The Pause and Pivots We Learned in Moving Past Covid-19
Over a year ago, Vonda and Lori recorded an episode asking "who are you going to be post-COVID?" — back when they both figured the whole thing might wrap up by mid-summer. Now, on the other side of the lockdowns, they look at what actually happened. Two words sum up the year: pause and pivot. The world forced the pause; the smartest shop owners chose the pivots. And some of those pivots are so good, nobody's going back.
The pivots shops are keeping
The biggest shift is where the storefront lives now: online. Website orders are up dramatically — in both order counts and dollars spent — and for many shops the website has effectively become their main location. The hosts describe one shop that never had much walk-in traffic anyway: during the pause the owners went through their numbers, realized how much rent and staffing a barely-used showroom was costing, moved to a cheaper building, and poured their energy into the website. They haven't skipped a beat — the numbers are out of the park, and one owner, a new mom, controls her own time in a way a staffed storefront never allowed.
Other shops shortened their walk-in hours and simply forward the phones to a cell or answering service. One owner had wanted to do it for years but feared losing that one walk-in customer; the pandemic forced her hand, and now she wonders why she was ever afraid. Customers browse the website and call anyway — and she gets more time with her grandchildren. Staffing changed too: some shops downsized deliberately, many because employees simply couldn't return (especially parents with schools closed), and owners discovered that with good systems — recipes, bundles, real organization — they could work smarter, not harder, with a leaner team.
Two opposite wedding pivots — one common thread
Weddings produced the most dramatic rethinking, in two completely opposite directions. One shop owner told Lori she won't touch a wedding under $4,000 anymore — the smaller ones aren't worth her time, energy, and weekends, and she'd rather pour herself into the sympathy work she genuinely loves (she finished a casket spray during their hour-long phone call). Other shops went the other way entirely: bouquets and personal flowers only, boxed and ready for pickup, no service. The common thread, as Vonda points out, is that both models are built to be profitable. One shop tallied a full year of weddings and discovered they'd netted only a few thousand dollars — the wake-up call that made "we've always done it this way" impossible to defend.
Powering down from survival mode
The back half of the episode is about the emotional exit from the pandemic. Lori shares a tweet from writer Caitlin Flanagan that gave both hosts a lump in the throat: a longtime cancer survivor explaining that after a year in survival mode, powering down from high-alert tunnel vision to low-threat normal life takes months — so a bit of depression right now makes sense. Retail flower shops have been thriving through it all, but thriving on high alert is still exhausting. The prescription: give grace and space — to customers easing out of masks at their own pace, to employees, and to yourself. Or as Lori quotes from Matthew 6: don't worry about tomorrow; each day has enough trouble of its own.
Permission slips (yes, really)
Lori found old handmade coupons from her kids — good for a hug, or unloading the dishwasher — and never redeemed them. That sparked a Flower Clique project: mailing members actual permission slips, prettied up by Ellie, granting things like a 15-minute walk with no interruptions, a spa day, or the favorite — permission to not be productive and not feel guilty about it. Members loved them, posted them in the group, and started actually using them. The point stands for every owner: you hold yourself accountable for every minute of every day, so put the permission in writing.
Key takeaways
- Keep the pivots that worked: online-first selling, smaller footprints, shorter hours with forwarded phones, and leaner, better-systematized teams.
- Rebuild your wedding model around profit — whether that's a $4,000 minimum or pickup-only personal flowers, know your numbers and charge for your weekends.
- Expect an adjustment period coming out of survival mode; feeling off right now is normal, so give grace to yourself, your team, and your customers.
- Get back in the room: in-person events like the Texas State Floral Expo, SAF in Orlando (September 21–23), and AIFD's October session are where inspiration and retention happen — bring an employee if you can.
- Write yourself a permission slip — even for a 15-minute pause — and actually redeem it.