Men & Flowers with Eddie from Barstool Sports

Episode 109: This is the "rest of the story" as Ellie LaFever turns the table on Eddie Farrer of Barstool Sports Chicago. One year ago Vonda and Ellie were on his podcast, The Dog Walk, and talked about the flower business. In this episode, Eddie shares his thoughts on receiving flowers for the first time, along with insight on some challenges men face when they want to order flowers. You don't want to miss Eddie's story on how persistence, hard work, and believing in yourself can get you where you want to go.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:04

Like you do want to have that emotional tie. You don't want to just send it and get it over with.

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Yeah, you don't want to send the base package and be like, oh yeah, that was the first thing on the thing. It's then it's like you're just doing that to check a box. Like if you're gonna send this, you want them to mean something, right?

SPEAKER_04 0:18

Totally.

SPEAKER_02 0:22

Welcome to the business and pleasure of flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever, and Lori Wilson.

SPEAKER_03 0:28

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

SPEAKER_02 0:36

Lori, I'm really excited to share our interview with our podcast guest that we have coming up. Yes, Eddie! So that would be Eddie Farrer. He's a fellow podcaster and host of the Dog Walk.

SPEAKER_03 0:49

Yeah, from Barstool Sports. And you and Ellie were guests on his podcast right before, was it Valentine's Day last year?

SPEAKER_02 1:00

Yes, actually it was February 10th, 2021. So really just about a year ago, we were asked to be a guest on his podcast. So we asked him to return the favor and say, hey, will you join us? And he's like, Of course I will. Of course I will.

SPEAKER_03 1:14

Right. And in his podcast, when he was explaining it to us in the the one that you everyone's gonna listen to today, I think it's interesting because he said it kind of came about because somebody would tell him something about something he didn't know, and he thought, wow, I never knew I wanted to know that. How the whole thing was born. Yes. His his dog walking thing. So I I love that he was so nice to come on ours. And you did a thing before he came on. You sent him something, right?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

So we sent flowers to Eddie, and we used one of our flower click members who did a fabulous job. And that would be a shout out to Teresa at Garland Flowers in Oak Park.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Thank you, Teresa. Woo-hoo. So you sent him because the whole point of him coming on was to talk about how he felt because he had mentioned to you, right, on your one that he had never had anyone send him flowers.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

He'd never received flowers before. So Ellie runs this interview really well. I think she did a fabulous job talking to him and really digging in deep to some important things to learn about men and flowers. Eddie, we're really excited that you joined us. Thanks for joining us today. You know, we do a weekly podcast, you do a daily podcast, which to me is so impressive. I mean, sometimes we struggle to go, oh, well, what are we going to do this week, right? And yeah, and we just love that. And after Ellie and I were on last year, we have some things we want to cover, but I was talking to a florist, he's a wholesale florist in Austin, Texas, and he said to me, How did you and Ellie get on the dog walk podcast? That is so awesome. And I'm thinking, you're in Austin, Texas, and you're listening to the podcast, which I was pretty impressed. So um, anyway, you're your your followers are everywhere. Um, and it's just pretty cool. I don't know, I just think that's pretty good. So Enrico was his name, and he so shout out to him.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

Shout out to Enrico, thank you for listening. I always appreciate all the listeners wherever they are. So, yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

Right. Well, when we were together last time, you mentioned that you had never received flowers, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:30

Nope, never.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

And now tell us what happened.

SPEAKER_00 3:34

I have now received flowers from Vonda and Ellie in this podcast. It was uh they showed up, and let me tell you, uh because you know, all my coworkers they know that I'm a single guy. And uh, when flowers showed up, they looked like, you know, what's what's going on here? You know, they thought it was like they saw a ghost. And uh, you know, it ripped it open. I was like, oh no, you know, this is from Flower Girls, you know, over there. I had them on the dog walk before Valentine's Day, I think it was last year. And uh there was one guy who seemed like pretty enthusiastic about flowers, he was very impressed with the arrangement.

SPEAKER_01 4:07

Good. How did you feel like receiving them?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

So so obviously I knew they were coming, and if I didn't, I would probably be like, whoa, like I, you know, yeah, I didn't expect this. But uh they were nice. I mean, it's it's something where it's like I'm not I'm not uh like against flowers, but when you see them, they certainly they don't do anything besides enhance a room, right? Like that's the way I kind of looked at it. So they were nice, they're really nice.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Okay, so now you need to tell us honestly, have you ever bought flowers for anybody?

SPEAKER_00 4:38

I have.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

You can know you have okay. What was the occasion?

SPEAKER_00 4:42

The occasion was um some she did me a favor, I forget exactly what it was, and she's just like, here's the end of the bargain, though, you gotta send me flowers. And I was like, Okay, all right, fine. You know, we'll uh I'll uh that that that sounds fair. So that would be a crazy.

SPEAKER_03 4:56

Would you have sent the flowers if she would not have said, Hey, you now you gotta send me flowers? I mean, would that have even entered your mind?

SPEAKER_00 5:04

You know, honestly. I I probably would have done something nice for her, but I'll be honest, it probably wouldn't have been flowers just because I don't know, I've never just really thought that direction. It probably would have been something more like go buy this, or you know, it's uh you know, something just different, a different type of gift, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

Yeah, yeah. So that leads me to the next kind of question. The majority of your listeners are 18 to 40 year old men, right? Would you say?

SPEAKER_04 5:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:30

The majority of our listeners are local flower shops, right? Between the two of us, what would you say is the best way that these local businesses, you guys, you guys are all for local businesses, what would be like the hook to get men in that age range? Like you had mentioned, it wasn't top of mind. What would what would really move the needle? Is there anything that is it just promoting the local business? Is it just getting themselves out there, or what is the type of education that needs to be done to buy flowers for?

SPEAKER_00 6:02

To get men to order them to buy flowers. I'll tell you one thing. So when I did that, you go you Google it and it's like like there's so many options that came. So, like, really it's finding like a good source first and foremost, because you do hear all these kind of horror stories, you know. Whatever, like you these fast delivery companies, or I don't I don't know exactly who the bad ones are, but you do hear all these horror stories, and if you're like on the hook, that's something you need to get done, you know. And uh, if it doesn't happen for whatever reason, and obviously stuff happens, um it's it it's just not good. And um I would say like making sure something is like reliable first. Like I just that's what I had the hardest time with. I was like, all right, who could get it there quick? Like, who's actually like could fulfill this promise that like hey, they'll be there by tomorrow during this time. So that would say I'd say for me, that was the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

That's the biggest barrier is just finding the right shop, finding the right place that you trust.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

Yeah, and then I think like I don't know, if the flowers almost had a a sense of uh, like I get off tulips say this and roses say this, and this color, you know, I don't know. I feel like there's some type of emotional thing with these different types of flowers. They probably do, you guys might be able to tell me, but I feel like that's something that if if men were more educated in, especially my listeners, like it would go a long way in making that process easier, you know?

SPEAKER_03 7:24

Yeah, yeah, I love that. You know, I'm listening to you, and I'm picturing if I was to get on Google and I didn't know, you know, those first three or four or five, those paid ads, a lot of those aren't even real shops, right? So when you do find a real local business, one of the first things you can do is you get on their website and you realize, okay, there's a brick and mortar address. These people are real, they're local. The other thing, if you just go under like occasion, most websites, local flowershops are gonna have an occasion and pick anniversary or thank you or thinking about you, whatever these are, they're gonna have under that category what the best flowers are to send for that occasion.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Oh, yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 8:16

And that's but but like you, you're you're not alone. A lot of people don't know that, and it and it can be overwhelming because you can get on some websites and you just scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll, and there's 500.

SPEAKER_00 8:28

And then what's the line too, um it's like you don't want to just send like the uh like the generic, like, oh that's you just picked like the thank you package. You know, there was no thought in it.

unknown 8:39

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 8:39

So are you saying that men are a little bit deeper than we think? Like you do want to have that emotional tie, you don't want to just send it and get it over with.

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Yeah, you don't want to send the base package and be like, oh yeah, that was the first thing on the thing. It's then it's like you're just doing that to check a box. Like, if you're gonna send this, you want them to mean something, right?

SPEAKER_03 8:56

Totally. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's great. That's that's a really good point. And I I will tell you, if you call a local flower shop and they're a good shop, they're going to create that design that you want, that custom. They're not gonna do a package because the whole goal, I think, of a flower shop owner who is taking your order, their goal is to take the emotion you're feeling towards that person and push it to that person, right? So if they don't get it right, you're not gonna have a happy customer.

SPEAKER_01 9:31

Do you think there's also a barrier with calling versus online? Is it just easier for perhaps I know I'm lumping you into a group, but is it easier for those age range of men to just order online? Like you don't want to pick up the phone, click and buy.

SPEAKER_00 9:48

Yeah, I mean, I'll I'll I'll call. Like, I'm someone that I don't mind that. Some people, for whatever reason, don't like to talk on the phone nowadays. And yeah, and like also there is stuff that could get lost in translation on the phone, I guess. Like if you're clicking the box and you're clicking the exact picture that you see, you know what you're gonna get. You don't want to be one word off, and then you got the wrong, you know, whatever. So there could be there could be, I guess, a little more uh I guess it's like less convenient now, it's less efficient almost, right? So but yep.

SPEAKER_01 10:17

Thanks for breaking that down for us. Um so we're gonna switch gears for a minute and talk about business. First, we want to congratulate you. You had a new office that opened in Chicago this summer, right? Barstool. And there's a bar opening today.

SPEAKER_00 10:34

Yeah, we have we have a grand opening in our bar in River North. So um congrats.

SPEAKER_01 10:39

The very first Barstool bar, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yeah, it's crazy. It's like uh the company's gotten, it's just gotten so much bigger. So yeah, we got a new office, new bar. So a lot of good things happen in Chicago here.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Okay, so let's rewind a little. During the climb of Barstool, you went from working in the back of an insurance agency that you found on Craigslist to now a beautiful new office, right?

SPEAKER_04 11:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 11:06

So, how important was it for you to stay the course? Like, in terms of back when you were working in that insurance agency, what kept you motivated to be like, okay, there's a bigger vision here, we're working towards something big. What was what moved the needle for you?

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Yeah, so I think it was at that time, we you know, Barcel is one of those places where it's like you you never want to ask for too much, you just kind of want to put your head down and work, and then like in one day, hope that the work is realized, and then you get rewarded. And uh that was done. So we just were like, we we we kind of had it in the back of our mind. It's like, hey, this this this sucks. Like our door wouldn't even open all the way, it would get caught on a desk. Like, so one person was only able to enter and exit the same. It was it was a mess. It was so tight, and it there were six guys in there, it smelled bad, it was it was just not a good situation. But we always had in the back of our minds, like, hey, at some point, you know, this thing's gonna keep growing and growing. Because, like, I mean, I I don't know how long you guys have been doing the show, but like at first, you know, listeners don't just come overnight. Like, you gotta really grow this thing, you gotta get word of mouth, you've got to get people liking it. And uh, you know, if you just keep your head down and you really dedicate yourself and you're there every week for your listeners, we always knew that the people would come, and with the people, then like Barcel would realize, and then we would kind of get this big thing, and it really was just worked out exactly like that. So that was nice.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

And that was your collective vision for it, like as a team as a whole. Is that what kept you going, or was it like this culture that was created at the beginning? It's like this is gonna be it, or was it the work that you were doing that you were like, I love doing this every day, I can do this forever?

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yeah, it was definitely the culture, just knowing like because our cause our founder Dave, he worked out of his uh his fiance's mom's like basement at one point, you know, and he had people telling him all the time, like, what are you doing? Like, what's going on? You know, what like are you sure this is the right thing? So when you know that the guy who's at the very top started in similar uh fashion, it makes it easier and it makes you realize, like, hey, if he did that, he's certainly gonna recognize what we're doing, and he's gonna appreciate that too, you know. So there was that, then like honestly, there was a there was a respect that I always felt confident that I believed in what we were doing. Like, for instance, when we had you two on, it was like to me, like I always try to find something that people be like, oh, I never knew I wanted to know that, but now I know that. Now I feel like I'm a little knowledgeable, and I could like talk a little bit in a conversation if it's around me. And like that's what I've been able to find, you know. So people, whatever they learn about flowers during that episode, like they pass it on to their friends, and you know, just like you know, amusing things has always been something that I thought was a good niche, and it's kind of it's kind of worked out.

SPEAKER_02 13:53

Yeah, yeah. Just recently I listened to the rewind of the Burger King guy. And when you're just talking about your story, it's the same type of thing. I'm down, he's like, I'm there, I'm just working hard, my head's down, and I got to be a manager, you know. So it was just that same story that you're telling, you really encourage others to share that story over and over again on your podcast, which I think is pretty cool. It encourages everyone.

SPEAKER_00 14:16

Yeah, and it's like listen, you know, we all know like what people around us think about Burger King's chicken nuggets, right? But what does a worker think? You know, what does a worker think? That's we don't know, and that's why I was like, there are questions that like are so simple that yet aren't even asked or answered. So I was like, why not like explore that? Yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 14:37

That's great. Yeah, and the reason I ask also is because our listeners have a lot of part-time employees, freelance employees, and you know, so I think it's about buying them into that long-term vision, right? Of keeping them there for the long-term growth. So that was great insight. Um, three more questions left, and then we'll let you let you go. Of course. What is what is one of the best business lessons you've learned at your time?

SPEAKER_00 15:07

The best business lessons. Um just one. Yeah, you know, it's I mean, like I said, as far as podcasting, because that that's what I'm in, it's really you you just gotta you gotta make sure that you do it consistently. Like I I get we get so many people that approach us and like, hey, I'm thinking about starting this, and you know, we might do this sport, we might do that sport. I was like, listen, the main thing is you gotta do it every week. You gotta do it every week because if you take a week off, you know, you're you may not come back. And the thing you're really striving for is you want to get in your audience's routine. I post the podcast every day at 11 o'clock. To me, I want people to have that in their routine, like, oh, okay, 11 o'clock, I'm gonna go walk my dog, I'm gonna listen to the show. The day that's not there, the day they might listen to something, that's the day they listen to something else, and that's the day I lose that listener, you know. So I just always had that mindset where even when I did my pet before I was with Barcelona at a podcast, and it was with one of my friends, and we did it in my mom's basement, and you know, a couple, a hundred people listen to it, maybe, you know. But I was still like, we gotta keep doing like we gotta keep doing, we gotta be consistent, we gotta be consistent. So when it comes to as far as a podcast, that's probably the best business advice I could share. It's you gotta find a niche that's really not that well explored. Like everyone does football, everyone does sports, and you gotta really like you gotta keep going, and you get you can't you can't really take the days off, you gotta put the work in, and that that's the biggest thing.

SPEAKER_01 16:37

Yeah, I love that. Yep, it's so true. Um, has there been an obstacle that you've that you faced that you are really proud of overcoming?

SPEAKER_00 16:48

Yeah, and that's and it goes back. So I I started with Barstool in 2013. Um, I started as an intern. I was an in a free intern for five years. How five years. And uh, you know, I I showed up that it was a kickball tournament, I really wanted to work there, and it was at Grant Park, and I was like, man, I really like this website, I love these guys. And I met them and they gave me an internship from that, and you know, from there I just did everything I could to kind of get my foot in the door even more. And uh, you know, it was it was it was a long journey, and it it took a long time to get in. There was times where I didn't I didn't think it was gonna happen, and and I had to make other decisions where I thought my career was gonna go many different ways, and uh finally just kind of got a break um in 2018, and then uh that was that was kind of it, but it was uh it was it was tough there for a while, so it was it was it was a long road for sure. Yeah, that's incredible.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

And that's just shows that Vonda's advice this year or word to herself is stay the course, and I feel like that is stay the course so true.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Yeah, believe in yourself too. That's like the best thing I could say too. Like if you really, if you sit there, like because people think you're crazy. Like my dad didn't understand that I wanted to, you know, uh talk to flower shop owners, you know. She's like, What do you mean? Like, go get a sales job, go work wherever. And I was just like, no, like I'm I think I could do this, I believe that I could do this. And if you if you really believe, like, you know, you you you you got a shot for yourself, and that that's that's what I that's what I truly believe.

SPEAKER_03 18:22

That's awesome. Well, you know, I have three kids, they're all in their 20s. I got a book for two of them for Christmas, and it's called I Could Do Anything, and it's that exact thing, and you touched on it saying, you know, my dad didn't understand, so of course I'm reading it too, and the whole first section, I'm like, gosh, I have damaged my children. I have tried to impose my dream on them, you know, what but you figured that out quickly, and that's that's a big part, I think, of even people Bonda and Ellie and I talk to that are in our industry that are wanting to be freelancers, start their own business. It's like their biggest fear is that my parents don't think I can do it, you know, or or people that speak into my life think it's a bad idea. And at some point, you gotta just say to those people, hey, I respect your decision. I'll tell you what, if I fail, I'm not gonna make you pay for everything. Just I gotta keep staying the way. Yeah, and it's tough too.

SPEAKER_00 19:24

Like, I I get his concerns, like he just wanted to be me but to be financially stable, exactly, you know, and he wanted me to, you know, exactly be able to get a house and have a family and everything.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

So I and have insurance and all that.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

Exactly. It was not coming from a place you know, it was coming from a place of love. But um, oddly enough, though, I'll tell you, like it just always made me dig my heels in more. So uh the pushback was always like, all right, like I'm you know, it's not going anywhere. So uh no, I hear what you're saying. It it's such a fickle thing, right? It it really is. Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yep. Anything else?

SPEAKER_02 19:57

Your proudest moments you have down here.

SPEAKER_01 19:59

I mean, he said it. Yeah, doing what he's doing. It was an obstacle and the proudest moment. Yeah, it was. And that like break through the day I got full.

SPEAKER_00 20:07

It was incredible. I just, you know, because like I said, there were so many moments where I was like, man, I just uh I was very close to quitting, like right when I got it. Like it was just it was like I I had kind of blocked it out. I went on like a great vacation with like some of my friends, and I was like, you know what, like maybe it's just not meant to be, and then like you know, everything happens at the weirdest times, and then it happened, and uh yeah, so I was very proud. That was a very proud moment for sure.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

That's amazing. So I ask a question to every guest we have, and it doesn't have to be about anything related to your business, but I I want I would be very remiss if I didn't ask you this question. What in 2022 what's inspiring you right now? Like what are you looking at going, man? That's I love that.

SPEAKER_00 20:53

You know, I to me, so 2022, I'm entering year four is full-time now at Barstool, full-time uh doing a podcast. And I I just right now I've got to kind of look at I've done the dog walk for three years. I love it. It's a successful show. A lot of people like it and listen to it, but I don't know, I'm kind of looking to, you know, if you're not kind of adapting and evolving, like you don't want to get left behind, you know. So I need to do a better job, you know. Social media is like a place where it's like a really big goal of mine where I gotta do better at. And uh really I I have another couple new podcast ideas that I'm kind of tinkering with. So really you just kind of gotta just figure out ways to just kind of make things fresh and fine-tune it. So that's that's a big initiative of mine here in 2022 for sure. That sounds great.

SPEAKER_02 21:37

That's a good one to have. Well, we really thank you for joining us today. It's been great.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

No, of course. Thank you guys for listening and everything. And it's it's cool. I I'm happy to do this because you know you guys did mine, and I was like, of course, I'll do you guys. So um, I I appreciate you guys having me on.

SPEAKER_02 21:54

And enjoy the flowers, right?

SPEAKER_00 21:55

Yeah, of course, of course. Okay, yeah.

unknown 21:58

All right, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

Thanks so much. You guys have a good weekend.

SPEAKER_03 22:03

So, Vonda, you know, it's no secret that I hate listening to myself on the podcast recording, right? Like I hate when you send me one, go, hey, you need to listen to this. And I'm like, no, I don't. I was there. I have already heard it. But I listened to this one because you know, you asked me to. And I think it's really interesting. I if if you are a flower shop owner or a florist doing anything out of your house and you're listening to this, there's some takeaways that I hope you got that the second time around I got. Number one is a lot of men don't want to click to buy. Like they don't want to do the out-of-the-box bat base package. They truly want it to be a thoughtful gift. Um, a lot of people in the world do online ordering, but so when a man's calling to order something, really listen to them because they want this to be a good thing, like they truly care. I loved that, right?

SPEAKER_02 23:02

I think it was kind of the mix. It's what he was saying is sometimes there is that special message that you don't want to click to buy, but sometimes you want to click to buy because you want that exact thing, right? Which I thought was interesting. It's like because I don't know what to ask for, so I feel secure if I'm doing that himself. He didn't feel that way. He felt he would be better off to call and find out a little bit more.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

But yeah, I thought that was really it was interesting, and he was asking, you know, like what to get for what occasion. Um, and you know, in in our mind and world, we're like, well, every website has an occasion button, but it again, it's one of those things we just assume everyone knows exactly, and he didn't. So I I thought he was very thoughtful in in how he responded to Ellie's questions. The other thing I wanted people to get out of this, especially if you're new, a new business owner. I don't care if you're a new business owner in this industry or any any kind of industry. I think it's worthwhile to listen and hear. My gosh, he worked for free for five years. Right. No Pcause he wanted to be a part of this program, but that doesn't mean he didn't have doubts along the way.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Yeah, I love that too, because he worked his butt off, right? To get where he is. Yeah. Because you know he had to be doing this for free for five years. He had to be having some income somewhere else as well. So he's doing many things to be able to get to where he wanted to go, to fulfill that dream that he had to be part of Barstool Sports.

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Right. And I think you know, he knew what his passion was and and working towards being able to do what you're passionate about doesn't always mean everything along the way is going to align with that passion. Sometimes we gotta go sweep the floors, right? Even though your passion is designing wedding bouquets, like that's just part of the the trajectory or the pathway to get to be able to do your passion. But my thought is if you can engage in whatever you're passionate about a little bit each day, that's okay. It'll get you where you want to go. Exactly. 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 25:49

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