How Floral Technology Can Be Easy - Ida Bertone from Floranext Talks Experience, Customer Service, and Industry Passion
When your shop is slammed, your point of sale and website are the last things you want to think about. That's exactly why Vonda and Lori invited Ida Bertone of Floranext on the show. Ida has stood on every side of the counter — bank manager, floral assistant, shop manager, shop owner, and now the person who helps overwhelmed florists get comfortable with technology — and her story is proof that "I'm not a tech person" is a belief, not a fact.
From the youngest bank manager in the county to the flower cooler
Ida started her career as the youngest traveling bank manager in Essex County, New Jersey — she took the manager's test right out of high school at 18 and got the job. When her mother's dominant arm was caught in a machine at the meat processing plant where she worked, Ida left banking to become her caregiver. Needing something to do during her mom's rehab hours, she answered a little newspaper ad for a part-time floral assistant.
The first week was rough. Then, she says, it felt like home — "a missing piece in my puzzle." The part-time job grew into managing a busy ten-person shop, and when that shop eventually sold, Ida bought her own flower shop and brought several coworkers with her. Her banking background in numbers, marketing, and technology put her years ahead of most owners at the time.
Give everyone a platform
One detail from Ida's story turned into a hiring lesson. As a twenty-something surrounded by coworkers in their sixties, she brought a stream of new ideas — and instead of telling her to be quiet, her boss and team always heard her out. Her rule ever since: give everybody a platform, no matter their age or experience, and see what they do with it.
Lori connected it to today's hiring crunch: nearly every shop is looking for help, and the newer, greener hires are often the ones most open to sales and design training — they're the ones who follow up afterward with questions and ideas. Ida pushed it one step further: openness is about personality, not age. Everyone has something to contribute if you sit back and listen.
Yes, you should be in it for the money
The most quotable stretch of the conversation is about profit. Lori recalled a shop talk meeting where a struggling member sighed, "we're not in it for the money, are we?" — and other members privately messaged her saying, excuse me, then why am I here? Ida didn't hesitate: the first reason you should be in it is the money, because that's what pays your bills — and you can love it at the same time.
Her confession will sound familiar: she used to slip two or three extra roses into arrangements for the sweet customer who called her "honey." Florists are generous people by nature — but a little here and a little there adds up to a lot at the end of the month. Watch your waste, count your stems, know your labor costs. Shops today are making substantial profits, and Ida's take is: why can't you have the house of your dreams and put your kids through college as a florist? Of course you can.
You're a Picasso — price like it
Vonda, Lori, and Ida all landed on the same pet peeve: the word "crafty." Floral design is art — living art — and customers call a florist instead of grabbing grocery-store stems precisely because they want an expert. Ida tells her customers, "You're the artist, you're a Picasso." Confidence sells: when you speak about your work with authority on the phone or face to face, people are willing to pay the price.
Thinking about a floral career? Work in a shop first
Ida also runs We Love Florists, a free resource blog for florists she can't reach directly — including honest advice for anyone dreaming of opening a shop: work in a flower shop first, because the perception and the reality are very different. Lori's version of the same advice: work in a shop for two years minimum before you open your own. Ida once hired an eager would-be florist who lasted two weeks — better to find out early than after signing a lease.
Key takeaways
- Don't be intimidated by technology — it's all learnable, and the more you fail, the faster you reach success.
- Give every employee a platform regardless of age or experience; the quiet ones often surprise you.
- Be in it for the money and love it at the same time — generosity is a virtue, but extra stems are a leak in your profit.
- Speak with confidence about your artistry; customers pay experts, not order-takers.
- Advise aspiring florists to work in a shop before opening one — it protects them and the industry.