Knappekoppen interview Daily Flowers

Interview with Daily Flowers

The most popular gift is, of course, a bouquet of flowers. Whether it’s for a birthday, a holiday, or even less joyous occasions, flowers are always appropriate. From an entrepreneurial perspective, you can see—and smell—that there’s a lot of potential in these cheerful arrangements. That’s exactly what Yvar Achterberg thought. Together with Kevin van Hilst and Carlo van Noortwijk, he runs Daily Flowers, and this month they launched an unmanned vending machine for flowers! Innovative and refreshing in a traditional market—We Love It. KnappeKoppen had the pleasure of interviewing him. Let’s dive in!

Welcome, Yvar! Who is Yvar?

Thank you! Let me introduce myself. I’m Yvar, 23 years old, and I live in Buitenveldert. I completed my high school education at Keizer Karel College in Amstelveen and then studied Business Administration for two years. Currently, I’m pursuing a degree in Law.

Since a young age, I’ve been entrepreneurial. I’ve organized various events and even ran a business in offline marketing. I’ve always enjoyed working. In my earlier years, I played a lot of football, and since high school, I’ve been into fitness. I enjoy staying busy—doing nothing just isn’t for me.

Why did you switch from Business Administration to Law?

After finishing high school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go to university. I already knew that entrepreneurship was my ultimate goal. Still, I decided to study Business Administration, a program I believed would further develop my entrepreneurial skills.

However, I quickly realized that entrepreneurship isn’t something you can learn in a classroom. The theoretical overload didn’t add value for me—it’s more of a gut feeling. So, the decision to quit Business Administration wasn’t a difficult one. But then came the question: what’s next?

Instead of choosing another program to enhance my entrepreneurial skills, I decided to study something that could complement my future business endeavors. On the advice of my girlfriend, I opted for Law, and it turned out to be a great decision. Over the past two years, I’ve learned a lot, including practical skills that are extremely useful for running a business. In the startup phase of our company, for example, I was able to draft contracts, review them, and understand our legal rights. This saved us from outsourcing work we couldn’t afford.

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? Don’t choose a degree expecting it to teach you how to be an entrepreneur—you won’t learn that in school. Instead, pick a program that adds value to your business.

How did three young entrepreneurs end up in the flower industry?

The idea of a flower vending machine had been on our minds for a while. We often ran into the problem that most florists are closed at the very times you need flowers—on holidays, Sundays, or late in the evening. The idea was there, but we hadn’t executed it yet.

It wasn’t until Carlo was studying in London that Daily Flowers was truly born. He met developers of vending machines there, and in his excitement, he immediately called Kevin and me. We were just as enthusiastic. When Carlo returned to the Netherlands, we sat down to figure out how to turn our idea into reality.

We quickly agreed that the traditional 9-to-5 florist hours don’t fit today’s world, where everything needs to be accessible at any time. That’s when we decided: we’re going all in. We wanted to make high-quality bouquets available to everyone, 24/7.

We spent months brainstorming and refining our concept. We didn’t want our vending machine to feel “ordinary.” Daily Flowers had to become a brand. That’s how we came up with ideas like luxury bouquet bags, an artistic backdrop for the machine, exclusive vases, and prime locations. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we had to delay the launch, but that extra time allowed us to improve our concept.

We’ve since launched a website offering bouquets for individual purchase or subscription, with or without vases. We also provide bouquets for corporate clients. A significant shift was deciding to make the bouquets ourselves instead of outsourcing. This gives us full control over the process, ensuring every bouquet meets our standards and aligns with customer expectations.

Finally, on Monday, August 9, 2021, our machine was installed at Hoog Catharijne. We officially launched on August 10, and the positive feedback has been overwhelming!

You mentioned that the past year and a half has been incredibly educational. Could you share a key lesson?

Absolutely! One of the most important lessons we’ve learned is to speak up when dealing with other companies or individuals. As new entrepreneurs, you can feel overwhelmed by industry veterans. We learned not to take everything they recommend or say at face value. If something doesn’t feel right or seems unreasonable, speak up. Staying true to yourself is crucial.

Another key lesson is that setbacks are inevitable, but they make you stronger. We’ve faced many challenges, and while they were discouraging at times, each one taught us something valuable. Often, setbacks gave us the opportunity to revisit our plans and come up with improvements or new ideas.

Lastly, we learned that the best way to bring ideas to life is to simply start. It’s smart to plan a little, but endless development won’t get you anywhere. At some point, it’s all about learning by doing.

How do you divide tasks between Carlo, Kevin, and yourself?

It all happened quite naturally. We all share the daily tasks—making bouquets, restocking the machine, buying flowers, delivering orders, and meeting clients. While we each have our preferences, we do these tasks together to understand our business processes inside and out.

However, some responsibilities are divided: Kevin manages the website, Carlo handles finances, and I focus on the business side. Together, we complement each other perfectly. The fact that we don’t always agree leads to creative ideas that we wouldn’t come up with individually.

Tips for entrepreneurs working with vending machines?

If you’re working with perishable products, like us, it’s essential to keep a close eye on quality. Your products and the machine are the face of your business. We inspect the bouquets daily to ensure they meet our high standards. Also, invest in a reliable, user-friendly machine. Customers should be able to trust that it works flawlessly—technical issues are unacceptable.

Would you recommend starting a business immediately or gaining work experience first?

It depends on your situation. If you have an idea you truly believe in, go for it. However, if you want to be an entrepreneur but don’t know what to pursue, gaining work experience can help. Working exposes you to problems and opportunities, which can inspire your business idea.

Future plans?

Our ultimate goal is to expand Daily Flowers across the Netherlands and eventually worldwide. We aim to offer vending machines, corporate services, subscriptions, and online orders while maintaining high quality and premium service.

What happens to unsold flowers?

We donate them to passersby, nursing homes, and eventually hospitals. Throwing them away would be a waste.

Lastly, what don’t people know about Daily Flowers?

Many don’t realize that we create all the bouquets ourselves, from design to execution. It’s been a rewarding experience to learn this side of the business. Three years ago, none of us would have imagined arranging flowers ourselves!