Mornings with Mayesh

Angelina Prikhodko, the owner of Fleur Studio, offers valuable advice and insights for running a successful retail flower shop. From the importance of building a strong relationship with a sales rep to the significance of branding and niche, Angelina shares her experiences and lessons learned. She also discusses her plans for the future, including opening a second Fleur Studio location and potentially offering teaching and training services. Angelina's passion for retail floristry and her desire to help others in the industry make her a valuable resource for aspiring and current retail florists. Visit our blog for the transcript and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-retail-florist-angelina-prikhodko

Join us in this captivating episode of Mornings with Mayesh, where Yvonne Ashton is joined by David Dahlson, Amy Balsters, and Joey Azout from Alexandra Farms to delve into the enchanting world of garden roses. Gain valuable insights into the meticulous care and cultivation of these exquisite blooms, discover their favorite varieties, tips for weddings & events, and get a sneak peek at the upcoming releases. Visit our blog for the transcript and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-alexandra-farms-feb2024

Abby has taken our sustainability conversation to another level while taking on topics of sustainability within retail and sympathy design. I’m excited to be able to dive in deeper with her while discussing the importance of profitability, imposter syndrome, barriers to sustainable practices for the average florist, and more! Visit our blog for the transcript and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-abby-chick-sustainability

Ryan O'Neil, the CEO and founder of Curate, joined Yvonne in a live session aimed at equipping us with the knowledge and strategies we need to thrive in the upcoming year of 2024. With his wealth of expertise and innovative mindset, Ryan delved into a plethora of pivotal topics that lie at the heart of business success. Among the crucial subjects that we explored were: pricing strategies, a vital component in any business's growth and profitability, automation to elevate efficiency, goal setting, evaluating cash flow needs - the lifeblood of any business, and finally technology We truly hope that this engaging conversation with Ryan leaves you feeling empowered and equipped with invaluable knowledge and strategies to conquer the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead in 2024. Visit our blog for the transcript and video replay: https://www.mayesh.com/blog/mwm-florist-prep-2024-with-ryan-oneil

In support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, Yvonne sat down for an interview with Brooke Raulerson AIFD, CFD, a floral designer who is battling breast cancer. Brooke bravely shares her journey and emphasizes the importance of self-advocacy and support. She discusses her experience with doctors and the need to push for answers and second opinions. The heartbreaking fact is that if it weren't for Brooke's tenacity and determination to get answers, she may not have been around to share her story!! Brooke also highlights the overwhelming support she has received from her family, friends, and clients. She talks about staying positive and relying on her faith during this challenging time. Brooke encourages others to share their stories and not settle for inadequate answers when it comes to their health. We hope that you listen to the entire interview and share it with your friends and family - we can all learn from Brooke's story! Visit our blog for the transcript and video replay: https://www.mayesh.com/blog/mwm-breast-cancer-advocate-brooke-raulerson

Alyssa Lytle of Flowering Minds Education and our August & September Mayesh Design Star joined me for a continued conversation on sustainability! We chatted about her innovative & creative design mechanics that have been showcased over the last two months - think hardware store items like wire shelving & bird suet cages - along with her thoughts on her tips for those who may want to explore sustainability for their business, how she sees sustainability influencing our industry, and teaching us about what Oshun Pouches are really made of. Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-alyssa-lytle-of-flowering-minds

Yesterday, Yvonne had so much fun delving into the world of floral design with Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht. Kristen is a renowned floral designer and author of the book "Flower Love". He shares his journey in the industry, the challenges he faced, and the valuable lessons he learned along the way. Kristen also discusses his new book and dives into what readers can expect, how he selected the cover images out of the 45 designs showcased in the book, his philosophy on self-care and "it's just flowers, and how the book can inspire all designers of all levels. So let's dive in and explore the world of flowers with Kristen Griffith-VanderYacht. Blog with show notes and video replay: https://www.mayesh.com/blog/mwm-flower-love-kristen-griffth-vanderyacht

Alison Ellis of Real Flower Business offers invaluable business insights into the the process of pricing wedding arrangements and designs. We discuss how to ensure you are profitable, how to ensure you are not over buying flowers, how to handle substitutions, whether or not you should set minimums, and every in between. Alison gives you the insight you need to price accordingly to have a successful & profitable wedding season! Head to our blog for the show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/fall-flower-festival-recap

Welcome to the replay of our first segment of our Fall Flower Festival! Gilberto Espinoza of Dogwood & Fir is my first guest and will be creating a large autumn inspired urn arrangement perfect for weddings. While he is designing, we chat about how he got his start in floral design, photography, the un-importance of trends, social media, sustainability, and more! P.S. Since he is designing, the video will provide a better experience, but we also had a great conversation that we wanted to share on the podcast. Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/fall-flower-festival-recap

Last month, we introduced our 3rd Mayesh Design Star of 2023, Pilar Zuniga of Gorgeous and Green and I’m very excited to share her live interview from earlier this week! She is a sustainable & eco-friendly florist, an advocate & speaker Since 2008, she was name a 2023 Top 50 Wedding Florists in North America by Florists’ Review, and is a host for the Instagram page, @floristsofcolor. We chatted about what it takes to become a California Green certified business, how being a sustainable florist has evolved for Pilar over the last 15 years, large scale and wearable design mechanics, and so much more! Blog with show notes and video replay: https://www.mayesh.com/blog/mwm-pilar-zuniga-a-sustainable-florist

Our 2nd Mayesh Design Star of 2023, Heather Sardela of Blossom & Bone Florals, was my special guest earlier this week. We chatted about different ways florists can become more sustainable beyond design mechanics that you may not have thought about like composting, working with local ceramicists, paying living wages, and more. What are some sustainable practices that you incorporate into your flower business? Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-sustainable-floristry-beyond-design-mechanics

The ever-inspiring author, educator, and florist, Sue Mcleary joined us to discuss “Flowers for All”, her brand new book filled with modern floral arrangements for beauty, joy, and mindfulness every day”. Sue wrote this book for all flower people, not just obsessed florists like herself. Learn more about this wonderful publication featuring thirty different design ideas from the author herself! Grab yourself a copy here: https://susanmcleary.com/flowers-for-all Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-flowers-for-all-with-susan-mcleary

On Tuesday, Amy Balsters of The Floral Coach, joined Yvonne to chat about our recently launched Mayesh X The Floral Coach Design Tour. Amy dove into the curriculum and shared why learning proper spiral bouquet mechanics and color theory is critical, along with talking about the value that is provided with each included component of our in-person workshop. This is so very exciting because it has been 3 years since we’ve hosted a workshop. We have been asked so many times when we are starting back up and March 30th is the answer to that. That is the date of our first workshop of the tour at Mayesh Cleveland along with 10 other cities across the country! Blog with show notes and video replay: https://www.mayesh.com/blog/mwm-design-tour-with-amy-balsters

Our very own flower expert, David Dahlson, was our guest for the second time last week! In this episode, David put together a show 'n tell of a selection of our stunning Japanese flowers that are now available! The lineup includes Sweet Peas, Ranunculus, Lisianthus, Cymbidiums, Litsea Cubeba, and Spirea. The season lasts about two and a half months (January through March, maybe April depending on the weather), and allow a 2-week lead time when placing your order. NOTE: If you are listening to the podcast replay, you may want to watch the video for the best experience since this episode is very visual. Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-japanese-flower-showcase-2023

Sustainability. It is so much more than the current buzzword and is a very important topic for our industry. Our first 2023 Mayesh Design Star, Sue Mcleary, joined Yvonne along with Holly Chapple, TJ McGrath, Debra Prinzing, Patrick Dahlson and David Dahlson. We defined what sustainability means, examined biodegradable, compostable, and reusable materials, talked about locally grown, and our experts gave tips on how we all can get started in being gentler to the earth. This episode went over an hour and we only began to scratch the surface. If you are looking for even more conversations and insights about this topic then be sure to stay tuned to our monthly 2023 Mayesh Design Star videos. Also, know that we are planning a round two panel discussion for sometime after the Valentine's Day holiday so that we can answer all of the amazing questions that were submitted by our live audience. If you didn't watch live, but have some of your own questions please post them in the comments section of our blog so that we can add it to our list. Blog with show notes and video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-sustainable-floristry-panel-discussion

Steve Dionne, the Executive Director of CalFlowers, came to chat with us about a powerful campaign called That Flower Feeling. Whether or not you have heard of this campaign, we hope you stick around to learn more, hear how the campaign has done so far, what marketing assets are available to you, and understand how That Flower Feeling can uplift the entire floral industry, including your business! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-that-flower-feeling-with-steve-dionne

Our very own flower expert, David Dahlson, was back on Mornings with Mayesh! David set up a show 'n tell of a handful of NEW flowers along with sharing some of his current seasonal faves that we know you are going to love! He kicks things off with stunning Hybrid Delph, Larkspur, Stock, and Duplo Asters that are open-cut! What does this mean for you? Well, if you are using them in events, they only need to be hydrated for 24 hours before using in designs as they are fully opened blooms compared to their regular counterparts that may need up to a week to open. These products are perfect for weddings and event work! Also, among other flowers, you can meet "Rediant" a brand new red rose that has NO thorns! Imagine working with that variety during Valentine's Day week!! If you are listening to the podcast replay, you may want to watch the video for the best experience since this episode is very visual. Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-new-open-cut-flowers-more

Sarah Campbell of Intrigue Teaches joined Yvonne to talk about all the work that is going into the 2022 Intrigued Experience Conference. Dive into the flowers, educators, venues, design trends, and more! If you have ever wondered what this gathering of inspired and driven floral designers is then be sure to tune in and learn about what brings these people and flower-focused industry leaders together! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-sarah-campbell-of-intrigue-teaches

Earlier this week, Jelena Trifunovic of Viola Floral came to share her flower story with us. Jelena talks about how she ended up starting a business named after her mother, dives into how transitioning from teacher to florist went, how flowers were instrumental in her own healing, along with sharing about her passion for helping others understand the power of flowers and their positive effects on mental health. This is definitely a feel-good episode that reminds us all of why we love the floral industry and the part we play in spreading joy through flowers! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-wellness-through-flowers

Have you always wanted a Food Network but for flowers? Well, it's here and it's called BloomTV!! This week, founder and CEO of BloomTV, Monica Michelle, shared why she started this new streaming network, talked about the episode "A Flower's Journey", and what she is planning next! Show notes & video replay: https://blog.mayesh.com/mwm-bloomtv-monica-michelle