A Serious Photo Shoot and SAF Convention in Orlando

Episode 141:  Vonda and Lori chat about what's going in in Flower Clique and beyond, from a recent professional photo shoot and all of the work it entails to connecting with others at SAF in Orlando this week.  There is a lot happening and Lori will joining in a session and might be a bit starstruck with a special someone.  Listen in to find out who.   😊

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:04

It's so exciting because you and Ellie are going to be inducted into PFCI as well. So that's really big stuff. Welcome to the Business and Pleasure of Flowers. We're your hosts, VondolaFever.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

And Lori Wilson. And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination. Kind of like us, Vonda.

SPEAKER_03 0:35

Hey Lori, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

I know. So when you when I first logged on here, you didn't realize it, but your camera was off. And for a brief second, I thought, I don't know if it was broken or what. And I was actually really sad because it was like, I have not physically laid virtual eyes on you in a while, couple weeks. It's been a while. Never happens for us, right? Um, but anyway, so we have no plan today. We're just gonna catch up.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

I think that's a great idea, you know, because we try to do what's trending and what we're just gonna talk about what's trending with Bonda and Lori today, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Right, with Flower Click and with Flower Wers, because you spent the last week with Julie and Ellie. Um Julie very much for subbing, right? As she was your co your co-podcaster last week. She was, yeah, she was right there. Um, but you guys had a very busy week because you were doing a flower clip photo shoot.

SPEAKER_03 1:50

We were doing a flower clip photo shoot. So Julie and I showed up the first two days and we designed. I mean, we just like cranked them out, and it was a lot to get done for the two of us. So you have two fast designers for two days designed, and then Julie went home. She's she has all these events that she has run her own business, so she has and bless her heart for coming and giving up that time and sandwiching us between everything else that was going on. So she went home and Ellie came in and we started doing the shoot. And then you have that little bit of difference between the uh vision of our branding expert and what I had in mind, and there's a little bit of a difference, and so we had a lot of tweaking to do on the bokeh, which was fine, but it was Lori. Very seldom do I underestimate the amount of time it takes to do something. Yeah, I'm usually pretty good at that.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Yes, you are this one.

SPEAKER_03 2:57

I was way under.

SPEAKER_01 3:00

Well, I number one want to give you kudos be for admitting that, because that can be hard. Um, and I know I first of all, I'm gonna back up a minute. And typically, not that I could have helped a whole lot, but I'm usually there, so I'm a lot of times kind of a bumper between you and Ellie, not because you're arguing, just because I'm kind of interpreting, oh, I think what Ellie's trying to say is this, and oh, I think what Vonda's right, it's just what I do.

SPEAKER_03 3:32

Yes, you were.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

I was not there because my dad was here, which is great, no big deal. He went back to his house now, but I couldn't be there. But I spoke with each of you on the phone off and on quickly at separate times, and you both had the same frustrations, and it wasn't like frustrated at each other personally, it was like time, time and vision and correct, but I look at that and I'm like, wow, I am impressed that you guys act there were two visions, and you literally fused them together.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

We did, we did. There was one point that Ellie was really conflicted because she kind of liked what was going on, but she wasn't sure. And so she sent a message to Abby to vote. Yes, it was so funny, yeah. And then at the end, Abby was being very politically correct. Yeah. She was like, I like this, but I I think I like this, but this and this and this. And and I'm like, okay, tell her to quit being politically correct. Give us her true feeling, and so then she did, and then she wrote back and she goes, Whose side was I on? Yeah, and it was yours, it was yours.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Well, Abby, of course, called B after that whole thing because she needed counseling. She's like, Did I do this right? And I'm like, Oh gosh, I've been in that position before. I said, The good thing is you didn't know who's that's the like blind taste testing, right? Like this or blind thing, and she did, and then she said, I did. I sided with Vonda. She said, however, I do know by using that there is gonna be, there's always gonna be people going, why'd Vonda use that? I mean, it's you know, no matter what we put in anything, just in the there's always gonna be somebody not happy about it, right?

SPEAKER_03 5:46

Exactly, exactly. But it it was super cute, and Ellie truly was conflicted, she could have gone either way, and that's why she really needed that. I mean, I could go either way on this too. We just need to know what our members really would like.

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Well, exactly, and then even after the photo shoot, you know, because Ellie is posing pictures and we're talking about it, and our members know we're going to do that. After it's all said and done. Yesterday I get a couple of emails from some of our members going, hey, I know you just did a photo shoot, but can you add and did it? And I'm like, nope, we do not, but that is a good idea.

SPEAKER_03 6:31

We'll put it on for the next one, however.

SPEAKER_01 6:34

Because here's the thing I don't know if we've talked about this before on here. It is so labor intensive to just prepare for a photo shoot. Um, the amount of work you and Ellie, but you you make those binders for everybody that's going to be there. You have every single detail mapped out about what we have to shoot, on what background, what close-ups, all of the stuff. And even then we have forgotten before, and because it's right there, it's so fast-paced and it's so many details. We could literally shut down Flower Click for a week, have every one of us staff people go and help and still have to take that same amount of time, right?

SPEAKER_03 7:29

What was interesting is Allie, who is on our team, yes, Allie Packer, who's one of our web specialists that helps behind the scenes, she was there for the first time, and she was just like, like, oh my gosh, this is so much. And then her comment was, I understand why some of the pictures that other people put or want to put on their websites aren't so great. Aren't so great. They don't take the time and effort, not just with lighting and you know, the right the box, you know, the light box. Yep, it's just the time that it takes to make sure that it looks really good that a consumer is going to want to buy it. So that was an interesting comment.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Well, it it's very interesting. And the very first time I came to the a photo shoot, my eyes were very much open too because I always, you know, Ellie has a lot of equip photography equipment that's but she always has to rent more for a full photo shoot, and it's it's a lot of money, a lot of time, and a lot of effort, and you have to have a very trained eye. You wouldn't put an a design in the little photo box, and I'm not behind the camera, but I'm standing next to you, and I'm like, oh, that's so pretty. Our members are gonna love that. Take the picture, I go look at the picture, and I just see all the holes. Like I and that's why people do it on their own if you don't know what to look for.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

And the other thing is each person sees something different. Ellie will look at it and make some ch tweaks, then I will look at it, or actually, usually I start, make my tweaks, and I go to her, okay, you're it's your turn, you know, and so then she makes some more. And yeah, not that we're trying to get it so perfect that our members can't reproduce it because they can't.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Because in person it looked fine. That's the difference.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

It looked fine, yeah. Yeah, the eye of the camera is the thing. So, what really made me uh understand that I had uh not counted correctly everything we wanted to do or needed to do is when Ellie writes me after I'm home, because I was supposed to fly home on Monday, ended up staying Monday and finishing up what I needed to do about 11:30 p.m. Got up and took a flight home at 6 a.m. the following day. Because I needed to be here. I have stuff going on.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

That's the night we called me going through McDonald's drive-thru to and then going back to do yes. That was the that was it.

SPEAKER_03 10:09

So Ellie writes me a text um yesterday. Do you realize that we did almost 200 images? Yikes, no.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

You you're talking, wait, wait, wait. She technically you probably did over a thousand because just one image, it couldn't easily take 27 shots. I mean, I've been there when that's happened, so I would say she probably took 12 of that easy shot, and then she has to filter through each one of those to find, and I know she'll do like top three favorites, and she goes back and looks and goes back. I mean, it is such a tedious process, but it's very cool to watch. It's kind of like, you know, I never really thought about how flowers come into the port of Miami until I went, took the tour, you know, at Next Gen, and was in awe of how logistically how this actually comes about, and the fact that just very minimal boxes of flowers get lost. I it it amazes me how not more get lost. And so that's exactly how I felt the first time I came to a photo shoot.

SPEAKER_03 11:28

Yeah, yeah. So now after we get this point done, Ellie has a little more work, and then we get to pass it off. And then Cami and Leslie and Denise, Allie, then they do their stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:38

So and then I get to put them on the memory. That's my little tiny part.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

No, that's a big part. So anyway.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

The only reason I keep that part for part of my job because it isn't some, it helps me know what's going to be on their sites, and that's really good. I don't want more. I don't want any more, I don't want to do it like the web text do it because they're amazing and detailed. But that's why I keep that. It's good for me to know because of our social media stuff and our email going, oh, that would be a really great one for the Christmas email.

SPEAKER_03 12:15

So, anyway, that's what's so interesting. Well, and we'll move on, but is that with a photo shoot, each one of our team members touches that or is aware of what's going on, yeah, which is so cool because everybody, I mean, because we're a team, it's not just one person putting that all together, it's just a great team.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

One of the requests I got after, which I think is gonna be something you guys probably did while you were there. Um, but I thought it was interesting, and I was curious if people listening that own flower shops, if they see this too. Um, a couple of our members have said, hey, we love the photos of just the plain wrapped bundles. You know, we have the bundle thing, they're selling a lot of just cash and carry style bundles. And I wondered if other flower shops are seeing an uptick in just a bundle of flowers instead of you know the full-on vase. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 13:14

They can't talk about it. That's a really good question. It they can't they can't answer that. I know. No, that's a real European thing. I'm trying to think who I was talking to just recently. And they're like, you know, in the US, you have so many vases, you know, you ever send everything out in the vases, and in European countries, they tend to go into the shop and say, you know, this is a size of vessel I have, and can you do flowers that will go in here? And then they take a hand of it themselves, already wrapped to just drop in, but they're designed like in the spiral hand tight or something, yeah. That then they have a specialty, you know, like a really premium base at home that they're putting flowers in.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

And that makes sense. It's right.

SPEAKER_03 13:59

I don't know, it would be bad for the uh container industry in America because and I think as a shop, we want to send flowers out that are in you know, water with the flower food and you know done professionally. So I think that's some of the difference as well. Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 14:19

Okay, so while you were doing that, I was working on a couple of things back here. Uh, one of the things, our my stressors last week, it wasn't stressor, it was actually well, it was a stressor, but I think it's also comical. Uh, Abby, who we were already talking about, Abby Chick, we were going back and still trying to complete our real life florist course that we shot in video this over the summer, but then we had some, we're not using Zoom, we're using something else, but because we needed to be able to show slides.

SPEAKER_00 15:01

So here's what happened.

SPEAKER_01 15:02

There was one, and it's one, it's gonna be super cool because she goes through. If you are a new shop owner or you're aspiring to be a shop owner, or maybe you want to remodel, she goes through a complete layout of what the inside of her vision of a perfect flower shop would be. Um, it was fascinating. It was absolutely fascinating. She thought of things that never even entered my mind. And once she mentioned it, we're like, oh my gosh, total sense. But here's what happened. So we went through the slides. I kind of added my two cents on maybe things we want to touch on. Um, and then we went and re-recorded it. It was we had a couple of pauses, but we, you know, it was gonna be probably 40 minutes. I mean, this is a robust because it's a lot of stuff. Yes, a lot of info. Yes. We get finished. So glad. Oh, you know, Ellie's only gonna have to edit it. She we get off, she texts me, she's like, I can't hear you. I'm like, what? What are you talking about? My voice didn't record.

SPEAKER_03 16:25

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_01 16:27

The whole thing. So I anyway, long story short, by it was after six o'clock in the evening when we couldn't get her microphone cord. This is the one thing we think was completely frayed. And so when I tried to do it, I couldn't hear her. It was some weird glitch. We still have not reshot it because again, she's gotta run a store. I also have two other things, so but it's been so frustrating because it's one of those times where it was so good. We were both high energy and talking through, and we came up with some really had some really good conversation, and all you hear is her talking and then her going, yeah, me too.

SPEAKER_00 17:26

And you have no idea who she's talking.

SPEAKER_01 17:30

So I don't know, it's technology, it's the the wonderful and horrible. So oh, she wanted to do it. She's like, let's meet back at eight o'clock at night.

SPEAKER_03 17:39

And I'm like, oh no, no, Lauri does not do anything at night.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

Yeah, I was like, I'm in bed. There you don't want Lori Wilson voice at eight o'clock.

SPEAKER_03 17:49

Exactly, exactly. That's us for sure. Yeah, so yeah, so real life florist is going well. I have videos to do, my looms to do, um, because of the screen share, and I'm really excited about that. It's kind of geeky because mine are spreadsheets and financial things. So yeah, I'm looking forward to it though.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yeah, yeah. No, I'm I'm excited for it too. And it's interesting because the more we were going through thinking through certain modules uh last week with her, the more we were like, oh my gosh, honestly, any person that either young or old you will benefit from this content. I mean, it's it's a lot, it's almost like your personal diary of how you and Abby and in different ways came about in this industry on having to run a business. And there it's it's fascinating to me.

SPEAKER_03 18:49

It's amazing to me. It's just amazing. Anyway, so speaking of SAF, I'm getting excited.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

I'm getting very excited. Do you you know what I did this morning? Uh I tried on a bunch of different outfits because you know me and my stress over what I'm gonna wear, and I sent them to Cammy, Cammy Martin, because she was doing it with me, and we were going back and forth as each other stylists, and then at one point we're giggling because we are not stylists, we're like, looks good to me.

unknown 19:23

That was brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

I was like, you're no help.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

Yeah, but anyway, she was, you know, she's been a little bit nervous because she hasn't gone before, and so I was telling her uh in a little Marco Polo the other night everything that why I'm so excited. And so this morning she responded, she goes, Oh my gosh, you have wiped away all my fears. I'm so excited. It's like it is just nothing. So one of the things I am most excited about is every time I go to a new event in this industry, I walk away having met new people, right? And develop these friendships. And even from people that are coming that were at next gen that I got to know, they've already reached out and we're like, I can't wait to see you again. And it just makes my heart so happy to keep reconnecting with these people, and it we've always talked about you and how this is your family, this industry, these people, your generation most you know, of people that you guys went through it all together. Those are your really good friends, yeah. And see, that's what you're starting to make to build. You're starting to build it. Billy's starting to do it, and Ozzy's starting to do, you know, it's just it is such a fun, exciting feeling. It's kind of like, oh my gosh, I'm going to my high school reunion. Only better, better, I would say.

SPEAKER_03 21:08

And what's really great is for me to see that the excitement with you with because you're connecting with people that I might not know, you know, but you've made these connections. Ellie's made these great connections, exactly, and Audrey too. It's just wonderful to be able to see and I mean to set back and watch and observe what's going on. And it's so exciting because you and Ellie are going to be inducted into PFCI as well. So that's really big stuff.

SPEAKER_01 21:36

We're excited about that. Yeah. It's I get I don't want to say I keep forgetting because I'm truly, truly excited and honored. But it's not, I think, because we've been so busy with other stuff at the forefront of my mind. But the closer it gets, the more I'm like, oh my gosh, that's really happening. This is exciting. So, and what a cool thing. Thing that we got to do it together. Agree. Because I think when you approach us about it, you probably deep down knew we I probably wouldn't have done it alone. She certainly wouldn't have done it alone. But we're like, come on, let's try.

SPEAKER_03 22:16

You did, and you gave it your all, and you're you're gonna do it. So that's really really awesome.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

But I do I want I want to say something to people that are listening, and I know we have said this over and over and over again, but this industry you really can have great community within like-minded people, and by like-minded, I mean they love the floral industry. Um, there's flower shop owners or they're just visual artists that love flat, you know, whatever it is. And if you've never been to something like this, it is a game changer, an absolute game changer. So be brave and and show up to these things, even if they're the state level, just start going to something and meeting other people because I think you get so inspired.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

You get inspired and energized, you know, you're like, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, those people think like I do, they appreciate the same things I do. Right, exactly. So it's really exciting. And if anybody has aspired to be PFCI, which is Professional Floral Communicators International, take the time to, you know, really look into what it takes to do it because it really is awesome to be able to say, hey, I am a good speaker, I have knowledge in the floral industry, and I'm uh willing to share that with others. To me, it was a goal that years ago I wanted to achieve, and I I think it tells the industry that you're an expert on what you're talking about, Lori and Ellie, and all those who are being inducted this year.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

I just think it's a yeah, I think not only it tells you an expert, but it tell it lets people know hey, I truly am passionate about this industry. Like I'm in, I'm sold. And the funny thing, and I tell people this all the time, is I'm not a designer, I will never be a designer, right? But I just love everything about the people in this industry. I love their hearts, I love their minds, I just love it all.

SPEAKER_03 24:36

Well, and you're an expert, truly, and an awesome speaker on anything that has to do with sales or community or personality, right? Expertise is not design. And Ellie's she had obviously has a lot of design expertise, but you know, it's branding, it's marketing. So you don't have to be a speaker on floral specific to be able to do that. So check out with that with Society of American Florists.

SPEAKER_01 25:03

Um, and speaking of speaker, I have to tell you, I may look a little starstruck when we are at SAF because a guy, I read his one of his books. He's an author. Um long time ago, I read one of his books. His name is Barry Gottlieb. Have you ever heard him speak? He is I've never heard him speak. Does he sound does it sound familiar to you though? Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

When I looked up his picture, because you talked about him before. Yes, yes, that's when I um when I was like, oh, yes, I've seen him for sure.

SPEAKER_01 25:44

Yeah, right. So he is teaching a class that you know I will be front, row, and center. It's called Feel Feel Better, Wellness and Mindfulness for Teens. And first of all, I'm excited to hear him because I think he really is a great leadership type style speaker. And second of all, I love that Society of American Florists incorporated this topic.

SPEAKER_03 26:16

Yeah for a dimension.

SPEAKER_01 26:18

You know, I think um this topic we talked a lot about at NextGen. The the younger generation, they're way more open about health and what mental health and wellness, and the fact that they have this um as as a recurring session. I'm just I'm just excited. So maybe I'll get his autograph on that. Maybe I can I think you should. Do you think I could become friends with him and he'd come on our podcast?

SPEAKER_03 26:47

Oh, I think you should do that.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

That okay, that's go for it. That's my goal. That's your goal. That should be your goal. I just seriously, the worst, the worst he's gonna say is no thank you, right? That's okay. That's right. As long as we know I I I gotta try. So anyway, there's a lot of good classes, but that's the one that of course I'm most excited about.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

Well, and we're doing something in the experience zone. Oh, yes, that should be kind of fun too.

SPEAKER_00 27:18

I need to be excited about the one we're teaching.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

No, but the nice thing is we can enjoy so much the first few days because ours isn't until Thursday in the afternoon. So at that point, we are gonna be so energized. I don't know if they can keep you on the stage.

SPEAKER_01 27:35

Right, right. Well, and what's cool is we're doing so they're calling these experience zones. So they're only 20, 25-minute sessions where they're a lot more interactive and kind of it's not so much you go and you sit and you look up and listen. It's we're ours is gonna be really interactive. So I'm excited. Um, because I think you and I feed off of the energy of everyone else around us. So ours will be fun. It's about selling. So if you are coming to SAF and especially if you have employees, make sure that you stop by our experience zone on what is it, Thursday afternoon? Thursday afternoon, yeah. So we'll be there. That's gonna fun. We're gonna have a little game, it's gonna be a little bit of a game there. So um, don't want to miss it. Oh, so I wanted to talk about this and then we'll we'll go. But as I was, I was trying to think of ways to start our experience zone because you know, we're talking about how would you sell this? And a lot of people, I mean, just to dive in, this is how you sell is kind of boring. So I posted in our members-only Facebook group and said, tell me of a time that you overheard an employee in your store, whether it was with a customer in person or on the phone, and the way they responded to the employee to the customer was just a cringe-worthy moment for you. And Vonda, I was snorting, laughing at some of these comments of things that happened. And I just yeah, this first of all, we need to write a book of all of these together. Um, but I'm we're gonna share some of them at our experience zone because I think everyone will be able to identify. Even some of the funniest ones were from the owners themselves, uh, that said they commented to a customer, and at that moment, they it was like they were having an out-of-body experience because everything they said should never have left their mind, but it did.

SPEAKER_03 29:57

That's when you say, Was that my outside voice?

unknown 30:01

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 30:04

Yes, yes, anyway. I was tickled reading some of these, and they just kept coming and coming, and they're like, I've got so many. How many do you want? I was like, I holly love it.

SPEAKER_03 30:18

This is hilarious, that'll be great to share those, Lori.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

It will, it will be very fun. Uh, that's really a pretty good wrap-up.

SPEAKER_03 30:28

I think, yeah, that's a good wrap-up.

SPEAKER_01 30:30

So, what's inspiring you right now?

SPEAKER_03 30:32

What's inspiring me is that we are going to SAF and I get to see you and hug your little neck. And all of my flower friends and our members and our staff. I mean, I get to see Audrey, haven't seen her for a year. I mean, Ellie, you, Cammy. Oh my gosh, it's been forever since I've seen Cammy. Yeah. So exciting.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

Cammy said yesterday, she goes, Do you realize I have not seen Vonda face to face, Vonda or Ellie, since that time at my house in December when we launched Flowerclip?

SPEAKER_03 31:09

Wow, so that would have been 2019.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Yeah, December of 2019. Isn't that crazy? That is like crazy. I didn't I forget because I am blessed and get to see you guys, and I get to see Audrey because I go to Ohio, and you know, it's but yeah, I forget about that.

SPEAKER_03 31:28

So I know what about you?

SPEAKER_01 31:30

What's inspiring you? Same thing, same. Yeah, just the the the energy and the laughter that I know I'm gonna have when we all get together.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

I just can't wait.

SPEAKER_01 31:47

All right, I have to go move my laundry from the washer to the dryer now. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast. We hope you enjoyed spending time with us because we enjoy spending time with you. If you did, make sure you hit that subscribe button or add the business and pleasure of flowers to your Google morning routine or your flash briefing on Alexa. We look forward to seeing you next week.

SPEAKER_02 32:14

So please come back and join us in discovering a little bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset and take you to new levels in your life and business.