How I built a corsage business that runs itself

What 250+ orders taught me about systems, burnout, and why I built Picklo.

It started with a spreadsheet

When I launched Coosage, my corsage and boutonnière business, I thought I had it figured out. Take orders through Instagram DMs, keep track in a spreadsheet, collect payment via bank transfer, and send a pickup reminder the morning before.

It worked. For a while.

By the time I had fifty orders in a month, the cracks started to show. I'd forget to update the spreadsheet. I'd send the same pickup details four times to the same customer. Once, and this still stings, I double booked two customers for the exact same slot.

The invisible cost

The orders weren't the problem. The admin was.

Every new enquiry was another message to reply to. Every order was another row to update. Every event date was another morning where I'd be sitting at my phone at 6am, sending reminders and checking who'd paid.

I love making corsages. I do not love being a part-time receptionist for my own side hustle.

Building the system

I'm not a developer, but I know people who are. And I had a very clear idea of what I needed: one link I could send customers, where they could pick their products, choose a pickup time, and pay, all without me being involved.

That's what became Picklo.

I built the first version for myself. Tested it through 250+ orders across two school formal seasons. Refined it based on what actually happened in the real world: late changes, date blocks, run sheets for making day, customers who needed reminders.

Why I'm sharing it

Because I know I'm not the only one.

There are thousands of makers around Australia: bakers, florists, grazing box makers, cookie decorators, all doing the same spreadsheet dance I was doing. And most of them don't need a complicated business tool. They need something simple, that just works, so they can spend more time making and less time managing.

That's Picklo.

If you're curious about what it looks like in practice, you can start a free trial, no credit card, no lock-in. See if it fits.

Kristin is the founder of Picklo and runs Coosage, a corsage and boutonnière business based in Melbourne.