
Manny Gonzalez of Tiger Lily in Charleston, SC loads flowers into a truck for Petal It Forward in October, 2017.
When Manny and Clara Gonzalez first bought Tiger Lily, their Charleston, South Carolina, floral business, they thought: How hard can this be?
“The store had one employee, a part-time, know-it-all college student who came in late every day with wet hair,” writes Manny Gonzales in this month’s issue of Floral Management. “The previous year’s sales were $150,000. The delivery van wouldn’t shift past third gear. The store was filled with beautiful poinsettias — in January. Let’s just say we overpaid for the shop.”
Today Tiger Lily has been voted “Charleston’s Best Florist” for 18 consecutive years and has a dedicated, loyal customer base. How did Tiger Lily go from near bankruptcy to a thriving business? Manny and Clara credit their success to what they call the 4 Ps: Be productive. Be punctual. Be positive. Be professional.
Find out more about those principles, how they’ve shaped Tiger Lily and how they might apply to your business in the January issue of Floral Management.