Au Courant Floral {Insider Inspiration}

Happy Monday y'all! 
Here’s to getting back in the swing of things! We hope everyone had a restful, wonderful weekend. We were lucky enough to chat with Meredith Mitcham Young, the owner of Au Courant floral. Meredith’s talent never fails to leave us speechless and she brings such a creative approach to event floral design. Keep reading for more on her experience as a female business owner right here in Mississippi! 

{Tell us about Au Courant!}
I am the sole owner of the business but I did start it with my great friend Matt Nicholas of M. Nicholas Designs.  He helped me get it started and decided to focus solely on his interior business. Au Courant offers our clients floral design for corporate events, parties and weddings and we also offer holiday design services.  Since we do not have a full time staff, we do not take daily deliveries.

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{Tell us a little bit about yourself!}
​   I am from Madison, MS and graduated from Jackson Academy. I attended Mississippi State University where I took a class in Floral Design and instantly liked it but I pursued a degree in marketing and went to graduate school to get my MBA. After graduating with my MBA, I took a job at a large law firm in Jackson, MS as their Marketing Director.  I loved my job but after planning my wedding and planning parties, I fell in love with flowers.

  I must also include the fact that my wedding flowers were a disaster! The florist included artificial doves in some garland and the ceremony flowers were falling down! While the planning was fun, the execution was lacking. I feel like that experience helps me to provide the best service I can to my clients by talking about expectations and paying attention to details. After I had been married for a few years, I decided to go back to MSU for a week long intensive course in floral design and thereafter, I attended conferences and workshops in New York and New Orleans.
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{What kind of inspirational women do you work with on a daily basis?}
​I don't necessarily work with people on a daily basis but I have a lot of friends that I seek advice from when I need a little help.  Being an owner of a business can be stressful but I look to my friends who are also working moms and we talk about the struggles we face in business and in life in general.  Should I spend more time cultivating my business, Should I spend more time with kids and husband? These are some of the questions I think we always ask ourselves and sometimes the balance between working and being a mom is hard.

{What’s it like being a female business owner in Mississippi? }
I think my industry is probably dominated by females on the whole so I don't think there are really in disadvantages to being a woman in floral design.  I'm a member of a few floral groups and I've met most of the members at conferences. Most of the members are female and we are all very supportive of each other and we bounce ideas off one another.  If I have a question about mechanics, this group is my go to. They have done all kinds of large scale floral design pieces and they have a wealth of knowledge, not only about design, but how to help you run your business.

{What words of advice would you give to other aspiring female entrepreneurs?}
Owning your own business can be very challenging.  I think it's always wise to surround yourself with people in your same industry because many of them may have experience and advice you will need one day.

{What’s your favorite part about living and working in Mississippi?}
I love working in Mississippi because there are alway people willing to help you. I've been blessed to have formed relationships with other floral designers in Mississippi and even though we are competitors, we really try to assist each other if we need it.  We give each other business and if we have a really large event, we ask each other for design help.

For more information on Au Courant, please visit their website.