May 10, 2021 marks the end of the floral busy season this year. What a season it has been.

The good

FlowerFive has been gaining traction steadily; more revenue per host location, flower substitutions are available for use on the buggy and publicity for the business continues.

I was happy to be invited to present at 1Million Cups Tampa for the update on how businesses who had presented previously shifted in response to COVID 19.

I called the new presentation the COVID Shuffle (pun intended). It was short notice because I had not updated my email address. Still, I was able to revise the October 2019 presentation with new information which was timely for the situation. It went well. I was happy to make new connections and get new ideas to implement and/or tweak FlowerFive.

Another reporter reached out to me for an interview. It was a different spin than what I had expected. But it was, after all, a Mother’s Day piece.

FlowerFive has now been interviewed for articles in HHS Today by Asher Montgomery, the January 2020 issue, by 83 Degrees Media about the Shop and Share list in November 2020, by ABC News on the Shop and Share list; which I never got to watch, and by Daisy Ruth from WFLA News Channel 8 who did a fabulous story on the flower buggy. The most recent installment is the story from FOX News 13 which focused on my mom’s influence on my ability to run a business.

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The bad

Things are still tuff and sometimes it is difficult to find flowers AND fulfill the five dollar price point.

The husband’s and the pooch’s health continue to ebb and flow. Our canine kid will leave us soon due to his terminal illness. The husband wants to stay active but sometimes it is not possible.

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Sometimes I have to turn on a dime to make things work between the business, home life and getting some “me” time. Unfortunately, respite fails to get calendared and executed too often.

This is the reason the FlowerFive flower buggy stops are as “ish” times, it is partially because fires irrupt and sometimes I have the quickly put the fire out, leave the mess for later and get on with the job at hand.

Still one of the great things about being out with the buggy is seeing and talking to folks who’s day will be brightened by a little flowerishness. Because it makes me feel good to know I have helped the community with what I do.

We are uniquely adapted as humans to be resilient. This is what keeps us able to forge ahead. We can take solace in the spaces between the chaos; especially if we focus on the things we love or things which make us smile. It is necessary for me to remember this little tidbit.

The ugly

The weather has caused problems in getting flowers. Sometimes I receive the wrong color or the box I ordered fails to show up at all. It has been quite challenging for the past few months.

I had no idea what to expect for Mother’s Day 2021. Flowers like carnations, mini carnations, daisies and chrysanthemums were MIA for about four weeks. I was faced with figuring out which flowers would work for this year while still giving a good value.

The original plan was to reserve more flowers than I did for Mother’s Day 2020. Because FlowerFive ran out of stock the Saturday before Mother’s Day in 2020. I had ordered in the neighborhood of 1100 stems of flower varieties which I then made into affordable bouquets and arrangements.

This year there were no pre-booking sheets from the supplier. Because they could not  guarantee product. I agonized over the online shopping portal for hours upon hours looking for what might be added in the middle of the night or at 4am.

Even after I found items; some of them never showed up…worse still some where so far gone with rot they could not be used in the bouquets.

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But it is over now. The long hot days of summer are almost here. Some days are still cool while others have me dreading those “feels like 101” days.

I am hoping to recharge quickly and hope the market levels out a bit more. I wonder if product will get easier to find in the coming weeks; projections say “not so much.”

On the horizon

I have been wanting to get a design workshop started for some time now. In 2018 when I was working at a flower shop which had event space. I posted a press release in the paper telling folks of the design class I had planned. But it never got any traction.

The goal is to get one together some time in the second quarter; which is basically NOW.

However, I am unsure if it would be best executed as an online offering, with folks picking up their “flower kits” or a small gathering of 10-12 folks in an outdoor setting like c.1949 just north of Seminole Heights. What do you think?

Of course with all new things there is a period of adjustment; figuring what works what does not and what needs to be adapted in some way.

New buggy locations

There will be new buggy locations starting soon. I am happy the buggy is able to go back to Brookdale Bayshore retirement community. There are also talks with Ulele and Felicitous Coffee house to determine days and times for the buggy to stop in for a visit.

Stay tuned. As always the most up to date FlowerFive buggy schedule is at https://flowerfivenow.com/ or feel free to reach out on social media @flowerfivenow

Take good care and flower on….