We asked: What are you investing in your business now... to move the needle forward? (Live! from SAF 2022)
Picture this: you're walking between sessions at the Society of American Florists convention in Orlando, minding your own business, when Ellie appears, takes you by the arm, and steers you toward a microphone. That's exactly how this episode was made. Lori and Ellie set up shop at SAF 2022 (with a borrowed podcast setup, thanks to Jet Fresh Flowers) and asked a parade of industry leaders one question: what are you investing in your business now to move the needle forward? The answers came from coaches, wholesalers, software founders, suppliers and shop owners — and almost every one of them landed in the same place.
Education never stops paying
Amy Balsters, The Floral Coach, answered without hesitating: being at SAF was the investment. Attending lets her take the temperature of the industry at the grower, wholesale and design levels, and because she teaches and consults around the country, everything she learns gets passed downstream to florists. Laddie McKinnon of Teleflora echoed it from the education side — the coming year is about getting back to basics, building community, and supporting the wave of brand-new shop owners entering the industry (she loves them: "they're like sponges"). Lori and Ellie added their favorite free starting point for those newcomers: Teleflora's YouTube channel, open to everyone whether you're a member or not. Kelly Mace of Smithers-Oasis pointed at the pipeline itself — working with FFA and future florists, plus Oasis University for professionals, all aimed at fostering the next generation.
People first, everything else second
If there was one drumbeat through the whole episode, it was this. David Armellini's answer started with people — training his teams, and solving the driver shortage by bringing in around 60 drivers from abroad over the next year, helping them earn green cards and reunite with their families here. Corrine Heck of Details Flowers Software is rotating her all-female staff of about ten through conferences, spa days and industry events so they experience the business beyond their desks. Oscar Fernandez, SAF's president-elect, is asking every associate to attend two educational classes or seminars this year: "the better they are, the better our company will be in the long run."
And Ryan Black of Jet Fresh Flowers — fresh off the company's Marketer of the Year award — talked about meeting employees where they are post-COVID: letting people work from home when it fits, focusing on skills and well-being, and bringing big crews to conferences to "let the world see them shine." He and Lori dug into why it matters: most employees don't leave for money, they leave because of the environment.
Marketing, technology and mental health
A few answers went beyond the people theme. Bill from the Bill Doran Company described a two-pronged push: a text-message marketing program that goes straight to customers' phones (corporate-level texts twice a week, branch-specific ones three times a week) plus ongoing sales education. Armellini is also investing heavily in technology — a new accounting package and a new CRM — to drive down costs and make it easier for people to do business.
The most personal answer came from Cameron Pappas of Norton's Florist in Birmingham, a 101-year-old business and one of Flower Clique's newest members. After an ADHD diagnosis led him to therapy for anxiety, he got serious about mental health at work. He's been working with HR consultant Glenna Hecht on strategic planning, mission, vision and culture — and he's launching a partnership with Corporate Chaplains, whose trained chaplains check in briefly with each employee every month and are available 24/7. Add a simple IRA plan for retirement savings, and Norton's is quietly doing things few flower shops do. "We're just trying to show them that we love them and that we appreciate them," he said.
Connection is an investment, too
Renee Tucci — who added AAF to her AIFD and PFCI letters that very week — said her investment is creating connections: linking industry people to each other and bringing herself to events to meet "new flower nerds." Corrine Heck put her finger on why that resonates so deeply: she and her husband work so much that their real friends are the flower people. Or as Vonda has always called it, the flower family.
Key takeaways
- Nearly every leader gave the same core answer: invest in your people — their education, their well-being, and their environment.
- Employees rarely leave over money; they leave over culture. Flexibility and genuine care are retention strategies.
- Mental health support is becoming a real line item — from corporate chaplains to simply opening the conversation.
- Showing up at industry events is itself an investment: education, trend awareness, and the relationships that carry this business.
- Free education exists — point new florists to resources like Teleflora's YouTube channel as a starting point.