Bella Fiore - Debra Pietersen

Debra Pietersen is the owner of Bella Fiora, an upmarket wedding & event planning company based in Brooklyn.  Here is her story.... 

INTRODUCTION 
Debra Pietersen, small town farm girl from the Free State. Matriculted in Bethlehem,and went on to study at UP. I am married and have two sons.
THE IDEA 
Nature played a very big part in my upbringing and my father would take us for long walks and teach us about the botanical names of plants, trees and shrubs from a very young age. After studying, I had been dabbling in all sorts of creative projects and craft markets when the love for plants and nature merged with my love for creativity and people.  
PREPERATION/SKILLS LEARNED  
I studied BHhk at university, which combines so many different study areas ranging from time management and commercial subjects to creative design  and even some BSc subjects. I would say that this offered me a good base to work from, but I had to sharpen my knowledge of plant/flower names as well as technical knowledge regarding the care, and use thereof. I used horticultural books for this and asked questions wherever I found myself in the company of experts in the field.  I would caution people about just doing any flower course available – I have heard about many courses being offered that really are outdated in terms of trends, equipment and technical information. I don’t believe in too many rules when it comes to being creative.  
LAUNCHED   2006
START-UP COSTS 
I started at the deep end, in a time of difficult personal financial circumstances. I really only bought the bare essential tools and equipment needed until I had found my feet a little. Approximately R5000 
PRODUCTS/SERVICES
Event planning services, weddings & event flowers, décor hiring, stationery design and supply
BIGGEST CHALLENGE 
Consistency, consistency, consistency. It really is the most difficult hurdle to overcome.  
BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN  
If you only do what you know you can do, you will never do very much.  Getting out of comfort zones often brings about growth. 
YOUR BEST TIPS LEARNED 
Listen, listen, listen. If you really listen to the needs of your client, you will not only meet their expectation, but often exceed it.
LOCATION 1038 Duncan (Jan Shoba)Str., Brooklyn, Pretoria
CONTACT DETAILS 
             Tel: +27 82 5527684
             [email protected]
             www.bellafiore.co.za                                                                                                                             
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