New Year's Resolutions for 2007

SAF asked members to share their business New Year's resolutions -- this is what they said:

My resolution for 2007 is get more organized and spend more on advertising.

--Jean Walker
Walker's Floral & Greenhouse
Paton, Iowa

The Flower Cottage resolution is to empower the floral industry this year. We are going to try to encourage profits and market like crazy. Grocery stores and Wal-Mart have put a huge dent in sales. So, we are going to strive hard and let our community know why they still need a FLORIST...

--Angie Harmon
The Flower Cottage
Lakeland, Fla.

1.  Let every customer and recipient know the difference between placing an order with a local, family-owned florist and with an order gatherer. We have an insert to go with every mailed item and on every delivery flower-care/flower-food attachment.

2.  Update our Web site (first quarter 2007).

3.  Bring our banker and accountant up to date on what is going on with the changing world of traditional retail and asking their help and advice on survival tactics (January 2007).

4.  Actively use e-mail addresses gathered for delivery verification to "touch" our customers once a quarter with relevant information and value propositions (no later than the Mother's Day sales period, probably with the assets available at the SAF members' Web site).

--Harold Hoogasian
Hoogasian Flowers
San Francisco

We want to reintroduce and re-educate our customers on the everyday pleasure of having flowers in their home. With a new display rack, the flowers will be coming out of the cooler and onto the display floor -- clearly marked with the name, life span, and care instructions. We hope to intrigue the creative minds of our customers.

--Holly Milburn
The Finishing Touch Florist
Crete, Ill.

This is the year we finally fix all those dings in our delivery fleet!

--Craig A. Wambolt
Frugal Flower Companies
Sudbury, Mass.

1. Write our procedures manual.
2. Remodel the retail part of our shop: floor, paint walls, redo display cooler.
3. Create recipe arrangements.
4. Get more of our own designs on our FTD Web site.
5. Do more one-on-one marketing with our customers based on our history of their orders for birthdays, anniversary, etc.
6. Activate the delivery confirmation system.
7. Take a close look at our delivery areas and charges.
8. Take advantage of online training for our staff.
9. Win lottery to pay for above!

--Carl Schwab
Blooms & Bears Florist and Gifts
Irvine, Calif.

After lots of thought during this busy holiday season, we are making plans (and this will be our New Year resolution) to create and implement a direct mail (and e-mail) campaign. This will be designed to follow up with recipients of our deliveries who are not yet regular customers. We will also make regular contact by the same means with our house account list to let them know how much we appreciate their business. We have just installed a new computer system, and with the help of a member of our existing staff we will make this happen.

--Jay Weitzel
Hunt Valley Florals & Gifts
Hunt Valley, Md.

I made the resolution about 10 years ago never to make any more resolutions, and it's one I've kept.

--Peter Plumley
Blossoms Network Floral Services
Bancroft, Ontario, Canada

1. Devote more attention to developing corporate accounts.
2. Spend less on fruitless advertising, meaning if they are not spending in our shop, drop advertising with them.
3. To increase our attention to brides and develop relationships with them that last beyond the wedding.
4. To decrease gift lines and increase flower market sales, such as "flower market, cash and carry Saturdays."

--Jacqueline Melzer
Paradise Flowers & Events
Reno, Nev.

I resolve to accept only incoming wire orders that I can make a profit from.  Some of my fellow businesses send impossibly low-dollar value orders. I have raised my minimums and reject those orders that do not reflect a sufficient value. This results in less volume, but better quality arrangements going from my shop. My time is worth money and I buy quality flowers. My employees deserve a living wage for their efforts as the cost of flowers continues to go higher with wholesale delivery charges and stem prices as well. I resolve to value our service and work more highly. I resolve to educate the customers to recognize the value of our trade. I am not going to work like a dog for next to no profit any longer!

--Cheryl Reifsnyder
Cherry's Flowers
Boyertown, Pa.

We resolve to do everything possible to keep from getting “Old Florist Disease.” After 36 years of running this business, we need to explore new ideas with the help of meetings, reading, technology and employing smart people with enthusiasm for our industry.  From my experience of, at one time, being a grower, and now a retailer, I know that to do a good job we are required to do a lot of little things at the proper time that make the big picture turn out properly.  I think “Old Florist Disease” may sometimes cause us to get sloppy about doing these little things at the proper time.

--Bill Ardle
Schneider’s Florist
Springfield, Ohio

1. Examine my advertising budget and keep it in line with my sales. I'll try to use the most advantageous mediums to get the best bang for the bucks.

2. When my sales began to fall, I will need to cut my flower and greenery buying to the same extent.

3. Cost of Goods Sold will become very important and will bear watching constantly. Are wire service containers really helping or hurting me? These are things I must decide.

4. Personnel and payroll will also need to be checked. If the phones are not ringing, some sales and designers may be sent home early, as well as delivery personnel.

5. I must watch the arrangements being made up to insure there is no stuffing going on.

6. Am I buying my flowers from the best sources? I have already knocked off my standing orders. 

--Haskell Tidman, AAF 
Emma's Flowers and Gifts
Nashville, Tenn.

Our resolution is to grow our business 30 percent next year.  2006 was our first year in operation, and we have a great deal of momentum and understand our business much better.  Our key areas of growth are to grow our existing customer base, grow the funeral business and expand to more doctors’ offices.

--Beth Hill
KaBloom of Erie

Erie, Pa.

Our resolution is to complete an in-depth analysis of our local floral service area and determine the best niche(s) for us to focus aggressively on. It is no longer possible to be a true full service florist in every aspect of our traditional role and remain equally profitable in all those areas.

--Roy Sabo, AAF
Sunnyslope Floral
Grandville, Mich.

We plan on getting a handle on our cost of goods sold, as well as a totally revamped Web site that will encompass all facets of who we are and what we offer. We plan on moving away from our wire services, and expanding our own “custom” design lines.  And, we plan on revamping our gift lines to approach a more “whole home therapy” line of merchandise.

--Christopher Brown
Garner Greenhouse
Garner, Iowa

New this year will be a new outdoor sign added to our existing sign or added to our building -- the changing type that you change by a computer from your desk. Also:

1. One or two new trucks.

2. Continue our outdoor billboard advertising.

3. Re-coat our parking lot (was not done properly last year) and re-stripe it.

--E. Ramsey
Nanz & Kraft Florists
Louisville, Ky.

I feel as though I run my business by the seat of my pants. I don't like the feeling.  It isn't entirely true, of course. I do keep holiday records, but I really don't know what makes money and what loses money. I am owner, manager, head designer and, to be honest, not very good with bookkeeping. I am going to take a bookkeeping class and attend the class that Teleflora offers in August for flower shop bookkeeping in an attempt to be more aware.  I have a bookkeeper who comes once a week, but I'm going to try and find someone who will be a bit more of an office manager and can also help with my Web site, which we don't update as often as we should. Designers are certainly important, but the books are just as important.

--Kathy Spear
Kathy and Company Flowers
Burlington, Vt.

My New Year's resolution is to become the best new member of the SAF Retail Council that I can be...For the good of SAF, the floral industry and my shop as well.  Two out of those three really need the help, I'll let you ponder which two!  I resolve to make the most of Congressional Action Days in the spring (my second) and fully learn as much as humanly possible at the SAF Convention (my first) in September. I further resolve to make the most of the free Marketing Manual on CD-Rom that SAF is gifting to me for sending this in during this busy holiday season.  Merry Christmas to all!

--Tom Hamilton
Beavercreek Florist
Beavercreek, Ohio

We are going to plan our promotions and sales for the entire year!  We're usually frantically scrambling to put something together six weeks before the target date, and it doesn't work very well.

--Mary Ann Gowdy, Ph.D.
University of Missouri-Columbia

For 2007, a business resolution that I have is to add a shopping cart feature to my newly created Web site in order to become self-reliant and eliminate a second Web site that is hosted by one of the major wire-service companies. The second Web site has been maintained solely for the purpose of accepting web orders. Once this direct-ordering feature is implemented within my main Web site, the wire service hosted Web site will be discontinued.  This will provide me direct control over ALL of my customers and eliminate the additional costly expense of the second Web site.

--James Earley
Royal Bouquet Florist
Boston

A few more resolutions for your consideration:

Speak out for your business and the floral industry -- at SAF's  Congressional Action Days, March 12 to 13 in Washington, DC. 

Build more business -- send colorful, customized floral postcards in minutes using SAF's Custom Print Marketing Center.

Connect with customers -- keep them thinking about flowers with SAF's 
easy online e-newsletter tool, MagnetMail.

Find the resources  you need -- search for them fast with the Ultimate 
Floral Industry Supply Guide.

And, for floral retailers, know your business better -- participate in the FloraTrac program and see how you stack up against the competition.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

Superstar’s Demands Frustrate Florist

It’s nice when consumers take a real interest in flowers, isn’t it? What about when they go overboard and get, well, a little too picky?

That’s what happened to a florist in New Zealand who was initially elated to find out she’d be decorating singer Elton John’s dressing room. Following strict orders, florist Jacque Holbrook arranged long-stemmed red roses, white peonies and other assorted flowers in the singer’s dressing room, only to receive orders hours later to switch everything.

The new look? Short-stemmed roses, each one placed inside a glass square container, placed along the wall to create a “hedge” of roses. John also nixed the first request for an “explosion of color” and instead requested a monochromatic look. And one more thing? Remove all the plants’ leaves.

The florist said providing flowers for Elton John was more difficult than decorating for another celeb client: the Queen of England.

--Mary Ann Barton
mbarton@safnow.org

 
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Florida Man Spreads Cheer with Flowers

One man in Pensacola, Fla., is taking the belief that flowers make people happy on the road -- literally.

Twenty-eight-year-old Jason Abbott walks nearly 20 miles every day from downtown Pensacola, Fla., to Pensacola beach and back, despite a pinched nerve in his neck or back that he cannot afford to have fixed.

During his daily travels he stops in Flowerama, a local flower shop, and buys a dozen or so roses or carnations. He then leaves the flowers on the doorsteps of people he believes need “spiritual comforting.” “I’m just trying to do what I can … I’m grateful that I can spread love and joy just like anybody else,” he says, as reported by the Gulf Breeze News, a local Florida paper.

“He’s like a local celebrity,” said his mother, Denise Abbott, to the paper. “People buy his lunch and pay for his flowers … he always shows up with flowers for me every time he visits…”

Flowerama reported that customers have donated close to $180 for his floral purchases. “He says he just does this to make people feel good,” said employee Jennifer Musil to the paper.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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San Francisco Florist Moonlights as Actor

Ever dream of having a more glamorous and exciting job? One florist has succeeded in living this fantasy without giving up his day job, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.  Eighty-five-year-old Albert Nalbandian, owner of a San Francisco flower stand, also has been acting in television and films for more than 55 years.  Before you get starry-eyed with visions of fame and fortune, heed his words: “It was an adventure … (but) I’m still working for a living,” he told the paper.

Nalbandian has appeared in George Lucas’s “American Graffiti,” Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,” and Mike Myers’ “So I Married an Axe Murderer,” and he has acted with the likes of Gene Hackman, Michael Douglas and Robin Williams.

Although the floral business is in his blood (his brother owns the flower stand their father opened in 1915) he studied acting at the University of San Francisco. After graduating in 1943, he tried his luck at professional acting, and sometimes counted on flower power to help him win parts -- he always brought flowers to casting directors and studio secretaries to break the ice.

He made a brief appearance in “The Raging Tide” with Shelley Winters in 1951, and he has been acting in TV and film ever since.

Although the parts he has played have been small (his most recent character—in a 2000 episode of “Nash Bridges” -- had no lines), that doesn’t necessarily mean they have lacked substance.  He delivered crucial lines in the final act of the 1988 Francis Ford Coppola courtroom drama “Tucker: the Man and His Dream;” “Let the man speak! Let the man speak!” Nalbandian cries as bailiffs restrain Preston Tucker (Jeff Bridges). In between takes Coppola told him he had the best line in the movie.

“I know I do,” Nalbandian replied.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Year-End Tips for Small-Business Owners

Now that the Christmas rush has subsided and before the Valentine’s Day rush kicks in, take a few minutes to tidy your shop, evaluate employees and update your Web site, says entrepreneurial expert Ty Freyvogel.

"There's something psychologically satisfying about starting a new year unencumbered by old issues," says Freyvogel, founder of EntrepreneursLab.com. "I advise business owners to set aside several days toward the end of 2006 to address those issues that usually get crowded out by the day-to-day problems."

Freyvogel’s other year-end tips include:

• Review vendor contracts. "Let vendors know that you want to create a great relationship with them," Freyvogel says. "They will appreciate that you are taking the time to make sure that they are happy in the relationship, too."
• Look at your customer base. "When I do my end-of-year review, I am always surprised to see who my best customers really are," Freyvogel says. "Just because you always seem to be doing something for certain customers doesn't mean they're the most profitable. During my own end-of-year review, I often find that my needy customers and my most profitable customers are two different groups. When I tell my employees about the distinction, they are always surprised. Of course, you should treat all customers well -- but when you find out who your best ones are, you'll want to really give them the VIP treatment."
• Talk to employees. "I've always found that performance reviews are a great time to ask my employees, 'What can I do for you?'" Freyvogel says. "Their responses always surprise me. Sometimes they want something as simple as getting their chair fixed, and sometimes they request something that I simply can't do. Regardless, always be honest with them and take the time to listen to their concerns one-on-one."

For more tips on creating -- or reviving -- business in 2007, check out the January issue of Floral Management magazine, arriving in your mailbox in the next few weeks.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Growers...beat back the bugs in 2007

There's more than one way to stop diseases and keep the bugs at bay.  You'll learn the latest techniques from top researchers and educators at SAF's Pest Management Conference, February 22 to 24 in Portland, Ore.  Don't miss this once-a-year opportunity to learn from industry experts and exchange ideas with other growers. You can also pick up new perspectives during an optional tour of three growing operations: Clackamas Greenhouses, Oregon Flowers and Woodburn Nursery. Click here for more information and to register online. Download the full brochure.

--Shelley Estersohn
sestersohn@safnow.org

 
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Talk on the Forums

One member says that whenever he cuts large callas they go “wrinkled” within hours, and he wants to know how to prevent this. Another member suggests putting wet cotton in the center of callas and refrigerating them for a day or so before use. Want to weigh in?

Also on the Forums:

Product Spotlight: Pre-written Employee Handbook

Is one of your resolutions to get organized in the New Year?  Do you want your employees to have a clear understanding of your business  policies? The SAF Pre-written Employee Handbook (under Human Resources ToolBox) provides basic information about the rights and responsibilities of both the employee and employer. Having a pre-written handbook distributed to all employees helps reduce your liability if employee disputes and/or lawsuits should arise. This free handbook is a simple Microsoft Word document that you can customize to fit your specific needs.

--Bonnie Wilkening
bwilkening@safnow.org

 
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Florists Closed on New Year’s Eve

Sixty percent of readers responding to last week’s e-poll said they will not be open on New Year’s Eve, because they are usually closed on Sundays. Twenty-nine percent said they will be open on New Year’s Eve, because they are open every Sunday. About 7 percent reported that, although they are normally open on Sundays, they will be closed on New Year’s Eve, and about 4 percent said that, despite normally being closed on Sunday, they will be open for New Year’s Eve.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Valentine's Day is Top for Consumer Transactions

Valentine's Day is the top floral holiday for florists in terms of consumer transactions, followed by Mother's Day and Christmas/Chanukah. On the other hand, Christmas is holiday No.1 for all outlets combined. Second comes Mother's Day and third is Valentine's Day. Consumer transactions are often interpreted as an indicator of demand or purchasing behavior.

Last week's graph showed how the holidays were ranked in terms of sales dollars -- this week's ranks holidays in terms of percent of consumer transactions.

Source: Ipsos-Insight FloralTrends Consumer Tracking Study, 2005

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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