Mompreneurism: Ariel Unselt
Photos by: John Burns
Ariel Unselt’s career made it difficult for her to pick up her kindergartner at the bus stop whenever her husband had to work overtime shifts.
“I was having a hard time in the corporate world putting my family first and I knew I had to rethink the situation,” she said,“ especially when I was pregnant with my second child.”
When her friend, Chris Page, pursued a real estate career and slowed down her floral business, Unselt was intrigued by the chance to work from home. She asked Page to teach her how to make floral arrangements, and in October 2017 Unselt bought the business from Page.
When she quit her job to focus on Chinell’s by Ariel Floral and Event Design full time, the initial financial hurdles were daunting, but seasonal work at a bakery provided Unselt additional security as she transitioned from paid professional to fledgling entrepreneur.
Unselt and Page created an arrangement through which Page would keep her current clients and Unselt would handle any new ones. Unselt handled floral arrangements and other services for about 30 weddings in 2018. By the end of 2021, that number had risen to more than70 events.
Unselt loves interacting with clients about their ideas, creating design boards and executing their wishes. One of her favorite events was a 2020 wedding for which a bride envisioned elevated centerpieces, over head installations, and other high-impact elements she considered priorities for orchestrating her special occasion.
“It could not have gone better,” said Unselt. “She was so happy and we were, too, because it was the biggest proposal we’d handled. The bride still makes social media posts about how much she loved everything.”
In May 2020, Unselt expanded the business to include The Rogue Florist.
“With the pandemic, we needed to be creative in a different way,” she said. “No one was hosting weddings so we needed to be a resource for birthday, anniversary and just-because bouquets. We marketed The Rogue Florist through social media and picked up clients.”
In September 2021, Unselt purchased Studio in the North Topeka Arts & Entertainment District (NOTO) to provide space for small events as a complement to floral services. Rebranded as Rogue, the business’s tag line is “Exceptional Events and Experiences Empowered by Flowers.”
Unselt credits her supportive small business network with helping her succeed.
“There are so many powerhouse people to link arms with here,” she said. “In my previous job, I used to roll my chair over to the next cubicle if I needed help, but when you’re working by yourself and making decisions, it’s empowering to visit with others encountering some of the same things, even if they’re competitors. We have to lift each other up and do this together.”
As a small business owner, Unselt appreciates the opportunity to focus on her flair for floral design and forging partnerships that make her business thrive while delegating tasks she’s not as skilled at to others who are.
“We put so much pressure on ourselves to get better at things we’re not good at and it’s 100 percent okay to rely on other people,” she said. “We don’t have to be good at it all.”
In addition to the satisfaction Unselt derives from customers pleased with their arrangements and event results, Unselt also values the flexibility she’s been able to achieve with team members she counts on, especially since her youngest child’s recent ADHD diagnosis.
“God has a plan,” she said. “I have to lean into this diagnosis and know that it’s okay to be a mom first while my team takes the reins of the business when I need to step away. I knew starting out in 2017 that flexibility was important to me, but I didn’t know just how necessary it was going to be for my family.”
For others looking for encouragement in forging more harmony between work and family, Unselt stresses the need for persistence, dedication, and an ability to see failure as an opportunity for improvement.
“A lot of people have a roses and candy canes view about owning a business and often comment that entrepreneurs must have tons of money, but most have never been more broke,” said Unselt. “At the same time, I don’t feel like I knew who I was until I owned this business. I have a quote on my vision board that keeps me pushing: ‘Don’t wait for other people to light your fire. You have your own matches.’
