When we started Zinnia just over a year ago, our goal was to make sending beautiful, quality flower arrangements easy and affordable. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and we are thrilled to continue growing Zinnia in the new year!
Here are some highlights from an amazing year in 2015 and a sneak peek at what’s to come...
Zinnia accepted into Straight Shot Accelerator Program
In May, we were accepted into Straight Shot - an Omaha-based accelerator program dedicated to rapidly developing technology startups. Straight Shot provided amazing mentoring and many great opportunities to network. We can’t say enough about the inspiring entrepreneurs and companies we encountered. This is just one of the reasons we love all things local, especially the people.
We also received a grant from the State of Nebraska, which provides funding to help businesses develop new technologies that lead to quality job opportunities across the state.
Completion of Straight Shot & Demo Day
In September, we celebrated our completion of Straight Shot with Demo Day, an event that brought 400 entrepreneurs and members of the tech community together to hear pitches from seven emerging startups, including Zinnia’s very own Andy Holz.
We had lots of good things to share on Demo Day: our website traffic increased 245% in just a few weeks, and our flower sales remained strong during the slowest month of the year (we’re looking at you, August).
Zinnia wins $5K in TS Bank Tank Finale
We were honored to participate in a live forum and pitch competition event, TS Bank Tank, which showcased top established small business owners and entrepreneurs. Zinnia took home a $5,000 prize and it was an excellent opportunity for us to receive feedback from local experts.
Zinnia expands delivery into Kansas City
In November, we happily announced our delivery expansion into Kansas City, partnering with one of the best florists to offer fresh affordable flowers in the area. This marked only the beginning of Zinnia’s expansion plans to other Midwestern markets.
New holiday arrangements and size options
In December, we redesigned some of our most popular bouquets and introduced a brand new lineup of seasonal bouquets in three new sizes — standard, large, and extra large bouquets. We listened to your feedback and introduced fresh new arrangements that provide more bang for your buck!
WHAT’S NEXT
Looking ahead to 2016, get ready for Zinnia’s expansion to new cities (Lincoln & Des Moines, we’re coming soon!) as well as a brand new lineup of gift options - curated gift boxes and add-on gifts from local businesses in each city are just a few of the surprises on the way. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stay in the loop!
As always, thank you for all of your support and cheers to wonderful 2016!
- Andy, Nathan & Ben