The Floral Hustle

[00:00:00] [00:01:00]
Jeni: Hello flower friends. This is Jen and you're listening to the floral hustle podcast. And I'm so excited. You guys actually might know my guest because you might Instagram stalk him like I do. It is Ace Berry. And I'm so excited because I haven't had somebody with as many tattoos as me on the podcast yet.
Jeni: So I'm so excited to have you here. And once you introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about where you're at in the world and what you do.
Ace: So I'm ace. I started in the floral industry in 2007 when I got laid off from the oil field and
Jeni: oil field.
Ace: Yeah. Oil field of flowers.
Jeni: Where
Ace: so I logged oil wells all over the world, literally all over the world.
Ace: But I was based out of Victoria, Texas, and I'm originally from Houston. [00:02:00] So I got laid off in 2007, moved back to Houston and decided to take a completely different career path and start planting flowers.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: So
Jeni: and what drew you to flowers?
Ace: So when I was 19 years old, I delivered flowers at a very small flower shop in Victoria, Texas.
Ace: I was absolutely horrible at it. Like I was the worst delivery driver. I, uh, I left a dozen roses in a bank on 11 55. The lady was already gone from work. Like I was that shitty at it.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: The owner of the shop was so cool. He'd be like, Hey, Ace, go get this. And he would just start rattling off flower names.
Jeni: I
Ace: had no clue what flower was what, besides like a carnation and a rose.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: Absolutely fell in love, like I was like, man, flowers are so cool. They, they're just such a dope thing. [00:03:00] Like, the all, it's just everything they, they had about it. I just fell in love with it. And then you know, you hear all the stereotypes.
Ace: Oh, you can't do that. You can't make that into a career. You can't make money. Well, and
Jeni: I'm going to bring it up, but you're a dude. I mean, that also is kind of like out of the box.
Ace: Yeah. I heard it all. And then literally I just told myself, I was like, I'm going to do this. I'm going to be great at it.
Ace: And everybody that doubted me, I was just like, It made me work that much harder because I knew that they doubted me. So it was just like, I'm going to prove all of you wrong. And yeah, I just fell in love with it and then just went, went after it.
Jeni: So you're where in the world now? And like, what is your core business right now?
Ace: So I, my own a flower shop in full shore, Texas, which is 45 minutes west of Houston. When I bought my, I bought my shop for 35, 000.
Jeni: So you bought it. It was like an operation.
Ace: Yeah, it was operating. It was not a very good operating shop [00:04:00] at that though. It was,
Jeni: it
Ace: was a very, it was, it was not great.
Jeni: Great.
Jeni: That's maybe why for 35, 000.
Ace: Exactly. And, but I just saw the potential. Also when I was a kid my dad used to rodeo out in this area. So I knew the area. I knew like a lot of the people that kind of formed in this area. So it made it my transition when I got out here a lot easier. 'cause I knew like the dynamic of the town and I saw how it was growing.
Ace: It was, it was such a cool, cool experience.
Jeni: You wrote, you went to rodeos out there. Was your dad a cowboy?
Ace: Oh yeah. Yeah. My dad's a writer. Dad was a purple
Jeni: cowboy as well. Like the cowboy hat and the Oh yeah. Boots, like big buckle my whole life. It was, it's, it's, oh yeah. Like when to think back at it, does he still cowboy up?
Jeni: Is he still? No, no,
Ace: no. So he was he's since retired and he's, he was, uh, was just crazy. Cause he went from being a cowboy being a college professor [00:05:00] and I was like, And he was one of the ones that was like, are you sure you can do this? And I was just like, yeah, I mean, I can do anything. So, but like all of his friends, they used to try to make fun of me.
Ace: And now I'm like, I get paid to travel and create beautiful floral installations all over the world. So
Jeni: that is part of your jam now. So you have the flower shop. So you guys do like dailies and weddings and events in your market. You're a big deal. You're like traveling, making cool shit all over the place.
Jeni: Is that, that kind of what's, what's happening? It looks like it at least on Instagram.
Ace: It's, it's really crazy. So. In 2007, I worked at this shop in the middle, the medical center of Houston. And I had the aspirations to like do programs and, and be more seen because I was so different in the floral industry.
Ace: Like they really hadn't seen someone like me [00:06:00] yet. You know, at the time I was probably like closer to 400 pounds. I mean, I was above very voluptuous man. And I was, I was, uh, covered in tattoos and yeah, I just don't think the, the floral industry had seen someone like me. And I always get told that I was like an anomaly.
Ace: It was just like this big burly straight guy. That's very delicate with flowers and how I was designing. And then I literally was like, okay, I think I can do this. And then I met, met some of my, the best mentors. And they were like, you're going to be an educator. And I was like. Oh, and I remember like looking at them, like, you know, when a dog like turns their head and like looks at you and you're like, they're kind of confused.
Ace: They're like, I remember just like, ah, I never thought about this realm, but they were a hundred percent right. And.
Jeni: Cause you're also AIFD, right? I am.
Ace: I am.
Jeni: And I'd love for you to explain, like, [00:07:00] especially like newer florists, they probably have no idea what that actually means. I know it's a lot of work.
Jeni: So if you could explain what, what that means.
Ace: So AIFD is the American Institute of Floral Designers.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: You, so what, what happens is you have to take a written test and then you get a, you have to do a hands on evaluation and you have to do five designs in four hours. The criteria has changed over years.
Ace: I know when it first started next year is the 60th, 60th year of AIFD. I remember at one point they had to submit her portfolio. So you had to have like really good photography. Then it went into the in person the way the in person is now, but they could bring like a crate of, of shit. And when I say shit, I mean like hot glue guns, drill, saws, Sanders.
Ace: Like, I mean, just.
Jeni: Yeah,
Ace: it's just shit and got gone down from that to now it's just [00:08:00] like they have, you're allowed these, this many tools, like a knife, some shears clippers, like, it's like, I think five tools that you get.
Jeni: You have to do a bunch of classes before this like game on thing or what?
Ace: No, I, I literally kind of, I was all self taught anyways.
Ace: So the mentors that I had were all AIFD and they kind of helped guide me into it. But I, I remember thinking to myself, I was like, everyone that I had followed at the time when it was when MySpace was really big and Facebook was just popping off.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: But everyone that I followed was what had AIFD initials.
Ace: So I was just like, well, this, I need this.
Jeni: Yep. You're doing it.
Ace: Yeah. So you
Jeni: just like go take the test. Like, yeah. That's hard.
Ace: It was, it was difficult. Like it, so I'm horribly dyslexic. So like the biggest challenge for me was the, the, the written test, [00:09:00] because like, like it was timed and then I had to like, so that to me was a lot harder than the actual design, the design part, I was just like, okay, it's just another day but I mean,
Jeni: what are the five things you have to make?
Jeni: Like. What's an example?
Ace: So that's actually changed here recently. So like the year that I was evaluated, we had to do a sympathy piece, which I did, we did a sympathy basket, and then we did a bridesmaid bouquet and then had to do a hair piece.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: Duplication, which was that we had to copy a picture and then we had an asymmetrical arrangement for an AIFD member.
Ace: Like, so they, they get specific. Now I, now I know they get to do a designer's choice instead of the duplication and then it's all still the same criteria on the other ones. It's it's super, um, I think after going through it, you kind of start seeing things a little differently. I always say, I learned all of these rules.[00:10:00]
Ace: Rules and quotation marks, you know,
Jeni: is there a rule book that there is,
Ace: it's like literally a, it's a, it's a two inch thick book of like, but it, but in this book, it's called the, the AIFD handbook, It literally has the time periods broke down to what, what floral design and what floral arrangements were done around these time periods.
Ace: So it has the history. It has all the different design aesthetics and different like definitions for pave and all these different design stuff. I learned all of it just so I could break it. And that's like, It's a, and it's a hundred percent was like the one thing that I was like, Oh, why am I, why am I, why am I putting myself in this box at this point?
Ace: Like I learned all of this, but now I wanted, I wanted to like expand so much further because I started following different people that were not AIFD that were like more European designs. And I was just like, Oh, [00:11:00] wow, these people. They're designing with their hearts and not their heads. And I was just like, Oh my God, I love them.
Jeni: Who are the, who inspires you? Like from a floral perspective?
Ace: Oh, from a floral perspective. Mike Borma is probably Mike Borma. I
Jeni: actually, I went to that school in Amsterdam.
Ace: Yep. So I love them. I just love the way they design. I like the way that they, again, they, they design with their heart. It's this isn't like a, uh, Like I always hate it when people are like, Oh, I play with flowers or you play with flowers.
Ace: I literally want to whack them in the face. I want to be like, just because it, they don't see it as playing. It's a career. It's an actual thing you go to school for, like it is a career. And I think that's the way we need to look at it here in the United States. I think
Jeni: that that's the shift that's needed because so many people are just like, Hey, I'm just going to bust some bridesmaid bouquets out and do my all these weddings and [00:12:00] they're practicing on the public and not getting any education because they don't see value in like Any job that is a higher paying job, which you can make money in this.
Jeni: I'm guessing you're making money and like you go get some type of training for it. And that is like, there's a disconnect in there. I don't know if you see that. Cause you do a lot of education, but I see in Facebook groups, people are like, I, you know, I want to learn how to do this, but I don't want to spend any money.
Jeni: It's like, you need to spend money to understand how not to totally destroy someone's wedding.
Ace: Yeah, that's the, I think the hardest part has been like, even through the pandemic, I think you saw a, a very big push of florists, what, what, what, what we're calling florists, even through tick tock right now, you're, you're seeing the push of people that are like, I'm a florist now.
Ace: And you're like,
Jeni: no,
Ace: no, no, that's not, that's not what it's about.
Jeni: They're [00:13:00] playing with flowers. Do you think?
Ace: Yeah, and it's, it's like you just watch them and I'm like, like right now, like my biggest ick, the biggest ick I have for the industry right now is these freaking super round rose bouquets.
Jeni: Yes.
Ace: With the paper. And then you're going around and you're
Jeni: wrapping paper.
Ace: Yes. And you're literally like, Oh, I'm a florist. No, no. You learn how to
Jeni: make a ball.
Ace: Yeah. And I'm like, that is not what it's like. That is not even remotely close. But then I'm watching them on Tik TOK and I'm like, you're using masking tape and you're like, There's so much stress on the head of the rose.
Ace: And it's just like, I'm like, like literally it just makes, it makes me cringe, cringe.
Jeni: Yeah. Do you, I mean, obviously, do you think it's, do you think it's a lack of training or do you think it's a lack of, I mean, I feel like there's a lack of business. Acumen and [00:14:00] business training. So a lot of people think they play with flowers, but don't learn actually.
Jeni: And they'll take a course or they'll join some membership that has classes on how to do foam free design or something, but then they have no clue about how to actually run a profitable business. And
Ace: I think that a lot of it, like for these, for the ones that I'm watching, like that are just kind of just starting.
Ace: I think they, in my opinion, I think they view flowers as a get rich quick thing.
Jeni: Yeah,
Ace: I can go and do like, I can go and do a wedding and I'm going to do a 40 wedding or, and I'm just going to, it's, it's easy. Like, I genuinely think people think that it's easy. They don't see the part of like, you know, that you're on your feet for 12 hours a day and you're sacrificing family time.
Ace: You're sacrificing literally your mental health sometimes.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: Your health, your. You know, you [00:15:00] sacrifice so much to do this. I, every florist I know at this point pretty much has carpal tunnel or their hands are messed up or their, their knees are messed up and
Jeni: mine don't, I don't rotate my bouquets when I make them though, I don't, I
Ace: don't
Jeni: turn my spirals and my risks are good, but a lot of people teach that.
Jeni: Yeah. Rotate, rotate, rotate. It's like you're, you're jacking your wrist up. Yeah.
Ace: I still rotate and all that, but it's just one of those things like, I think definitely lack of education is really hard. I think that, and I think a lot of the education that is getting put out is not the right education.
Jeni: What do you think the right education is?
Ace: I think not as, so that's, that's the hard, the hard part of the question on that is like, I think you're, you're having people that are like six months in and they're just kind of like, Oh, I can teach you how to do flowers. I I'm a good personality and I, you know, people like me [00:16:00] and I can teach you flowers.
Jeni: Yeah. We got one of those around here.
Ace: Yeah. And, and I think that's kind of the hardest part of that. Yeah.
Jeni: Or I'm cute and I look cute with flowers.
Ace: Exactly. So I think that's the hardest thing is like, there's the people that like I learned from were in the, in the industry, 40 years, it's like, I sought out the people that I, that I deemed at the time that were the best.
Ace: Like someone like Gregor Ls. Yeah. Um, Greg been, I've taken his class. Yes. Mm-Hmm. , 60 years still relevant. Like you've doing this still, still
Jeni: relevant.
Ace: Yeah. You're still creating trends. People are still seeking you out to like teach them and to be in, they wanna be inspired by you. All those. So that's what I wish that they, these like.
Ace: new designers would see. And the whole other thing is, is that we need them in the industry also though. So a lot of those people
Jeni: aren't [00:17:00] slaying it on Instagram or TikTok. And that's part of like, they're not being seen because they're not in that space.
Ace: Yeah, exactly. And that's the, that's the hard thing.
Ace: I think of like, if you're a good social media personality, you are going to like, and there's some that, that are out there that make a very good living, but, but can't do the work. And that's like the hardest part is like, Oh man, you, you really can't do this. And then you get there with them and they're like, Oh, well, how do you do this?
Ace: And you're like, how are you selling this class that you're
Jeni: doing this shit? I know I, sometimes I wonder, or people that are doing it and you're like looking at them, like when I have freelancers, I was sometimes going, you own your own business, you've been doing this for a long time, like those foundational skills just were never there or they're like, make it harder than it needs to be.
Jeni: You know, like, I'm like, why are you doing it that way? Like, if you did, and they're like, [00:18:00] oh, I never thought, I'm like, , .
Ace: Yeah. I, I constantly am like, I look at people, I'm just like, I can't, I, I'm, I just, I'm like,
Jeni: I can't, but it's our job to help those people. It's, and it's, hopefully they are receptive. 'cause I do think that that is when somebody starts, I know.
Jeni: I, I took no classes until I was a florist for almost 20 years.
Ace: See, I, I didn't because I
Jeni: thought I knew everything.
Ace: Yeah.
Jeni: And it's like, I don't, I don't know remotely even close, but I know enough to be dangerous.
Ace: Yeah. And I, so I, like, when I started, I was 27 and I remember, like, I was completely self taught and I've, I've went back and looked at the pictures and I was like, Jesus Christ, that is ugly.
Ace: Like that is horrible. Like I've literally told my daughter and my friends, I'm like, who let me touch flowers? Like whoever did that. How
Jeni: did I take a picture of this? Like, what was I thinking?
Ace: But at the time I thought it was like, [00:19:00] amazing. So it's, it's so funny, like, as I grew and as you grow as a designer and you start seeing that, that evolution.
Ace: And then you start finding different, like your tribe of people that are really going to mentor you and help you. And, but I think also a lot of the people that are, that are, you know, your Instagram florist for better, lack of words or tick tock floors. They don't have the desire to,
Jeni: I
Ace: think it's more that they don't have the desire than the ones that do want to learn and be like the longevity in the industry.
Ace: To really, you know, create something. I think
Jeni: when they figure out it's harder, that that's when it stops. Like, you know, they're like, this is hard work, and like, I think the threshold, I'm guessing, we're probably, compare, I mean, are you in your late 30s? I'm 44. Okay, I'm 45. Okay. So like where [00:20:00] our generation, like, it's just, I think it's different than somebody who's in their twenties, like the threshold for like killing it and going out after it.
Jeni: Like it's just, it's just different. And I think once that's like, Oh my God, I'm going to have to go at midnight, tear this down. I'm going to have to schlep all this stuff. I'm going to have to fill a truck, unbox the truck. Brides can be crazy. People, mother of the brides can be more crazy people. And I have people yelling at me and I.
Jeni: Like the wholesaler screwed up and that just becomes a lot and that's great that somebody figures that out. Hopefully sooner than later, but that to us, we can, I think, manage that a little bit differently. It's like, I don't care crazy. Like
Ace: you're
Jeni: rubbing off on me. I'm, I'm sorry.
Ace: Yeah, I think like that, that's a hundred percent what it is.
Ace: Like you just kind of watch them and you're like, like, I always, I'm, I'm like that insomniac, you know, can't sleep at night. I average my sleep and I will literally like try to turn off my brain. It's like random, [00:21:00] like scrolling through Tik TOK and I will see people. Like designing at like two o'clock in the morning.
Ace: They're like, Oh, we're trying to get this done for tomorrow. And I'm like, I literally like, I'm like, wow. Like,
Jeni: wow. I know. I know. I know a lot of florists that that's their, their jam.
Ace: I know
Jeni: it's crazy.
Ace: I literally like everyone that I've like that's ever worked in my place or anything like that. I'm like, you are useless after like nine o'clock.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: You got there at nine o'clock
Jeni: all day, your body and your brain. It's.
Ace: You were literally putting out shit at that point. Like there's, and it's not that you are not wanting to do something great. You're just so exhausted that you're just like, you're give a fuck is busted. Everything about it is just, you're just
Jeni: shoving shit together.
Ace: Yeah. So I always tell like my people here, like holidays and stuff is like, we're, we're not working late. We're going to be organized and we're going [00:22:00] to, we're going to work a day ahead. Yeah. And then we're going to be done where we're like, we're, we're leaving at seven. Like this is a hard stop at this time because you're completely just at that point.
Jeni: I agree. So one of the things that I think is, is interesting and fascinating about you is how authentic you are in social media. And I think just in general, as a human, you, you are, and I know you were on a TV show. So like, talk about that and then. I'd love to talk about showing up as your authentic self, because I think we both are kind of different.
Jeni: I mean, obviously you're way different than the norm. And how did that feel to like, just start acting like yourself when everybody else wasn't like you?
Ace: So for, I'll say this for four years, I always say that I was like a, I was a square trying to fit into a round hole. And I would always sit back and be like, why aren't good things happening for me?
Ace: And I'd never, I think the more I like I [00:23:00] craved it, the further it got out of reach. And it's, and it's legitly because I was trying to be something I wasn't trying
Jeni: to be,
Ace: you know, this like polished clean cut. Like I was trying to, you know, not show off my tattoos, not cuss, not be the guy that's like that has a sign that says do epic shit in their studio.
Jeni: I've been retargeted on Instagram with that very poster. And I loved it. It's, it's awesome.
Ace: I, so because of all those things, it was like one day. And my social media manager, she and I were talking like, and I had like this very polished look and I couldn't be like, I was like, okay, I'm not going to cuss, I'm not going to do this.
Ace: I'm going to be, be this person. And it just wasn't working. And it was like, I w I was just fighting it. And then one day we started talking and I was just like, you know what? I'm leaning into everything that I am. Like I'm covered in tattoos. I cuss [00:24:00] nonstop. I'm super passionate about what I do. The day that she and I like really started figuring all of that out together, because she was a very like big part of like, you're not being who you are, like the you, that is like, like that's in front of the camera and the you behind the camera are completely different.
Ace: And so as soon as that happened, it was like the door started opening up and. Yeah, just
Jeni: before or after doing the TV show
Ace: after the TV show, but before the TV show, it is weird before it is that they found me through Instagram, like I have 1200 followers when they found me like that. That was it.
Jeni: Interesting.
Ace: Yeah, I was in They, they like sought out, sought out and I just kept blocking and I was like, no, this isn't for me. This isn't it. And then finally they got my cell phone number and they actually called me and started talking to me and I was like, [00:25:00] okay, all right, let's hear what this is about.
Ace: And I would, so that was in, I want to say November, I think it was November is when they called me. Then the next time, like I, there's like nothing happened in December of that of 19 and then of 20 January of 20 that I was going on vacation on a cruise and they go when I got back, I was supposed to do this design for them.
Ace: They called me like, can you do it before you leave? So everything that I had planned throughout the window and just, yeah, just made a design and recorded it and sit, they, they were there watching and all this. And then they call me instantly and they go, okay, can you fly to LA? Valentine's day week.
Jeni: Are you a crack?
Ace: I'm dead serious. I was like, y'all do understand that this is Valentine's day. And you're asking florist to come to LA during Valentine. Like, this is our busiest time of [00:26:00] year. And they were like, yeah, can you do it or not? And I remember I was like the one that was like, Yeah, I'll do it. But I want to be on a red eye home.
Ace: Like I'm there for 24 hours and that's it. It was February 10th. I flew home on the 11th.
Jeni: So
Ace: yeah, like I flew in, got everything done. Had to take a 500 question test. And I'm dyslexic, like horribly dyslexic at that. So I remember starting at the very last page and work forward. Like they were, yeah, they were like, what is wrong with you?
Ace: I'm like, at least I can see like it's shrinking. So I know I'm getting somewhere. And then literally they took me back to the, to the airport. It was like a red eye home. And I was walking down the jet bridge and they called and they were like, would you like to be on full bloom? And I was just like, huh?
Ace: Like, I didn't think that it would ever, like, no, I, I didn't, I didn't know if I was in or out. It was one of those very weird. Cause like they had some other really. [00:27:00] Like they had some really awesome people there. Yeah. But like I knew that I could hold my own design wise. Like, that was like the, who was there?
Jeni: Like, explain, like who were you? Oh my
Ace: gosh. So some of the people that were there that time, let's see. So, a lot of, well, everyone that got cast was, was, was there and then there was, we had alternates, but the original ca original casting like the boy who cried flowers, he was there. Yep. Okay. There was, I mean, um.
Ace: A guy named Tyler. Oh my God. What is Tyler's last name? It starts with an S. He's like a really big wedding guy, California.
Jeni: Okay. Yep.
Ace: He was there. And then there's like people that were just like me, like had 1100 followers. Like they were just this range of people. Lily Roden was there.
Jeni: Oh, I didn't know she did it.
Ace: Yeah. So fun fact, there was actually the, what got aired on the original first season, we filmed it twice. So we filmed originally in [00:28:00] March, got sent home for COVID and came back and had two new cast members because we'd already sent home two people. So Lily Roden and Sarah Sione were the original two.
Ace: And when we came back, it was Beth O'Reilly and Maricela. I don't remember her last name.
Jeni: Okay. Yep. Yep.
Ace: So it was like, it was really crazy. Like, cause we were like, Oh wait, two people, two new people.
Jeni: Yeah. Yeah.
Ace: So, which is crazy because the two new people that were coming in, we're both from Houston. So there's three of us from the Houston area.
Ace: Maricela's store is seven miles from my store. And then Beth is literally like 30 minutes from me too. So, which it was funny because they were like, do y'all know each other? And I'm like, I've known Beth for years, like years. So it was, it was a very weird thing. Like when you're having to compete against your friends and
Jeni: yeah.
Jeni: Yeah. I imagine
Ace: you become friends with all of them too. Like I became friends with all of [00:29:00] them.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: We'd have, it
Jeni: was like, when you look back, was it the experience that you thought it would be?
Ace: No. No, no, no. I,
Jeni: I,
Ace: I never knew reality TV. Like I, I'm a reality TV junkie.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: So when I was watching reality TV before being on a reality TV show, it was like, Oh, this is so neat.
Ace: Afterwards you're like, Oh my God, those people are crazy.
Jeni: You're like, this is horrible.
Ace: Yeah. It was like, you have to be crazy to do this. And it's, it's fun. Like I would go back and do it in a heartbeat. I had a blast.
Jeni: Okay.
Ace: I got mean. You don't, you don't get to create it a level like that,
Jeni: and
Ace: it's not coming out of your pocket.
Jeni: Right,
Ace: yeah,
Jeni: you can do an epic shit without
Ace: having an
Jeni: epic wallet around it.
Ace: Yes but like, there's just things that, like, you're like, Oh, can you, can you do this? Can you say this? Like they try to coach you on things to say, oh, and I [00:30:00] would, yeah. And so like they, one of the times they were like, oh, can you lose your hat?
Ace: And I was like, anyone that watches this, absolutely
Jeni: not. And that's why
Ace: I told 'em, I was like, I wear a hat all the time. No, I'm not taking it off. And they were like, I
Jeni: saw you with your hat off the other day. I had no idea what was under your head. Yes. I was like.
Ace: I think I've
Jeni: only seen you with a hat. So
Ace: It was really cool having that.
Ace: Having that and like seeing the behind the scenes and like, I viewed it as a job the entire time. As soon as they said I was casting, as soon as I got there, I was like, this is a job, which what I will say is that I did not want to be friends with any of the cast at first. I wanted, I wanted to be game
Jeni: based on,
Ace: yeah, I want to, like you watch enough trash reality TV and you're like, I want to be the villain.
Ace: I want to, and the hardest part is that I'm not a villain. Like I wanted to [00:31:00] like, just like your niceness comes out and you're just like, I didn't want to be their friend. Like, I was like, y'all are standing in between me and a hundred thousand dollars and that's like, that's how I, my original plan was like that.
Ace: And then it's like, The human aspect of, of who I am really came out. It's like, I just want, oh my God, they're all so nice. And like, yeah, and Kristen and Christina, and you literally just formed this bond and this love for each other. And like, Oh my God, this is perfect. So go back and do it all over again.
Ace: I wish that they would have not canceled the show.
Jeni: Yeah, it was epic. Like I, I, I don't get it, but you know, what, whatever it's there, there.
Ace: I think it just costs way too much to make. Well,
Jeni: I imagine like that.
Ace: I don't think they understood that that aspect, especially like you're trampling 50 [00:32:00] lady slipper orchids and yeah, like all around.
Ace: You're just grinding them into concrete.
Jeni: Yeah, but
Ace: I mean, that that's kind of where. Just, I mean, my room, my finale room alone was like half a million and it's just, yeah. And then you had two, between two designers, Connor and I, you have a million dollars just in the product. And so I think they, they didn't understand that aspect.
Jeni: Yeah. Well, how would they, like, I mean, some Florida don't even understand.
Ace: Yeah. It was, it was so wild though. Like, it was such a fun, like, goofy, goofy things like me and another cast member. Like, we were like, all right, we're going to come up with our own saying. So like, every time we'd go to fist bump, we'd like, I'd go snail and like, we would just do random goofy shit just to have fun.
Ace: Yeah. It's, it's fun
Jeni: when you're a social media manager and you [00:33:00] were like talking about being your authentic self, like what kind of came up for, like, what do you think held you back from doing that before? And what made you like unapologetically okay with going forward? Like, I'm just going to be me because I think a lot of people are scared to do that.
Jeni: Yeah, they, they need to fit this mold.
Ace: So she's actually here right now too. She's sitting over here and I'm like, honestly, I think she just kind of said, you know, we, we sat down and she was like, you have this nice guy persona, which you are, she was like, you are nice, but there you have this other side where you're like, you're edgier and you're goofy and all of these different things and rolled into one, she was like, People need to see your personality, who you are.
Ace: And that's really what I did. I was just like, okay, I'm not like, I'm not afraid to laugh at myself.
Jeni: I'm not
Ace: afraid to be, you know, a little bit edgier and, and say what I want. Like how, you know, on certain aspects, it's like, this is the way it is. And so as soon as we [00:34:00] started doing that, it was like, it made it so much easier.
Ace: Like I was getting attacked for, for a while for using foam and like, I didn't, I didn't want to say anything. What's that?
Jeni: I use it.
Ace: And, but I, I've, I've like truly like tried to educate myself about like the type that I use. I try to use the highest grade possible. So I know it's going to degrade.
Ace: I'm like, I I've done all those fat things, but I got attacked. Like, I was just like kind of letting it go, but it was wearing on me and I was like, you know what? I was like, fuck this. I'm, I'm, it's now I'm going into attack mode, like, and so like, I literally went into attack and I was like, oh, you want to say this?
Ace: And like, I would see those same people that were in hidden Facebook groups talking bad about me. And I was at the, in New York and they were coming up and be like, oh my God, I'm so inspired by you. And that's when I was just like, I've had enough.
Jeni: You're going to lose your shit.
Ace: And literally I was just like, Oh, is that why you talk bad about me in a hidden Facebook group?
Ace: You [00:35:00] and this person, this person, and this person, and I just went through the list and they were just like, their eyes got big and I'm like, Oh no, no, we're not going to talk shit and then act like friends, like not how it's going to work. And once that happened, it's like, people were like, Oh, you can't say anything because he will say something back to you.
Ace: And like you, you have to, if you're willing to say something or put something out there, don't be a keyboard gangster. Like
Jeni: that is a great term. Keyboard kinks. Yeah. I buy a new computer and that's just like the internet in general, you know, they can say shitty things and then they can make fun of Karen's.
Jeni: And then you have campaigns. Um, we can't make fun of Karen's anymore. Like, because somebody's named Karen and I mean, it's, it's just, yeah, it's just online.
Ace: So once, once all that happened, it made it so much easier and I was just like, okay. And then. Honestly, people were like, well, he's very educated on what you're using.
Ace: And like, why you're, I would always say, if we're going to fight, I'm going to fight you with [00:36:00] facts. I'm going to have a fact sheet with me. And I'm going to be like, here's the actual facts of it. And you're coming with your. Your bullshit that you want to spew, like, you're not going to pick up all of your chicken wire.
Ace: Like, let's be honest. You're not like, and if you're going to say that you want to be like, I, I, Oh, this is one, the one get got me going like really well. And I was like, if you want to be sustainable, then you should probably change your underwear because that elastic band that's in your underwear is plastics.
Ace: Like. That you should get rid of like all the way down to like, I hope you're baking your own bread because the plastic that comes on your bread loaf. And like, they were just like, holy shit, this guy's like in it to win it. And I'm like, just
Jeni: have you been to Oasis? Like, I know you're wearing a white shirt.
Ace: So I work for a part of their division, a different division, but the whole thing was, was like, I wanted to [00:37:00] know all of the facts. So I went directly to them about sustainability and I said, okay, what, what, what do you have like this? Why is, why are people saying this? And this is. Years ago at this point, and they're like, well, here's this.
Ace: And they're like, this one is not degradable, which is their, their base model advantage plus that's like the cheapest one they have, but everything above that lowest one is degradable 75 percent in the first year. And then they did a whole nother thing where it's like completely degradable within two years.
Ace: It's like 567 days. . So it's just like I wanted, I want it to be that educated on everything in the floral industry.
Jeni: Have you tried fiber floral?
Ace: I have. I have. What do you think of that? I have some of the up, up here.
Jeni: I use it all the time. When anybody says they don't want foam, that's my go-to mechanic.
Jeni: Yeah. But what do you think of it?
Ace: It's not my favorite. It's a little harder to use. It's tricky. Yeah. It's, it's harder to get the soft stems in. Mm-Hmm. . But I [00:38:00] don't, it's it's heavy too. Yeah, it's very heavy. It's
Jeni: twice, I think it's twice the weight.
Ace: Yeah,
Jeni: I
Ace: don't like it for funeral stuff. Like if you're having to do stand up easels.
Jeni: Water will just run out
Ace: out of it.
Jeni: Yes Yeah,
Ace: but I mean, I think that you do what's best for you. You do what's best for your client You do what's best for your business.
Jeni: I did a whole installations workshop with fiber floral.
Ace: Yeah,
Jeni: and I But it was
Ace: Then that's my whole thing is like just don't attack people Like there's there's this place for everything and everyone in the in this industry And so that's kind of where i'm like, let's just You I don't know.
Ace: That's my whole thought on that.
Jeni: In your own lane. Water your own grass.
Ace: Yeah, like, if this is what works best for you, then do it. Hey, if you, if you don't like foam, I'm not going to convince you that you have to use it. Hey, you're doing what's best for you, your business, your livelihood. You know what is best for [00:39:00]
Jeni: you.
Jeni: Yep.
Ace: I think there's too many people that are like, Oh, you have to do, you have to be me. It's that is what it is. It's a lot of
Jeni: people have a hard time thinking. It's okay for people just to not agree. Like it's what we're all supposed to agree. And I just, I mean, I don't think that that's feasible.
Ace: No,
Jeni: I mean, that's what
Ace: made this country great.
Ace: Like us in general, our industry. Great. Is that the disagreements like to be able to sit down, have a conversation, openly disagree, but still have the respect and the love for each other that you're like, Hey, I can see your side. I don't agree with it, but I can see it. Like to me, that is beautiful. I wish that we would do that on everything.
Jeni: Yeah. That would make the world a better place, but no,
Ace: a hundred percent. Like you don't have to agree with me. And I'm I'm not right on everything. I just do what I think is best for myself, my business, the people that work here for me, you know,
Jeni: so what do you think has been like the [00:40:00] biggest contributors to like, Your business being where it's at right now.
Ace: The people that, that, that I've employed a hundred percent. Like I am not me without them. They, so we have Erica, which just started with us. She's actually on the other side of the screen.
Jeni: Okay. And we
Ace: have Denise, which is my shop manager. She started right after filming was done for full bloom. And then I have Sherry, which also started around the, around the same time as.
Ace: Denise Susie, which has been here since. Seven years now. Okay. Then I have Savannah, which started with me when she was 17. Now she's 24. My first shop manager started with me six months after I opened. Her name was Crystal and she just moved back to Ohio. Okay. But like, it's, they, so five, five total. Okay.
Ace: And then I have like part-time, people that come in seasonally and stuff like that. Okay. And then Rachel also comes in and helps and stuff and she's, [00:41:00] she doesn't technically work here, but she does like a lot .
Jeni: Yeah, yeah, yeah. She
Ace: keeps everything. You know, do you
Jeni: think like outsourcing social media is, or like having somebody do that is pretty critical.
Ace: Best thing I've ever did best. Like, did
Jeni: you not really do it before you had that person?
Ace: I tried, like it, it was not great. Like I had, like, I was like, okay, well I have to do this. And I have to, these are all the rules and you have to post it this time. And not understanding. Anything about social media.
Ace: It's funny. I did another podcast and I literally told her, I was like, Hey, do you know anybody? I'm looking for a social media manager. Like I was like, she was like, I've got the person and literally, uh, Rachel came in and when we sat down, it was, it was literally like we interviewed each other, it was so great and I remember looking at her, I was like, what are your, I want, if you're going to believe in my goals and my [00:42:00] dreams, Your goals, your dreams, and I have to believe them in it.
Ace: And yours just as much.
Jeni: That's a great way to look at it.
Ace: Yeah. And I mean, literally she and I, like we, I will call her sometimes and be like, this is, and then, so we will go from business to like friends back to business and we just intertwine and I'm always just like, you know, when, when stuff has happened in her life, I'm like, don't worry about it, like she's called me and she's like, this is going on, blah, blah.
Ace: It's like, don't worry about it. Like We'll figure it out later. It's not a big deal. And like, I, I truly believe like, if you're not good at something, hire people that are really great at it and let them be great at it. I am not going to tell her what to do because she knows what she's doing. I think the only thing I've ever said is like, Hey, can we post a tick tock?
Ace: And she was like, yep. Like, but like, she literally will get, she gets on my ass. She's like. Learn how to film [00:43:00] she's laughing right now. Cause she just told me this today. She was like, build this correctly. I'm like, okay. And like, it's just like, I forget, like I get so ingrained into like getting my designs done that I forget to stop and like get a film or something.
Ace: And, uh, she literally just found out that I was in Phoenix last week. She was like, you were in Phoenix. And I was like, yeah, she was like, that would be good to know. I'm like, yeah, I know. Yeah. But she's like, yeah, she's, she's absolutely amazing. Hands down. Like probably top three things that I've done in my career was look at you here.
Ace: She's like, it's okay. Was, was hire Rachel. Yeah. And she is. I mean, she, she makes it seamless and she makes me also, she makes me think of things that I don't think of.
Jeni: Okay. She
Ace: pushes me as, as a designer. She also pushes me as a creative in general, you know, like I was very reluctant on, uh, like dancing and stuff.
Ace: She was like, [00:44:00] it's funny. And people love it when you're up here being a goofball.
Jeni: Yeah.
Ace: Oh. And like, it's just fun of those things, which we've come to find out that I'm not the best dancer when it's like choreography.
Jeni: Oh, I have not seen your choreographed dances. I don't, I don't think they're
Ace: that bad.
Jeni: They're that bad. Okay.
Ace: They're that bad. But yeah, we, like, we just, we shoot ideas off of each other always. And then, um, like, yeah, she just, she's amazing. Now what's crazy is now she's working for more floral people besides me. And like, she just, she went from the person that, you know, She used to work for before she did me and then now she's done more floral people.
Ace: It's like, she's learning the name of flowers and she's learning like different designs and she's just, he's getting it. So it's really awesome to watch her, you know? Well,
Jeni: it was awesome talking with you. Like I just love your [00:45:00] energy. And I mean, like, that's why I was like, I'm just going to reach out to him and like, see if he'll do an interview.
Jeni: I've only done like a handful because my show is mainly solo, but I just loved like, I love watching you, in not a weird way, but and I also just love when somebody is truly themselves, because when I see people just like, I'm just playing with beautiful flowers, it like makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit and you're, you know, So not that, and I appreciate that authenticity in our, in our whole like world.
Ace: Well, that's a, that's like, yeah, I mean, I have bad days. I always say like. Oh, like my bad days. Like we all go through design block. Like I throw stuff at the back door and watch faces shatter because it makes me feel like it's like, okay, everything's going to be fine. I
Jeni: threw a vase in the studio or whatever.
Jeni: Like, I don't think people,
Ace: I mean, you get it. You like people bring you these ugly vases. Oh, I
Jeni: know. Yeah. Oh yeah. My storage unit this morning [00:46:00] going, what in the hell is this?
Ace: 100 percent what you should do is like, have you ever had design block where you're like, oh, this is not coming together. Take a vase and throw it.
Ace: It will literally like when it shatters, it will literally be like, okay. And like, it's like your creative juices, literally I get sparked and they just start flying again. I literally had a design block and I was mad about something here in the store. And I had a whole plastic thing of strawberries. Yeah, like literally I was doing a thing for accent decor and I was like, okay was not coming together I know all these strawberries a whole tub of strawberries at the back door I mean they go to mush and just like explode and as soon as I did it I looked on the ground I was like, oh my god, like the creativeness Yeah, I was like, I'm definitely doing this.
Ace: Like, I don't want anything manicured and cut nice and straight. I want everything to be gnarled [00:47:00] and chewed. And so it's like, I was like on my knees, like scooping up strawberries, try to like put it together. And yeah, but that's the type of stuff that like. I think is you have to be authentically you just do it.
Jeni: Well, I, I appreciate that. And I appreciate you being on the show. It was so amazing. Tell everybody how they can find you, connect with you, stalk you online. What is that?
Ace: Everybody can find me through my Instagram, which is a sinful bloom. Uh, that's also my website, which is a sinful bloom. com. You can find out where I'm going to be, where I've been.
Jeni: You travel a lot. So you have some workshops coming up too.
Ace: I have one that's fixing to be announced in October for here in Houston with a European designer. Uh, we're just waiting on the last little bit of details. And then I've also got one coming up in January taking 15 to 20 designers to Ecuador to design on the farm, seeing your farm, exactly [00:48:00] how your flowers get to you.
Ace: And. Like, what, what the, like the hardest parts of being a floral farmer on that level is and how hard it is to get you that rose at Valentine's day.
Jeni: That's so cool. So, if they go on your website, they can, like, figure out a way to connect and find out stuff about you. Or if they watch you on Instagram, you'll, you'll announce them.
Ace: Yeah, I have all that going on. And if you're in North Carolina, I'll be there next week, and I'll be in Chicago later this afternoon. Well, it depends on what's airing. When is this airing?
Jeni: When is it? I would say I could probably do it like next, next week.
Ace: Oh, perfect. I'll be in North
Jeni: Carolina. Well, thank you so much for coming on.
Ace: No problem. Y'all thank you so much for having me. It was a pleasure. This is so good. It's like therapy. It's amazing. [00:49:00]