This week's lead article comes from Joe Guggia, AIFD.
We florists belong to a pretty consistent group when it comes to our attitudes. We’re moody, whiney, ego driven, and consumed with the idea we belong to an elite society the masses should adore and envy. After all, we are designers of flower arrangements … how many others can create art with flowers?
C’mon now. That’s a load of crap! Anyone can put flowers in a vase. (Check out this video if you don’t believe me!)
So let’s reframe our way of thinking.
Florists have jobs and careers like anyone else. Floristry is our way of making money to live our lives, pure and simple. So here are a few things to keep in mind so your pride won’t get in the way of your prosperity.
1. Check Your Ego At the Door.
Ego is the worst thing in our business. It turns us into these unreasonable monsters who won’t listen to rhyme or reason. It’s part of our psyche, which we can’t change. Pushing that demon back in some outward area of our brain is the thing to do. It’s tough, but remind yourself that if you ruin relationships with clients, you’ll lose opportunities to show off your skills.
2. Accept Criticism
Being creative is a huge part of the floral business. It’s totally necessary to give our clients new ideas, for which they will want to pay more and more. That said, we need to be open to different ideas, if that’s what others want. If a client’s tastes doesn’t quite align with yours, be gracious and don’t take it personally. Yes, it would be awesome if everyone thought like us. But really, our differences are what makes our world go ‘round. Swallow your pride and keep that brass ring in focus.
3. Be Open to New Ideas and Suggestions
Along with accepting criticism, we need to accept suggestions, especially from the employees we value (we hired them, didn’t we?). Everyone sees things in a different light, which can be so valuable for problem solving and coming up with original looks. Just listen; someone else’s idea might solve your current needs. Think about it for a day or two, then make a decision. It doesn’t take much time for this process, and it may be an incredible idea to implement for your business or design branding.
4. Don’t Whine!
My goal is to always help the florist’s journey (my next article will be to share my last three years of rebranding and coming back from the floral “pit”), so others can learn from my experiences. Sharing is the reason I belong to many Social Media florist groups. Most florists use these platforms to moan and groan about clients and what goes on in their shops. They complain about brides, employees, other florists ... the list goes on and on. Or they just want to be complimented for their designs. It’s a total waste of our valuable time; take that energy to promote your business and educate yourself. If you have a problem, figure it out and go on. If your design has educational value, share the flower arrangement so others can learn about the mechanics, cost and such. Being constructive is one thing, but incessant whining is quite another.
Most florists fall into these traps at one time or another, myself included. It took some reality checks (oh yeah!), which forced me to be a wiser man with my designs and business. Honestly, we’re involved in such a great industry, businesses that are wonderful and so gratifying, touching lives everyday. But along with that comes a responsibility to grow up and forge ahead. The last few years should have been a wakeup call on how to handle ourselves and our business to make a profit and enjoy creating. If you’re not in this group, go lock the front door, put the closed sign up, and walk away. You’ll be much better off in the long run and finally have a chance to not be one of those negative, whining florists.
We florists belong to a pretty consistent group when it comes to our attitudes. We’re moody, whiney, ego driven, and consumed with the idea we belong to an elite society the masses should adore and envy. After all, we are designers of flower arrangements … how many others can create art with flowers?
C’mon now. That’s a load of crap! Anyone can put flowers in a vase. (Check out this video if you don’t believe me!)
So let’s reframe our way of thinking.
Florists have jobs and careers like anyone else. Floristry is our way of making money to live our lives, pure and simple. So here are a few things to keep in mind so your pride won’t get in the way of your prosperity.
1. Check Your Ego At the Door.
Ego is the worst thing in our business. It turns us into these unreasonable monsters who won’t listen to rhyme or reason. It’s part of our psyche, which we can’t change. Pushing that demon back in some outward area of our brain is the thing to do. It’s tough, but remind yourself that if you ruin relationships with clients, you’ll lose opportunities to show off your skills.
2. Accept Criticism
Being creative is a huge part of the floral business. It’s totally necessary to give our clients new ideas, for which they will want to pay more and more. That said, we need to be open to different ideas, if that’s what others want. If a client’s tastes doesn’t quite align with yours, be gracious and don’t take it personally. Yes, it would be awesome if everyone thought like us. But really, our differences are what makes our world go ‘round. Swallow your pride and keep that brass ring in focus.
3. Be Open to New Ideas and Suggestions
Along with accepting criticism, we need to accept suggestions, especially from the employees we value (we hired them, didn’t we?). Everyone sees things in a different light, which can be so valuable for problem solving and coming up with original looks. Just listen; someone else’s idea might solve your current needs. Think about it for a day or two, then make a decision. It doesn’t take much time for this process, and it may be an incredible idea to implement for your business or design branding.
4. Don’t Whine!
My goal is to always help the florist’s journey (my next article will be to share my last three years of rebranding and coming back from the floral “pit”), so others can learn from my experiences. Sharing is the reason I belong to many Social Media florist groups. Most florists use these platforms to moan and groan about clients and what goes on in their shops. They complain about brides, employees, other florists ... the list goes on and on. Or they just want to be complimented for their designs. It’s a total waste of our valuable time; take that energy to promote your business and educate yourself. If you have a problem, figure it out and go on. If your design has educational value, share the flower arrangement so others can learn about the mechanics, cost and such. Being constructive is one thing, but incessant whining is quite another.
Most florists fall into these traps at one time or another, myself included. It took some reality checks (oh yeah!), which forced me to be a wiser man with my designs and business. Honestly, we’re involved in such a great industry, businesses that are wonderful and so gratifying, touching lives everyday. But along with that comes a responsibility to grow up and forge ahead. The last few years should have been a wakeup call on how to handle ourselves and our business to make a profit and enjoy creating. If you’re not in this group, go lock the front door, put the closed sign up, and walk away. You’ll be much better off in the long run and finally have a chance to not be one of those negative, whining florists.
