“Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.”
Psalm 30:5 is the passage of Scripture that sparked the idea for a business name for an LBC | Capital alumna. Hope (Lewis ’17) Mohler, a Business Administration graduate, started Morning Joy Flowers in the spring of 2023, holding her opening day at LBC’s May 2023 graduation ceremony.
Ted (’17) and Hope (Lewis ’17) Mohler are the dynamic alumni duo behind Morning Joy Flowers.
Morning Joy Flowers was born out of Hope’s desire to pursue a career she is passionate about. She found herself working at a job that she truly enjoyed, but one that fostered an unhealthy work environment. As she began thinking about the next steps in her career, she knew she wanted something more than a typical 9-to-5 job where she was just clocking in and out, and she wanted to do something where she could make an impact.
After gathering inspiration from various mobile flower businesses on social media, Hope made the decision to pursue her own vision. “I love working with and serving people, I love being outside, and I love flowers, so Morning Joy Flowers is a way I can bring all of those together,” she says.
Hope purchased a used horse trailer in August 2022 and, with the help of her father and her husband, Ted (’17), an LBC graduate from the Professional Counseling program, renovated it into the home base of her business. Hope and Ted take the trailer to local markets and events and set it up as a mobile flower bar where customers can create their own bouquets by individually selecting each stem.
As a business major, Hope said her time at LBC helped prepare her to be a business owner in so many ways. She took an entrepreneurship class her senior year where she had to create a complete business plan for a fictional business of her choice. “Having already had this previous experience of ‘starting a business’ from the beginning, it really gave me a good foundation for starting up Morning Joy Flowers,” she explains.
Outside of the material and skills she learned in her classes, Hope’s professors played a big role in preparing her for life after LBC. “The professors I had at LBC were always so supportive while I was a student, and even now having graduated a few years ago, they continue to stay connected and be supportive of the business graduates.”
The first special event for Morning Joy Flowers, the business of Hope (Lewis ’17) Mohler, was LBC’s May 2023 graduation.
The professors are the reason Hope would recommend LBC to a student interested in studying business. “I think that LBC offers something really unique that you won’t find at other colleges—and that is a personal connection with the professors,” she says. “Each professor makes sure they are often available to answer questions, give advice and insight about career questions, business questions and ideas, or anything. They share from their own experiences and knowledge that they have gained over the years.”
Now a business owner herself, Hope has big plans for Morning Joy Flowers. She’s currently working full-time while also running the business, but she and her husband hope to use the additional income from the flower trailer to pay off loans and purchase a home in a quicker timeframe. And possibly, sometime down the road, Morning Joy Flowers might become a full-time endeavor.
Wherever the Lord leads Hope and Morning Joy Flowers, her goal remains the same.
“Flowers bring me joy, and I hope that no matter what people are going through, that the flowers they purchase or receive from our business and the interaction they have with us, brings them joy and points them to Christ.”
Check out Morning Joy Flowers on Facebook or on Instagram @morningjoyflowers.