Ericka Barreto (12) founded Anise Floristry in 2018, and began her business’s second year with an ambitious goal: she was going to sell flowers at Point Loma Nazarene University’s annual Homecoming celebration. And the event turned out to be a total flop for her.
But what could’ve been seen as a failure led to unexpected success as the CEO of a thriving small business.
As Barreto developed her floristry company after graduating with a degree in interior design, she decided to return to PLNU for Homecoming. However, after planning a careful array of floral wares for the event, she only managed to sell a few bouquets and succulents. Despite the disappointing turnout, she realized this event was a learning experience, and was set on returning in future years with a new perspective.
“It taught me a lot about target market[ing], understanding who you’re selling to,” Barreto said. “From then on, I was like, if I’m gonna drop hundreds of dollars on not making any money, then why not drop a couple hundred dollars on giving something away?”
“I just use it as an opportunity to give back and spread joy, and I think people love fresh flowers,”
Barreto said that now at Homecoming, she preps about 100 bouquets, and by the end, all of them are given away for free. As students, alumni and parents line up to receive their fresh bouquets, Barreto has become known as “the girl who gives away flowers.”
“I just use it as an opportunity to give back and spread joy, and I think people love fresh flowers,” she said.
Barreto’s Homecoming giveaway isn’t just something that’s spreading joy. It’s also become an inspiration to students.
“Some people are shocked that I graduated from [PLNU] and that you could actually do something like this and make a career out of it,” she said. “I think it’s really cool to think that there is more than just this one route, or maybe two routes, that you have in front of you.”
Although Barreto studied interior design, she’s still finding ways to apply her major to what she does today. She often has conversations with students who are studying things like psychology or accounting, and encourages them to lean into a hobby and see how those things can intertwine.
“[I love] encouraging people to open their minds to something that’s not very clearly in front of them, but something that they can pull their passion into,” she said.
Encouraging students to pursue their passions is something important to Barreto, since she didn’t choose her major until her sophomore year. In fact, she thought her college experience was going to look very different. Receiving a partial scholarship and fully committing to play volleyball at PLNU, Barreto’s life took an unexpected turn during her first week of school.
“I quit volleyball during orientation,” she said. “There were actually 12 girls on the team that quit within the next two years. … As disappointing as it was at that time, the more I talked to past teammates, it just continued to be challenging for them. I think there’s some regret of quitting early on, but also for my mental health, it was a choice that I chose to make. I knew college was gonna be more demanding than high school, and I just couldn’t imagine being an athlete under that experience, as well as taking on the bigger demand of college.”
Despite the challenging decision, it led to a season where Barreto was able to grow in her faith.
“I felt like my relationship with God changed from something that I was taught and raised to do to becoming my own [and] having the time and space to process what a personal relationship with God looks like,” she said. “I think, ultimately, it’s shaped the way I am today.”
Without volleyball on her schedule, this season also allowed Barreto to have the flexibility to study abroad in London.
“I chose to go to a study abroad program that specalized in interior design,” she said. “Studying abroad was a great experience because I got to take residential design, commercial design and AutoCAD2, which is a computer programming software.”
Although what Barreto does today is different from what she studied, she said that the creativity of interior design is something she still practices today.
“I believe that we’re all creative,” she said. “It’s just what medium you choose to be creative in. There’s so many options out there. … I love the idea of someone appreciating my creativity, and then I love the idea of a project that is now complete. It just feels so satisfying.”
It’s been 14 years since Barreto graduated from PLNU, and seven years since her flubbed event at Homecoming. Since then, Barreto has come a long way. In 2021, Barreto’s business merged with Hartworks Floral, who have created arrangements for nearly four decades. Today, she serves as the CEO and creative director.
“I actually went and found an established business,” she said. “And I bought their business, and then they already had the space and the supplies, the clientele and the people, and I, with my knowledge that I already had, was able to continue that on.”
“I believe that we’re all creative. It’s just what medium you choose to be creative in. There’s so many options out there.”
The woman who previously owned the business was getting ready to retire. While her grandchildren had helped her run it, they weren’t able to keep it going. So the owner showed Barreto the ropes.
“She just kind of took me under her wing, and was like, ‘Yes, you are the best candidate for this. I think you’d be a great fit,’” Barreto said.
Barreto’s journey from PLNU to Hartworks Floral was unexpected, but it’s one that has led to a world of creativity and connections.
“I am excited to see where God takes my family and my business in the next five years,” she said. “As long as we’re focused on God and we’re being intentional with our time, He wants to bless us.”
