A FLORIST who was told that her dyslexia would stop her being successful has just opened a shop in Wanborough.

Charlotte Phipps set up her own business on Marsh Farm after being in the floristry trade for 17 years.

Early in her career, she was sacked on the spot for making a spelling mistake but this did not deter her. She went on to gain the right qualifications and work in several other shops around Wiltshire.

The 32-year-old mum of two said: “I have severe dyslexia. I started working in a flower shop as a Saturday girl and then became an apprentice. I loved the creativity of working with flowers and plants, they speak a thousand words.

“But during my apprenticeship, I made a bad spelling mistake and was sacked. I was told that I’d never make in floristry, that my dyslexia was a deal-breaker.

“Clearly that person was wrong, dyslexia is actually my superpower. Flowers are my words and always will be.

“Floristry is my life, my family know how much time it takes and they support me and always have. When my children were small, I felt it wasn’t fair to start my own business and was better to work for someone else.”

Initially, Charlotte worked from home but flowers and plants soon took over the home she shares with husband Andy and sons Ollie, 11 and Jasper, eight.

She asked her parents John and Jane if she could convert a barn on their farm Marsh Farm into her first flower shop. Now she works six days a week at the shop and delivers flowers and plants around Swindon within a 10-mile radius

She added: “Mum, dad and my step-dad Rob have been so supportive along with my husband Andy. They’ve always wanted me to run my own business.

“It was actually last year that I realised the time had come to commit. My former employer told me she was going to take more time off in 2020 as sales were always up when she wasn’t around – I was the manager – so she wasn’t going to be around as often.

“It made me realise I was building someone else’s dream while having the stress of running someone else’s business. Why not just run my own business and build my own dream?

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