Why It’s Important to Take a Step Outside of Yourself
Some of the best conversations never make it to the podcast. Vonda says she's often on the phone with Lori while she's on a roll, wishing she could hit record — and this time, she did. The result is a short, unplanned bonus episode about the thing quietly driving so many decisions in flower shops right now: fear.
"I don't have time" is usually fear talking
Lori had just come off a morning meeting and an evening shop talk with Flower Clique members, and she kept hearing the same refrain: I don't have time. I don't have time. I don't even want to listen to what you have to say. Her take? Almost everyone is acting — or reacting — out of fear right now. Fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of change, fear of fill-in-the-blank. And she's quick to add that these aren't made-up excuses: 99% of the time, the person really is dealing with a legitimate crunch or crisis. But underneath it, it's still fear.
Take a step outside your shop
The heart of Lori's point is perspective. Shop owners say they're too busy to take on more business — but if they could step back and see their shop the way an outsider does, many would realize the truth: they're so busy doing parts of the job they don't love that there's no room left for anything else. And the hosts have said it a hundred times — when you're doing work you don't enjoy, it takes three times as long. Lori's own example: website updates that take her five hours take Kami Martin one hour. That's just truth.
That's why handing off the pieces you dread isn't a luxury — it's how you get your time back to focus on what actually grows the business, whether that's designing, social media, or leading your team. As Lori points out, being slammed doesn't automatically mean you're making rent. Busy and profitable are not the same thing, and the whole reason to have a business is to make money. Some of the most business-minded Flower Clique members aren't even designers — they've simply figured out which parts of the work to keep and which to hand off.
Change is scary — and that's the point
Vonda owns her side of it, too: change itself is what makes her fearful. She's used to doing things the way she does them, she likes to hold on to things, and moving in an unknown direction is uncomfortable. Naming that is half the battle — because the fear of change is exactly what keeps shop owners stuck doing five-hour jobs that someone else could do in one.
From affirmations to "if-firmations"
Then Lori shares the nugget that gives this episode its staying power. She'd been reading a blog by a therapist about affirmations — and instead of the classic mirror pep talk ("I can do this"), the therapist suggested turning it into a question: What if I can do this? What if this is a step in the right direction? What if I end up making more money and spending less time in my shop?
Lori started trying it, and the shift surprised her. The question format gives you permission to dream instead of demanding you believe something you don't feel yet. Instead of forcing "I am not afraid," try "What if I have courage? What if I go forward and, whatever happens, I'm still going to be okay?" As Vonda marvels, you change one letter — an A to an I — and it changes your whole mindset.
Key takeaways
- "I don't have time" is real — but it's usually fear of change underneath, and it deserves a closer look.
- Step outside your shop and view it as a whole: what part of your job is eating triple the time because you don't love it?
- Busy is not the same as profitable. Hand off the work that drains you so you can focus on what grows revenue.
- Swap affirmations for "if-firmations": "What if I can do this?" opens the door to possibility instead of forcing belief.
Learn more about how Flower Clique can take that chunk of your job off your plate.