Aloha & Business Wisdom: Monty Pereira of Watanabe Floral Shares Lessons in Leadership & Legacy
Vonda and Lori finally land a guest they've been chasing since before Mother's Day: Monty Pereira, General Manager of Watanabe Floral in Honolulu — one of Hawaii's largest floral operations and a longtime Flower Clique member. Monty's path into flowers surprises even the hosts: born and raised on the Big Island, he's a CPA by trade who joined Watanabe Floral 28 years ago as the accountant, discovered his personality fit marketing and management far better than spreadsheets, and worked his way to general manager without ever leaving the company. The conversation that follows is packed with the kind of grounded business wisdom that translates to any shop, on any island or main street.
From rose grower to vertical floral operation
Watanabe Floral's origin story alone is worth the listen. In 1946, Ernest Watanabe — deployed as a U.S. Army translator in Australia before he could marry — looked around at all the soldiers who'd be getting married when they got home and started growing roses outside the barracks. Back in Hawaii, he grew roses in his grandfather's backyard, and the company grew roses from 1946 until 2008. In 1974 it became the first company to import flowers into the state, launching its wholesale arm; in the mid-80s, as florists gained direct farm access, it added retail — selling the day's unsold roses to the public "day-old bread" style at a few dollars a dozen. Today the business is roughly 50% retail, 25% wholesale to flower shops, and 25% mass market (supplying Hawaii's Targets, Walmarts, Costco lei, and Sam's Club flowers). That vertical mix insulates the company: when retail dips, mass market picks up. And contrary to the postcard image, only about 25% of the business is tropicals — anthuriums, heliconia, and ginger — with roses still the most requested flower. The catch of island life: everything is imported, which made this spring's tariff scramble brutal. Monty calls April the most stressful month of his 28 years, racing to re-cost and re-price everything before May — Watanabe's biggest month by 50%. His warning to florists who resist repricing: if you don't raise prices and you lose demand anyway, you've compounded the problem. Margins are critical.
A mission you can see from the showroom floor
Asked why Watanabe Floral has thrived through decades of competitors, Monty doesn't point to strategy — he points to mission and core values, lived in every decision. The mission is a Hawaiian phrase, e ho'omau pono: to perpetuate and evolve, but always with righteousness and morality. The core values that support it: the spirit of aloha — treating team members and guests with genuine love and gratitude, because flowers are never a necessity — and "people first," a selfless mindset that asks how can I make the community better, my coworker's job easier? Those values hang on four-by-sixteen-foot banners throughout the showroom, and Monty personally meets with every new hire before day one to walk through the values and company history — because the further a company gets from its founders, the harder someone has to work to keep that connection alive. The proof the values aren't decoration: about 20 years ago the company committed to closing every Sunday, no matter what — including Mother's Day and Sundays that fall on Valentine's Day. Customers adapted. The lesson: don't deviate from your values for financial reasons.
Customer for life, not customer's always right
Monty rejects "the customer is always right" — his frame is people first, and a customer for life is worth more than winning any single transaction. When a complaint comes in, right or wrong, Watanabe makes it right. The mindset shift he's had to coach in his own team: yes, the arrangement was beautiful, and yes, we're replacing it anyway — because flowers are perishable, perfection is impossible, and how you respond to a miss is what builds the confidence that brings customers back and fuels word of mouth. Lori adds the language that makes it easier: "I'm so sorry you weren't happy with this" concedes nothing about the design — and you're representing the whole company, not yourself. Monty goes a step further: every florist represents the whole industry, and a small group cutting corners on service can drag everyone down. Reinforcement is baked in with incentives: a $20 cash reward on the spot when a five-star review names an employee, a production-based formula for designers (adapted from the former Tiger Lily team in South Carolina), upsell percentages for the sales team, monthly team goals, and a $100 perfect-attendance bonus that made the reliable people feel seen.
Advice for new florists — and what's next
For the wave of new shop owners who bought in because they love flowers, Monty's advice is blunt and kind at once: passion only takes you so far. There's no substitute for hard work, continuous learning, understanding the financials, and marketing. When he started, his marketing budget was zero — everything was bartered. He built relationships with TV and radio stations by offering value instead of cash, became their go-to floral expert, and that credibility made every campaign since easier. His suggestion for a small-town florist: call the newspaper, the radio station, the TV station, and simply ask what role you could play. Staying inspired, for Monty, means staying connected — Shop Talks, SAF ultimate round tables — because isolation puts you in a rut, and in this industry a rut can put you out of business. Catch him at the SAF convention in Phoenix this August on a staffing and productivity panel alongside Sam Bowles and Keith Rockcastle. And if he weren't in flowers? General manager of a pro basketball team — though the weekly for-fun sports podcast he records with a buddy (jingle by one daughter, artwork by another) may be the next best thing.
Key takeaways
- Live your core values in every decision — even costly ones like closing Sundays — and put them where the whole team sees them daily.
- Reprice when costs change: holding prices while margins erode compounds the damage, especially heading into your biggest month.
- Trade winning the transaction for keeping the customer for life; how you handle a miss builds more loyalty than perfection.
- Reinforce the behavior you want with immediate, specific rewards — $20 for a named five-star review beats a vague thank-you.
- Passion for flowers isn't a business plan: learn the financials, market relentlessly, and build media and industry relationships.