The Business Behind the Blooms
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Natalie Noll ’26 is putting her economics degree to work as the founder of Nova Flora, using lessons in pricing, markets, and operations to build her floral business.
October 5, 2026
Jess Clarke
4-min. read
Poole economics alumna Natalie Noll '26 holds a bouquet she made for a photoshoot at the Raleigh Rose Garden. (Photo by Alyssa Nemac, a 2022 NC State Wilson College of Textiles graduate.)
The most that Poole College graduate Natalie Noll did with flowers as a kid was picking peonies and daffodils in her family’s yard to decorate the house. But during her time at Poole, an unexpected elective changed the trajectory of Natalie’s future. The 2026 economics major discovered a passion for floral design — and a path to turn it into a career.
“I picked the floral course [in NC State’s Horticultural Science Department] to learn a hobby to do in my free time,” Noll says. “But later, working at a florist shop, I realized it was something I might want to pursue as a career.”
She didn’t waste any time.
Noll’s experience in Poole’s Department of Economics helped her develop a startup and in 2025, she launched Nova Flora LLC six months before graduation.
In the horticulture course, Noll’s class visited Raleigh’s The English Garden florist where, as a Poole junior, she got her first job in the industry. She began by processing flowers then progressed to creating small arrangements.
Her economics education at Poole showed her how broadly she could apply what she had learned. “I chose economics because I thought it would give me a good footing to go into many different directions and job areas,” she says. “But I never thought I’d own my own business and that it would be in flowers.”
Noll was inspired by her mother, who had her own ophthalmology practice years ago. “Seeing my mom’s success with her business was a driving factor for me. And I had the support of my parents,” Noll says. “They’ve always encouraged me to pursue my dreams.”
Noll poses with an arrangement she created with her English Garden colleagues Sarah Munroe and Ashley DeGaus for the N.C. Museum of Art’s 2025 Art In Bloom event.
Noll runs the business solo in her hometown of Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, where she also freelances for two other florists as she builds her clientele. Weddings and branding events for small businesses are her focus. Noll creates some flower arrangements before events, but wedding arches and staircases require on-site work.
Her eye-catching designs start with many back-end tasks: finding in-season flowers, coordinating with a venue’s staff and other vendors so equipment arrives on time for her flower placements, working with wholesalers to make sure her blooms are delivered punctually and are the right colors, and processing them to extend their life.
“I love the intentionality behind running my business,” Noll says. “Most clients have a vision, and I’m able to stick to that vision while having my creative freedom with designi