Hi, my name is Lorrie Anderson and am the owner/manager of Country Florist of Waldorf, INC. My husband and I have owned the business since October 1985. In that time our business has grown considerably. We have a great highly motivated staff including several designers who became FTD Master Designers. I took classes to become an FTD Advanced Master Florist. We have always worked hard to keep up with the design trends, sales and technology in order to compete in the ever changing demands of this industry. We encourage and require our employees to attend eduational programs including design, sales, personnel and technology. I personally feel that we retail florists are facing more challenges now than we were when we first bought the business. This forum seems like the perfect opportunity to find out what others in our position think.