Today’s guest:
Jim McCann
Founder and Chairman of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
Special Guest: Meredith Weinberg, 1-800-Flowers Chief of Staff
His big idea:
The power of human connection, relationships, and community.
We have so much power—each of us—to change how we feel, and to change how people around us feel.
Jim McCann is the business leader, author, and philanthropist who founded 1-800-Flowers.com and grew the business from its roots as a single flower shop in Manhattan into the world’s largest florist. With a passion for helping people deliver smiles, Jim transformed the flower and gift marketplace to help customers express themselves and connect with the important people in their lives.
Devoted to helping others, Jim founded the nonprofit organization Smile Farms to provide meaningful jobs to young adults and people with developmental disabilities. Jim also started the Connectivity Council, which brings together therapists, researchers, and thought leaders to share ideas and trends around human connection and community.
Listen to the Full Show Below
Jim McCann – The Founder of 1-800-Flowers goes deep into human connection in the digital age.
What’s the Big Idea w/ Andrew Horn
Listen to What’s the Big Idea on Your Preferred Platform:
Key Insights Shared:
- Attention is fleeting. But the pandemic has proven that the things people cared about going into COVID-19 still matter most now: relationships.
- 22% of millennials report having 0 friends, and half the general population says they experience loneliness at least a few times a year.
- The pandemic of loneliness and decreased participation is ironic in a world with more people and more tools for communication.
- Jim’s Connectivity Council brings together experts to share information about human connection and relationships with a quarter million community members through online forums.
- The story behind Smile Farms, the nonprofit Jim created to help people with disabilities tap into purpose through meaningful agricultural work.
- Inciting others to use their power to change how people around them feel through Jim’s newsletter, The Celebrations Pulse.
- The most meaningful gifts convey thoughtful sentiment. “It’s not the bouquet, it’s the message on the card.”
To learn more about Jim Mccann and his work:
- Blog: 1800flowers.com/blog/jims-corner
- The Celebrations Pulse: linkedin.com/newsletters/the-celebrations-pulse
- Smile Farms: smilefarms.org