Team Flower

This week’s Flower Discoveries are for the parents out there. Meagan came across a flower scavenger hunt for kids to use when you’re out for a walk in your neighborhood or the park (you can see it here!). The rest of the team is chiming in with other tips and a bit of solidarity. You’re not alone in the parenthood journey!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

How the floral industry has been affected by COVID from a bird’s eye view

Whether the virus is transmitted on flowers or floral packaging

What to anticipate for Mother’s Day

How Congressional Action Days work and which topics are being fought for

What main skill should florists develop to flourish

Petal-It-Forward

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.

We’re also discussing why partnership is so powerful as Sammy goes into detail about the roles of the members of his team, and we’re even sharing a few ideas and tips on how to cultivate creativity.

Amy is an acclaimed floral designer and educator with vast industry experience spanning two decades in retail floristry and special events. Currently, Amy teaches and trains floral designers across the country through private and group workshops as well as speaking at conferences worldwide. Featured on Design Sponge as one of the “20 Florists to Follow on Instagram,” Amy’s work has been featured and published in major international and national wedding blogs, including Martha Stewart Weddings, Once Wed, and more.

Kelly has experienced this process rather recently, and she’s here to share her story and the things she’s learned through it.

If you feel like you need to press pause on the business you’ve invested in, there are a few things to consider:

Do you have what you need for today?

What do your current overall cash flow and resources look like?

What would make your business minimally viable?

Today on the Team Flower Podcast, Kelly is talking through 3 critical things:

Your event client’s current needs and how you can meet those needs

Cancellation, rebooking, and refunding policies and communications

Flower reallocation and repurposing ideas

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.

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.

We’re diving into the book with her today—from how she was inspired to what’s inside, and more! She’s also sharing some helpful professional tips on lighting and tools for photographing flowers. You’ll hear about the impact of the floral community on Christin’s life and what she believes makes the floral industry so special. Be sure to find Christin online @cultivatedbychristin.

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.