All in Podcast
Our guest has generations of floral knowledge. Lynne Dodson is chatting about her experience living through recession and is sharing some trends she has seen. To wrap up, you’ll hear Lynne’s go-to floral design and gardening tools—as well as how to take care of them!
In this episode of the Team Flower Podcast, we are chatting with Niki Irving of Flourish Flower Farm. You’ll hear about Niki’s transition to flower farming, and about how she and her husband found their farmland. We are chatting about the process of starting a small business, and some tips and tools to go about doing so.
Kelly is back with Bill Schaffer of Shaffer Designs for round two! Bill is walking us through one of their largest designs from last fall. There were over 35,000 stems of flowers (and a couple of hiccups along the way)! He’s chatting about how to direct a team amongst the craze of a large event. Bill is also sharing his heart regarding the floral industry and what he believes is the key for the industry to continue to progress.
In part one of this interview with Bill Schaffer of Schaffer Designs, he and Kelly are covering the Philadelphia Flower Show—of which Bill and his wife are a legend. They’re also chatting about the Schaffer’s book, Taking the Flower Show Home, and how it speaks to the floral aspect of mega events.
Danielle Hahn of Rose Story Farm (@rosestoryfarm) is joining us on this episode of the Team Flower Podcast! Rose Story Farm is located in a small rural farming community on California’s Central Coast. After starting in 1998 with 1000 rose bushes, the 15-acre farm has grown to be home to 30,000 bushes of over 300 varieties! Currently, the premiere boutique garden rose grower Rose Story Farm supplies floral designers nationwide with thousands of stems a week of consciously produced domestic garden roses that value scent, beauty, and the land and people that produce them.
Have you ever heard of “asking for the sale”? What does that mean, and how do you do it? Alison and Kelly are digging in and sharing tips on how to close a sale and snag clients. Tune in to hear why Alison’s pet peeves are accusing clients of “ghosting” and calling them “uneducated” when it comes to pricing, and how you can avoid both!
Kelly is joined on the podcast by Debra Prinzing of Slow Flowers. Debra has some great advice for slowing down and refocusing on the needs your business is already successfully meeting. She’s also sharing a few tips for those who may have “paused” their business in the recent months. Tune in to find out what steps in this season can best equip your business for the coming years.
Steve and Mandy O’Shea of 3 Porch Farm join us on the podcast to talk about practicing sustainability as flower farmers.
Alice de Crom of Floralista joins us on this episode as our special guest! She’s chatting about why she loves the floral industry and what makes it such a special place for her. She’s also sharing some awesome info about how to run a retail floral shop!
We are so excited to welcome Sue back on the Team Flower Podcast! We’re chatting with her today about her new book, The Art of Wearable Flowers, available now! Sue has such a beautiful heart. She’s talking about the importance of creating what inspires you, not what’s expected of you and thinking of yourself as an artist rather than someone who just “fills orders.”
Dave Pruitt, CEO of Certified American Grown, gives a summary of highs and lows of COVID from the flower farmer’s perspective and how American flower farmers have been affected. He’s also here to reassure the U.S. floral industry that there is no shortage of flowers to order!
Kate Penn is CEO of the Society of American Florists (SAF). She shares with us her thoughts on COVID and the floral industry, Mother’s Day floral projections, and leadership.
In this episode we are chatting about Sammy’s philosophy of providing flowers for a weary world and what that looks like for Lambert Floral Studio. He is sharing the story behind the name of his design studio and why it is dear to his heart.
In this episode, Kelly and Amy are talking about being intentional in your work with flowers and recognizing the healing power that flowers hold. Amy is sharing her recent curiosities and discoveries regarding the chain of supply for flowers and she’s chatting about how the practices we utilize today will impact the future of the industry. You’ll be inspired as she talks about how staying curious, researching, and asking questions has kept her work with flowers fresh and exciting for 20 years.
There can be many seasons when you own a small business. There are seasons of planting, of growing, of blossoming, and of harvesting (both literally and metaphorically). In the midst of any of these seasons, you may feel like quitting, but if you still feel called to flowers in some way, don’t give up! It may be time to simply press pause.
Are you wondering if you’re able to weather a difficult economic season? Is this something your business will be able to get through? We think it’s possible, and we believe in you. Find comfort and share solutions among friends here!
Our special guest on this episode is Jennifer Haf of BLOOM Floral Design (@bloomfloraldesign). BLOOM Floral Design is located in Northern Michigan and offers wedding and special event floral services in addition to curated gifts and fresh cut flowers in their retail flower shops. Wedding clients are the bulk of the business, as they cater to a lovely tourist crowd that overwinters up here during resort season. Jennifer is celebrating her twelfth year in the industry, and she’s working on purchasing a commercial building as a smart next step in her business in addition to relaunching her seasonal workshop series!
The special guest on this podcast episode is Pilar Zuniga of Gorgeous and Green! Pilar Zuniga is the owner and lead designer of Gorgeous and Green, a floral design business (and retail boutique for many years). She started G&G back in 2008, after leaving a directing job at a local nonprofit, when she was seeking an outlet for her creativity. The idea for the business took root when planning for her own wedding; she realized at the time that there were not a lot of eco-friendly options for planning weddings, especially when it came to flowers. The main tenet of her business has always been to be eco-friendly and sustainable in as many ways as possible, while staying true to beautiful design. The business has always been a green-certified business, and she goes above and beyond the green certifications to keep the health of the environment and community in mind.
Christin Geall joins us on this episode! She is a Canadian floral designer, writer, gardener, photographer, and author of the book Cultivated: Elements of Floral Style (Princeton Architectural Press, 2020). Her writing and floral work focuses on the intersections of nature, culture, and horticulture.
The special guest on this episode has been a long time coming—it’s Jesse Perry, Kelly’s husband and co-founder of Team Flower! Jesse is sharing his perspective of the first wedding Kelly designed and delivered and the lessons they’ve learned together through the last five years. You’ll hear the whole story behind Philosophy Flowers and Team Flower from Jesse’s view! He’s also giving some super helpful tips for leading a team, creating a cohesive working environment, and retaining your employees/freelancers for the long haul.
