Episode 35: What the Heck is Flower Clique?!
Thirty-five episodes in, the questions keep coming: how did Vonda and Lori meet? And what exactly is this Flower Clique they keep mentioning? To celebrate the milestone, the hosts turn the podcast into a foursome, bringing in Kami Martin, Director of One Clique, and Ellie LaFever, Creative Director — the full women-owned, women-powered team — to answer the questions they hear over and over.
How Vonda and Lori met
Nine years ago, Lori was new to the industry, part-time, assigned to Google analytics and calendar duty — and, by her own admission, "not doing a bang up job." Then came a phone call she'll never forget: Vonda telling her, "you are in the wrong job." Not to push her out — because Vonda saw something in her that wasn't being used. "She sees me," Lori remembers thinking. Kami interrupts to say she has an almost identical memory of her own first real conversation with Vonda. Their first in-person meeting came later, in Ohio at Nordaly wholesale — where Lori and a colleague took Vonda to a famous burger place, not yet knowing she doesn't eat meat.
Why Flower Clique exists — in four words
Vonda's "why" is simple: flower shop owners are smart, creative, passionate people, but it's not possible to do everything alone and do it well — managing people, ordering flowers and containers, wrangling websites and billing, marketing the shop, and still having a personal life. Each team member sums up her role in one word. Kami's is simplicity — everybody wants a simpler life, especially now. Ellie's is elevate — her generation got burned out ordering flowers online that looked nothing like the picture, and when a customer pays for a design, it should arrive looking like what they ordered. Lori's is community — she traces it to a poolside conversation with Ellie about what she really wanted: to be part of something, to be the person people can call who either helps or knows who can.
What One Clique actually does (no, they don't host websites)
The most common misconception: Flower Clique doesn't host websites. One Clique takes the website a shop already has and merchandises it strategically. Most floral websites carry far more product than the shop can actually source — pages that go on and on. One Clique trims and organizes so conversion rates go up, the site still looks full to consumers, and there's deliberate crossover between designs so the florist can stock fewer flowers and containers. As Kami puts it: "have what you sell, sell what you have." The ecosystem goes further — members can order the matching flower bundles and containers straight through Flower Clique, so everything on the website is something they can actually make. Add the "dial-a-nerd" white-glove service ("I got this weird email from Google — is this important?") and members' sites stay handled without the owner lifting a finger. Clients see average orders of $100 or more. One member's idea — a tip line for delivery drivers and designers at checkout — worked so well it spread across member websites by request.
Flower Prep School: turning delivery drivers into designers
Flower Prep School is Flower Clique's education pillar — a comprehensive online learning platform built around a vision of taking a delivery driver and turning them into a floral designer. The first course, The Essentials, covers the foundations through videos, quizzes, handouts, and mentor office hours; a second course is already filmed. It's used for onboarding new staff, refreshing existing employees, and career changers who dream of flower shop work — and, in a twist nobody predicted, more than a handful of shop owners bought it for their spouses, because training your own spouse is hard. One member summed up the value: the cost of the course versus the cost of paying a new hire to stand around barely learning for a month is "a slam dunk." Explore it at Flower Prep School.
Growing your business, branding, and better photos
On growth, Lori's shorthand: your website is your second store, so it has to be as perfect as your showroom — then get the word out on social media, which is free. The real question behind "how do I do a Facebook live?" is almost always confidence, not technology. Her advice: start small, bring a partner in crime the first time, and remember social media builds the relationship — it's how people who've never visited see your shop and your personality.
Ellie handles the branding question with a memorable analogy: nobody pays $15 for a premium margarita while sitting on a broken chair. Florists are designers — there should be no disconnect between your logo and the beautiful work leaving your shop, and people pay more when you look good and they trust you. On photography, she splits the answer: for e-commerce, lighting is everything (red roses are the hardest — light both sides, the front, and sometimes above), with a clean background. For social media, less polish is better — quick snapshots off the delivery counter feel real and build trust. Just check the background first; Kami has genuinely received a website photo with a McDonald's cup in the shot.
Key takeaways
- Flower Clique rests on white-glove service, education, and community — simplify, elevate, connect.
- Merchandise your website with less product and more crossover: have what you sell, sell what you have.
- Structured training like Flower Prep School beats paying a new hire to learn by standing around.
- Your website is your second store — keep it as polished as your showroom, then let social media show your personality.
- Perfect photos for e-commerce, imperfect ones for social — both build consumer trust in different ways.
Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist