Rising Stars: Meet Caitlin Dunnagan

Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Dunnagan. 

Hi Caitlin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
In 2019 my mom, Cathy passed away from a rare Terminal cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma also known as CC (The irony isn’t lost on us there!). Before she passed, I had quit my jobs to be her caregiver full time. I had been in the Midwest for my mom and we moved back to Fort Collins after she passed and I found myself unsure where to go next and what to do. I had bartended for years prior but now approaching 32, I was burnt out on the bar scene. Unsure where to even start and feeling pretty down on myself for being in my early 30s without much “purpose”, my now fiancé who is an entrepreneur said to me “if you can’t find a job-make one!”. To which I laughed at because I knew that was WAY harder than it sounded. But 1 week later we were in Charleston, SC to spread my mom’s ashes and I saw a flower truck. 

I believe things happen for reasons and I just knew this was my next step. With the support of my dad and my fiancé, within a month I had bought a sweet old VW truck and picked a business name. I was taking a huge risk but I believed Fort Collins was the right fit for this business and I was right. The amazing community here has embraced us and helped us grow, even amongst the pandemic. 

So, my idea to sell by the stem flowers out of an old VW has blossomed into us collaborating with many businesses in town, offering deliveries, designing for special events and weddings, having employees, and opening a brick-and-mortar storefront this spring. 

I miss my mom every day but I know she would LOVE this business and be so proud of what we have grown here. Our name CC’s is for Caitlin & Cathy, so every time someone asks “are you CC?” I get so smile and say, no just one of the C’s, my mom Cathy is the other. And it reminds me she is with me every step of the way. 

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road hasn’t been smooth but I never expected it to be. Bumpier rides always tend to be the most fun! In all seriousness, I think the financial aspect has been the hardest for me. Being able to take a loss somedays and still move forward is key. As an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to spend money to make money and that concept, to this day, is hard for me to grasp sometimes. Having some pop-ups be a flop can be stressful but I see each stressful experience as a learning lesson. I make note of what I could have done differently or how we can avoid this in the future. 

Also, the unknown with COVID was, like for so many, also stressful but we were fortunate in the big scheme of things. I opened on Valentine’s Day 2020 and a month later the world shut down. But it forced me to pivot. So, we started offering deliveries which were incredibly popular during that time as people just wanted a way to reach out to other since we couldn’t in person. 

Another minor detail is I’m not a trained Florist! I never worked with flowers, I had never ran a business, and I didn’t even know how to drive a stick shift. So, when I decided to start a business selling flowers out of an old manual truck, I had to embrace the fact that this journey will most likely not be “smooth”…but I knew it would be worth it. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
With starting this business, I wanted people to have a hands-on experience with flowers. Most people love flowers but often just receive them and put them in a vase and it stops there. I wanted our guests to be able to pick up a single bloom and take it in, take in its beauty and uniqueness and decide what the next bloom is they should pair it with. So, when someone comes to the truck that’s exactly what they can do! They pick their own flowers from the numerous varieties we have and build their own bouquet. 

We also always try to have fun and unique flowers on the truck. Things you won’t find in the grocery store bouquets. We will always have an array of local blooms to tropicals from the other side of the world. One of my favorite things is when someone gawks at a bloom they’ve never seen before and leaves with it and that’s what makes people want to come back, to discover something else new and beautiful. 

What’s next?
We’re opening a storefront in the spring of 2022! We couldn’t be happier as running a business in Colorado out of a truck can be challenging with weather. Especially in the winter months, I still stay open because this is my livelihood, but we have to cancel pop-ups all the time due to it being too cold, too windy, too snowy, etc. So having the stability of a brick and mortar will be so helpful. We also are ready for the extra space! We work out of my garage right now and we’re maxed out with space, so spring 2022 can’t come soon enough for me and my team. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ccsflowertruck.com
• Instagram: @ccsflowertruck
• Facebook: @CCsFlowerTruck

Image Credits
PeachStreetPhotoco
NatalieDyerPhoto
MarquisePhotography
AubreyBethPhotography
JaredKniggePhotography