Who's the Boss? Abby Chick, Best Buds Partnership and Blakemore Flowers
The "Who's the Boss?" series rolls on with returning guest Abby Chick of Blakemore's Flowers in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Abby's setup is different from the couples featured so far: her business partner is her childhood best friend — and he's almost never in the shop. Ten years into their partnership (their corporate name is, fittingly, Best Buds), Abby opens up about what makes a near-silent partnership work, and about her own honest evolution from a boss with a temper to one her whole team adores.
A partnership written in the stars — and in an S-corp
The story is pure kismet. Abby's best friend's mom was the bookkeeper for the shop's previous owner and tipped him off that it was coming up for sale. He wanted it as an investment but knew nothing about flowers — and happened to have a best friend who'd been a floral designer for seven years. Abby holds majority ownership, a strategic choice so the shop qualifies as a woman-owned business, and because she does the lion's share of the work. The bonus perk of a silent partner: whenever an aggressive advertiser wants to "speak to the owner," she can smile and say, "Why don't you send that to my business partner?"
Her advice for anyone considering a partnership: begin as you wish to continue. Before buying, they went to a lawyer, formed an S-corp, and wrote out articles of incorporation covering every scenario — right down to what happens to a share if one of them ends up in prison. It's a business prenup, and its real purpose isn't protecting either partner: it's protecting the business itself, so the shop and its employees keep running no matter what happens. Add weekly statements and monthly balance sheets from their bookkeeper (his mom — talk about built-in transparency), and neither partner is ever in the dark financially.
When resentment creeps in, check yourself first
Abby offers what she calls a little therapy session: every time she's felt resentment or annoyance toward her partner build up, it traces back to the same root — she hadn't advocated for herself. Whenever she has clearly stated a need ("I think I deserve a raise," "I want to buy this for my team"), the answer has always been "you're the expert, of course." The lesson for any partnership: before you resent, ask whether you've actually said what you need out loud.
The boss she was, and the boss she became
Asked how her employees see her, Abby's answer is disarmingly honest: it depends whether you ask her current team — who she's confident think she's a great boss — or people who worked for her ten years ago, who would say otherwise. She has a temper, and she tells the story that still makes her feel "icky": her first year in business, employee Tiffany sent an arrangement out a week early, and instead of talking it through, Abby called and yelled at her. Tiffany — who is still with her all these ten years later — nearly didn't come back.
What changed everything was the practice of apologizing. Abby now readily admits mistakes and calls herself out in front of her staff, and she calls the effect on shop morale a "miracle drug." Modeling that behavior gives employees the freedom to own their own mistakes honestly instead of hiding them. She's realistic, too: no amount of therapy fully beats back a temper — but when you've built that safe space, your team knows a bad moment isn't who you are, and that an apology is coming.
ADHD, shenanigans, and hiring your complements
Abby's least favorite part of being the boss: having to step out of her coworker-comedian role to discipline someone — one of her core values is "have a good time every day," and she'd rather be one of the team. Her favorite part is funnier: she has ADHD, and as the boss she never has to finish a task — she starts bouquets and hands them off all day. Her real point is a sharp hiring insight: she's uniquely qualified for her exact position, and she deliberately hires finishers and organizers who complement her idiosyncrasies rather than mirror them.
"I helped her find her calling"
Abby's proudest moments aren't about revenue or even her recent magazine cover. They're people. Keisha came in needing work, confidence at rock bottom, answering every question with "I don't know" — and today she trains new employees and loves the job. A part-time biology major stayed a year after graduation "to see what it's like" and is now a professional florist working major events. "I created a space where she could fall in love with flowers," Abby says. "That is my most proud accomplishment." Her closing advice: small shops don't get HR departments, but that doesn't mean you don't need those skills — invest in leadership and people training early, not just design training, because a boss's first job is taking care of the people who run the business.
Key takeaways
- Partnership rule one: begin as you wish to continue — put a legal "business prenup" in place that protects the business itself.
- Total financial transparency (weekly statements, shared balance sheets) keeps partner trust effortless.
- Feeling resentment toward a partner? First ask whether you've clearly stated what you need.
- Apologizing and admitting mistakes in front of your team is a morale "miracle drug" — and teaches them to own theirs.
- Hire people who complement your weaknesses, and invest in leadership/HR skills as early as design skills.