The roses have thorns

Over the years that I have spent in the floral industry, I have learned there are many misconceptions about what it is we actually do. This business is by no means an easy one despite the general idea that "wow, you must love working with beautiful flowers all day". Which in large part is true, we do love it, however it is also very true that the roses have their thorns.

Like many other businesses, we never know what kind of day we'll be faced with when we turn the key to open the doors. Believe it or not, it's not the actual floral work that makes any given day more difficult then the previous one. It's all the "other" stuff going on around us that becomes the "bastone fra le ruota"; the stick between your wheels. The chaos of life.

Sometimes when the work day begins...the internet randomly goes down, you get a call from the school that your kid just got hurt at recess, one of your best customers is on hold waiting to speak to you personally, an email comes through from your accountant that he needs you to sign some papers, the delivery van won't start, the supplier forgot to send important materials needed for that order, your car is ready to be picked up from the mechanic, you just remembered that you forgot to take out the chicken for dinner and that you ran out of dog food.

So, you push all that aside for the better part of the day, why? Because the grieving family needs the flowers to arrive on time for their loved one's funeral, the bride's wedding is tomorrow so she needs her bouquet in the morning and not next month, the centerpieces for the sweet 16 birthday celebration party are needed tonight and you know failure is not an option for any of it.

I think we sometimes forget that behind every business there are actual people making things happen. And when I say people I mean men and women who are also fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, friends. And it makes no difference if it's a small, medium or large business; one that does 100 thousand dollars a year in sales or one that does 100 million, they are still run by people.

Our flower shops are a great example of that. Real people working hard at what they do and also working hard at juggling a whole lot of other stuff you wouldn't even imagine. It is a privilege to work in the flower business. A family business no less. We are reminded often of that privilege by the constant messages of thanks we receive from so many happy customers. And thank goodness for the positive feedback because truthfully it's hard sometimes. The pressure is always on and when we succeed at pleasing our customers, it makes it all worthwhile. Sacrifices are made, patience is essential and the commitment to never quit defines who we are.

Roses have their thorns yes, but they also have the most exquisite perfume unique only to them and they come in a multitude of stunning colours. Simply beautiful, thorns and all.
Let's not forget to smell them from time to time.