Celebrating Year #1 ~ Join us to celebrate!
When the podcast launched, Vonda and Lori figured an aunt and a sister might listen — maybe twenty people if things went well. One year later there are faithful "clickers," merchandise with the name on it, and a second anniversary being toasted at the same time: Flower Clique, the company Vonda envisioned as a former shop owner, turned one as well. To celebrate, the "core four" gather on the mic — Vonda, Lori, Ellie LaFever, and Kami Martin — to look back at a launch year nobody could have scripted and ahead at what's coming in 2021.
A rocket ship with no off button
Lori describes Vonda's founding vision as a calling to build a rocket ship: a whole ecosystem where what's in your store is on your website, you sell what you have, and the flowers and containers to make those designs keep arriving on a regular basis. Ellie, fresh off an astronaut podcast, adds the perfect metaphor — once you press the button, there's no turning back. And the astronauts who climbed aboard were the members who joined early, trusting the ship before it was finished.
Then March happened. Kami was on spring break in Branson when COVID hit, calling to ask, "Should I be worried? Is this a real thing?" A brand-new business in a shutdown looked like a worst case. Instead, the opposite happened: communities rallied around local florists, members stayed — and some even emailed to ask how the Flower Clique team was holding up as a new business. Lori admits the first of those emails made her cry.
The year's wins belonged to the florists
Every "success" the team lists circles back to member shops. Florists everywhere saw orders rise in 2020, but plenty were spinning their wheels on websites that weren't profitable. Flower Clique florists carried a much higher average order value — members up 200% over the prior year, and one shop owner Kami called was up four times over last year on web sales and didn't even know it, because he'd been too busy to check.
Some specific wins worth stealing for your own shop:
The tip add-on. One member suggested a checkout option to tip the driver, the designer, or both. Shops that added it couldn't believe how many web orders included tips. Subscriptions. Monthly flower subscriptions became standing orders — shops happily taking $300 and $700 payments up front. Giftware online. You don't need your whole store photographed; even a picture of a display, or a "designer's choice gift basket" with your own branded packaging, tells customers you have gifts and you deliver. Ellie's cautionary tale: she tried to spend $150 on a delivered gift from her hometown's florists at Christmas and found nothing on any website or Facebook page — nobody got her money. With Valentine's Day coming, put something up there.
More than a website: the white-glove, local-first approach
Ellie's mission from day one was to bring the power back into local florists' hands — personalized banners, custom graphics, and sites that look like the shop you drive past every day rather than an out-of-the-box template. Vonda compares the service to a great contractor: members know what they want their shop to feel like online but not how to get there, and the team guides them step by step. The membership also includes lesser-known extras — a separate wedding website showcasing local venues, and a celebration-of-life coffee-table book (digital and print) that builds relationships with funeral directors and grows sympathy sales. Add Flower Prep School, the design-education program the team spent a week filming and months assembling, and year one was full.
What's coming in 2021
Kami's web team grew from two or three platforms to seven and wants more members to serve. Lori's next project is Sales Prep School — onboarding-style customer service education for new employees. Ellie is dreaming about in-person workshops, mini retreats around the country, expanded online education, and even a Flower Clique app. And Lori submits her word for the year: others — getting outside yourself and focusing on the people you serve, which, as the whole hour proves, is the engine the entire company runs on.
Key takeaways
- Add a tip option (driver, designer, or both) to your website checkout — customers use it more than you'd expect.
- Offer flower subscriptions; standing monthly orders smooth revenue and reward loyal customers.
- Get giftware online before Valentine's Day, even if it's just a designer's-choice gift basket or a photo of your display — invisible inventory can't sell.
- Your website should look unmistakably local, not like an order-gatherer template; that's what wins your community's trust.
- Success compounds when you measure it — check your numbers; you may be doing better than you think.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist