Antionette Smith Jones, GMF, CFD, AIFD, is feeling confident about her strategies to turn a profit this holiday season. She’s updating her pricing structure to account for design time and delivery costs and holding short weekly training sessions to reinforce sales and customer engagement techniques, among other things.
Those refinements are thanks to the Society of American Florists’ 1-Day Profit Blast, Nov. 4 in Atlanta, where she and 67 other attendees gathered to learn about cutting waste, boosting sympathy sales and mastering AI and design trends. The event also featured a Supplier Showcase and time for networking. It was sponsored by Kennicott Brothers and Smithers-Oasis.
“The event reignited my motivation and gave me actionable strategies to increase profitability,” says Smith Jones of Designs By TTOC Floral in Atlanta. “I also made valuable connections with other florists and suppliers that will benefit both of my businesses in the long term.”
Ashley DeGeus of The English Garden Florist of Raleigh attended the event for the first time at the suggestion of shop owner Cydney Davis-English. DeGeus was hungry for knowledge and couldn’t wait for the opportunity to dive in, learn new things and make connections.
“I spent my time listening carefully, taking lots of notes and walking around to talk with the vendors we regularly use to learn how we can better optimize their resources,” she says. “I had great conversations with several of them and discovered a few new ways we could improve how we use their systems.”
DeGeus also learned how to improve the shop’s shrinkage rate during the “Cut the Waste, Keep the Profit” session with Lenny Walker of Kennicott Brothers, Steve Daum of FloraLife and Kimberlee Mitchell of Botanica Floral.
“What really stuck with me was the importance of having clear protocols in place to help reduce shrinkage, such as pre-booking items for events and being intentional about ordering,” says DeGeus.
Small Changes for Big Success
After listening to pointers on how to increase profits, Amy Roberts realized how much the small tips and practical advice she learned could make a big difference in her work at Downtown Flowers in Kingsport, Tennessee — and she’s already benefiting from them.
“It was helpful to learn how small adjustments in the shop can make a real difference — like keeping a closer eye on cooler temperatures, making sure flower food is measured accurately and maintaining good cleaning routines,” she says. She has already started putting some of the tips she learned into practice. “My cooler temperature has been monitored by an app, but I’m working on adjusting it to maintain a more accurate, lower temperature. I’ve also been looking into different flower foods and think we may switch from a powder to a liquid version. I’m creating a better routine for cleaning too — it’s one of those small things that really adds up.”
Similarly, Kelley Henry’s first trip to a 1-Day Profit Blast reminded her that she needed to get back to the basics in her shop, Joyce Merck Florist in Atlanta. She plans to re-evaluate her cooler temperatures and the way she processes flowers.
Henry also found the tips she learned in the “Heartfelt Designs, Smart Business” session with Kelsey Thompson of Bloom Floral Algona helpful since sympathy designs are 60% of her business.
“I loved the sympathy design seminar,” she says. “Different regions always have cool design ideas that may be popular in their state, but you have never seen before.”
First-timer Denise LaFrenier of Family Flowers in Lawrenceville, Georgia, said the event definitely won’t be her last.
“It is a great value, and the single day commitment makes the event more accessible,” LaFrenier says. “We already have plans for some of our other stores to participate in some of the upcoming Profit Blasts.”
The next 1-Day Profit Blast will be in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 25, 2026. For more information about the event, click here.
Kenya McCullum is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
