Creativity and/or the lack of it

[bloomz]

I found this very interesting quote in Ken Royer's book (I'm re-reading it) and I hope he won't mind me quoting it here

As time went on with the organization growning larger and larger, creativity becaomse very difficult to institutionalize. As the company grew, carefully crafted, long-lasting arrangements become the trademark of Royer's Flowers along with their outstanding value. "Creative" was not a word immediately associated with Royer's. We had the ability to be creative, but because of how we positioned ourselves and how we marketed ourselves and how we organized ourselves, we created an image that did not attract customers seeking high-priced, individually styled custom arrangements. I'm sure that the LACK of these orders has consistently ADDED to our profitability, but I must confess I am somewhat sad about that developement becuase I personally liked to do those kinds of arrangements. It was part of the fun of being a florist.

Capital letter emphasis his.

What a great book, a must read for any serious florist that wants to stick around.

This means to me, there's a choice to be made, fun or profitability and longevity.

Being too old to change jobs, you can guess what I'm gonna choose.

 

[lori042499]

Bloomz,,,

Great find, I must read that book....

I, as everyone knows, have worked in all types of shops in my time....

The most profitable ones were the shops that I stood at a bench and got grinding with well put together arrangements, but they undoubtedly were very plain and full and traditional...it takes less time to create these arrangements and very definately are a better value to the average customer who wants flowers....

In a very posh area, where people are all about 100.00 jeans and 400.00 pairs of shoes, maybe they want 16.00 worth of wholesale stuff designed artistically for 150.00 with a wow factor, but that clientele is very hard to woo and takes alot of time, money and knowing of alot of influential people. It takes many years to build that type of business and most of us need the average customer to fill in..If your store is too posh it scares the average customer off, too traditional the posh clients think you are too blah...


This being said every shop does need a creative and talented designer on staff, but not every design needs to be something AIFD might feature on the front page of their website...I believe that you need to know how to do it all even if there is very little call for it. I do prefer to make some artsy arrangements and do whenever it is my choice to make something if the person ordering it is OK or it is something I am sending or my mom is...I was very sad the day I realized that my artistic arrangements were not going to fly out the doors at my new place and that hydrangea and lilac are seen as overused and over expensive weeds but it was either push those on the few people who would buy them at an obscene price or get with the cookie cutter and make a few bucks on a regular basis.

 

[Rhonda]

Great read, JB, and as we all know, bread and butter designs for holidays, production lines of the same design get us through a holiday quicker BUT (emphasis mine) we also try to offer 1 "creative" design to feature. We make the creative design a very structured form & line design, easy to make for recreation from other designers (not newbies), utilizing flowers not found in our B&B production lines...

 

[SpringCity]

I have that book, haven't finished it yet. I think floral recipes will be a staple for me but it is honestly fun to get those big "do your thing" creative orders. It's a funny dichotomy, Mr. Royer was a businessman first and a creative person 2nd or 18th or 47th....and he succeeded. I know I'm a creative person first (like a lot of florists) and I personally am having to really work hard at trying to grasp and gain those business skills.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

you know, the way I'm reading that is he wanted to be creative but his business got bigger and he chose to do the easy thing, simple vased arrangements...

Which is all fine and well, I have no problem with that.

I think what he is saying is, It's a shame he had to sacrifice his creativity.

I really don't see a problem with being able to do both...

 

[CHR]

Wow! Didn't realize creativity was harming our profits. ::BS

We're entering our 25th year this fall. Sales up approx. 10% in 2008, sales & customer count both up in July and in August (so far).

Needless to say, I attribute the growth to having fun. :>

Wasn't Royer one of the leaders (overseeing store operations?) in the failed Gerald Stevens effort?

Seriously, JB - you're all h*ll bent on proving that custom, unique design work needs to be abolished from shops. I've witnessed - first hand - how it can add to profits, sales averages and customer retention. No, designers should not be let loose to make anything they wish - so controls are necessary.

But it's one of the few things customers can only get from local florists, since OGs and WSs can't offer it.

I call that an advantage - and if managed well, as with every aspect of shop operations, it surely contributes to profits.

 

[twiggy]

But it's one of the few things customers can only get from local florists, since OGs and WSs can't offer it.

I call that an advantage - and if managed well, as with every aspect of shop operations, it surely contributes to profits.

Exactly!
I don't think you need to choose one over the other. and at the same time you can't have one without the other in a profitable business.

"carefully crafted long lasting arrangements" can and should have a creative flair that fits the shop it came from.

to re-invent the wheel for every customer isn't smart either. But there is a balance for every shop of both elements.. some shops are more to the creative side and some are more on the production side.

In a production shop creativity comes into play at the top. Lead designers come up with recipes (using their CREATIVITY) for the rest to follow. In this kind of shop, if all the designers reinvented the wheel for each customer that came in..Yikes! lots of lost time and product too i imagine..

You have to have both Bloomz.. even the most basic of designs have to start somewhere, they have to have the right colors, balance and other principals or it's not sale-able

 

[prestonway]

You two quack me up (CHR & Jon)!!!

Ize just wonderin'...

Could it be a difference in local market demographics?

Could it be that CHR has a market niche of higher end, affluent, & more "appreciative of design" type of customers?

Just thinking...it mite go back to another thread I read sometime today...along the lines of shop owners doing a Strategic Analysis of their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats.

(what I love to call a S.W.O.T. analysis...)

 

[felicityflowers]

Ken also talks, in the same book, about how creating wildly creative designs, no two the same, for a funeral won him a much desired customer who vowed never to use his shop. (I paraphrased but, it's something similar.)

Just goes to show - there are no right answers

 

[LJVF]

Who has a better chance at making a decent living?

a) The abstract artist doing it for the passion
b) The dude that does wolf paintings

 

[SpringCity]

^ LJVF....right, or that "painter of light" dude. Kinkade.

 

[Joe Mioux]

Listen to your customer.

Do what your customer wants.

There is no reason in the world you can't have both style and repeatable designs that are profitable.

Maybe that is what the owner or head designer's main responsibilty should be on a weekly basis. buy certain flowers in bulk and then come up with several unique (not necessarily WAY OUT THERE DESIGN SHOW STUFF) arrangements that can be sold that week.

That doesn't mean you have to forgo the tried and true recipe arrangements.

It just means you are offering an alternative.

Joe

 

[RJD]

Who has a better chance at making a decent living?

a) The abstract artist doing it for the passion
b) The dude that does wolf paintings

Do these two people have the same definition of "decent living", or are you asking us to insert our own definition here?

 

[LJVF]

Do these two people have the same definition of "decent living", or are you asking us to insert our own definition here?

I guess "decent living" is too a broad term.

I think you know where I was going with the question, but I'll explain just in case. Some talented artists must choose between continuing to create art out of passion or using their skills to earn a living providing a service for the mainstream.

In my opinion a florist will have a better chance at longevity by relying on streamlined, cookie cutter designs as opposed to creative, artsy designs. Not that there isn't a market for the fancy stuff, there is. I understand that many florists have a customer base that rely on them for their signature designs, and this can be quite profitable. But not every shop has all the necessary variables to make this profitable. I'm not saying it can't offer the "fun" stuff, I just believe that the probability for failure is much greater if it puts too much value into it.

As a shop grows, it becomes much more difficult to control costs and maintain quality if the designs aren't streamlined.

 

[RWK]

First of all - regarding Kinkade - the man views his artwork as a product. People like it, so he paints it. He subscribes to an old adage that my economic teacher told us in college. "If people are stupid enough to buy it, I am smart enough to sell it".

Ken Royer was a great business man who like a lot of us bought into the Gerald Stevens debacle. He was also a great florist.

The problem is NOT Modern versus Traditional, Creative versus basic.

Regardless of how YOU, the designer, view your work and your level of creativity...... Joe made the right point......LISTEN TO THE CUSTOMER FIRST.

If my customer wants high-style, then he is going to get high-style, if my customer wants basic, he is going to get basic.

It is about having the skills to meet your customers needs !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RATHER THAN ARGUEING ABOUT CREATIVE VERSUS BASIC - INSTEAD - MEETS YOUR CUSTOMERS NEEDS.

I am AIFD, I am a design competition winner, I am a two-time SC State Designer of the Year......... and I need all of that learned skill to do one thing.....and one thing only.....meet my customers needs.

 

[Tuberose]

I agree with Joe, Cathy and Rick 100% Why do we and/or the customer have to choose to go all cookie cutter or all creative? We offer both and we do what the customer wants why do we have to be either one or the other exclusively and why is it a crime to do creative arrangements? If you're going to nickel and dime it by not allowing anything done in your shop that has a remote possibility of being a show piece, that's fine but why try to force that on the rest of us?

Why does this dead horse keep getting beaten, it's like the WS debate, that's getting old too, oh I get it, you're bored right? Summer will do that to you.

Trish

 

[Joe Mioux]

Why does this dead horse keep getting beaten, it's like the WS debate, that's getting old too, oh I get it, you're bored right? Summer will do that to you.

Trish

Because its fun and more importantly theraputic.

btw: lets be clear on something. Bloomzie has mentioned many times here that not only does his and Twila's shop do profitable recipe arrangements but also upscale arrangements as well.

Twila is an accomplished designer and I know Jonathan is very proud of his sis's work.

Joe

 

[goldfish]

I read his book a couple of times. His quote has to be put into context here.

First, Ken Royer had a very clear idea about the concept of market niches and their importance. He did not believe in a "florist for all people" as a viable strategy any more.

This is an extremely important point to remember in this discussion. If you believe that a florist can/should serve the entire spectrum of customers (high-end picky customers to causal cash&carry buyers), this discussion is moot.

Mr Royer believe that a florist must make a conscious decision on which niche his shop would target. I agree. Here's what he wrote (p 291).

Understanding the niche one attempts to fill is very important. The lack of a niche provides no uniqueness. A business without unique features that are well identified and flaunted has little chance of success.

This concept of targeting a market niche is nothing new. That's why you don't find a Bloomingdale store selling $2 sandals, and also why you don't find a Walmart selling $300 flip-flops.

Secondly, he categorizes the full-service florists into four groups.

1) Artist florists.
Like Cathy's shop. Mr Royer has absolutely nothing against them. All he points out is that this kind of shop is generally limited to one store location and heavily depends on personal design skills.

2) Carriage trade florists
These florists cater to a very select group of extremely rich customers. In our area, there is one such florist. This florist won't take any order less than $10,000.

3) Neighborhood florists
This is the business model of a traditional florist. He doesn't believe that this model can succeed. Here's the quote.

The neighborhood florist is limited by a lack of the uniqueness required to create the motivation for consumers outside their neighborhood... (snip)... While believing they provide superior arrangements... there is a certain sameness in the eyes of consumers.

4) The Merchant Florist niche
Merchant florists are those who market standardized arrangements with a superb production efficiency. They put much more emphasis on craftsman ship than on artistry. This is the niche Mr Royer decided to position his business.

In my opinion, his categorization is too simplistic and a little bit outdated (the book was written, I believe, in early 90's). Still, I completely agree with one important element of his contention: a florist must choose a market niche to target, or it won't grow.

So if you want to position your shop similar to Avante Gardens or Jacob Maarse or any of the successful Artist Florists, there's nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with trying to position your store like Bloomz' or Randy's.

What I don't agree is to try to be both at the same time. I don't think it's going to work.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

works for us!!!

These are all "orders" not done for my amusement or so I could pat myself on the back.. People actually ordered these arrangements...










A little "artsy" and a little "traditional" all made by me. Also includes my avatar.. That one was made today.. You can see it better in the look at #9 thread .

Gotta love diversity!!

 

[RWK]

Gorgeous work Shannon - If this is indicative of your skills......You won't have any problem passing the AES and becoming AIFD.