Walking in Head First

As the joke goes: A man walks into a flower shop after noticing a sign hanging in the window that says,"Say it with flowers". He walks up to the counter and orders one rose. The clerk asked, "Only one?" To which the man responds, "Yes, I'm a man of few words."

I guess I may have a lot more to say since I have recently decided to buy the entire flower shop.  

I felt it was time to go into business for myself after working the corporate machine for the past 11 years. Don't get me wrong; I did enjoy my job. I made a lot of friends and even met my lovely wife there.  It was a great place to work, but during my last year there I just felt I was missing something in my life.  I needed a change and decided to take the summer off to figure out what would bring me the most fulfillment.  I concluded that I should own a family run and community oriented business.  I missed working in sales and the relationship building process so I decided to go back to my roots: working at a store and satisfying complete strangers. 

Why a flower shop? Well, have you seen the look on the faces of people who receive flowers? It's just a look of joy. People hardly shop for flowers with a frown and people who receive flowers are genuinely happy to greet you at the door.  It's something that truly does bring cheer.  For memorable moments, special occasions and even during times of illness or heartache, flowers says it all.  

"Happy Birthday"

"Thanks for the 10 years of marriage"

"I'm sorry for some of those years of marriage"

"Hello Beautiful"

"I just wanted you to smile"

 

"And you thought I was awesome before... "

 A simple gift of flowers can be the start of long conversations or the perfect gift for times you can't find the words. The gift that welcomes in newborn life and the gift that helps say goodbye to those whose life meant so much.  I really don't know of a better company to own or one that would be much more fulfilling.  When a person establishes a relationship with a florist, the florist will be there for all the big events in that person's life: birthdays, anniversaries, births, retirements, illnesses, and the heartfelt losses.  The florist even gets to experience the important "just because" moments in people's lives.  A simple gift of flowers indeed.

Fortunately, I have been able to spend time watching the current owner and her great staff work their magic. I'm thankful that her well trained staff will all be staying after the transition. As you can see by the photos throughout this blog, they are a fun, talented and creative bunch to work with.  Each time I step foot in the store, I feel better about the decision I have made and where my life is heading. I hope the readers of this blog will follow me on this wonderful new opportunity in my and my family's life. I'll make sure to keep the conversations flowing with hopefully thoughtful bouquets of words. 

Keeping it blooming till next time my friends,

Tom