The Business & Pleasure of Flowers

Kelly Clarkson and the Brooklyn Bird: A Customer Service Disaster Every Retailer Can Learn From

Episode 356:  What do Kelly Clarkson, a $15,000 mechanical bird, and a small Brooklyn business have to do with retail florists? More than you might think! This week, Lor

Sustainability Without the Overwhelm: Small Steps That Make a Big Impact

Episode 355: When you hear the word sustainability, do you immediately think of composting, eliminating floral foam, or making expensive changes to your flower shop? What

Same Business, Different Lens: Building Flower Clique as Mother & Daughter

Episode 354: What happens when your daughter becomes your business partner and the person challenging you to see things differently? With Lori out this week, Vonda and E

Do It Even If Your Voice Shakes: Turning Fear Into Fuel

Episode 353: What if the thing holding your flower shop back isn’t the economy, your customers, or your competition—but fear? In this episode, Vonda and Lori get real ab

Think One Level Up: How to Become the Employee Everyone Wants on Their Team

Episode 352: What does it actually look like to think like a leader—even when you’re not the boss? In this episode, Vonda and Lori unpack the idea of “thinking one level

You Can’t Control the Storm, But You Can Control Your Mindset

Episode 351:   What do flight delays, a rainy team retreat, flower shop ownership, and a ship taking on water have in common? More than you might think. In this episode,

Stop Competing and Start Profiting: The Numbers Every Florist Needs to Know with Derrick Myers

Episode 350: What does it really take to run a profitable flower shop? In this episode, Vonda and Lori sit down with floral industry CPA Derrick Myers of Crockett Myers

Book the Ticket: Building a Flower Shop That Can Run Without You with Jenny and Charles Ingrum

Episode 349: What would happen if you actually left your flower shop and took the vacation? In this episode, Vonda and Lori sit down with floral industry power couple Je

Roses & Thorns: Clique Catchup and Our SAF 2026 Recap

Episode 348:  We’re back from SAF Convention and maybe still recovering a little. In this episode, Lori and Vonda are joined by Ellie LaFever as we all share our roses,

The Password Problem: Protecting Your Flower Shop in the Age of AI

Episode 347:  Passwords, verification codes, fingerprints, Face ID… why does simply logging into your own accounts have to be so complicated? In this episode, Vonda and

What Your Team Is Really Learning From You: Leadership Lessons That Stick

Episode 346:  What makes a great leader? It turns out, it’s probably not having all the answers. In this episode, Vonda and Lori unpack a list of management lessons that

Stop Overthinking Social Media: Simple Strategies That Actually Work for Florists with Sarah LoBue

Episode 345:  Social media doesn’t have to feel like another full-time job.In this episode, Lori and Audrey sit down with Sarah LoBue AIFD of Main Street Florist to talk

The Empathy Blind Spots Every Leader Needs to Examine

Episode 344: Empathy is not something you either have or you don’t - it is a skill you can practice, strengthen, and sometimes struggle to access. In this episode, Vonda

Empathy Continued: Head, Heart, and Hands in the Flower Shop

Episode 343: Empathy is not just about feeling someone else’s emotions—it can shape how we communicate, lead our teams, serve customers, and respond when someone needs he

Empathy Isn’t Agreement: The Leadership Skill Every Flower Shop Needs

Episode 342: Can empathy really make your flower shop more profitable? In this episode, Lori shares the key lessons from her leadership presentation at AIFD Symposium and

You Belong Here: Mentorship, Positivity & Welcoming the Next Generation

Episode 341: Fresh from AIFD Symposium 2026, Vonda reflects on the moments that mattered most and they weren’t always found on the stage. In this heartfelt solo episode,

The Keepers of the Pretty | Moments with Marlin

Episode 340: What does it really mean to “make it pretty?” In this first Moments with Marlin episode, floral industry favorite Marlin Hargrove joins Lori and Vonda for a

Why People Don’t Change (And What Great Leaders Do Instead)

Episode 339:  In this episode, Vonda and Lori explore a surprising truth about leadership: knowing better doesn’t always mean doing better. Drawing from recent research o

Behind the Blooms: How the American Floral Endowment Supports Every Florist

Episode 338: Most florists have seen the AFE logo, but many don’t realize just how much the American Floral Endowment impacts their business every day. In this episode,

Blossoms & Bourbon: How Mark Frye Built a Floral Brand, a Business & a Global Audience

Episode 337: In this episode, we sit down with Mark Frye of Creative Occasions Flowers and Events to talk about his unexpected path—from speech pathologist to lumber sale