KNOW HOW

What KNOW HOW does

KNOW HOW Bildungszentrum für Gestaltung is a privately held, founder-led Swiss vocational education institution established in 1985 in Wangen bei Dübendorf (greater Zurich) by Nicole von Boletzky. It delivers hands-on, in-person continuing education and diploma programs for design professionals across floristry, home staging, and interior styling, using demonstration-based instruction in five purpose-built learning living spaces. The portfolio spans single-day seminars (e.g., CHF 350), a two-day Home Stager diploma (CHF 1,190), a 15-day Home Stylist diploma (CHF 6,950), a 26-day STARTER Floristik career-change program (CHF 5,950), and master-level florist training.

The school's core technology is its proprietary teaching methodology ('fördern und aufzeigen') and a craft-focused curriculum refined over 30+ years — there is no proprietary software platform. Revenue is generated through one-time tuition fees per program, with no subscription model; international reach is achieved through channel partnerships rather than owned infrastructure. The Academy of Flowerdesign (AoF) umbrella, founded 2015, extends the brand into a multi-country florist master school with locations in Switzerland and Austria and partner schools in Germany, Italy, England, and China, with state certification pathways managed via WIFI-Tirol and the Austrian WKO.

Customer segments are primarily individual design professionals and career changers, with a smaller but strategic tail of real estate industry clients (agents, appraisers) using the credentials to differentiate property sales. The institution is privately held with no disclosed external funding, and operates as an independent, single-founder-controlled business with a 40-year operating history and over 1,050 graduates across its two flagship programs.

Name

KNOW HOW

Legal name

KNOW HOW Bildungszentrum für Gestaltung

Website

https://knowhow.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KNOW HOW Bildungszentrum für Gestaltung is a Swiss vocational school founded in 1985, offering in-person diploma programs, master florist training, and single-day seminars in floristry, home staging, and interior design for design professionals and career changers across the DACH region and selected international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vocational Design Education

NAICS

All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional & Executive Short Courses (Non-Degree, International) (EDAIAIAH)

Keywords

• Vocational design education
• Floristry master training
• Home staging certification
• Interior design diploma
• Professional continuing education

Headquarters

HQ city

Wangen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Education Courses: KNOW HOW generates revenue through tuition fees for professional development courses and diploma programs in floristry, home staging, home styling, and design. Programs are priced as one-time course fees with no recurring subscription model. Fee structures vary by program duration and intensity.
2. Diploma Programs: Revenue from diploma programs including Home Stager (CHF 1,190 for 2 days), Home Stylist (CHF 6,950 for 15 days), and Floristry training (CHF 5,950 for 26-day program). Programs include optional state certification examinations.
3. Single-Day Seminars: Shorter seminar offerings including topics like Rebgerten (vine shoots) craftsmanship for CHF 350 per participant. These one-time workshop fees supplement the diploma programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KNOW HOW Bildungszentrum für Gestaltung is a Swiss vocational education institution offering professional continuing education in design disciplines. Its core offerings include diploma programs (Home Stager 2-day, Home Stylist 15-day), the STARTER Fachausbildung Floristik for career changers, the international Academy of Flowerdesign (AoF) master florist school, and single-day creative seminars. Programs are delivered in person at the Wangen b. Dübendorf facility and through partner schools in Austria, China, Italy, England, and Germany.

Product overview

KNOW HOW Bildungszentrum für Gestaltung is an educational institution offering a portfolio of vocational continuing education programs in design-related fields. The core offerings consist of: (1) single-day seminars (Tageskurse) covering diverse creative topics including floristry, hand lettering, and material-based design; (2) Interior-Ausbildungen — a two-tier program comprising a 2-day Home Stager diploma seminar and an advanced 15-day Home Stylist (dipl. Innenraumgestalter) diploma program; (3) STARTER Fachausbildung Floristik, a full florist foundation qualification delivered through an 8-month accelerated program for career changers; and (4) Academy of Flowerdesign / AoF, an international master florist school operating from Switzerland and Austria. A newsletter subscription rounds out the service portfolio. The school is led by Nicole von Boletzky and has operated for over 30 years from Wangen b. Dübendorf, Switzerland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Academy of Flowerdesign / AoF: International florist master school offering preparation for the European Florist Master diploma examination. Operates at locations in Wangen b. Dübendorf (CH) and Innsbruck (A), with partner schools in Germany, England, Italy, and China.
• STARTER – Fachausbildung Floristik

Products and services

• Tageskurse (Single-Day Seminars) Individual seminars covering diverse design topics including floristry, home staging, hand lettering, and material-based design. Short intensive courses for designers, florists, formgivers, and creative professionals seeking continuing education.
• Diplomlehrgang Home Stager A two-day diploma seminar (CHF 1,190) introducing the fundamentals of Home Staging. Covers color selection, wall and floor design, fabric use, furniture selection, accessories, lighting, scents, and room layout, concluding with photo documentation. Designed for real estate professionals, architects, and individuals seeking foundation staging credentials.
• Diplomlehrgang Home Stylist (Innenraumgestalter) A 15-day intensive diploma program (CHF 6,950, excluding materials) structured as three block courses of 5 days each. Builds on the Home Staging foundation to train participants as professional interior designers capable of holistically redesigning spaces. Covers color concepts, mood boards, wall finishes, furniture, lighting, styling, and photography.
• STARTER Fachausbildung Floristik - Florist/in auf 2. Bildungsweg A professional foundation training program (CHF 5,950, excluding textbooks, materials, and examination fees) for floristry on the second educational pathway. Enables career changers to obtain a state-recognized florist diploma through compressed block courses, 278 lessons, 540 hours of practical internship over one year, and a state final examination administered by the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO). Conducted in cooperation with WIFI-Tirol.
• Academy of Flowerdesign / AoF (Floristmeister-Ausbildung) An international master florist school with campuses in Wangen b. Dübendorf (Switzerland) and Innsbruck (Austria), preparing florists for the European Master Florist diploma examination through direct advancement without intermediate examinations. Includes partner schools in Germany, England, Italy, and China.
• Floristikseminare Day-long continuing education courses for florists and designers covering specialized topics such as wedding floristry, Mother's Day preparation, bouquets, vessel arrangements, and funeral floristry.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45 florist master students from 5 nations currently enrolled in AoF program
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• AoF Partner Schools (Germany, Italy, England)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020International expansion partnerships in Germany, England, and Italy. Programs scheduled to start April 2020, with local AoF graduates delivering instruction under Nicole von Boletzky's oversight.
• EASE FLORAL DESIGN-School (Kunming, China)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019International partner school in Kunming, China led by Lili Jing. First cohort graduated in 2022 with 29 graduates. AoF faculty member Christian Altendorfer travels to deliver specialized training modules.
• Academy of Flowerdesign / AoFcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015International florist master school founded by Nicole von Boletzky with locations in Switzerland (Wangen bei Dübendorf) and Austria (Innsbruck). The AoF system enables participants to prepare for European master florist certification. Over 750 graduates have completed the program since founding.
• WIFI-Tirol (Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with WIFI-Tirol enables delivery of the STARTER Floristry program in Innsbruck, Austria. WIFI handles examination services through the Wirtschaftskammer WKO (Austrian Federal Economic Chamber). This partnership provides the pathway to state-certified florist diploma for Austrian and international participants.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stage and Sell (UK): UK-based home staging training provider offering courses and certification to real estate agents and property professionals. Directly comparable to KNOW HOW's Home Stager and Home Stylist programs in equipping real estate professionals with staging skills to support property sales.
• Home Staging Institute: Spain-based international home staging training provider offering certified home stager programs across multiple countries. Overlaps directly with KNOW HOW's Home Stager diploma curriculum and target buyer of real estate and design professionals.
• Home Staging Academy: German-speaking home staging education provider offering diploma and certification programs. Directly comparable to KNOW HOW's Home Stager and Home Stylist diplomas in addressing the same real estate and design professional customer segment in the DACH region.
• McQueens Flower School: London-based premium floristry training school offering master-level workshops and career programs. Directly comparable to AoF's master florist diploma in serving professional florists seeking high-end training, with a similar premium, in-person delivery model.
• The Flower School (London): London-based floristry school providing structured diploma and short-course training for aspiring and working florists. Comparable to KNOW HOW's floristry seminars and AoF pathway as a competing source of formal florist qualifications in Europe.
• FlowerSchool New York: New York-based floristry design school offering professional certificate and master-level programs to working florists. Comparable to AoF's master florist training in delivering premium, structured florist qualification pathways to international professional audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK): Switzerland's major arts and design university offering degree programs in design and interior architecture. A broader incumbent that addresses overlapping design and interior education demand in the Swiss market, though at degree level rather than short-cycle vocational diplomas.

Others

• International Association of Home Staging Professionals (IAHSP): Global industry association offering home staging certification and training programs to its members. Adjacent to KNOW HOW's home staging education business as a competing source of industry credentials, while also serving as an ecosystem partner.
• WIFI Tirol (Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut): Austrian continuing education institution that is both a delivery partner for KNOW HOW's STARTER program and a broader competitor in adult vocational education across multiple disciplines. Comparable in serving the same Austrian adult learner segment with state-accredited continuing education.

Regional players

• Berufsfachschule für Floristik (German vocational floristry schools): Network of German vocational floristry schools providing state-recognised florist apprenticeships and diplomas. Comparable to KNOW HOW's STARTER pathway in targeting the same career-changer and apprentice florist segment, though primarily serving the German market through traditional dual-education routes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/know-how-bildungszentrum-fur-gestaltung-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about KNOW HOW