Today we’d like to introduce you to Madalyn Ziongas
Hi madalyn, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
About 2.5 years ago, I had my twins, and almost four years ago, I lost my stepmom. After she passed, I decided to honor her love for fall by setting up a pumpkin patch that grew into a full fall festival in my hometown. We donated all the proceeds to the school where she worked and even started a scholarship in her name. This was right after COVID began, and seeing the joy on people’s faces as they gathered to make memories truly lit me up inside! It was incredibly fulfilling to know I had created something that made a positive impact in my community. Fast forward to January 2021—I got pregnant and welcomed my twins in October that year. It was a huge life change, and I instantly felt overwhelmed. Keeping up with my 5-year-old while caring for newborn twins, nursing around the clock, homeschooling, and having no family support was overwhelming. As Christmas approached, I was looking at Christmas decor when an idea struck—how amazing would it be to deliver Christmas trees, complete with a visit from Santa in a vintage truck? I was sort of stuck at home with these new babies and the idea struck me that there are probably many moms who are in need of some cheer but stuck at home, either postpartumly, or with no support, etc… so let me bring the joy to him! This was also a post-COVID world where many people had stopped going out, and what I realized is that we’re all craving moments, experiences, and memories. I felt this idea could bring that joy to my community. And while I may not be able to change the whole world, I can definitely start with my community and my family. I found a truck shortly after I decided this was meant to be and shipped it here from Tennessee and began working on the build out with my infant twins and five year old in tow. It was a crazy year! I would come to the truck every morning and look at it trying to figure out what would I do to bring joy to people year round? While out in my garden one day cutting flowers and gathering vegetables it hit me- FLOWERS! it’s where I found so much joy during the hardest times and I knew that was it. I would bring flowers to the community through a unique EXPERIENCE! With Bentleys it’s about the whole package- the flowers and the joy and health they bring to you, the experience of getting in there and creating something with your own hands and many times the memories it creates when friends and families come and create together! It’s not just another gadget to bring home- it’s a memory that lasts forever. It’s beauty in a sometimes uncertain and ugly world. What began as an idea that I thought would be a small part time hobby, turned quickly into a full time flower and event business. In the beginning we I had my kids in tow to many events, I was working all weekends, and eventually realized this was something more than I had ever imagined. We hired our first employee and have two more in the onboarding process and have already began expanding with a second truck and flower cart.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It was not a smooth road and continues to have bumps along the way, like any small business however, I will say that even though I didn’t have the most solid business plan in the beginning, all the pieces continued to fall into place as we went and I truly believe this was meant to be. Some of our biggest challenges in the beginning was figuring out how to get ourselves seen by the community, what farms to work with to get our flowers, and how to manage my infant twins who I was exclusively nursing. I was a full time stay at home homeschooling mom when this business took off and that made everything a challenge. I was working every weekend, holiday, evening. finding help and hiring employees was key to our success so we could expand and not get burnt out. We also underwent a large engine swap to make our vintage vehicle an automatic so employees could drive it- this was both costly, time consuming, and caused many operating troubles. WE did eventually sort them out but this was a huge obstacle for us.
We’ve been impressed with Bentley’s Buds and Brews Flower and Tap Truck , but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Bentley’s is a vintage flower and tap truck delivering fresh stems and the occasional drink to Charlotte and the surrounding region. We specialize in delivering a luxury build your own bouquet experience at private events, weddings, showers, corporate events and more, as well as delivering a unique, customized, experience to our customers at popups where they can build their own bouquet (however large or small). All of our flowers at our popups are priced per stem for a build your own experience. Bentley’s now has a mobile flower cart as well for events that require a smaller footprint and we are about to roll out our second popup truck! Customers or just people passing by enjoy stopping to check out our vintage 1949 chevy truck as he is a once in a lifetime photo op! We also have 3 taps on our truck that pour anything from beer and wine to coffee, lemonade, and nonalcoholic drinks! What sets us apart is the nature of Bentleys- to bring joy to everyone through a unique experience that families and friends can have together! We also don’t have a minimum requirement at popups- you can build a large bouquet or grab a single stem- we have tons of variety that you won’t see anywhere else in the grocery stores! Our truck is even complete with a treat jar for all of our pups! after all- Bentley’s is named in honor of our late dog Bentley who was my soul dog and light in the world.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Flowers/nature- joy thats given to others- dogs. All of these things are wrapped up in what we call Bentleys flower truck. I love the joy that is endlessly spread to the community by Bentleys. I have had many people leave with tears of joy in their eyes, telling me this was the best part of their day. Knowing that we had this impact on them and the ripple effect that will have in the world, is so humbling and gives me so much gratitude and happiness. I am an outdoors girl- connecting with nature is extremely important to me- not only do I get to do this continually with the flowers but I get to give that connection to others as well. My soul dog Bentley gave me the experience of complete and total unconditional love and it changed me in so many ways. He was a light in the world, loved children, and always helped remind me to give it to others and always be the light. Dogs are angels on earth.
Pricing:
- popup- flowers range from $1-$7
- private rentals range from $250hr-$375hr
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bentleysbudsandbrewsflowertruck.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bentleysbudsflowertruck/
