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鲜花公司:特殊时期,人们依然需要鲜花

Rachel King
2020-05-10

这家母女档送花公司在疫情期间的业务居然不减。

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图片来源:COURTESY OF JANE HILL

戴安·希尔与科特尼·克拉克是一对母女,二人共同经营着大丽花鲜花车公司(Dahlias Flower Truck),在佛罗里达中部的生日会、新娘派对、迎婴派对、婚礼、企业活动中常常能看到她们的身影。如果有客户预定,她们便会开着满载活动主题相关花卉的卡车如约而至,希尔和克拉克在返程前还会帮着客人一块制作花束。

大约一年半前,两人开始了她们的生意,当时希尔和丈夫都丢掉了工作,于是如何赚钱同时做点有创意的事就成了他们需要思考的问题。

“当我们坐在餐桌旁畅想未来时,发现自己最想做的还是能够在社区中传播欢乐的事情。”希尔回忆道。“我们坚信,哪怕只是很小的善行和关怀也能带来一些变化。我们从未像过去一个月那样真切地感受到自己的使命所在。我们的客户对家人、朋友、邻居的关心、体贴和善意非常的鼓舞人心。”

近期,《财富》杂志采访了希尔,询问了有关新冠病毒对她及其女儿,以及她们未来规划的影响,并了解了她们在面对疫情时如何管理自身情绪和财务状况。 Courtney Clark and Diane Hill are the mother and daughter duo who run Dahlias Flower Truck in central Florida.

科特尼·克拉克与戴安·希尔这对母女在佛罗里达中部经营着Dahlias Flower Truck公司。

《财富》:一年中这个时候的鲜花生意通常怎么样?

希尔:这个时候我们一般都比较忙,会接到很多公司活动和花卉工坊的单子,也会有很多人为迎接春天和庆祝母亲节跟我们订花。

你什么时候发现新冠疫情会影响到花卉销售?现在影响如何?

3月的第一周我们就意识到自己的小买卖会受到影响了,当时我们收到了第一份公司活动取消的通知。之后的一周里,我们母亲节前的活动都出现了延期或者取消的情况。

疫情爆发以来,花卉销售状况如何?你现在每天的工作大概是怎样的?

所有的常规业务都停了,我们的鲜花车已经在外面跑了有差不多一个月的时间。但出乎我们意料的是,在现在这样一个疯狂的时期,当我们问客户有没有兴趣让我们送花上门或者到店取花的时候,他们都给出了肯定的答案,于是我们便对整个业务模式进行了调整。本地的小型企业管理局表示,如果小企业可以通过送货上门、到店取货或销售礼品卡的方式保持营业,就可以继续开门营业。

我们在配送花卉时严格遵守CDC制订的指导方针,并时刻关注州长发布的各种消息。现在很多人都没法跟自己的朋友和家人见面,但他们都非常愿意支持我们的小买卖,并通过我们与亲朋好友分享一些欢乐、送上一些关怀,大家的热情让我们颇受震撼。在这样的一个特殊时期,我们工作最棒之处就是能给大家搭建一座沟通的桥梁,同时分享一些快乐。

你有没有经历被迫缩减开支或者裁员的情况?申请薪资保障计划了么?

在这样的特殊时期,我们希望能尽可能地多给员工一些工作机会。我们没有雇佣第三方驾驶员,而是在使用自己的员工。我们已经申请了薪资保障计划,也希望能够获批足以维持公司运营的资金。

在鲜花配送或远距离订单方面你有没有发现什么变化?现在因为大家都没办法亲自去其他地方走亲访友,人们缺少向自己关爱的人表达爱意或关怀的途径,而鲜花似乎恰好填补了这一空白。

以前送花上门的需求非常小,而现在我们的活动范围则覆盖了整个大奥兰多地区。一直以来,鲜花都是我们向自己关爱的人表达思念或者爱意的媒介,现在更是成了所剩无几的表达关爱的方式之一。听到人们失业、过世的消息总是让我们万分悲痛。

但我们的社区从未像现在这样让我们充满希望。大家一言一行都透着体贴和善良,虽然窝居家中,但人们依然在向奥兰多各地寄送鲜花,并通过这种方式表达着自己对他人的关爱。

现在疫情仍在蔓延,你对未来有什么规划?

短期内,我们将继续开展日常的鲜花配送业务。长远来看,则是希望能早日回归正常,为各种活动、快闪提供花车预定服务,我们也打算将鲜花配送业务保留下来。

说个私人话题,你在疫情期间过得怎么样?

挺难的。是否会停业、何时停业等问题让我们倍感焦虑,我们也很担心,如果没有收入的话公司能坚持多久。我们也一直在关注并遵循CDC给出的建议,在维持营业的同时确保员工、客户与我们自身的安全。(财富中文网)

译者:Feb

戴安·希尔与科特尼·克拉克是一对母女,二人共同经营着大丽花鲜花车公司(Dahlias Flower Truck),在佛罗里达中部的生日会、新娘派对、迎婴派对、婚礼、企业活动中常常能看到她们的身影。如果有客户预定,她们便会开着满载活动主题相关花卉的卡车如约而至,希尔和克拉克在返程前还会帮着客人一块制作花束。

大约一年半前,两人开始了她们的生意,当时希尔和丈夫都丢掉了工作,于是如何赚钱同时做点有创意的事就成了他们需要思考的问题。

“当我们坐在餐桌旁畅想未来时,发现自己最想做的还是能够在社区中传播欢乐的事情。”希尔回忆道。“我们坚信,哪怕只是很小的善行和关怀也能带来一些变化。我们从未像过去一个月那样真切地感受到自己的使命所在。我们的客户对家人、朋友、邻居的关心、体贴和善意非常的鼓舞人心。”

近期,《财富》杂志采访了希尔,询问了有关新冠病毒对她及其女儿,以及她们未来规划的影响,并了解了她们在面对疫情时如何管理自身情绪和财务状况。 Courtney Clark and Diane Hill are the mother and daughter duo who run Dahlias Flower Truck in central Florida.

《财富》:一年中这个时候的鲜花生意通常怎么样?

希尔:这个时候我们一般都比较忙,会接到很多公司活动和花卉工坊的单子,也会有很多人为迎接春天和庆祝母亲节跟我们订花。

你什么时候发现新冠疫情会影响到花卉销售?现在影响如何?

3月的第一周我们就意识到自己的小买卖会受到影响了,当时我们收到了第一份公司活动取消的通知。之后的一周里,我们母亲节前的活动都出现了延期或者取消的情况。

疫情爆发以来,花卉销售状况如何?你现在每天的工作大概是怎样的?

所有的常规业务都停了,我们的鲜花车已经在外面跑了有差不多一个月的时间。但出乎我们意料的是,在现在这样一个疯狂的时期,当我们问客户有没有兴趣让我们送花上门或者到店取花的时候,他们都给出了肯定的答案,于是我们便对整个业务模式进行了调整。本地的小型企业管理局表示,如果小企业可以通过送货上门、到店取货或销售礼品卡的方式保持营业,就可以继续开门营业。

我们在配送花卉时严格遵守CDC制订的指导方针,并时刻关注州长发布的各种消息。现在很多人都没法跟自己的朋友和家人见面,但他们都非常愿意支持我们的小买卖,并通过我们与亲朋好友分享一些欢乐、送上一些关怀,大家的热情让我们颇受震撼。在这样的一个特殊时期,我们工作最棒之处就是能给大家搭建一座沟通的桥梁,同时分享一些快乐。

你有没有经历被迫缩减开支或者裁员的情况?申请薪资保障计划了么?

在这样的特殊时期,我们希望能尽可能地多给员工一些工作机会。我们没有雇佣第三方驾驶员,而是在使用自己的员工。我们已经申请了薪资保障计划,也希望能够获批足以维持公司运营的资金。

在鲜花配送或远距离订单方面你有没有发现什么变化?现在因为大家都没办法亲自去其他地方走亲访友,人们缺少向自己关爱的人表达爱意或关怀的途径,而鲜花似乎恰好填补了这一空白。

以前送花上门的需求非常小,而现在我们的活动范围则覆盖了整个大奥兰多地区。一直以来,鲜花都是我们向自己关爱的人表达思念或者爱意的媒介,现在更是成了所剩无几的表达关爱的方式之一。听到人们失业、过世的消息总是让我们万分悲痛。

但我们的社区从未像现在这样让我们充满希望。大家一言一行都透着体贴和善良,虽然窝居家中,但人们依然在向奥兰多各地寄送鲜花,并通过这种方式表达着自己对他人的关爱。

现在疫情仍在蔓延,你对未来有什么规划?

短期内,我们将继续开展日常的鲜花配送业务。长远来看,则是希望能早日回归正常,为各种活动、快闪提供花车预定服务,我们也打算将鲜花配送业务保留下来。

说个私人话题,你在疫情期间过得怎么样?

挺难的。是否会停业、何时停业等问题让我们倍感焦虑,我们也很担心,如果没有收入的话公司能坚持多久。我们也一直在关注并遵循CDC给出的建议,在维持营业的同时确保员工、客户与我们自身的安全。(财富中文网)

译者:Feb

Diane Hill and Courtney Clark are the mother and daughter duo who run Dahlias Flower Truck, popping up at birthdays, bridal and baby showers, weddings, and corporate events all over central Florida. When customers book the flower truck, it will come fully stocked with flowers for the event theme, and Hill and Clark assist guests with building their own bouquets to go home.

The pair launched this business approximately a year and a half ago after both Hill and her husband lost their jobs, and had been trying to figure out how to earn an income while wanting to do something creative.

"As we sat at our dining table, dreaming up what could be, we settled on the fact that we wanted to spread joy to our community," Hill recalls. "We believed, wholeheartedly, that small acts of kindness and thoughtfulness could make a difference. We have never felt our mission come more alive than in this past month. Our customers care, thoughtfulness and kindness to family, friends and neighbors has been inspiring."

Fortune spoke with Hill for a new series, The Coronavirus Economy, to ask about how the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected her and her daughter, their plans for the future, and to get a sense of how she has been handling this news, both emotionally and financially.

Fortune: How does the flower business normally fare this time of year?

Hill: This is normally our busy season of corporate events, floral workshops, and flower orders for spring and Mother's Day.

When did you realize that COVID-19 would affect your boutique? How has it so far?

We realized that our small business would be affected the first week of March when we had our first corporate event cancel. Within the next week, we had all of our events up to Mother's Day either postponed or cancelled.

How have bouquet sales fared since the outbreak commenced? What are your day-to-day operations like at the moment?

It's been about a month since we have had the flower truck out in the public, so all of our normal operations have stopped. However, in the midst of all the crazy, we asked our customers if they would be interested in flower delivery or pick-up. They responded with an astounding yes, so we have adapted an entire new business model than before. Our local SBA suggested if small businesses can do delivery, pick-up, or sell gift cards to stay open, then do it!

We follow the CDC guidelines when delivering and stay informed of any updates from our governor. We've been blown away by peoples desire to help support our small business, and to spread a little joy and kindness to their friends and family since they can't be there in person. Being able to help people connect and share a little joy in these times has been the best part of our job.

Have you been pushed to make any budget cuts or layoffs? Have you applied to the Paycheck Protection Program for assistance?

It's our goal during this time to give our employees as many hours as we possibly can. Instead of hiring a third-party driver, we are using our employees. We have already applied to the Paycheck Protection Program and hope to be getting approved for sufficient funds to keep our business open.

Have you found delivery or long-distance orders shift at all? It seems like flowers would fill a void for people who want to show their affection or sympathy for loved ones while they can't be somewhere else in person right now.

Before this, we had very little demand for deliveries, and now we are driving all around the greater Orlando area. Flowers have always been a simple gesture to show our loved ones that we're thinking of them and that they are loved, but now, flowers are one of our only ways of doing that. Our hearts have broken for the messages we hear of people losing jobs, deaths, etc.

But our hope in our community has never been stronger. People care. They are kind and they are being intentional with their words and actions by staying home and sending little love notes of flowers across Orlando.

What are your future plans as the pandemic continues?

Our short-term plan is operating in a day-to-day mode with deliveries. Our hope is that, long-term, we will be able to go back to normal with booking the truck for events, pop-ups, and plan to keep deliveries on as well.

On a personal note, how have you been faring amid all this?

It's been hard. There's been a lot of anxiety of when or if we will have to shut down, and worrying about how long we would be able to go without any income. We also are constantly monitoring and following CDC recommendations to keep our employees, customers, and ourselves safe while we are open.

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