A Struggling Economy Doesn't Mean Your Shop Must Suffer

Written by Rebecca Jordan

It seems like every time you turn on the TV or read an article it's about another small business closing it doors. Most of those business close due to lack of funding. We have a very small shop and have only had it for a year.That isn't much of a track record, but when we bought the business it was a dead one. It made total of $25,000 the year before we bought it. That is bad considering America wasn't completely in the dumps yet. Our first year we more than tripled the business and made more than any other owner of the Sierra Rose name has ever done. I am going to tell you some of the ways we cut corners to keep our doors open.
   First things first, as an employer you have the choice of who works for you or not. In our shop we are family owned and operated but we do have other employees. Our golden rule on our employees is that everyone must be able to do any task at any time. Everyone is cross trained. If they don't like it then they leave. It helps keep costs down with out having to have extra employees you don't need. A florist needs to be able to take an order, clean a cooler, deliver, and clean shop. The office staff need to be able to make an arrangement  if all the florists are up to their eyes in other orders. It's a simple step. Also, your employees needn't need to be paid so high you have to make cut backs in your lifeline areas. Lifeline areas are like your containers, flowers, cleaning supplies, ect. It is only fair that at the end of a hard day at work everyone goes home with a paycheck that is worth the while that doesn't cut into shop expenses or your pocket.
 Next spend a little time on your computer or with paper and pen and make a count sheet. A count sheet is a daily log of what flowers are put into each arrangement. Ours also has a spot for where the customer's name sits next to it. Each flower, filler, and green is accounted for and you have a place to keep track of how much cost goes into an arrangement. Those of you on TF, FTD, or others like it know that their idea of what an arrangement should cost and what you as a shop can afford to send out are entirely different things. This helps keeps track of that. Also when a customer calls and complains you can have a detailed count on what went into the arrangement.  I can't tell you how many times people claim it was small and didn't have this or that. This sheet helped us prove that our shop did the order as it should have been done. Here is an example of what the cost sheet would look like...KEEP YOUR COOLER CLEAN!!! A clean well maintained cooler not only keeps flowers fresher longer it also keeps the repairman away. Those of you that have ever had to have a repairman walk into your cooler knows what I am talking about. It doesn't hurt you and your employees to learn about cooler maintenance and know how to troubleshoot. We in our shop kept dumping money into outside help before we realized how to fix most of the problems our self. I really isn't as hard as you would think.  Also, older flowers stored next to newer flowers can cause molds and bacterias to spread. Re-process flowers at least 2 times a week. One of those days completely clean the cooler. Dead leaves, petals, and other materials on the shelves and floor increase the likely hood that your flowers will die faster. It doesn't hurt to also learn about proper flower care. After all this may seem like a small step but if you really watch you may realize as we did how much more energy/ money it takes if your cooler isn't kept up. 
  Unneeded electricity, is a huge drain on your profits. Did you know keeping things plugged in all the time continue to use power even if they are off? If it's not in use unplug it. In our shop we also had a stereo for each room. All with different music playing all at once. OK, sounds dumb right? Not only does it create extra noise it drains power. One one main stereo or two keep both on but remember to unplug it before you leave at night. Also all of us know and love the plug in air fresheners. This too , though a small drain, is a drain. They are also expensive to replace.
  Here, we have stores called Dollar Tree. Everyone has a store like this. These store are a inexpensive way to freshen, clean, decorate, and stock (toilet paper, plates, ect.) your shop. Instead of using plug in fresheners use candles that you can get 5 for a $1. Have a customer candy dish? Restock it using cheaper candy. They carry name brands on many things.  Trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies, office supplies, and much more are readily available in these places. We were buying the more expensive floral tools for our shop and we decided to make the move to their scissors, wire cutters, pliers, and knives and they all work just as well if not better in many cases. 
       Recycle... if you have a service such as TF, FTD, or others you know that a lot of random stuff comes over your fax. Instead of crumpling up these papers and tossing them put them back through the printer on the other side, or cut them into smaller squares and use them for scrap paper instead of buying memo pads. Also, most places such as Office Depot when you bring in your used ink cartriges you can money or credits back to use in thier store. They usually will take any cartiage even if it isn't a brand they use. With the Green movement sweeping our nation today most places offer discounts for recyling.
   Heating and air conditioning can be a huge factor in your shop for many reasons. First lets talk heaters. Most florists are in newer buildings and their heaters may be green friendly,but you can still cut more cost. Keep it set at 50 at night while you are not there and no mare than 65 when you are. This keeps the area a steady temperature so the heater isn't working over time, your plants don't die from to much heat or cold, and it keeps your flower cooler running optimaly.  If your cold put on a sweater. As a current college student I have learned to just keep in layers so I can change with temperature changes and not change my thermostat. It's free to wear a coat. The Air conditioner is the same way, to cold and you will kill your plants and it works overtime to keep the shop cooler. Keep it set at around 50-65 and the area will be comortable for all.
 It's easy being green and as a florist people have come to expect that we would be the ones to have the market cornered. Our shop is a very old building that was actually a  garage made of cynder blocks. Heating, cooling, and electricity are huge fators in our shop.  So we know how you feel if your also in this situation. We have all energy star appliances and powerstrips. We  don't use a hole lot of unnecesary copies,print outs, ect. We do have hard copies of needed materials if our computer goes on the fritz and it has back up disks for it all.  The paper we shred is picked up by a local nursury that uses it in their homemade composts. Same with all our flower garbage. Most places pay to get these materials and usually if you talk to them and tell them you just want to get rid of it they wil come and get it themselves. When you get plants in before you transfer them to an attractive container what do you do with the platic container it came in? Most nurseries again send these back to the farms that grow the plants. This helps everyone out. It is far to eay to re-use materials or find someone who will want your old materials. It just takes a little bit of time each week to do so. If we recycle we al beneft and everyone with less cost becomes happier at more profit.
  I hope these few suggestions help. I know these seem to simplistic and small to make a difference but they do. If everyday you get a penny at the end of the year it adds up to $3.65. Not much? What about if that penny is a $1 in cut costs...$365? A penny is still money just as a dollar. So the more pennies you save the more dollars in the long run come through. Good luck and remember it's all about survival against the big guys. They figured all this out, now it's our turn to shine.