How to Buy It: Let Roses Say it All

Need to tell your clients that they are appreciated, but tired of the same old, hum-drum note card? Thanks to an innovative company, based out of Bountiful, Utah, you can say it all with roses.

"Using a patented technology, Speaking Roses imprints a real-time personalized message or photograph onto every rose, giving them an individual look that isn't available anywhere but at a Speaking Roses store," says John Winterhauler, CEO of the company.

According to Winterhauler, in the past 100 years, the two most popular ways worldwide to express oneself have been with flowers or greeting cards. Together they are a $75 billion market worldwide, with $1 billion in Valentine's Day cards sent out each year and $18 billion spent in floral sales in the United States last year.

Speaking Roses combines the strengths of the greeting card and the flower; clients can send a hand-crafted message, delivered on a live flower, with the option to preserve both forever.

The idea of Speaking Roses started in 2000, with an inventor who also worked in the promotions business in Chili. He saw potential in the floral and greeting card market, and in 2001, moved to the United States to expand the business. Now a publicly traded company with 40 employees, customers can have their personalized roses FedEx-ed overnight anywhere in the United States and other select foreign countries. As part of its growth plan, the company recently signed its first Area Development agreement and is now expanding into full franchisee opportunities worldwide to capture the retail and same-day delivery market.

The process for ordering is simple: E-mail your logo or have Speaking Roses get it off the Web. Designs are custom, which means the possible variations of logos, messages and colors are endless. At about $70 per dozen, it's a unique and affordable way to brand your business. With a one stem minimum, you can send a bloom to your special someone, just to say, "Hi." (www.speakingroses.com)