Farmgirl Flowers – Christina Stembel

Christina Stembel didn’t have investors, a business degree, or a polished 40-page plan. What she had was an idea: disrupt the $7 billion floral industry with honesty, sustainability, and simplicity.

In 2010, she quit her job, risked her $49,000 life savings, and launched Farmgirl Flowers out of her San Francisco apartment. Instead of hundreds of arrangements like the big players, she offered one daily bouquet—crafted from locally sourced flowers and wrapped in repurposed burlap coffee sacks.

The road wasn’t glamorous. Christina pitched investors and was turned away. She spent years doing everything herself—sourcing, arranging, delivering. Without a framework to validate and refine her idea, it took years of trial and error to find traction.

But her vision eventually bloomed. Customers loved her sustainable approach. Word spread. Today, Farmgirl Flowers generates over $60 million in revenue, ships nationwide, and employs hundreds—all without outside investment.

Instead of spending years figuring out each step on her own, today’s founders have a new advantage: My Idea Desk. It’s the kind of guide Christina could have used—a way to sharpen your pitch, test your model, and map your next moves with clarity. Her story shows what’s possible with persistence and vision. My Idea Desk helps you take that same spark of an idea and move forward with confidence, momentum, and a clearer path to growth.