"If you see an opportunity, even if you don't succeed, it's a learning process. There is no such thing as failure." Listen as Andy and his guest Tony Crespo discuss him being a drummer for a Salsa band for fourteen years, his grandfather growing roses in Ecuador, and how that shaped what he does today, plus much more on this episode of The Wedding Biz.   Tony is the Co-Founder of FMI Farms, a national floral wholesaler that innovatively offers a web-based marketplace for florists and event planners. They exclusively carry luxury quality that either ship farm direct or they offer a repacking service out of their facility in Miami, Florida. FMI Farms website has over 20,000 line items of flowers from all over the world, including other distributors in Miami and for next day delivery.   Tony shares how the values that his father and grandfather instilled in him have directed his path, how his definition of success has changed over the years, and his journey to being a distributor for other growers. Tony discusses how he and his brother developed the marketplace with inspiration from a company in Holland while being modeled after Amazon.   Listen as Tony talks about what he learned from the recession of 2008 that helped him trim his business down during the pandemic. He shares how the sales from Mother's day stopped them in their tracks and made him realize that the pandemic might not be as big of a disaster as they expected.   Don't forget to listen to Andy's other podcast, The Music Makers. It's behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most influential music industry pros around, including artists, recording engineers, record producers, songwriters, managers, record industry executives, and more. You can find The Music Makers podcast by searching for that term in your cell phone's podcast app or visiting www.themusicmakers.com.    SUPPORTING THE WEDDING BIZ Become a patron and support Andy and the show: If you are so inspired: contribute.    Show Highlights: [02:07] Welcome to the show, Tony! [04:31] Tony shares how his grandfather started growing roses in Ecuador. [06:40] Tony speaks about how working with his grandfather shaped who he is today. [07:57] What are some values your father and grandfather had that resonate with you? [09:44] Every stage and every venture isn't always about financial success. [12:02] Tony shares how his definition of success has changed over the years. [13:35] Tony discusses his journey to being a distributor for other growers. [15:56] Tony talks about how they created their amazing marketplace website. [18:11] They partnered with a website designer to model their marketplace around what companies like Amazon do but for floral designers and event planners. [19:48] Lowering overhead to the absolute minimum is the idea around the marketplace. [22:52] Tony shares some tips for ordering through distributors. [26:16] What did you learn during the 2008 recession about running a business? [29:18] Tony speaks about how his partner kept them very aware of what they needed to do to keep the business running. [30:50] Tony shares how the pandemic has affected their business and what they did to stay ahead. [34:28] Tony talks about how Mother's day was a huge day for the floral industry, even during a pandemic. [36:16] Tony speaks about his blog and Tuesdays With Tony. [37:54] Thank you for being on the show! RESOURCES   Find Tony: FMI Farms FMI Farms Product Listing @fmifarms Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest Tuesdays with Tony Blog   Follow The Wedding Biz on Social:  The Wedding Biz The Wedding Biz on Instagram: @theweddingbiz The Wedding Biz on Facebook: @theweddingbiz   Support The Wedding Biz by clicking here.    Title Sponsor: This episode is sponsored by Kushner Entertainment  www.KushnerEntertainment.com