Gutuleanu Andreea, Founder of Rheea Roses: The Story of the Brand That Turned Soap Flowers into a National Trend

Discover the story of Gutuleanu Andreea, founder of Rheea Roses, the premium brand that redefined soap flower arrangements and inspired thousands of people through creativity, ambition, and perseverance.

Gutuleanu Andreea founded the Rheea Roses brand in 2020, at just 19 years old, while she was still a student at SNSPA, successfully balancing the growth of her business with her studies in communication and public relations. The brand specializes in soap flower arrangements, appreciated for their quality and uniqueness, with each bouquet being customized by the client. Thanks to her ambition and dedication, Andreea opened her own physical store after five years, while also building a community of tens of thousands of followers on social media. She aims to take Rheea Roses as far as possible and inspire others through her entrepreneurial journey.

C&B: If we were to look at the narrative thread of your career, what were the key moments that defined you?

Gutuleanu Andreea: I could start from the very beginning, so to speak — the pandemic period in 2020, when it seemed like the whole world had come to a standstill. I remember I was still in university and online classes had just started. I am a very active person, so staying at home was a real struggle for me. On impulse, I decided to start a “business.” I began making phone calls, looking for a space where I could carry out my activity, opening a company, and doing everything “by the book,” because from the very beginning I set my mind on building something serious, not just a hobby you could practice from the comfort of your home.

Within 2–3 days, I found the space: a garage. I bought a few materials. Back in 2020, soap flowers were something completely new in Romania, so they were quite difficult to find. I can honestly say that I am a veteran in this field. Little by little, I started learning how to create floral arrangements. It was not easy at all, and especially not easy to decide which direction to take this idea in — whether to focus on classic, mass-produced models or allow customers to personalize the final product exactly the way they wanted. That was definitely a key moment.

I came up with all kinds of unique products that had never been seen in Romania before, and I gradually gained followers. People were fascinated by what they saw, especially since our country was used only to natural flowers, while artificial soap flowers were viewed rather negatively, commonly associated with funeral arrangements. I proved to them that this perception was wrong. Even today, I have stayed in touch with many clients from six years ago, and some of them even attended the opening of my store, which I think says a lot about the way I approached this passion.

The story would be very long, but in short, the key moment that brought me to where I am today was choosing originality. I gave life to artificial flowers and created an alternative way of giving gifts. I chose to build a community that loves the products I create and, I believe, even loves me, although I do not focus too much on my personal image within the brand.

C&B: What has been the most difficult moment in your journey so far, and how did you overcome it?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The most difficult moment in my career was in 2023, when I was forced to find a new space in order to continue my business. It was extremely hard to move three years of “life” in just a few days. However, the biggest challenge was on a personal level: I was going through a severe depression and had started to lose my dedication to what I was doing. I simply could no longer see anything good in life, only negative things. The relocation intensified these feelings, making everything seem like a never-ending nightmare. Because I was no longer giving 100% of myself, sales also began to decline. Even so, I never let my followers see what I was going through, because I did not want to turn the page into a personal brand.

After months of coming to the workshop and creating bouquets and arrangements in a robotic way, without joy and without feeling connected to what I was doing anymore, I realized that I had to change something. I did not want to lose everything I had built, so I chose to take refuge in my work and focus on my brand. Gradually, this helped me overcome my depression. During that period, I came up with the idea of combining toys with flowers, and that is how the teddy bear bouquet and the Stitch character bouquet were born. They went viral and gathered hundreds of thousands of views in just a few days. That was the moment when I understood that this was my path and that I needed to continue dedicating myself to the Rheea Roses brand.

Through hard work, determination, perseverance, and many failed attempts, I managed to overcome one of the most difficult periods of my life.

C&B: Is there a dream or ambition that has always guided you, regardless of the obstacles?

Gutuleanu Andreea: My childhood dream was to be “the boss”, funny, I know. Maybe that is also one of the reasons why I chose to build something of my own, to create a brand that brings joy to people. Ambition has defined me ever since I was little; I always wanted everything I did to turn out as well as possible. I constantly took part in competitions and academic olympiads, and I always aimed for the highest grades, to prove to myself that I could do it, that I was “great,” as I liked to say.

That same ambition to be the best at what I do guides me every single day in my business, and during difficult moments, it is what motivates me to keep going. I feel like I already have an inner voice that constantly encourages me and helps me never give up.

C&B: If we were to meet your collaborators, what do you think they would say about you?

Gutuleanu Andreea: That’s a good question! I have built very beautiful relationships with my collaborators, and I have been working with many of them since the very beginning, which is why I can call them a second family. In urgent situations, no matter the time, they are always there to help me. In return, I also try to be there for them whenever they need me, even when they forget about a birthday and end up without flowers.

I think they would say that I am an energetic person, sometimes disorganized, although I am still working on that aspect, punctual, prompt, and always willing to help whenever someone needs support.

C&B: What is the most important decision you have made, the one that changed your trajectory?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The most important decision I made was in 2022, when I completely changed the direction of my business. That was the moment I decided to shape my products in a “luxury” manner, placing a strong emphasis on branding, so that people would want an everlasting bouquet specifically from Rheea Roses. Ever since 2020, I knew I wanted to move in a premium direction focused on quality, but at the beginning I did not know how to sell or communicate this vision to people.

If I had not shifted the business toward the premium segment at that moment, I probably would not have reached where I am today. It is very important to choose, as early as possible, the audience you want to address. If you build your brand as something cheap and accessible and continue in that direction for years, it later becomes very difficult to change people’s perception, because you risk losing a large part of your customers, who are already used to a certain style. There are many examples of brands that attempted this transition and failed. The image you build in front of your customers is essential for the growth and evolution of a business.

C&B: How did you develop your leadership style and your way of making decisions? Was it a natural process or something you learned over time?

Gutuleanu Andreea: The way I make decisions is, most of the time, quite impulsive. That happens because I rely heavily on instinct, although not exclusively, since at the end of the day we are talking about business and finances. Still, many of my creations and products were developed based purely on the feeling that “this is definitely going to work.”

I believe my leadership style started forming in childhood. I am a Leo, and I feel that this side of me is simply instinctive. Whenever I played outside with other children, I was always the one suggesting the games, inventing the rules, and coordinating everything, and the other kids genuinely enjoyed that. Later on, in school, high school, and university, the same thing happened: whenever we had group projects, I naturally ended up coordinating them, because my colleagues also felt that I was suited for that role and capable of managing situations well.

So, I can say that my leadership style and the way I make decisions are as natural and authentic as they can be.

C&B: What does an ordinary day look like for you now, and which moments of the day bring you the greatest satisfaction?

Gutuleanu Andreea: A typical day for me starts with receiving merchandise. We are constantly bringing in new products, which I organize in the storage area, and then I rush straight to the shop. There, we prepare orders, create arrangements, call customers for confirmations, and take on new orders. In addition, I constantly interact with the people who come into the store and help them choose the perfect gift.

Toward the evening, the courier arrives to pick up the packages, and after that comes the cleaning part. Since the shop is located on a main boulevard, it always has to look impeccable. Even after 15 hours of work, when you feel like you cannot go on anymore, you still have to find a little extra energy to make sure everything looks presentable.

My greatest satisfaction comes from seeing the joy of the people who receive the bouquets I create. Very often, I see young men leaving the store while their girlfriends are waiting in the car, and their reactions are priceless. I feel the same way when I see posts and stories on social media. In those moments, I completely forget about the exhaustion, stress, and worries.

C&B: What values or principles guide you in what you do, and how do you apply them every day?

Gutuleanu Andreea: I strive to become the best version of myself so that I can offer quality through my creations, always have a kind word for my clients, and successfully get through any day, whether it is filled with hundreds of orders or just five. Perseverance and ambition clearly define me, and many of my clients tell me the same thing. They have seen how much I have evolved over these six years, and that brings me great joy.

I have always aimed for everything to turn out exactly as it should, exactly the way I wanted it to, otherwise I would never have reached this point. I did not have much support in the beginning. People often told me to keep it as just a hobby and not get so deeply involved. It hurt to hear that, especially because I truly believed in the Rheea Roses brand. But I clearly did not listen, I chose to do everything the way I believed it should be done, and that is how I got here. Today, I have my own store, my own warehouse, and tens of thousands of customers who have expressed their satisfaction, appreciated the quality, and who, without even realizing it, motivate me every single day to continue what I do and to do it better and better.

C&B: If you were to send a message to the people who follow your example, what would it be?

Gutuleanu Andreea: This is truly an interesting topic. I want to encourage everyone to keep working until they reach the place they aspire to be, and then continue evolving. It is very important not to stagnate and not to settle for too little, because otherwise you risk remaining stuck in the same place.

I also believe that entrepreneurship is not for everyone, just as working in a traditional system for an employer is not suited to everyone either. The important thing is to find the place where you can truly excel and become the best version of yourself. And if you do not succeed on the first try, you have to keep trying until you find the place where you can genuinely be yourself and where you are appreciated.

There is nothing wrong with falling, the real problem appears when you no longer want to get back up.

As for the handmade industry, I am incredibly happy that I managed to create a nationwide trend and that our bouquets inspire thousands of creative people. It is an amazing satisfaction to know that many people discovered their passion through what we do. I hope that every time someone sees a bouquet with teddy bears, toys, or lights, they immediately think of Rheea Roses.

The story of Rheea Roses is more than just an entrepreneurial journey, it is proof that ambition, authenticity, and perseverance can transform an idea born in a garage into a nationally appreciated brand. Through creativity and dedication, Gutuleanu Andreea managed to build not only a business, but also a community that connects with the emotion and originality behind every bouquet created.