The Business & Pleasure of Flowers

Join Vonda LaFever and Lori Wilson as they share expert advice, insider tips, and a whole lot of fun on all things floral. While everyone loves flowers, running a floral business can come with its fair share of challenges that might make you lose sight of the joy it brings. In this engaging and informative podcast, Vonda’s wealth of floral expertise pairs perfectly with Lori’s background in teaching, sales training, and life coaching to deliver valuable insights you can use right away. From industry trends and the flower shop of the future to overcoming obstacles like boosting sales and building a stellar customer service team, they’ve got you covered. Discover how small shifts in your mindset and approach can create big transformations in your business and life. Hit subscribe to put the pleasure back into your life, go back to loving flowers, find fresh inspiration, and bring the joy back to your business!

The Business & Pleasure of Flowers is a business podcast hosted by Vonda LaFever & Lori Wilson, with 356 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Vonda LaFever & Lori Wilson hosts The Business & Pleasure of Flowers, a business show with 356 episodes published.

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  Episode #354

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

  Oct 6, 202632 min

  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 EllieJo sit down for a candid conversation about what it’s really like to build Flower Clique together as mother and daughter. They look back at their earliest days working side by side in the flower shop, the shift from parent-and-child to true business partners, and the moments when learning to trust each other’s strengths changed the way they worked together. From generational differences and giving up control to technology, relationships, boundaries, and the occasional Saturday Slack message, they share the challenges, risks, and unexpected rewards of working with family. They also explore one of the things that makes their partnership work so well: they don’t always see the business through the same lens. Vonda brings decades of floral industry experience, practicality, and an instinct for what will actually work in a flower shop. Ellie Jo brings a consumer perspective, branding, technology, and a constant eye toward what’s next. Somewhere in the middle, the best ideas tend to emerge. It’s a conversation about family, entrepreneurship, trust, and the value of surrounding yourself with people who see your business differently than you do. Because sometimes growth doesn’t come from agreeing—it comes from being willing to listen. Sponsored by: Flower Clique Flower Clique Prep School Real Life Retail Florist

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  Episode #353

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

  Sep 29, 202631 min

  Episode 352: 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 about fear: from childhood worries about quicksand and stuffed animals coming to life (thanks, Scooby-Doo) to the very real fears that show up when you own a business. What if I raise my prices and customers stop buying? Can I really afford to hire someone? What if I show up on social media and people judge me? What if I make the wrong decision? But there’s another question we don’t ask nearly enough: What happens if I don’t do it? Vonda and Lori share some of the business decisions that scared them most, why fear can sometimes disguise itself as “being responsible,” and how shifting fear into excitement can help you move forward. They also talk about using your numbers, your support system, and even AI to separate actual facts from the scary stories running through your head. Because courage doesn’t mean you aren’t afraid. Sometimes it simply means deciding that what’s on the other side of the fear matters more. So here’s the question for every flower shop owner: What decision are you avoiding because you’re calculating the risk of doing it - but not the risk of doing nothing? Do it anyway. Even if your voice shakes. Sponsored by: Flower Clique Flower Clique Prep School Real Life Retail Florist

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  Episode #352

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

  Sep 22, 202629 min

  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 above your current role” and what that looks like in the real world of flower shops and the floral industry. It’s not necessarily about getting a new title or climbing a corporate ladder. Sometimes, moving up means becoming the person your team can count on—the one who spots a problem before it becomes a crisis, brings a possible solution instead of just pointing out what’s wrong, and understands how their role affects the entire business. Vonda and Lori talk through practical ways to develop that mindset, including making decisions without escalating every little thing, knowing when to ask permission and when to take initiative, seeking out opportunities instead of waiting for them, and learning to see the bigger picture beyond your own job description. They also tackle the other side of the equation: owners and managers have to create enough trust and freedom for employees to actually step up. Whether you’re an owner, manager, designer, salesperson, or aspiring leader, this conversation will challenge you to look beyond the tasks in front of you and ask: Am I simply doing my job—or am I already thinking at the next level? Sponsored by: Flower Clique Flower Clique Prep School Real Life Retail Florist

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  Episode #351

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

  Sep 15, 202626 min

  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, Vonda and Lori are fresh off the Flower Clique team retreat and reflecting on what happens when you step away from the day-to-day, spend real time with your team, and create space for honest conversations. From one-on-ones that helped team members feel seen and heard to the reminder that everyone has their own little quirks, the retreat reinforced just how important connection is to building a strong team. Then the conversation turns to mindset and one powerful idea: all the water in the world can’t sink a ship unless it gets inside. As business owners, there will always be things we can’t control: tariffs, rising costs, employee dynamics, difficult customers, travel delays, the news, and plenty of opinions about what we should or shouldn’t be doing. We need to be aware of what’s happening, but we don’t have to give every outside influence permission to take up space in our minds. Vonda and Lori talk about learning to separate thoughts from facts, focusing on what you can control, and recognizing when it’s time to simply put a thought “on the train” and let it keep moving. Because protecting your mindset doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It means refusing to let the things you can’t control become the anchor that keeps you and your business from moving forward. Guard your mind. Protect your focus. And keep the water out. Sponsored by: Flower Clique Flower Clique Prep School Real Life Retail Florist

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  Episode #350

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

  Sep 8, 202637 min

  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 Derek Myers of Crockett Myers to talk about the numbers that can make, or break, a flower shop. After more than 40 years working with florists, Derek has seen firsthand where shops are losing money, where opportunities are being missed, and what the most profitable owners do differently. Derek shares the unlikely story of how he went from studying chemistry to becoming one of the floral industry’s best-known accounting experts, including the legendary tiki hut that helped him build his business one florist (and frozen margarita) at a time. Then, the conversation gets down to business. They dig into the three areas every florist should be watching closely: cost of goods, labor, and delivery. Derek explains why rising flower costs can’t simply be absorbed, why your landed cost matters, how often you should be evaluating pricing, and why worrying about what the flower shop down the street charges could be costing you money. They also talk delivery fees, labor percentages, website delivery matrices, wire services, and the financial benchmarks Derek uses with more than 160 flower shops across the country. But his biggest piece of advice has nothing to do with a spreadsheet: profitable owners learn to work ON their business instead of spending every day buried IN it. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re charging enough, spending too much, or truly making money on every order, this episode will give you a whole new way to look at your flower shop. Sponsored by: Flower Clique Flower Clique Prep School Real Life Retail Florist

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