Adriana Pobehová is co-founder and CEO FLOMONI – a platform that conveys emotions in the most important moments of life, whether sad or joyful. Thanks to the association of Slovak florists and funeral services, they bring quick access to information and the ability to deliver flowers anywhere, quickly and easily.
As a startup leader, she combines technology with humanity and believes that business is not just about numbers, but more importantly about trust, transparency and enthusiasm. She adds that her first business successes came not because of clever tricks, but because she was able to excite her partners with her energy and vision.
What does the word ‘business’ mean to you personally? Is it a game, a service, a competition, or something else entirely?
For me, commerce is the mediation of emotion. Just as FLOMONI brings people together in sad and joyful moments, for me business is a bridge – between the problem and the solution, between the customer and the value they receive. It’s not just a transaction. It’s a moment when I feel we’ve made someone’s life easier, relieved a burden, or delivered something that has real meaning.
Do you think a good marketer is born or shaped?
I believe that one becomes a trader. Some may be born with more charisma, curiosity or enthusiasm, but everything else – discipline, the ability to listen, work with rejection and build trust – comes with experience. Ideally, when a product “sells itself,” that’s when the customer feels its value. The role of the salesperson is then to be a guide who can clearly demonstrate and reinforce that value.
What’s the biggest myth about marketers that gets on your nerves?
That they have to push the saw. I think business is more about conversation and about trust. If we want to sell at any price, maybe it will work out once, but you don’t build relationships like that in the long term.
Do you remember your first sale?
When we launched FLOMONI, I did the first meetings with partners on my own. On paper, it was supposed to be a short 15-minute presentation. In reality, it stretched to two hours. Success didn’t come because I had perfect sales techniques. It came because I oozed FLOMONI DNA and I “infected” my partners with it. It was the feeling that I had sold not a service, but a vision. And even though it wasn’t the most time efficient, it was worth it.
Is business about numbers or about relationships?
Relationships are the foundation. Numbers are the result of having built them correctly. But there’s no need to pretend that numbers aren’t important – without them, the business doesn’t exist. It’s a balance and of course a constant balancing act.
Who would you say is the best example of a marketer you’ve met – and why?
Definitely Katarína Pavleová, who helped us set up the FLOMONI business strategy at the beginning. For me, she personifies the ideal combination of qualities – elegance, empathy, practicality and a huge dose of trustworthiness. That last one is, in my opinion, a quality that can’t just be taught. It has to emanate from a person naturally.
If you had to sum up your approach to business in one sentence on a billboard – what would it say?
“When you infect a customer with your enthusiasm, business goes naturally.” When you believe in what you do, people feel it. Energy is contagious – and that, to me, is the best form of selling.
What do you still enjoy about the shop after all these years?
That can never be done exactly the same. Every partner, every region, every situation is a little bit different. We have found, for example, that even if we offer the same service, customers or partners in different regions have completely different habits, motivations and expectations. This makes the business vibrant – we’re always learning how to adapt our approach and find what works right here, right now. I love that it’s a combination of strategy and empathy.
If you switched places with a client for a day, what would you find out?
I think I would quickly understand how important it is to relieve partners of things that drain them of energy. Florists want to create, funeral homes want to be supportive of families – and we’re here to make everything else easier for them. I’d find that our strength is not just in technology, but in giving people the space to do what they love and what they’re best at.
Why would you recommend someone start a career in business today – in 2025?
Because business has never been as dynamic as it is now. Technology is changing the rules of the game – not because it will replace people, but because those who learn to use it will be one step ahead. A marketer today is no longer just a “salesperson.” He is a strategist, a partner, someone who combines technology with humanity. And it is this combination that makes business a profession that has a huge future.
