Earlier this year, fourth generation Polites Florist purchased its competitor, Farrell’s Florist. The driving force behind the sale of the Pennsylvania florist was next gen florist Helena Polites, who joined the family business during the pandemic after working in hospitality for a few years.
“I wanted to grow ,” Polites shared during the Society of American Florists’ March’s Idea Exchange. “I was really green — not even a year in, talking about expanding, and kind of looking at me like, ‘You still don’t even know half the stuff!’”
But it is her dad she credits for mentoring her, being open to ideas, and adapting.
“Nothing’s a bad idea,” Polites said of her dad’s approach to growing her knowledge and skills as an entrepreneur. “And everything should be discussed.”
Managers, owners and young floral professionals also shared their best advice for nurturing young leaders.
Invest In Their Careers
Erin Bruno, AAF, director of marketing at McNamara Florist in Indianapolis, credits her career to owner Toomie Farris, AAF, AIFD, who saw her potential and sent her to an SAF convention. “If you have anyone young in your business and you believe in them, you need to let them know, and you need to give them the tools to succeed and let them know that this can be a career and not just the fly through position,” Bruno said. “Having someone that believes in you is a huge thing.”
Build Trust
It can feel risky to invest in someone who might leave the business. Eileen Weber, AAF, vice president of Lake Forest Flowers in Lake Forest, Illinois, studied horticulture, but decided to go into the family business, where’s she built her career for the past 21 years. She credits her father for trusting her to take initiative and follow through. “He knows I’m committed,” said Weber, who plans to take over the business. “And I think that can be a challenge when we have younger staff members — are they really committed?” She believes strongly that having faith in talented employees is the foundation of earning their loyalty. “Sometimes you got to just put your faith in them, and that’s sometimes how you build the commitment, is by them seeing that you trust them.”
Have an Open Mind
Change is hard but can be necessary. And often, younger employees have ideas about how to increase efficiencies, cut costs, and improve the customer experience. “We tend to see that the seasoned generations, they’ve set up amazing standards in the industry, but there tend to be some that like to stay in those set ways,” said Kam Kennedy of Family Flowers in Alpharetta, Georgia, which operates several shops in multiple states. “I think that’s been one of the tougher hurdles that I’ve faced, was trying to convince some of them to try new things and just see where it takes us.”
For more advice on mentoring young talent, watch the Idea Exchange on-demand in SAF’s Floral Education Hub.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the senior director of content and communications for the Society of American Florists.
