The Floral CEO

  📍 Hello , flower friends. It's Jen, and I want to talk about worry. We all worry a lot, and I wanna talk about 10 things that I would love for you to stop worrying about, and some kind of strategies on how not to keep worrying about these things. Okay, so I ... It was so interesting because I experienced this firsthand with somebody over Mother's Day.

They were talking about how they really needed this specific flower, and they were all... I mean, they were fucking sideways about it, and they were, cursing up and down, like, the shitty ones that they saw and, all the things. And I, I, like, looked at them, and I knew it was important because I think a family member was one that they were for.

But a client really wanted them, and I really thought about how I haven't worried like that in a long time. And so one of those things that I did to stop worrying about that shit was I stopped promising specific blooms. You can try your hardest. You can source from multiple places, and this is one thing that I do, , is source from multiple places to avoid this.

But there's still weather, shipping, crop issues. Right now, you guys if you're ... This is right around Mother's Day, you're listening to this. Ecuador is and Colombia are really, really wet. And I know that there has been a bunch of unrest with the cartel, I believe, in Guatemala, so they have literally shut trucks down from driving at night.

And that is making hydrangeas really, really hard to get and more expensive. Those are things we have no, absolutely no control over. And sometimes we have no control over bugs being on things and the quality of blooms being absolute shit. So I want you to stop acting like you can control nature. You control your effort, your substitutions, and your design eye.

And you control how everything is set up with a client. I, in no way, shape, or form at all promise anything specific, but I see florists tirelessly go through this exact thing again and again and again and again. All right, number two, someone says no to your business Rejection can feel so tricky, especially when you are building your business, when you are, feeling like you wanna do all these big things, and you're on fire, and you're just

You're feeling all the things about your business being, wanting to prove yourself. But a no does not make you bad. A no could be their budget, the timing, the fit, the personality, the priorities or it could just be, like, not your client. So stop making it mean something immensely personal. I know that it's hard to not take a no personal, because when you sink time in, the sunken cost bias you keep going deeper and deeper.

But I'm telling 📍 you it is not serving you to get super wigged out. You need to ... Somebody doesn't go up to bat and hit every single ball that gets thrown at them. It's the same way in business, you guys. We need to know that this is part of the process. Someone saying no, it ... And honestly, I have a theory that if you are getting a yes on more than, like, 75% of your weddings, you're probably too cheap as well.

So it's also an indicator of are you really, charging properly, and is it easy to say yes because you're the cheapest or you're over-delivering in some other way? All right. Number three, someone you love is judging your business. I have heard this time and again that, they'll have somebody that they love that they're really worried, or a job and then, they're working on building their side hustle, or their loved one, their spouse, their parents, they're just worried about them, you know, not understanding what they're building.

Some people think that it's risky, and you should do the safe thing, and you shouldn't work for yourself because of a million fucking reasons, because you're being too much. You're being too weird. You're being too ambitious. They are allowed to th- feel that way, and absolutely you are allowed for it not to bother you in one way, shape, or form.

That doesn't mean that you have to stop. One of the things that I think is, like, critical in building your business is that your personal social media knows what you do So at least once every three months, if not more frequently, you should go on and talk about your business. Because why would someone not wanna do business with somebody that they already know they would like to support?

But if you are not talking about it, how are they gonna know? How are they gonna know that you could have helped them? But most people have all of these fraud-y feelings come up, and, that their, uncle or their aunt or somebody they went to high school with or somebody they used to be best friends with is going to judge them in some way.

Who cares? They are not paying your mortgage. They are not paying for whatever cute pedicure that you wanna get, a massage, your electric bill. They are not paying any of those. And if they judge you, they-- do they really love you unconditionally if there is going to be all of these things around that?

And I'm just not signing up for that kinda shit anymore, and I hope you don't either. All right. To piggy, uh, back on that, fraud-y feelings or imposter syndrome is something that s- so many people are haunted by, and everybody feels like a fraud sometimes, and I get that. The difference is some people keep moving anyway.

And you do not need to feel fully confident to act like an expert. You just need to decide that you're going to show up before you feel ready, and you're gonna keep showing up even when you feel like maybe somebody else is more qualified, maybe somebody else is a better designer, maybe somebody else is, something different.

And you inevitably want success, I hope. And those fraud-y feelings and that imposter syndrome is essentially what's holding you back from really, like, seeding into who you could truly be in your life. And when you go after who you were-- your purpose and stepping into who you were really meant to be, things can change so much.

I used to be so much more timid about showing up in my business, and I just know it's not serving me. So show up, be who you are, and let people who love you, love you, and people who are going to be douches be that way. I am no longer invested in making everybody in the world happy, and neither should you.

All right. Reason number five that I would love for you to stop worrying about, flowers not coming in. I used to fret so much, and I actually, I hear this often. People are fretting about finding something, about something coming in, about something they ordered, about trucks and shipments and all that.

And you know what? I get worrying is super fun for a lot of people, but it's not serving you. It's not really fun. This is our life. Crops can fail. Trucks get delayed. Product quality can be weird. Stop acting shocked every time Mother Nature acts like nature. Build systems, backups, flexibility, and confidence in your substitutions.

Build a fucking backup plan, you guys. I love these people, they're just like, "This wholesaler better come through. They better come through on my peonies, and I'm gonna be..." And then they're on every single Facebook group scouring local peony farmers when it's not even peony season yet. Or they're, like, looking in I don't know.

You guys, the shit I have seen, it is crazy how much we get worked up. And I do wanna say, like, I worry about some things sometimes. If I have a really crazy client, of course I can worry. But it's not helping worry. Worry isn't helping anybody. Worry is only adding to your cortisol levels, is only making you sleep less, is only doing a million things that is negative to you and your body.

I know that I have four wholesalers in town, and I know that I am extremely lucky for that. But I also know who are my backups, and I know who usually lets me down on a certain thing. So I know where to strategically place my bets when it comes to ordering from the get-go. So know who is your winner on that, a specific thing, and ask them.

You know what? I will place an order, and I have a really good relationship with one of my wholesalers. I'll be like, "Dude, I really need this shit, so if you have any shred of doubt right now that you think you're gonna be able to deliver, I need you to tell me right now, 'cause I will go a different direction, not because I don't love you, because I want my shit."

And I've built a relationship that can have that kind of honesty so that I can worry less. I don't want to worry at all, actually. And honestly, I really don't, because I know that I will figure it out, and I've placed my bets where the best probability and n- the outcome is going to happen. Okay.

Number six. One thing that is really hard in the world of Instagram is to look at all the other florists and go, "Look at what they're doing. Look at how pretty that is. Why didn't that planner book with me? Why didn't that venue re- you know, refer that person? Why am I not getting those kind of jobs? Well, I bet you they're not charging enough.

Oh my God, what if they're charging more? Look at their follower count. Look at their cooler. Look at how pretty they are. Look at their studio. Oh, look at who got published. Oh my God, I can't believe they booked that wedding. I bid that wedding, and I didn't get it." Once you stop worrying about what other florists do and what they're doing on Instagram, for one, if you spend all your time looking at said florists on Instagram, you're not gonna have much time to invest in your actual business.

But stop worrying about what they're doing. What you really need to invest in is what are you doing? 'Cause half the time when I meet with someone and they're bitching and complaining that their business isn't doing something and I ask them what tangible input they have actually done, it's usually pretty ne- negligible.

It's they've done a few things, but not needle movers, not consistently. And I want you to consistently invest in your business, and sometimes that requires removing temptation to soak up content that is not productive for you. So maybe you need to unfollow those florists. Maybe you need to cap your internet or your Instagram consumption, your TikTok consumption, whatever it is.

I want you to really have a year of impact, and you're not going to be doing that by comparing yourself to everybody else. All right. Another thing that, this is again, circles back to Fri- Friday Feelings, but I just got done with my business bouquets and branding workshop, and people get nervous when they're going to do a branding video or they're going to have their branding photos.

They're laying out what their outfit is. And a lot of that is really worrying of course, what are people gonna think? But am I being too much? Am I being too extra? Are people gonna be, like, thinking I'm a weirdo? I, I have had somebody call my account a TikTok account on Instagram, and I have had somebody say "I don't know why you do so many videos."

That person was very small in my mind. I know that I can go to a networking event and people know me because I've shown my face and my business. So you are not annoying people for reminding people what you do. Most people are not paying any attention to... The- they're not caring. Everybody's got their own life.

So you are not over-posting, you are marketing, and there is a big difference. You have a service to offer, a solution to provide. N- uh, realistically, if you think about every time you're going to post, if you're worried about being too much, then we need to go back to the fraidy feelings department, and we need to go back to the worried...

If your mom is following your Instagram. I've actually, way in the past, gone to post something and thought, "What is this specific person going to think about this post?" And I was worried about their judgment. I do not care anymore. I actually was worried when I post that it's safe to come here to Minnesota to my Installation Rockstar and my Business Boquets and Branding workshop, and I had somebody, the person that I could have worried about, send me a really shitty message that it's not safe.

Even though I knew in my heart that where the venue was located the volume of weddings and events that they had done there, I really felt that it was a safe place, and here they are sending me a really shitty DM. And you know what? I thanked them for their concern and said, "I feel confident in my statements because of these three things, but I appreciate and if anything changes, I will make sure that I'm keeping everybody that attends safe."

I wasn't gonna say, "Oh my God, you're right. I should feel so much shame." That is so ridiculous. L- this person is so ridiculous by thinking that their input is going to hurt my feelings, 'cause there's no way that person sent that without the intent of being a dick. So you are never too much when you are being yourself, and I'm guessing you're pretty lovable So showing yourself and how l- fucking lovable you are is going to get you way farther than staying small.

All right, the next thing, not being for everyone. I worried so much about everybody wanting to book me, and everybody... Every inquiry, every budget, every person to like you every client, every planner, everything. You just, you couldn't ever really object or say that that sounds like a horrible idea when somebody was telling you something they wanted you to do, because you just felt like you had to be for everybody.

And trying to be for everyone is usually what waters your business down, gets you not known for anything specifically, so that you really never get to be known for anything. So if you are worried about not being for everyone, that is actually a good thing. I do not want to do barn weddings, you guys. I do not want to be boggled down in baby's breath.

I do not wanna be boggled down in VFW weddings. Like, I am not for those people. And once you make those decisions on who you are for and start marketing unapologetically towards them, that's when the true magic starts. All right, the next one, doing everything perfectly the first time. I absolutely lived in, like, everything needed to be perfect, everything needed to be, like, really rigid.

And here's the thing, flowers aren't perfect. Your pricing won't be perfect. Your systems won't be perfect. Your process won't be perfect. Your first consult, your first big install, your first Instagram Reel, your first proposal, none of it needs to be perfect. It needs to be done so you can improve it. You have so much time to get better each and every time you do something.

So holding yourself back because it won't be perfect is going to keep you stuck. All right, number 10, worrying that you need to know everything before you start. I have had so many people tell me that they are going to blow shit up or that they're going to be doing something in the future, or they're going to be doing something when.

It's usually when they're getting, space. They're usually getting more preparation. They're usually... There's usually a caveat that something is going to change, or they're gonna be smarter, brighter, have more time, have more space, more ready. And so if you are waiting to be more ready, you are losing out on the opportunity right now.

You are ready. You are so ready, and it is your time. Now is the best time for you to do big, epic fucking things. And if you are saying to yourself, "If or when this happens, I will do this," or, "I am waiting for this," you're going to be staying stuck right where you are. So that is you. If you are looking into the future and saying, "All these things are going to happen in the future," I'm here to tell you that there is no time like the present, and I want you to be st- starting to do these big badass things you're dreaming about.

Start inching towards them today. If you are looking for extra support, I know if you guys are loyal listeners to the podcast, the Floral CEO Mastermind is where it's at. I literally am so proud of one of my mastermind members. After 35 years, you guys, after 35 years, she quit her full-time job of running m- multiple floral kind of areas and departments, and she finally started seeing her worth.

And this woman is amazing. She is a light. She deserves so much in her life, and, uh, the mastermind helped make that happen, the strategy, the confidence. I believe so much in her, it is ridiculous. And she needed that push because, like, when you work for somebody that basically treats you like shit for that long it's hard for you to get going because you've been beat down a little bit, maybe a lot a bit.

But the Floral CEO Mastermind gave her the confidence to say that for one, she deserved- to do something on her own. She deserved bigger. And this woman is on a I am so excited for what she already has in store for this year. And that could be you too. If you have big dreams, the Floral CEO Mastermind supports those dreams.

We consistently are dreaming. We all do vision boards together. We all talk about each other's dreams. We all are asking the right questions to work towards your dreams and supporting each other. So go check it out at floralceo.com/mastermind. I hope you guys are dreaming big, and I hope that you can stop worrying a little less today.

Thank you so much for listening, flower friends, and you have an amazing flower-filled day