How to survive going viral: These small business owners share what they’ve learned

Mother’s Day coming just a couple weeks after the wedding was a huge opportunity for Chehab, one the florist wishes she’d been better prepared for. “We were flooded with orders for Mother’s Day, and I ended up panic-buying flowers from wholesalers,” she says of her purchases, which included pricey and somewhat rarer peonies and anthurium. What Chehab didn’t do was load up with cheaper and more easily available flowers like carnations and baby’s breath. She felt it was more important to meet customers’ expectations than to save money.

“I offer flowers that can’t be found in the grocery store,” Chehab says. “So I paid to maintain my standards. I also hired extra people to help deal with the orders.” In the end, the unexpected expenses were worth it. Her sales more than matched them, and many of her new customers have already placed repeat orders.

These days, Fahrenbacher keeps a small supply of her unglazed pottery on hand in case one of her designs goes viral, which happened again after the Today show featured her studio in 2023. That cuts down on the usual two-week timeline to produce new pots. And Chehab has learned not to overly fret about ordering too much. She’d over-ordered for Valentine’s Day, making her hesitant in May. That contributed to her Mother’s Day flower shortage. “It was a lesson learned,” Chehab says. “As long as you’re not losing money, it’s going to be OK. Sometimes it’s OK to break even.”

As a relatively new small business owner, Chehab never wants to say no. But she realized during her viral moment that it can be the best option. “We try our best to make it work, whatever the budget,” she says. “But I learned that I really shouldn’t take every single order, because sometimes it's just not worth my energy.” For example, some budgets simply won’t stretch to include those peonies. Fahrenbacher agrees. There are times you can’t take on more work. “After the letter, people would message me, and I just didn’t have anything left to sell,” she says. “I asked them to join my mailing list, and I would email them when I had more product.” 

It can be hard to predict when lightning will strike. Chehab and Fahrenbacher both had social media posts prior to their viral moments that racked up thousands of views without turning into orders. “I think lots of creators and makers, business owners, want to go viral, but sometimes you do and it's crickets,” Fahrenbacher says. “That’s important to point out. You have to keep trying to find something that strikes a chord with people.” 

Both business owners compare going viral to riding a wave, and both advise, “Just go with the flow.”

Chehab wishes she hadn’t stressed out so much and had taken more opportunity to appreciate the nuttiness of it all. “It also taught me to take more risks,” she says. “I thought about making that purse for months but was nervous it would fall apart. Be confident in yourself.”  

If your business goes viral, Fahrenbacher warns, it’s a wild ride. “You’re going to be very tired,” she says. “You’re going to get overstimulated. You’re going to be stretched thin. It’s crazy and unpredictable. But in one day I sold what I’d normally sell in a month. So, yeah, it’s great, too.”