Disrupting the way you make peoples day with Hannah from LVLY

I am so excited to introduce you to my guest for today’s episode. Hannah Spilva is the co-founder of the gorgeous flower delivery company, LVLY and together with her co-founder Verity Tuck, they are changing the shape of the gifting industry in Australia.

Y’all know that I don’t align myself with many brands. I get sent a lot of requests to review products, try services and talk about them on my Instagram, but I’m really intentional with who I align myself with.

LVLY flowers are definitely a company that I am so proud to have as our first official sponsor of The Queen Of Confidence. I have loved working with them and today on the podcast I wanted to pick Hannah’s brains about how she created such a well known brand in what is a relatively short amount of time.

Hannah and Verity have been so intentional with how they have built the LVLY brand since the beginning and when COVID threw a curveball, they were able to adapt quickly and have seen incredible growth over the last 18 months.

We all know that growth is fantastic, but is also brings with it a huge set of challenges. Keeping up with demand, hiring the right people, courier issues due to restrictions…it’s a lot! 

Hannah and I talk through how LVLY flowers was born and why this business is so important to her. She talks about those normal feelings we all have around self-doubt and how she’s been able to build resilience to achieve amazing things.

I’m so honoured to have Hannah on the show today and for all you business ladies out there, you are going to learn so much from this conversation!

Topics discussed and where to find them:

[0:58]: I fell in love with LVLY’s brand and products. They even became my first sponsor!

[3:57]: Hannah, co-founder and CEO of LVLY, shares her journey moving to Australia, her previous career, and starting a new life in Melbourne. 

[5:37]: Hannah talks about why they decided on flowers as their product and their mission to spread joy and create happiness. 

[7:58]: Same day delivery was the biggest challenge they needed to overcome. The problems arising from logistics led to the most innovation in their business. 

[9:00]: They are the only retail business in Australia that offers seven day, same day delivery. 

[10:30]: The purpose of spreading joy in the world gave them the incentive to overcome all of the challenges. The idea of something undoable drives them to succeed and not to take ‘no’ for an answer. 

[12:56]: Hannah’s experiences in life led her to develop a strong work ethic and build resilience and courage. 

[15:01]: Hannah has two children: a 3 year old boy, and an 11 month old girl. She hopes they understand the importance of kindness. LVLY was built on creating happiness through kindness. 

[17:18]: Covid and lockdowns led to LVLY thriving and booming. The art of gift giving has enabled their customers to be there for someone when they can’t be there physically. They grew 500% over a 12 month period! 

[20:41]: The incredible sudden growth was so difficult for Hannah and Verity. They worked around the clock, 7 days a week for over 12 months. By leaning into it they came through the other side with an amazing set up and incredible staff. 

[24:08]: They made the strategic decision for their business, 18 months before Covid, to change their flower supply chain to local suppliers. Around 40% of the flowers bought and sold in Australia are imported from overseas causing a detrimental carbon footprint and using harmful toxins. 

[25:48]: The relationships they had in place with their local suppliers and growers enabled them to meet the demand during Covid. 

[26:29]: Head over to the Queen of Confidence and review the podcast. 

[27:35]: Covid has led us all to innovate in new and creative ways. 

[29:30]: Hannah’s gift giving love language is ‘acts of service’. 

[30:12]: The flowers are only part of the giving experience.

[30:54]: Hannah has had to work really hard at developing her confidence. She learned to really understand herself and surround herself with cheerleaders who support her. 

[33:03]: Hannah encourages her children to be completely comfortable with who they are and confidence will follow organically. 

[36:52]: It takes tremendous courage to put yourself in uncomfortable situations. The effort and the hours invested will lead to confidence. 

[38:00]: Hiring new staff is a big responsibility that gives you further incentive to make it work. Hannah and Verity are committed, open and vulnerable with their team. 

[41:17]: Hannah questioned herself at times but always had a clear vision of where the business is going and what people will say about it. 

[44:43]: The best business advice Hannah would like to give is ‘anti-perfection’ – just get started. Have the confidence to do things imperfectly. 

[46:32]: Hannah came up with the name ‘LVLY’ while working with her husband on a different brand. 

[47:51]: Hannah and Verity spent significant time intentionally mapping out the brand design before their launch. 

[50:01]: Social media played a huge role in building their business, building a community and spreading happiness.  

[52:19]: As a brand you have to back up what you say on social media. World class customer service and how you treat people are the most important things. 

[55:48]: Their integrity and care for their customers is how they have built such an amazing and unique business. 

[57:39]: Hannah talks about what’s next on the cards for LVLY. 

[59:22]: Do the one thing really well and stay focused on your vision to take you to new heights. 

[1:01:30]: Where to find LVLY and Hannah.

LINKS:

LVLY Website: https://www.lvly.com.au/

LVLY Instagram: @hello_lvly

Ready to reclaim your confidence? Grab my International Best Selling book ‘Confidence Feels Like Shit’ – AUDIOBOOK out now or get a signed copy here!

Where To Connect With Erika:

Subscribe on Spotify
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts