Meet Nicole Pineda

Hi Nicole, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am a Bay Area native with family roots in Colorado. With every visit, Colorado felt more and more like home. Two and a half years ago, I decided to make the move. Florals became my therapy after a major life change. It was purely a hobby.

My arrangements were catching attention which led to small and then large events. In staying true to my spirit of transparency, I will say that I was faced with a confrontational client and then decided to retreat to projects only for personal use. I didn’t know how to manage that at that time.

Fast forward to today. With changes in the primary industry I was in (high tech) taking its ebbs, I decided to reignite the public floral flame and here I am. I still do keep one foot in tech but the creative floral passion does not want to stay behind the scenes anymore.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would love to meet those that answer a strong ‘YES’ to this question. I think obstacles and challenges are just that, obstacles and challenges. They are very necessary to help us learn how to navigate and steer to be the best drivers of our business. I am grateful for the challenges faced in my past as well as those that may come. As a small business, my biggest hurdle has always been the cost factor. Recognizing my worth and charging for it.

Another struggle I face is maintaining overall balance. This business is mine, the growth and success is on me. When I receive an inquiry or need to send out an email or shoot off a social media post, the business doesn’t care if I am with family/friends or getting the long overdue massage.

It needs that movement to keep growing which in turn allows for those things to happen. I am getting better at allocating “quiet times” but will say this is an uphill battle. Allow me to put in print how thankful I am for my support system as they are patient when time is minimal and ready to just let loose and play when I unplug.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
It’s an adventure taken with my mom, which I think ties to the adventurous spirit I have today. My parents divorced when I was younger but that never stopped her from putting my younger brother and I in the car and taking road trips. I, as the eldest, was taught how to read a map and navigate, her co-pilot.

Yes, this is pre-cell phones (ha!). She would give us the freedom to veer off the path and explore points of interest we saw along the way. One early morning we left when it was still dark. I saw a sign that read “Ghost Town”. My eyes perked and next thing you know we’re headed down the bumpiest CA road in our Datsun. My brother, who was asleep in the back, woke up, and then the excitement built even more.

The sun started coming up right as we approached the coolest abandoned mining town. I don’t know how long we stayed but I remember vividly the road and the energy in the car. I feel that it is that same dopamine hit that drives me to explore today and widens the smile when I deliver flowers.

Update: As an adult, I have discovered that the road was the service road taken backward, and the ghost town is a top CA “must-see place”. The memory has become that much greater.