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! 🌸
Episodes
273 episodes
Tips for Handling Tough Workplace Conversations & Strategies for Effective Communication
Episode 271: It’s never easy to have that much-needed conversation with an employee who’s disrupting your company culture. Avoiding the issue may seem easier, but it can do more harm in the long run. Lori and Vonda share practical tips t...
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Episode 271
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34:09
Floral Trends & The Power of Permanent Botanicals with Sarah Botchick
Episode 270: In this episode, Vonda and Lori continue their conversation with Sarah Botchick, General Marketing and Purchasing Manager at Pioneer Imports & Wholesale. They dive into the world of floral trend forecasting—how trends are ident...
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Episode 270
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27:07
From High School HTML to Modern-Day Magic: Why Your Website Matters with Sarah Botchick
Episode 269: Grab a cup of coffee and join hosts Vonda and Lori as they sit down with Sarah Botchick, Marketing & Purchasing Manager at Pioneer Imports & Wholesale. Sarah takes us back to the ‘90s when she built the company’s ver...
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Episode 269
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34:50
Get the Giggles: Unforgettable Valentine’s Day Card Messages from Florists
Episode 268: Flowers are known to speak the unspoken sentiments of love, care gratitude and sincerity, but sometimes the accompanying notes have a whole lot more to say – especially at Valentine's Day! In this episode, Lori and Vonda asked Flow...
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Episode 268
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24:20
Blooming Hearts: A Valentine's Day Special
Description: Lori has fun interviewing Vonda and Ellie before Valentine's Day to learn a bit about their personal preferences in terms of design styles and favorite flowers to recounting their most memorable Valentine's Day stories...
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Episode 267
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28:33
Customer Service Lessons Learned from Lenny
Episode 266: In today's episode Lori candidly shares a heartfelt update on her father, Lenny, with Vonda and listeners. Lori takes us through the emotional journey she faced while simply trying to accomplish a task over the phone, reflec...
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Episode 266
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26:43
Valentine's Day Countdown! Steps to Success
Episode 265: Lori and Vonda guide you through personalize and essential steps to a successful Valentine's Day in your flower shop. They emphasize the importance of having a properly educated and trained team to ensure ev...
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Episode 265
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33:38
What's on Your Bingo Card? Try This Goal-Setting Method for 2025
Episode 264: In this episode, Lori kicks things off with an inspiring lesson from Lenny, setting the tone for a creative and productive conversation. Then, she and Vonda dive into a unique and exciting way to tackle goal-setting for 2025...
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Episode 264
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32:29
Start the Year with a Word and Join Flower Clique's Fifth Anniversary Celebration
Episode 263: In this special episode, Ellie and Kami join hosts, and team members, Vonda and Lori as they look back on the past year and share personal highlights including wins, challenges overcome, surprises, and insights gained. ...
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36:11
What is the difference between Observing and Absorbing and Why it Matters!
Episode 262: In this episode, Vonda and Lori delve into the concept of observing your surroundings without allowing them to deeply affect you. Do you find yourself getting overwhelmed by the news or situations around you? Join us as we e...
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Episode 262
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32:34
2025 Trend Predictions: Insights from Ellie LaFever
Episode 261: Ellie LaFever, PFCI joins Lori and Vonda again in this episode to delve into trend predictions for 2025 sourced from Pinterest. Ellie shares key insights on upcoming trends and the three discuss how some of these tren...
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Episode 261
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38:48
Overcoming Business Challenges with Positive Perspective
Episode 260: Vonda and Lori discuss how common negative narratives surrounding sales projections and the economy can drain our motivation and energy. They provide insights and strategies on maintaining a positive mindset to navigat...
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Episode 260
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22:08
Navigating Trade Policies and Tariffs with Insights for Valentine's Day 2025
Episode 259: In this episode, Lori and Vonda are joined by Bill LaFever, President of the Bill Doran company, to dive into crucial issues impacting the floral industry. Bill sheds light on the recent advocacy efforts in Washington DC, le...
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Episode 259
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45:12
How to Master Your Customer Experience in 7 Days
Episode 258: In this episode, Vonda and Lori are joined by Ellie to discuss the powerful connection between exceptional customer experiences and effective sales training. As instructors of SalesPrepSchool, they delve into the highlights ...
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Episode 258
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34:18
Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Episode 257: Vonda is on her own in this week as important personal business takes Lori away for a much needed day off. With Thanksgiving this week, Vonda looks at the saying "If everyone put their cross in a pile, you would take your own...
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Episode 257
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19:10
Why Professional Certification? With Renee Tucci AIFD, CFD, PFCI
Episode 256: Vonda and Lori sit down with special friend, Renee Tucci AIFD CFD PFCI AAF, President Elect of AIFD, to discuss the importance of foundational education in floral design and how it is the key to growing and developing your pe...
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Episode 256
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40:56
Decoding SEO: Expert Insights & Strategies with Ryan Freeman
Episode 255: Vonda and Lori as they sit down with Ryan Freeman, President of Strider and a seasoned expert in the fields of SEO and online marketing. Ryan sheds light on the overwhelming landscape of SEO, cautioning businesses against mak...
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Episode 255
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43:26
The Cut Foliage Business: Challenges and Opportunities with David Register from FernTrust
Episode 254: In this episode, hosts Lori and Vonda are joined by special guest David Register, the Executive Vice President at FernTrust, Inc. located in Seville, FL. David provides insights into the cut foliage business, discussing the product...
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Episode 254
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31:14
The Unseen Challenges of Being a Manager or Leader
Episode 253: Lori provides an insightful look into the less glamorous aspects of being a manager that are rarely discussed. She shares interesting and surprising insights about the challenges that managers experience and often keep to themselve...
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Episode 253
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33:42
Behind the Scenes: Lessons from Working with Top Video and Design Teams
Episode 252: In this episode, host Lori Wilson PFCI sits down with her co-host Vonda LaFever AIFD PFCI CFD and friend Julie Poeltler AIFD PFCI CFD to discuss their recent collaboration with a top-notch video production and design team. Jo...
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Episode 252
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29:41
Find Your "Sparketype" with Ellie and Lori | BONUS Team Retreat Recap!
Episode 251: Lori and Ellie reflect on Flower Clique's first in-person staff retreat, which prioritized team bonding and relaxation. The retreat featured a session on 'Sparketypes', which provides insights into team members’ personality ...
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Episode 251
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34:40
Navigating Customer Service Challenges with Empathy
Episode 250: Customer service can be a challenging field, especially when emotions come into play. In this episode, we delve into the complexities of customer interactions, particularly when dissatisfaction or complaints arise.Lor...
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Episode 250
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36:24
Blossoming Success: Inside the Flower Clique Team
Episode 249: Join Lori as she sits down with Kami Martin, the Director of Membership, and Audrey Kristoff, the Product Manager, from the Flower Clique team. Discover how their roles contribute to the success of flower shop owners and Flower Cli...
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Episode 249
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49:11
Overcoming Obstacles: Practicing What You Preach
Episode 248: In this episode, Ellie, Lori, and Vonda share their experiences from an 8-day business trip focused on product development for Flower Clique. From photo shoots to creating videos for Sales Prep School, and even hosting an educ...
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Episode 248
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40:20
Unveiling the Art of Exceptional Customer Service with Sam Bowles: Rewind
Episode 247: Vonda and Lori are on the road and picked a great rewind for you. It's a rewind from last summer of Episode 185: Join Lori and Ellie as they sit down with our good friend, Sam Bowles, the General Manager and Creative Director...
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Episode 247
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50:37