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6 July | 2021 welcome S ummer always reminds me of beaches, fruity cocktails and gardens. I do enjoy a blazing sand-filled day at the beach and an early morning in my garden.Another thing that comes to mind when I think of summer is planning. Having worked in marketing and media for decades, summer's also the time of the year that I help clients finalize their strategies for the upcoming Holiday and New Year. Here, are a few ideas I suggest business owners focus on as you plan for 2022. • Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail: Always have a plan and a plan B with contingent plans for C, maybe D. e process of making contingency plans helps you see the potential pitfalls before you fall in. • Look for Opportunities to Diversify : at old saying, "Never put all your eggs in one basket." at! Adding new revenue streams can have a dramatic impact on your bottom line. • Constantly Optimize User Experience: Consumers today are fickle and tend to have little patience for clunky technology and bad customer service. With the Internet megaphone at their fingertips today, an unsatisfied customer can become a even bigger problem. • Connect Online and Offline Strategies: Coordinating your physical presentation and branding with your website and social platforms is crucial in today's business world because customers see it all. ey are everywhere. • Create Social Marketing Alliances: Results can multiply when you connect your efforts with others. To be successful in social marketing today you have to be social. Share, connect, engage and create partnerships. To help you prepare for the coming 2021 holiday season, which, by all accounts, is shaping up to be a blockbuster, we interviewed retail floral professionals across the country to create our "Ultimate Holiday Business Guide." In this guide, you'll find three great features that will help ensure you have one of your most successful Christmases ever. Our exclusive report on this year's three top style trends, Page 22. Product ideas and tips for merchandising, marketing, staffing and more, Page 32. And, tips for capitalizing on the houseplant boom by marketing plants and highly desirable and viable gift-giving options, Page 38. Also in this issue, we showcase the gorgeous arrangements from the four finalists in our second bimonthly "Best in Blooms" contest, the winner of which is Melissa Pack, owner of Anthera Floral in Normandy Park (Seattle), Wash. Finally, don't miss our interview with Jean-Pascal Lemire, owner of Jean-Pascal Florist in downtown Los Angeles, who was the winner of our inaugural "Best in Blooms" contest two months ago. Lemire offers his personal insights into the business of floristry, many of which he learned by "going to the school of hard knocks." In one of his advice offerings, he warns florists not to chase Instagram followers but, instead, to focus on their local customers, especially those who walk through the door. Before the holiday season hits, I hope you'll enjoy a few days this summer filled with sand, cocktails and garden parties yourself ! Happy Trails, Jules Lewis Gibson President & Creative Director Florists' Review Media Group

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