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Floral Liaisons Networking in the Industry
Networking the Industry |
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Written by Amanda Ryder
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In the floral industry, communication is vital. This
could mean talking with other retail florists or speaking with growers
and wholesalers about their operations. Chances are, trading tips and
strategies with someone else in the industry will only better your
business.
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The Supper Club is an informal network that meets monthly. Back row, left to right: Chris Oziemkowski, Justin Caiger, Tyler Merkley, David Pollard, Darren Robb, Stephen Mangos, Dan Turmel, Jerzy Simerzchalski, Michael Lasher, Italo Paris, Mark Pointet
Front row, left to right: Michael Pointet, Jeff Waters, Frank Stornelli and Mauricio Correa
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Maybe you’ll find the solution to a nagging problem or stumble across a cross-promotional opportunity. In the business world, communicating with your industry peers is called networking and this can have a formal or informal approach. Business experts recommend it, especially in the case of small businesses.
In almost every business sector, networking takes place when people meet up with others working in the same sector. Sherry Strowbridge, spokesperson for Canada Business, a government information service for businesses in Canada, says networking is an important tool because it provides a “means of learning valuable information about your industry.” A formal network may be an association or a structured industry meeting, while an informal network usually refers to something more relaxed and unofficial. It could be something as simple as meeting for coffee with a neighbouring retailer.
Strowbridge says that as a result of networking, a business may gain clients, a positive referral or might even be able to expand the business into another area. She says networking is about “selling a benefit to somebody that’s at your networking event…you’re always looking at what a business can help you do better.”
When it comes to deciding whether to focus on informal or formal networking, Strowbridge recommends that business operators try to combine the two because the overall benefit is the same. “Networking is the opportunity to learn about the issues and developments that could impact your industry.” She adds that it could also be a way of getting ahead of the competition.
In Mississauga, Ont., an informal network of wholesalers, growers and retailers all meet once a month in the backroom of Mex Y Can, a wholesale florist. The warehouse shipping dock is converted into a dining room complete with wine glasses, roasting pots and a barbeque. On this particular night, lobsters fresh off a flight from the East Coast will be the main course. As the workday comes to an end and suppertime approaches, men from all sectors of the floral industry (and even a few who aren’t in the industry) began to file into the dining hall for the meeting of the Supper Club.
The Supper Club is a gathering that began 10 years ago as a competition between Michael Lasher of Mex Y Can and Guy Mauro of Ital Florist to see who could chef up the best meal. The set-up was simple and consisted of only a pot of water to boil spaghetti. Lasher says the meeting soon became a monthly event and the membership grew quickly, from five to 10, and eventually to the current membership of 18.
With the exception of one or two members who hail from other industries, flower wholesalers, growers, bouquet makers and retail florists make up the group.
It’s men only at The Supper Club, with tonight being a rare exception to the rule. Each month, the group rotates between members to see who will be cooking the meal. The men pay a one-time $50 membership fee to join the group and if they miss a meeting, they have to fork out a fine of $25. The fine money has gone towards the purchase of a brand new barbecue and other cooking necessities.
When it comes to the conversation, anything goes. “There’s no agenda but something in the industry may have just happened and then we discuss it,” says Lasher. “Sometimes you have pockets of people talking. If you have an idea, you can bounce it off someone else and see what they think.”
In some cases, both clients and customers come together at the Supper Club and this means what happens at the Supper Club, stays at the Supper Club. “The egos get checked at the door and so are the relationships,” he says.
The Supper Club has helped members solve various business problems in the industry. Lasher says one example of this is when a couple of members were able to combine the shipping on some of their products. Instead of individually driving to the supplier to pick up the product, the men teamed up and sent one truck to do the job for all of them.
Darren Robb, the general manager at Don Robb Imports Ltd. has been going to the meetings for the past four years. As a wholesaler, he says the Supper Club gives him a chance to talk with other sectors of the industry to find out what’s happening at the retail florist level. He says there’s a certain level of trust in the group and members look out for each other. “When you’re sitting down breaking bread, you come with ideas to compliment each other.”
For Mauricio Correa, the operations manager for USA Bouquet Company in Canada, the Supper Club has been a great way to meet new people. He moved to Canada from Colombia and says it was difficult for a newcomer to build relationships in the industry. This was Correa’s third meeting and already he says he has made five or six good contacts. “It’s great because I meet people within the industry,” he says. “You’re going to need something from every person at some point. It could be ideas or help and they have more experience with the country than I do.”
One example of a formal network in the floral industry is the United Flower Growers (UFG) Cooperative Association in Vancouver. Three times a week retail florists and growers come to the flower auction to buy and sell flowers. Bob Pringle, executive chief officer at UFG, says the auction presents the opportunity for florists to talk with the people they are buying product from. He also sees instances of florists working together to buy flowers. “Because we have three auctions going on simultaneously, a florist will buy a product at one clock while another one is buying from another clock,” he says. “The florists will split the purchases and if there’s a minimum purchase on the product then they can also split the bucket between them.”
Often, people will meet at the auction cafeteria or have a quick chat after the auction. “It’s a meeting place. People get to talk to each other and meet the grower,” Pringle says. “The people that are outgoing can listen in on what’s going on in the industry.”
Gary Li, of Convallaria Floral Design in Mississauga, Ont. belongs to another type of formal network called the B. Brooks Fine Flowers network. This is a niche wire service for high-end florists in the U.S. and Canada that began in 1997. Li joined the service three years ago and through the network he is now connected with other florists in cities like New York and Beverly Hills who serve the same niche market that he does. Convallaria Floral Design caters specifically to high-end clientele and never does arrangements for under $65.
“There’s a reassurance that when you send out an order, it will be looked after by a high-end florist,” says Li. By joining up with this formal network, Li now has the opportunity to establish working relationships with other florists in the high-end market.
Barbera Brooks, the woman who started the network 10 years ago, says she’s heard of several instances where florists have networked as a result of her company. Because the B. Brooks Fine Flower members deal with a lot of the same trends and styles, florists will often call each other to source products. She says this happens more frequently with florists contacting others outside their market area. “They feel more free to call each other when they are in a different geographic market,” says Brooks. This allows the florists to share information with others who aren’t their direct competition.
Brooks says another example of networking occurs when a florist has a client that’s planning a wedding in another location. The out-of-town florist can call up a local florist and ask to use the local florists’ facilities, extra staff or even get introductions to local vendors.
It’s these kinds of connections that help a florist better their business. By taking advantage of the working relationships you have and looking at ways you can reach out to other florists and members of the industry, it’s likely you’ll discover a link that you didn’t know was there.
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