From Novice to Expert: A Conversation with Lottie McKinnon
Some floral careers start with a design school diploma. Lottie McKinnon's started with a panicked bride, a bucket of flowers from the downtown LA flower market, and a chance meeting in an elevator. In this episode, Vonda and Lori sit down with the Program Director of Industry Relations and Education at Teleflora to talk about her unlikely path into flowers, what's coming from Teleflora Education, and the mindset shift she says everyone should make.
From hotel weddings to a bucket of flowers
Lottie was working in the events side of the hotel industry, managing weddings and social events, when a bride's florist cancelled the day before the wedding. The bride's friends hit the LA flower market, and on the morning of the wedding she handed Lottie a huge bucket of blooms and asked, "Can you do something with this?" With a gardener father and a love of flowers — but no formal design training — Lottie studied photos of past florists' work and did her best. The bride was happy, and something stuck: even in the chaos of cranking out seventeen centerpieces in an hour, Lottie found a sense of peace and grounding.
Years later came the elevator. While interviewing at the advertising agency in the Teleflora building, she got chatting with industry legend Rich Salvaggio, who essentially said, "I like you, you seem like fun" — and had an open position. Fifteen years later, she's still there, having learned the craft "by osmosis" standing behind education specialists at photo shoots, peppering them (including Vonda) with questions about every flower and technique.
What Teleflora Education has coming — and who it's for
Lottie says the biggest post-COVID shift is demand for hands-on learning, so the calendar for late 2023 leans that way: stage programs and hands-on classes across the country, virtual opportunities, and multi-day Design Academy intensives — including one in Clayton, North Carolina with Jody McLeod, who happens to be the town's mayor and is hosting a cocktail party at the mayor's mansion.
Here's the part she wants every listener to hear: Teleflora's education programs are open to everybody, not just Teleflora members. That's a common misconception. Whether you're a fledgling designer or a 40-year veteran, "you'll walk away learning at least one thing" — design technique plus business content, which matters with expenses rising and slow summer months squeezing shops. Find the schedule on the Teleflora Industry Relations and Education Facebook page, and browse the free video library on their YouTube channel — content Vonda and Lori link into their own sales training.
Be open to new experiences
Asked what her job has taught her that everyone should learn, Lottie doesn't hesitate: be open to new experiences. "Sometimes people see things in you that you don't necessarily see in yourself," she says — and stepping out of your comfort zone reveals what they saw. She admits she arrived at Teleflora with a fixed mindset; COVID cracked it open, and she's never going back.
She lives that answer, too. Once a year she works a holiday in a local flower shop — this year running sales at the front counter on Valentine's Day. Lori points out how rare and valuable that is: plenty of industry executives manage designers without ever standing at the bench or the phone during a rush. Working a real holiday keeps Lottie's education programs grounded in what shops actually face — including the lesson she learned the hard way: stay hydrated.
Practical wisdom from a thousand classes
Having sat through more floral education than almost anyone, Lottie's top themes are simple: be prepared — prep containers, hard goods, and ribbon ahead of the rush, and communicate the plan to your staff with regular meetings. She points to Ralph Giordano's social media as a masterclass in pre-holiday prep — "insanely practical and super simple but super effective." And invest in customer service training, because plenty of customers still want to pick up the phone and talk to a human.
As for becoming a Teleflora education specialist — a question Flower Clique members ask often — Lottie says it takes a rare balance: industry knowledge, design skill, speaking ability, willingness to travel, and AIFD membership, since the principles and elements are core to what the team teaches. Turnover is nearly nonexistent, which tells you something about the team culture Lori praised from watching them at Symposium: nobody up there is out for themselves.
Key takeaways
- Teleflora's education programs — in person, virtual, and Design Academy intensives — are free to attend for all florists, not just Teleflora members.
- The free Teleflora Industry Relations and Education YouTube library is worth mining for design, sales, and business training.
- Prep and communication win holidays: containers, hard goods, and staff meetings before the rush.
- Say yes when someone sees something in you that you don't see yet — openness to new experiences compounds.
- If you lead from a desk, work a real holiday on the shop floor; it will change how you manage.