Episode 67: All Leaders Face Challenges, How Do You Cope?
Flower shop owners are juggling a lot right now: flower shortages, high prices, staffing gaps, and the pressure of projecting a year that looks nothing like the last two. Vonda felt it herself this week, covering for team member Audrey and concluding two things — nobody can do Audrey's job like Audrey, and Flower Clique couldn't run without her. But this episode goes deeper than busy: it's about what being a leader means when the challenges pile up. Because whether you're the owner, the manager, or a team lead, people are watching how you react — and misplaced anger can poison the whole culture of your shop.
Know your triggers — and take a timeout
The hosts start with a real story: an owner who asked her two front-room employees for one uninterrupted hour while she met with her accountant — and got interrupted twice. She "barked," felt terrible, and called herself out. That's the point: even great leaders have triggers, and the challenge isn't avoiding them, it's knowing them — along with knowing what gets you back to your happy space. Lori's favorite tool is one she discovered as a parent: the timeout works for adults too. When her kids went to timeout, so did she — two minutes to process how she was going to react — and she was a better parent for it. Pause, timeout, move forward. She also shares a line that earned a spot on her Post-it wall: silence is the noise that thinking makes. Vonda adds author Matthew Kelly's phrase for the same idea — sitting in "the classroom of silence."
Lessons from a garbage man
Vonda's model for coping under pressure is her dad. After years as a loyal employee, he bought the business he worked for, got up at 3 a.m., worked hard, treated people with respect — and never brought misplaced anger home. His business? He was a garbage man (today, a sanitation engineer). His two critical assets were his employees and his truck — exactly parallel, Vonda notes, to a flower shop's employees and flowers. When the truck broke down, he didn't melt down: he stayed late fixing it himself as a self-taught mechanic, employees at his side. When a part was two days out, he got creative — calling a competitor to borrow their truck after they finished their route, or personally visiting the neighborhoods on his route (this was long before social media) to tell favorite customers he'd be a day late and to spread the word. Competitors in his town even held monthly meetings to collaborate on service and pricing. There was space for everyone.
The coping list for leaders
From there, the hosts walk through their list of ways leaders get through hard seasons:
Be proactive, not reactive. Too many of us live in the world where the fire has already started and all we do is put it out. Leaders keep the extinguisher ready — like the "say this, not that" guidance the Flower Clique team sent members for handling shortage conversations. Be creative with solutions, and know your capacity: if you run out, you run out — and you won't truly run out of flowers, you just may not have exactly what you planned. Never shift the blame. Echoing Bill LaFever's advice from the previous episode: telling a customer "my wholesaler couldn't get them" just says you picked the wrong wholesaler — and sends the customer to your competitor. Say instead that there's an industry-wide shortage of that specific flower, and here's what you can do. Face conflict square on. Ignored problems fester. The big one right now: summer wedding contracts signed six or seven months ago at old prices. Have the hard conversation with the bride today — set expectations, note that contracts allow price variation, reassure her it will be beautiful — don't let her find out the day before. And remain objective: here's the deal, here are your parameters; you can be bitter about them, or you can move forward with what you've got.
Collaborate, reach out, and refill your cup
Lori has yet to meet a shop owner unwilling to talk shop with another owner — everybody loves to brag about what's working. She plays "Flower Clique matchmaker," connecting members across the country who become best friends. One caution: some private industry groups online turn negative and toxic; protect your headspace, and if you're in the Flower Clique groups, keep them the safe space they're meant to be. For deeper, personal struggles, find someone with real empathy — the way Vonda's dad had his monthly peer meetings, and unlike Lori's father, an assistant superintendent whose isolated, small-town limelight came with stress migraines that landed him in the hospital — and vanished completely in retirement. Finally, protect personal time. Lori's image: we're all full glasses of water, pouring out a little all day to kids, customers, and team until we're empty. Figure out what fills your cup back up, so you're ready to pour again tomorrow.
Key takeaways
- Your reaction sets the shop's culture — know your triggers and give yourself an adult timeout before responding.
- Be proactive and creative: borrow the truck, make the calls, prepare your "say this, not that" language before the fire starts.
- Never blame your wholesaler or your team in front of a customer; keep shortages general and offer what you can do.
- Face conflict head-on — especially pricing conversations with summer wedding clients, now rather than later.
- Collaborate with fellow florists, confide in people with empathy, and schedule the personal time that refills your cup.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist