the industry and decided to play a part in minimising the environmental impact.
Florapeutic is the one and only flower repurposing business in Australia. The organisation is on a mission to tackle flower waste issues. Florapeutic rescues and repurposes flowers that are otherwise discarded after the events. Karin and her team want to help corporations and consumers reduce their carbon footprint by sharing their used event flowers with those who need them and preserving the blooms to pressed flower art for keepsakes.
This idea sparked when Karin and her husband experienced first-hand flower waste at their wedding. Their guests took some flowers at the end of the night, but the leftover was dumped immediately. Karin soon realised that it is a common practice in the Event industry. Meanwhile, scientific studies have proven that flowers help us heal faster by lowering stress and perceived pain levels. So, to hit two birds with one stone, Karin found Florapeutic in 2020 to deliver positive environmental and social impacts.
Apart from her passion for flowers, Karin loves spending time with her daughter, travelling to immerse in different cultures and enjoying good food.
What was the career transition like for you, from a marketer working in corporate to an entrepreneur?
It is a switch from focusing on a single aspect to become an all-rounder. When I was a marketer in corporate, my focus was within the marketing perspective. Being an entrepreneur means I wear multiple hats at a time – I am the marketer, the salesperson, the account and finance team, the strategic planner, the HR manager, the bump out crew, the pressed flower artist…the list goes on.
The transition was close to what I had expected. I knew that it would be challenging. I took care of my child during the day so I could only work at night and very often till late at night. I manage my priorities with flexible hours and have an adaptive style of working around my family that a corporate job cannot offer. I work towards my purpose and I feel fulfilled. It seems like self-doubt knocks on my door every now and then, but I learn to manage them. It is a career transition and I also see it as a journey of my personal development.
What do you think we as a society can do better when it comes to managing wastefulness in general?
It is overwhelming when it comes to managing wastes, especially when we do not have a holistic and consistent systems across Australia, not even among councils in the same city!
Remember the 4Rs below will help (there are about 7Rs but I suggest to start with the basics):
Reduce – minimise unnecessary consumptions; think twice before you buy new.
Reuse – as much as possible; the lifespan of an item may be longer than we thought.
Recycle – always wonder if the parts of an item can be recycled and search for organisations that can break them down.
Recover – it is possible that some waste can be transformed into resources and search for organisations that accept the waste.
How do you think we should better educate our children when it comes to sustainability?
I am a strong believer of role-modelling. Children pick up ideas quickly. When adults learn about sustainability, demonstrate to the children “how”, explain to them why they are important and how you and the children can take part.
In fact, children in Australia learn about sustainability at young age in childcare, preschool and school, they often educate their parents and carers at home instead! Ironically, we probably need to do more work on educating adults aged 35+ while keeping up the great work done on children.
What keeps you going in your business?
My purpose and vision guide me through the ups and downs while I aim to develop Florapeutic to be a leading organisation in Australia that helps educate the public and reduce floristry waste.
Customer feedback also proves that I am on the right track and offering valuable services that they love. Last but not least, my daughter told me that she wants to do what I do when she grows up!
What mental health tips do you have to share with other WoC Founders when it comes to balancing business and our personal lives?
I am still learning to manage a positive mental health, I find exercises help. I have been bike riding once a week for an hour and exercising at home for half an hour, once a week. Although it does not seem like much, my short-term goal is to build a habit and making it last for 3 months. Then extending it to more days a week. The good thing about exercising is it improves both physical and mental health in one go!
Healthy self-talk also works for me. Our brains like to play tricks and repeating negative self-talk which are not helpful at all. Next time when negative self-talk comes up again, catch that thought and feel how it makes you feel. If it is not serving you good, tweak that thought, be kind and motivate yourself, e.g. I can’t do it yet. It is ok as I am learning every day. Keep practising and I will get there soon!
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