I recently went one-on-one with Michael Jacobson, CEO of French Florist.
Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?
Michael: I was unfulfilled in a corporate America job. So I quit. Why wouldn’t I try something else if I wasn’t happy? I will say, though, that I fell into what I love not necessarily in the most romantic way, but by trying enough things I didn’t like. Eventually, after finding enough things I didn’t like (and then moving on from it to try something else), I finally found what I loved. By making mistakes, by hitting setbacks, by understanding that even the tough days where I feel like shit are valuable information…Those moments guided me. The obstacle was indeed the way. How it happened was one day my uncle called me and told me he wanted to get out of the flower industry. He was stressed, tired, and losing money. I came into help him and discovered something incredible. It wasn’t just him. All florists were struggling with nearly all the same issues. And what did that mean? The person buying flowers wasn’t getting the experience they should, or could get, because the florist (the magic) was suffering. I asked if I could buy the struggling business from him.
Adam: In your experience, what are the key steps to growing and scaling your business?
Michael: Scaling isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing clearer. I started by understanding exactly why we exist. Why should the company keep growing in the first place? Once that’s clear, everything else becomes simpler. Growth without clarity just multiplies confusion. The next step is people. Find individuals who care as deeply as you do, not just about outcomes, but about the why behind them. Scaling happens when belief compounds across a team. Then, process. It’s the invisible architecture that keeps the work moving even when you’re not in the room. Build systems that reflect your values, not just your goals. Real scaling doesn’t feel like growth for growth’s sake. It feels like clarity, like the mission is getting sharper, not bigger.
Adam: What are your best tips on the topics of marketing and branding?
Michael: I believe marketing and branding need to be honest, sincere, and true to the company, not to any one person, cultural moment, or whim. We spent a lot of time working through why our company exists. What makes our company special? Why would others want to work alongside us? Why are we doing what we’re doing, and what makes the products we provide something others would want? The best marketing doesn’t feel desperate, opportunistic, or insincere but rather a true expression of who the brand is and who it wants to be. It’s not reactive to a time or a consumer but embedded in the company’s DNA.
Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader?
Michael: To have a clear vision of who your company is and the impact you want it to have on others. But then, once you have that vision, the next step is to listen and trust. Maybe there are ways to build on it, improve, or change. But at least you are clear on the starting point. Set clear expectations but allow people to fail in trying to reach them. Encourage and advocate for the team and the individual. Make sure people understand your vision, but are allowed to add their fingerprint to it so that they feel some authorship over it. I really think the best leaders never forget what it was like to be led. What motivated them? What demotivated them? Try to remember how you liked to be led and then just do that.
Adam: How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?
Michael: It’s a tricky balance of being decisive but not arrogant. You have to identify and be clear on your expectations, but be willing to let others deliver on them and create some of their own. You have to let go and allow others the autonomy so that they feel like your vision is theirs. There’s a little of the fall backwards mentality. Some young leaders have a hard time trusting the process, and I do believe there is a skill to letting go.
Adam: What are your three best tips applicable to entrepreneurs, executives, and civic leaders?
Michael:
- Find remarkable people, then set clear expectations that inspire.
- Communicate clearly so people understand and appreciate your goals.
- Direct and honest feedback.
- I have to add a fourth. Trust. Try not to second-guess decisions or others.
Adam: What is your best advice on building, leading, and managing teams?
Michael: Manage down, not up.
Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not just a cost of doing business; it’s a requirement.
Appreciate where you are in the process. Live in the moment and work from that.
Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?
Michael: When I was in elementary school, I told my dad I didn’t want to go to school. Without skipping a beat, he told me I didn’t have to go, but I’d have to promise to read a book and learn on my own that day if I didn’t go. His comment shifted something in me. The expected doesn’t necessarily need to be accepted; there are sometimes better ways.
Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?
Michael: Buy flowers for someone for no reason at all. You’ll see it’s the most profound reason to send flowers.
