Vanessa Miglis’ love for floristry began when she was just 13 years old. Starting out as an apprentice, over the years that passion grew into a lifelong journey.
She evolved from managing various florist shops across Adelaide to launching her own florist shop at just 16 years old, to running her own wedding and events styling business.
Noticing a critical gap in the market for highly trained and knowledgeable floristry professionals, Vanessa took it upon herself to improve not just her own business, but the industry as a whole.
Today, she is the proud founder and principal of Adelaide Floristry School, an institution dedicated to training the next generation of florists across Adelaide and throughout Australia, with ambitions of taking the school global.
“My business journey has been amazing,” Vanessa smiles. “I've had so much opportunity. At the age of 16 I opened up my own flower shop … and then I found a passion for weddings,” she explains.
Vanessa pivoted from shop front to education because she found there were not enough people trained in the industry and able to work in stores or at events.
"I found there weren’t enough people that were trained in our industry,” says Vanessa.
“[The industry] needed people to work in the stores that have opened up, who have the employability and skills.”
As her business quickly grew, Vanessa sought tools that could help her run her operations more efficiently, which led her to MYOB Business Pro.
Streamlining operations for growth
Vanessa’s journey with Adelaide Floristry School wasn’t without its challenges. Starting from scratch, she built the school from the ground up.
From designing courses to training staff, Vanessa’s days were packed, and keeping track of her business manually was becoming increasingly difficult.
“I needed a system that was really easy to use so that I could eliminate paperwork,” she recalls.
“I can send out a quote the same day a client enquires, and once they accept, I can quickly convert it into an invoice.”
- Vanessa Miglis, Adelaide Floristry School
Making the change from her existing bookwork system of pen and paper to MYOB was spurred by the need to free up time as a business owner.
“As a small business owner, I needed to find a program that was easy to use. I'm a florist by trade, so needed a system that is just easy to use and not complicated,” says Vanessa.
That’s when MYOB Business Pro became a vital tool for her business.
Powering efficiencies with MYOB Business Pro
The impact of MYOB on Vanessa’s business has been transformative. By automating essential functions like invoicing, quoting, and payments, MYOB Business Pro freed up hours each week.
“MYOB saves me 5 to 8 hours a week, allowing me to spend more time with my students and my children.”
- Vanessa Miglis, Adelaide Floristry School
“My accountant has full access to all the data, and it saves us time on formal meetings,” says Vanessa, and for a business owner juggling multiple responsibilities, this time saving was invaluable.
Vanessa uses MYOB every day—whether she’s invoicing students at the start of each term, quoting corporate clients, or processing product sales.
“MYOB has made our accounting so much easier, especially at tax time.”
- Vanessa Miglis, Adelaide Floristry School
The platform’s seamless invoicing and payment features allow her to focus on what matters most: running her business and teaching.
Delivering real gains and returns for the business
The return on investment for Vanessa has been significant. With MYOB Business Pro, not only has she gained precious time back, but she’s also improved the financial efficiency of her business.
“Being a small business, it’s so important that you get paid quickly,” she explains.
This has directly contributed to maintaining a healthy cash flow, which is critical to sustaining her growing business.
“MYOB means that I can get paid faster, and there's money in the account to sustain the business.”
- Vanessa Miglis, Adelaide Floristry School
Additionally, the ability to easily switch between quotes and invoices has streamlined her client communication process. “It’s been fantastic for business,” Vanessa says.
Supporting an ambitious future vision of growth
Looking ahead, Vanessa’s ambitions for Adelaide Floristry School are clear. She wants to expand her online platforms, reaching students globally.
With MYOB Business Pro supporting her day-to-day operations, Vanessa is confident that she’ll have the time and resources to focus on her growth strategies.
“MYOB will support my business goals over the next five years by giving me more time to develop our online platforms,” she explains.
For Vanessa, adopting MYOB Business Pro was one of the best decisions she’s made for her business.
“It’s been the best business decision I’ve made. MYOB makes things so easy, especially at tax time, and everything is accounted for.”
- Vanessa Miglis, Adelaide Floristry School
Importantly, this new ease of business operations allows Vanessa to spend more time on what really matters: her students.
“Teaching a skill set that someone can use anywhere across the world, and just having a look at the confidence that walks out the door after a ten-week short program … that's the rewarding part I get out of what I do.”
