#254: How to Succeed as an Entrepreneur with Gigi Butler, founder of Gigi’s Cupcakes

Get ready for episode number 254 with someone you definitely need to know, Ms. Gigi Butler, the founder of Gigi's Cupcakes. Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub and I can't wait to chat. Have you ever had somebody that you loved or an acquaintance or a school friend or someone that you met along the road to business success tell you that they just didn't believe in your project? They just didn't believe in your business? Or maybe the town's not quite ready for that or you don't have enough money for that or someone's tried that and it didn't work or good luck or yeah, we'll see when it works out. I will never forget the moment I had a CEO tell me good luck.

With your little project.

In fact, I wrote it on a post it note and I slapped it in the middle of my vision board. And I will forever let one person's doubt feel fuel my creative energy every day. Today's guest has lived that very same experience you have on probably a whole nother level. And I can't wait for you to hear her story today. I'm so excited to bring you Gigi Butler, the founder of Gigi's Gigi's Cupcakes. And I'm sure you've heard of Gigi's Cupcakes, a nationwide franchise, over 100 locations, and a true, unbelievable rags to riches story. One of the most humble and genuine women I've had the opportunity to chat with. I think you're going to relate to so many of the things that she shares today. From someone who went from cleaning toilets for a living, cleaning toilets of celebrity homes and business owner homes all across Nashville, to opening her own bakery and cupcake franchise that literally exploded all over the country. She talks about what it was like to, to build this huge business, this huge franchise while she was still cleaning toilets on the side just to make it cash flow, you guys. I think sometimes we can all relate with the fact that it seems easy to get into business. And I think that we've become such a society of instant gratification that we think we should create this business and it should blow up tomorrow, but we don't have the patience to hustle and to see it through in the very beginning. Today, Gigi is going to tell you her story of what it took to create this massive empire from absolutely nothing and how you can do the same thing, too. It is such a motivating and inspiring story from someone who is so real and genuine and humble. And not only that, but we're going to talk about how to scale, how to grow, but also from someone who has had over 100 franchise locations. Let's talk about real estate. Let's talk about what to look for when it comes to growing and expanding team and in real estate leases and in everything that you need to negotiate through your experience as a business owner. And on top of that, I know we're in the middle of chaos, so why not also talk about how to adapt to the situation that we're in with a worldwide pandemic? Guys, this is one of my favorite episodes so far. So I am so excited to introduce you to my friend Gigi Butler, the founder of Gigi's Cupcakes.

All right, guys, welcome back to the podcast. This week, I'm so excited to have Gigi Butler, the founder of Gigi's Cupcakes, also an author and a motivational speaker and an entrepreneur who's here to share all of her wisdom with us as we navigate just some new times, right? New times in business, new times in our climate. And I think whether we're talking about cupcakes or whether we're talking about shoes or fashion, whatever it is, you know, we're all on this roller coaster together. And, Gigi, to have someone like you join us today to speak about what's happening in our world, I'm so excited that you're able to take that time to be with us. Thank you again.

Well, it's an honor to be here. And whether it is shoes or makeup or cupcakes, we all. We all are in the retail business, so we sell goods.

Exactly, Exactly. Well, you have so much experience. I. You know, every podcast that we start out, I love to give everyone backstory in case they haven't had the opportunity to meet you yet. So let's go way back. I know that you talk about having a strong entrepreneurial spirit even as a kid. This was something that you were born with. Talk about what that was like growing up and how that led you into the creation of many of your companies.

We'll say thank you for having me. And, yes, I was raised in a very entrepreneurial family. My dad was an entrepreneur and he was a fireman, but he also, we had a pot bellied pig business, a hair salon, arcades, restaurants. So he just dabbled in everything and he didn't succeed at everything. But what it taught me and how I was raised was you just fight your fear. You walk through fear, you use it as a motivator, and if you fail, then you just pick yourself up and you try something again. And so that's how I was raised. And whether it was an arcade or a hair salon, we just did it. So at 7, I decided I wanted to be a country music singer songwriter and moved to Nashville. And my parents were a little shocked, but they're like, okay, well just, you know, just go for it. We've got your back.

And.

But I needed to work. So at 15, I didn't really want to work for anyone else. I didn't see myself at Gap or McDonald's, but I wanted to be an entrepreneur and have my own free time because I saw my dad do that. So I started Gigi's cleaning company and so I would go and clean people's homes during the day and then I would sing at night. Then I moved to Nashville and kept my cleaning business. And it wasn't a storefront, but it was also selling yourself and selling goods as far as being in someone's home and cleaning. And then that led me to cupcakes.

So through this process, I've got to back up cleaning cupcakes. Did you have a love of growing up and baking with your family or being in the kitchen and what led to the cupcakes as part of the process?

Well, my, my great great grandmother in the turn of the century, she opened her first bakery in Oklahoma called Bill's Bakery. So it's always been in our blood. And at 6 years old, I was learned. Taught how to. I just got on a stool and learned how to make bread or how to make a peach cobbler or come here, let me show you how to do this. So it was in my whole, my friends, my families, my grand, you know, everyone bakes in my family. But I just didn't know I would be doing it for a living. But the thing about honing your skills and taking something that you love and scaling it as a business, it could be anything. You may not think that you're learning something or that you could scale it, but you can if you pivot and try something new. So that's how it happened. I've always loved to bake. I just never thought I'd be doing it for a living.

When you made the pivot from the cleaning company and. And still entertaining and singing in Nashville, had you just found a beautiful location that you love to open Gigi's Cupcakes, had you been baking and selling them on the side? Or what was kind of that tipping point that led you to the business?

Okay, so I'm cleaning houses. I've cleaned over 65,000 toilets. And I'm cleaning. I'm 30, almost 30, and Taylor Swift is 15, and I'm cleaning her bathroom while she sits on her bed and practices her guitar and practices Teardrops on my guitar. And I looked at that little kid, and now I'm 29, right, cleaning her toilet. And I said, did you write that song? She was, yeah, it's going to be on my first album. And I was like, okay, I'm done. I'm done with music. So I didn't just, like, happily bounce on some other career and go, oh, I'm going to do this. It was a very painful process of losing everything that I've dreamed of doing. And I think the key to success is you have to learn to transition. If something dies and a dream dies, you have to, you know, lick your wounds, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and then figure something else out that you love to do. So all the dreams that we have as a kid sometimes doesn't work out, but it's not saying that you can't be happy and fulfilled with something else. So that was very painful. And I decided to expand my cleaning business. And while I was in another bathroom, Hilarious. Two years after that, I'd hired girls to help me, and I had about 85 clients at the time. And my brother stood in New York. Was in New York City, stood in a cupcake shop line for two hours. And while eating a red velvet cupcake in Central park, he called. He's like, you should open a cupcake shop in Nashville. I was like, what? You're talking. I'm cleaning house. He's like, no, your cupcakes are better than theirs. And that reminded me of another love that I had. So I thought, well, why not? You know, I've done music. I'm still cleaning. I. So that got me into cupcakes.

Wow, I love that. And, you know, I've seen you say times in your life when you have to let your dreams die, right? As painful as that is, that's when you see. That's when it's revealed to you what you're truly supposed to create. That's really, it's a pivot. Right? And so many times I think we deny the pivots that. That we're being handed in life even today, in the world that we live in today. So how beautiful for you to recognize that new opportunity.

Well, and there will always be. So there's new opportunities right now for me. And I think my favorite quote is, life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. So you may have many, many times you pivot, many times you recreate. I'm recreating right now. And I thought, you know, I've always been the cupcake lady. I'm going to be the cupcake lady. Well, not. Not anymore, you know, so that cream is diet. I said, it's just you continually grow and you recreate. That's what life's about.

You know, as you think about the climate of the world that we're in right now, you. You've sold Gigi's Cupcakes. And we're going to come back and speak through more of the story in just a second. But I want to go here. You've sold the company. It's franchise hundreds of locations around the US Right? Global pandemic happens and the economy shuts down and everyone is kind of grappling for what do I do next?

Right?

But what a beautiful time that we're in to pivot. And whether it's Uber Eats taking off or any of these delivery companies taking off, the world we know it will be different. There will be no normal. It will be a new normal six months from now. Do you think that we need to all open our eyes to what the possible pivot is for every single one of us and what new birth can come out of this painful situation, right?

And it's all about recreating. And especially right now, like, how can be successful still provide from your. For your family? And how can you pivot in this horrible times for everybody? I mean, small business. Oh, my God. It's just. I want to cry. I. It's horrible. I'm a small business owner. I know. I'm feeling it. And people that are. Have the sickness and. But I think it's. I heard it on government. Governor Como was on the news one morning and he's like, well, if you make clothes and you're a clothes designer, stop making clothes and make masks. And I. Yeah, wow. Okay, hold on. So all these big companies are pivoting, right? Gm, they're making ventilators, they're. Okay, well, we'll stop making cars because no one's buying cars right now. But you know what we can make because we have a factory and people to work, we can make ventilators. So it's all about being creative and surviving in these times. And I don't have a storefront open right now, but I have a commercial kitchen.

So.

And you know, that's a whole new thing. So now we started delivery and delivering food to people in their homes because they can't get out or they don't want to get out, but they still need to eat. So I can't make clothes, but I can make food. And so how can you be creative in these times? Everyone has a talent. What can you do to help other people and scale your business right now?

Oh, absolutely. And there's so many, you know, beautiful examples that you shared. But even within our own hub community, we have a company called Mixology, their perfume and beauty company. And she's working with a local distillery in Texas to make hand sanitizer. And they're doing these, yeah, doing. They're doing a drive through hand sanitizer station where people can come and get hand sanitizer from her in the distillery. I mean, the most beautiful things. And countless boutique owners and apparel brands that are making masks, as you mentioned. And there's opportunity, you know, to serve people. And I think in that, you know, it highlights who you truly are as an individual. As you say, when you're willing to give back to other people, it shows your true colors.

Right.

How do you see as you look at, you know, what we're going through? Would you make any predictions of how you think the world for small business will be different as we come out the other side of this?

Well, I think that we're all going to be more scrappers. We're gonna have to survive and feed our family. So we've got to be more creative. We're gonna work harder. I think though that there's gonna be so much more opportunities that people had never thought of because they had to like survive and scrap and oh my gosh, I gotta. So when that comes and you feel that ur urgency, there's a lot of creativity that comes with that urgency, right? Yeah, all this creativity is going to come out. I think that our country will be better because I think that we will be more equipped to handle things like this from now on. I mean, we're writing the rule books on pandemics right now. This is a whole new player playbook that people will use in hundreds of years for in the future. And I think that taking Things here and making and manufacturing here. We're so used to getting everything from China. Wouldn't it be fabulous if we started small business and industries again here and we could afford it and we could have affordable prices that would compete with the China market and we could, we could bring industry back if nothing else. If not nothing else. I think this horrible pandemic has made Americans go, wait a minute, what are we doing in China? What, how many antibiotics are made in China? Why don't, hey, why don't we do that? Why don't we. So if nothing else, I think, I think industry is going to boom and skyrocket. I think it's going to be a huge, huge, just explosion for America, for workers, for free, independent businesses and new business.

Absolutely. And that's what's going to feed the rest of the economy. Right? Retail, food, service, all of it.

Right.

Take. Take me back to the beginning of the cupcakes again, back into your story, you know, because just as we're talking about how necessity is the mother of all invention, right? Like you are forced to be creative in times like we're living in today. Back when you started, you were denied any help, you know, from a bank to get any loans. You. You had to bootstrap this whole company with no money, downtown Nashville, and you managed to grow this beautiful business. Talk to me about that process and how you had to get creative at the time, the very beginning of your company, to make it grow the way that it did.

Well, right after I talked to my brother, I'm like, okay, I'm going to do this. So I went to four banks and they completely laughed in my face. They're like, cupcakes? You're going to have a boutique shop with just cupcakes? I'm like, huh? It's going to work. Absolutely not. They laughed in my face. So I had to get very creative. I had great credit. So I took out a hundred thousand dollars cash advances on my credit cards and I opened the first Gigi's Cupcakes. And when I opened my doors, I only had $33 left in my nick. So. Talk about scrapper. I mean, I was pulling up from the bootstraps everything I could do, and I was still cleaning houses. I cleaned two houses to pay the plumber his last check the day before I opened my store. And I didn't stop cleaning houses until I had 13 stores open.

Wow, that is amazing. I mean, that goes. I think that we all can take a step back and realize that we could be a lot hungrier Right. We can do a lot more than we think we're capable of or that we want to admit. Right.

I think Americans are lazy. Gratification society is like, oh, I want it. Yes. Well, you might not be able to have it now. You're gonna have to get creative, honey. And that's. Yeah, that's a good thing though. It's a good thing.

Absolutely. Tell me more about that time. So those 13 first locations, did you still own all the locations or at what point did you decide to franchise and how was it that you were growing and expanding so fast? Was it your marketing? Was it word of mouth, like what was happening that was driving the demand?

Well, it was. I only I didn't have any money for marketing and all my cleaning clients were like, you've got to have advertising money. I'm like, I have $33. So I opened my doors and my landlord came to me. He saw all the lines and he's like, you should franchise this concept. So I opened February 21, 2008. By the end of 2009, we had 12 stores open. Like that's how quick it happened. There were three companies, store, no, four company stores, and then the rest franchises. And the end of 2010, we had 35, 33 stores open. And then the end of 2011, we had 65 stores. So it just like it just exploded. And the biggest thing I think what was timing, of course, it was the right time and cupcakes were hot and I was one of the big dogs on the porch with one of the first. And I think it was branding. Branding is the key. And if you have a brand you, and you can, and people can relate to your brand, it will succeed. But if you don't know your own brand and you don't know what you stand for, no one else will.

Wow. Two questions. Number one, I just want to highlight 2008, right? We're at the, the height of the crisis that we were in at the time, right?

Yeah. Isn't that funny? We're in the same thing and I'm rebuilding the same. But I think the reason why it did so well right, in that financial total crisis that we were in, is that it was a little cupcake, a $3 cupcake. So maybe people couldn't afford a $25 cake, but they could come in for a little tiny three dollar piece of happiness. And I think that's what happened. And then a lot of people were so scared with their nest eggs, they took their nest eggs out and they wanted something of their Own. So they decided to invest in franchising and invest in Gigi's Cupcakes in the franchising world. So that's two of the reasons why it grew so fast in those days. Wow.

That a lesson for all of us to think about in the moment that we're in right now.

Right.

Talk to me about branding. I love that idea of they could invest in. They could invest in themselves in their future. Right. But then they could also have this cute $3 cupcake. What was it about your branding? I mean, it was. It was a great concept. That was part of it. But how did you reach out to who you knew your ideal customer would be from the start and help her align with what your brand was, what you were creating?

Well, I learned branding from being in famous people's homes, right. And in Nashville, we have a saying called you have to have your own shop. Like, you have to have your thing. Like Taylor test her thing. Leanne Rimes has their thing. Reba McIntyre has her thing. Right. So I learned about branding and being in very successful people's homes. And I knew that if I was going to brand a cupcake, I had to have a beautiful package to go with it. And my three favorite brands in the world is Victoria's Secret, Martha Stewart and Tiffany's. The reason why they are is because they're so iconic, and you know them right when you see the bag or right when you see something that Martha puts your stamp on. So I wanted my box to look like. Not look like, but feel. And subliminally people would want that in that beautiful little robin egg blue box, you. Oh, it's a gift in there. I want that ring. I wanted people to feel that way about my box. Like, there's a gift in there. Just like the boxes at Victoria's Secret. It's so beautiful. Pink and purples and fuchsia. I wanted. I wanted the women because I knew women would be probably my biggest. Probably my biggest. And come to find out, we did a huge research one year, and it was 86% of all our clientele was women. And 98% of all those women love lots of frosting. So high frosting, right? And then all the guys that didn't like frosting and just like the cake, they're like, I don't like all that frosting. Well, scrape it off, dude. You've got frosting for the women. If you don't like the frosting, just scrape it up. So over all my bases. So that was the reason why I think it Took off.

Who did you lean on for help during that time? How did you find mentors that could help you launch this new concept?

Well, books. And I read tons of business books. I've always. I've always been into books. And so that. And then a lot of my cleaning people, you know, they're very successful, and I would say, what do you think of this? What do you think of this? And they would. A lot of successful business people helped me and gave me their opinions on things, and it really helped. I'd go into their class, I'd be like, I'm gonna open a cupcake shop. They thought I was crazy while I was cleaning for them. And I said, since you're into marketing, can you look at this? What do you think? And they're like, yeah, that's great. Do this, this, and this. While I was still cleaning their house. But I was getting marketing advice, so it really helped. I had a lot of people that really believed in me and had faith in me, and I'm very blessed to have that.

They say it's not what you know, but it's who you know that is right for sure. Do you. As you started to grow the company from that point, especially being in Nashville, and. And that's your community, right, of people, right? Music, artists as well. As well as your cleaning clients, do you. Did you find that, like, PR and the art of collaboration or, you know, influencers really weren't a thing at the time as they are now. But do you feel like you use some of those relationships that kind of aided in some of your marketing at that time?

Well, I did because I cleaned. You know, I cleaned. Right. My first store is right off of Music Row, and I cleaned so many music people's homes and business and stuff. So I would go to them and say, hey, I'm open a cupcake shop. Well, then they would tell their big artist to come. And I did a. I did a collaboration with the band Perry, and we did a very Perry cherry cupcake, which was awesome. And then Taylor Swift, she loves the red velvet cupcakes, so she bought thousands of red velvet cupcakes for the radio seminar week. And so I used to. People that I used to clean with and that I clean for to help me market my brand.

Is there a lesson in that for someone in business today to go, gosh, I might not have those relationships, but how could I go about using that same strategy? How could I find those relationships or those types of collaborations?

Well, right now, since influencer marketing is so big, I mean, Those are the new stars. Right. And I'm starting a new business. And so I've offered a few of the people that I know that really do bloggers and things here in Nashville. And I can I pick on my menu what you want and I'll give it to you. You know, I'll be free if you would just rate it or just tell me what you think. So maybe giving out free stuff sometimes and getting your new product out to influencers is a big deal. Collaboration. And if they believe in you and they really like what you do, that's a huge marketing tool for you.

Do you think it comes back to service above self, like being willing to truly give to other people before you're asking for something in return?

Yes, I agree. I think customer service and doing what you say you're going to do so important. And when I was cleaning, it was all about trust and, you know, cleaning the person's house the right way. But my theory was if I do the small things in a great way and be a good steward to small things, whether it's a penny on the floor or moving the lamp and vacuuming under it, if I do the small things and I'm a good steward, then one day I will be able to do big things because God trusts me with bigger things. And people will trust you with bigger things.

Oh, that needs to go on a quote card right there. I completely agree. And I love that you said that. That's beautiful. And so true. So true. If you, if you can't be trusted with the small things, what's going to happen as things continue to grow and evolve?

That's right. And if you can't be trusted, that's customer service right there. People cannot trust you to do what you say you're going to do. Then you're. Then you've lost a client. And it's all about customer service. And I've learned that a lot in the hard way, and I haven't always been perfect at that, but I know, and I now realize how special human connection is, and especially in this time and just being with people and enjoying company and being in the present. And if we could take that and scale our business that way, because we love it and we're passionate about people, how can you can't lose? I mean, that's success. It's not about money. It's really that success. Yeah. Making a difference.

Absolutely. When you started to scale the business and. And all these franchises were opening, how did you take what customer service was to you and your own Personal philosophy and view on things and how people should be treated. How did you put that same feel into the franchisees? How did you. Did you have a training program or what was your methodology to make them feel that same way you wanted people to feel?

Well, the number one thing you could ever have in a client or a customer or a business is passionate. If you don't have passion, you don't have anything. You cannot fake passion. And so when franchisees would come in and they'd have all of the money, all of the experience, but they weren't passionate about my brand, I didn't sign them. And that was more times than signing. I'll tell you, every 20 that would come in, I would maybe sign one because they didn't have the passion. And it's all about passion. If you love making earrings and selling earrings or, you know, necklaces or makeup, that is what you need in a customer and in an employee and in a franchisee. Passion. I love that.

I often say, with our own team, as long as you have the right people on the bus, it doesn't matter what seat they're in. Right. Those can always be rearranged. Roles can be rearranged, but you have to have the right people.

Yeah.

So absolutely true.

That's great.

Walk me through the nuts and bolts of your onboarding and training program. And again, just how you, I'll say, like, rolled out your franchise program. How did you again, make sure whether it was customer service like we just spoke about or operations? How did you make sure there was continuity everywhere you went?

That was very difficult. Well, it was just lessons learned. It wasn't a rule book, for sure. We started with passion. We started with, here's a market we want to grow in. And people would come in, and if they had passion and they loved. They may not have known how to bake, but you can teach anyone anything if they have the passion and the right attitude. So the right attitude. If you get the right attitude, then they build the right team. Then we would come in and we would train them because they already had the right. The mindset of, we're making this work. This is for us. So if you did that, it was easy to train because they were already open to them, to those possibilities of growing, learning and building this brand with me. So I think that's the most important thing is people have to be a team player, and they have to be on your side. They have to believe in your brand. As much as you believe in them, you believe in it. And if they don't then they're not the right team. And we learned that a lot in the hard way. Oh, so many hard lessons. But training was. I would, I would be training. I trained the first 67 people stores. Not 67 people, but 67 stores with 10 to 12 people each. And I would be there swirling and teaching them everything. And then I would say, okay, come on, let's go in the bathroom. I'll show you how to clean the bathroom. And one little girl was like, I don't do bathrooms. I'm like, honey, my name's on that wall. And if I do a bathroom, still, you're doing a bathroom. So you can't be afraid or to do anything, you can't be above anything. You have to be the person. Even if you're the founder and your face is on that picture, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to. To build your brand. And if you aren't and oh, I'm above that, well, then you're okay, let's see how that works for you. While you're in the process of building a brand, you cannot be above anything. Now, when you have made it and you have a thousand stores, that's a different thing. You can find people to, you know, carry out your plan, but in the process of building a brand, you have to learn to know how to do everything. And the other thing is knowledge is power. If someone on your team knows more than you do and you're not willing to learn that, I think from the ground up, you have to know everything about your brand. It's very important. Now, as you grow, you can't be perfect at everything. You cannot be this micromanager. You have to find someone that's better at social media or better at training or whatever that is. But the basis of what your franchise is or what your business is, you better know it better than anyone else, and you better be the most passionate in your whole team.

Wow. I. I'm curious. I laugh because I use this toilet analogy a lot. Even in our own business, like, you can't be above anything. You have to be willing to clean the toilets. Although at a certain point, like, how do you decide where you're going to spend your time? How do you work on the $100 an hour job so you can outsource the $10 an hour jobs? How did you, as you were growing and scaling, I'm sure there was things that you love to do more than others, right? Bake and it sounds like clean toilets, right? How did you find time to do those things and maintain your passion because of the things you loved and outsource the rest. Were there hard lessons in that that you had to come to learn?

Hard? Because I macromanaged, and I'm a perfectionist, of course. Cleaning houses. And I think every entrepreneur is a perfectionist, because I. They have to be. They have to be so passionate. But being an entrepreneur and following through and letting other people grow your company and you have to let go to grow. That's one of the most painful things I've ever learned, is letting go to grow. And the two things that I've learned, two biggest lessons on that is, number one, I read a book called the E. Myth Theory Revisited by Michael Berber that is all about one little store and growing and letting go so you can grow. And then I had a very wise counselor guy that I met, and he was a counselor of Fortune 500 companies. And he said, so, do you want to be a baker or do you want to be a franchisor? I said, oh, I can do it all. No, you can't. No, you can't. And then two years later, do you want to be a franchisor? Do you want to face. Be the face of the brand? Oh, I can be it. I can still. No, you can't. So you have to let go to grow. And it's very painful, and you make tons of mistakes, which I did. But it is the most powerful lesson you can learn. If you want to scale and grow your business, you have to let go and find the right people that are just as passionate about your brand as you are to grow.

How has that. How has that same lesson. I absolutely love that you must let go to grow. How has that even impacted where you are right now? The decision to sell the company, the decision to reinvent yourself, the decision to go into pies and do something new? I mean, that in itself, the decision to let go of your baby has to be incredibly difficult.

It was so hard. I just can't even tell you how many. How many nights I've cried. And, you know, because I'm. I'm Gigi, right? I'm the. That's my identity. Well, yeah. The thing about life is that you're gonna have lots of identities. You're gonna have to recreate yourself until you die. If you don't learn to recreate yourself, you're never gonna. You're never gonna be successful, because it's all about timing and learning to let go. And it was so painful, but it was the right time for me to do that. And even just two months ago, I closed my last store and I just said goodbye to cupcakes. And I've taken a couple months to go, okay, well, I've taken a couple years, actually to read, to study about what I want to be, who I want to be when I grow up again. And I really want to just feel the joy and love of creating again. I think that's what I missed most about building huge brand. I missed creating. I had to fight battles every day, and I can do that. But I miss just being able to create and bake and show people that I love them through a baked good or a pie or a cookie. I miss that. That's really where I want to be. So I decided to open Pies by Gigi, and then this whole thing hit. Right. So I'm pivoting, and we've decided my storefront open yet, but we have a commercial kitchen. And I've decided to do baked goods and pie, shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, casseroles, scones, muffins, and things that I truly. And I love the cupcakes. That'll always be my first baby. I love. I take that away. I can't ever take that away from what I built and I'm so proud of. But it's just time to recreate.

And I'm going back.

I think so many people, and I'm sorry, I didn't interrupt you, but so many people don't listen to their inner voice of it's time because they're afraid to let go and they're afraid to close that door because they don't know what's going to be on the other side for them. But it's also. You have to look at it as the thrill, something new. So I need a challenge.

You need a challenge. That's. Oh, man, that's beautiful. If you could go back, if you. You think about this whole experience you've had up until this point, and now you're reinventing yourself, is there one thing that you would have. Wish you would have known earlier or one thing you would have changed, or one thing you would tell the people that are listening that you could take away from this entire experience?

I've made so many mistakes, and God is such a gracious God. And what I really have learned most of all, and I've learned that people and customers are my most favorite thing. And that's what I want to get back to. I want to get back to just being with people and handing them a pie and having them come into my Storefront one day when this whole black cloud is over us and and way that they can just sit down, have a piece of pie, come in and feel safe and feel joy. And I want to look at that person's face and say, thank you for coming in. How can I serve you? That is my true love, people. But it's taken a lot of. Lot of lessons and hard knocks and a lot of mistakes to finally learn that.

I think there's so many that are listening that can 100 relate to that right there. And how easy it is to get lost in the fires that we put out on a daily basis and worrying about making payroll, as so many are right now, and getting back to what that true love really is in business, right?

And we get so caught up because you're right about the putting out the fires. We put out so many fires and we want to make things so perfect. And you're growing your business and so many people told me, are you stopping to smell the roses? Have you looked back on the things you've done? And I can honestly say, no, I didn't stop and enjoy that moment because I was so busy growing, which I had to. But now that it's over and I'm starting a new chapter, I can look back and say, I'm so grateful for people who believed in my brand and gave me a chance. And I just, I'm just so grateful for people, especially now in this time when you're not around people. People is what matter. Relationships is what matters. So.

You talk a lot about from the very beginning of your journey, using fear as a motivator, right? And I, in the middle of my vision board, I have this piece of paper A CEO once told me as I was starting this company, he said, well, good luck with your little project. And I will never forget the way that made me feel. And I wrote it down. And that's my motivator today, is to say, you know what? I will show you what this little project is capable of. Do you feel like the moment you're in today and the moment we're all in today that we all can use that same motivator, fear, to create something completely new and completely beautiful from this, right?

I look at fear is something like a big block, right? Like it's a big, big black piece of dirt in your road. Now, fear, you can go around it, you can blast through it, you can drive over it. Fear cannot be a block for you. It has to be your motivator. And you have to look at fear so many People stop their life or do not do what they're really called to do in life because of fear. This feeling, and it's so true, it's so real for people that you have to be able to use it as a motivator, because that's all it is. It's just something in your mind. It's not really even real. You know, it's just something that we feel in our mind. So I like the. I like what? That good luck with your little project. You know, I had someone tell me one day, you know, I think you might. Your cupcakes might do well, but don't quit your day job because you're really good at cleaning toilets.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, I got that. You got. Okay, I am good at cleaning in toilets. But guess what, buddy? You don't think I'm gonna sell one cupcake? Well, how about a hundred million cupcakes? How. Eat that. Eat those words, you know, so I could. I totally understand. You're good luck with your little project, you know, Right.

Yeah.

This buddy.

Right. Oh, the irony in when it all comes around. Right?

Good luck with you. Oh, gosh. Like. Oh, well, you probably. You're not even selling one cupcake, really? Well, I sold 100 million. How do you feel about that when you look at me in the papers now?

I think that everybody. Oh, my goodness. I think about some of the stories from boutique owners that I hear on a daily basis, you know, of. Everybody has doubters or haters or. And really, what I think it all comes back to, if I'm being honest, is it's fear and it's jealousy.

It's jealousy and it's insecurity.

Insecurity, yes. How. How did you handle those people? I mean, other than your. Other than, I'm sure some past clients or. Or this gentleman you're talking about, how did you handle when people acted that way to you?

Well, I mean, everyone acted. Not everyone, but lots of people act because I cleaned houses. Right. I was a lowly toilet cleaner. Right?

Yeah.

So talk about prejudice. Oh, you're cleaner.

I had one of.

I had a lady that was. I had a. She was a graduate. She had a huge. A huge business person, was a CEO of a huge company. And I wrote about this in my book. And one day I was dusting her office, and she was in there, and she was there for the day, and she goes, huh? She said, so, are you single again? I'm single. And she goes, yeah, you know what? I might have a guy for you. She goes, but Then, no, he's so white collar and you're so blue collar. Like, what would you have in common with him? So never mind. I'm like, well, da, da, da. I have, you know, I'm a business owner. I. She goes, yeah, but you're just a house cleaner, so never mind, never mind. I don't want to set you up with him. You would have nothing in common other than he'd probably want you to clean his house. But I thought, wow. And I never forgot that. Like, how could someone be so cruel and mean? Oh, and I don't, honey. Oh, I got story after story. It's all in my book. But it's like, how could someone think just because I cleaned houses that I don't deserve someone that's white collar? Yeah, it's interesting. So it's always been an interesting thing for me with people. Oh, you're just a house cleaner. Yeah, I'm more than that. But I did love my house cleaning business, by the way, and I'd love to clean. And I'm proud of that.

Well, if there weren't ever a lesson from Jesus in all of this, how you treat the least of my people is how you will treat me. And I think we all need to remember that from time to time. Right.

When you're climbing that ladder of success, remember who's, you know, but you're kissing because they might who you're stepping on because that might be your boss. You never know. So I think treat people kind no matter what they do, treat them kind. Because I know how I was treated when I cleaned houses and it wasn't all the time kind, I'll tell you that.

You mentioned your love of reading. Right. Of all the business books that helped you along the way and the E Myth. Great book. Talk to me about what other books that you have loved that have helped you along the way.

Well, probably the best book I've read that motivated me to finally do it was your best life now from Joel Osteen. I read that book. I had the idea early September and then I read that book and I thought, I'm gonna do it. I'm going to do it. I'm opening that cupcake shop. And so that book motivated me. The five minute Managers. Fantastic body language books. How to succeed. There's so many books. Actually, one of the best business books is the Bible. I'm not going to preach religion to you, but if you read a psalm and a proverb every day, they are chocked full of wisdom of how to treat people in Business and in life. So I, that's what I read. And then I read, you know, Kenneth Copeland's books. Oh, gosh. Dennis Waitley's books, Max Lucado's books. And I just, I love to read. I just finished a book called Love does by Bob Goff. And oh, it's so powerful. Love isn't this. Isn't this. It just does. Love does. And it was fabulous. I just finished that, so check that out.

We definitely will put those in our show notes. You. I want to mention at this time, too, that you are an author. You have your own book. Do you want to mention your book to our audience?

My book is called the Secret Ingredient, and I wrote it last year. It came out last year, and it's all about my life. But then at the end of every chapter, there's a business lesson and then there's a recipe that was through my life and my childhood, savory sweet. So it's kind of a cookbook, a business book and a life story book. And you can get it anywhere books are sold. Amazon, you could go on to Gigi Butler.com and I will autograph it personally for you and send it out. And it's, you know, I think it's, it's a very. What people tell me is about. It's very raw and it's very vulnerable. And that's, I think, most important thing is just to be you. And whether it's good or bad, show the people who you really are.

I love it. Authenticity. I have, I have one, one last business question that I didn't get to ask you yet, but I, I don't want to leave out of this podcast because I think it's something we all can relate on. Clearly, you have so much experience in the world of real estate along with retail.

Right.

So anyone who is listening that has a brick and mortar or has thought about having a brick and mortar, I would love to know, kind of your thought process on how you choose locations and what negotiation skills you think every retailer should have in their toolbox when it comes to operating that brick and mortar.

That is a great, great question. So the first 65 stores I would, I went to pick out with, with my landlord. He became my partner and we would pick out each store. The first 65, and it was mainly by my gut, which is sometimes it was good, most of the time was good, but sometimes it didn't serve me well. So we would find people and we would do studies on the area and of course, get all of the info and the Data. And what we found most is ours was a very upscale, you know, it's a upscale cupcake shop. So we wouldn't do as well in a Walmart center. We would do a lot better in a Target center. We would do really good by a Starbucks. We would do really well by Paneras. We would. So our market, you have to really go where your market's going to be. If you're selling kind of more of a Walmart type, you should go in that market by a McDonald's or not that they aren't great brands, I'm not saying it, but if you went by a Chick Fil A, there's a little bit. Of course the amount of people that's going to see your store is going to be huge. So it's all about egress and people getting in and out, picking up. We didn't want, we didn't want just walking traffic. We wanted parking as well. I think it's very important to have a parking, a place for parking. How many people, if, unless it's right downtown New York or Atlanta are going to walk by your store to pick out some earrings? Ah, I'd rather have parking. So parking was a really big deal for us as well. And it was all about finding what your market is. Starbucks, Panera, Target, Chick Fil A, that's where we would put most of our stores.

Do you find besides. So the traffic in the parking. Right. To get the bodies in the door?

Yes.

Do you feel like again, back to like negotiation? Every franchisee or business owner, I think sometimes can feel intimidated by understanding their lease terms or just all the things that come with it. What are some of the essentials you think they should know or be able to negotiate?

Well, I'm about ready to sign a new lease, so I'm right in the midst of this. So this is perfect timing for discussion. I think that it's very intimidating. These big projects, tons of shopping centers, and you feel intimidated. I think the best thing you can do is get a very good real estate agent that knows the market very well and that reads legal documents very well. If you have to hire a lawyer that just does leasing documents, it's worth every penny. And what people say, we just want to get in there. We don't care what we sign. Well, you'll care when you have a virus right now and you can't pay your rent. So it's really important to figure out what's important to you and what you can live with. And it's usually 10% of your of your gross would be what you would need to pay for rent. So 10%. And put that in your 10% factor. And that's what I try to look for. 10%. What I also am trying to negotiate with my landlord right now is the. The air conditioning units. He doesn't want to. I'm like, no, you are going to put those air conditioning units there for me. I'm not paying for that. So it's those little things. So I think finding a really good leasing agent is so important that knows the market. Yeah.

Again, going back to. It's not what you know, but it's who you know. Right. And surrounding yourself with those people at this time.

Right, right. And even if you have a good leasing agent, maybe have a. Maybe have a legal guy look at it just to go over. And I have a great leasing agent, and I still let my manager slash you look at it. So. And. And I've done so many laces now. But I think it's really important to have someone look over your documents, because you can get. Get a lot of money for ti dollars. If you ask for it. All you have to do is ask for it. Some people don't want to give ti dollars because they don't think you're gonna ask for it, but you should always ask for t.

You were a guest on the TV show Undercover Boss.

Yes.

Which is one of my favorite shows, to be honest. I love business shows, everything. Shark Tank, Marcus Lemonis, all of them. Tell me about that experience and what surprised you the most about going through that entire process of Undercover Boss.

It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. It was the third hardest thing I've done in my life. First, birthing a company, second, birthing a child, and third, going on. And what I learned most was that there were so many people passionate about my brand that I didn't know because we grew so fast. So we had so many workers across the country that were, no, that's not the GG Way. No, the Gigi way does this. And I was looking. They didn't know I was Gigi. And so I felt I was having, like, this out of body experience. They didn't know it was me, but they were saying, no, no, that's not the Gigi way. Gigi would be disappointed in you right now. Do it over. Gosh, it's so cool that they don't know that's me. And they're saying that, like, what? What? I had such pride in that. And then I also realized that we were Consistently inconsistent, which is not good for a franchise brand. And because we grew so fast. So when I got off this show, we hired the right people, we got our pink boots on the ground, and we really got consistent within our brand, within that last. That next year.

Wow. So I can't imagine hearing someone else speak to you that way. Right? The Gigi way. This is what she would expect.

And they knew. I know they didn't know me. They would have never said the things they said to me. Oh, my goodness. That they said. And I knew it was so interesting being this, you know, hippie dressed up as this hippie woman. And how they treated me different, kind of pathetically, which really reminded me how I was when I was cleaning, how they were treating me. Very interesting. But what I learned was that they were passionate, but they did not. And everyone's like, oh, they knew it was you. Oh, no, they didn't. Like, the first person I went to there was like, I was reading the recipe. We were going to do frosting and a cake, and there was this written recipe on the side. And I said, what is this? And she said, oh, that's my recipe. Don't do corporate's recipe. They do not know what they're doing. They're horrible. And I was like, she would have never said that had she known that was me.

Right?

I'm like, horrible, honey, you know, that's the best recipe I have. But I didn't say that I couldn't. So it was just a great experience. It was such so beneficial, so hard, but such a wonderful thing. And sometimes some of the hardest things we do in life are the most rewarding.

Oh, yes. Well said. Absolutely to that. Did it change your daily routine? Besides getting consistent, did it change your daily routine how you showed up at work after that?

It did. It did. It was. I started to stop and smell the roses a little bit more. I thought, gosh, I appreciate what I've done and what this company has become. So it really made me appreciate a lot more.

Gigi, this has been one of my all time favorite interviews. You are such a light and it is so awesome to hear your story. And truthfully, I mean, I'm sure everyone out there would agree, but personally, for me, I've just gotten so much out of this. It's like I've had my own private mentoring session with you. So I really want to. Really want to lift you up and thank you for your time with us today. And I do have one more question. I know. I hope to meet you too.

All Your people at all. I want to come and see on Shop. All in the shops.

Yes, I know they're going to love to meet you one day as well. I always end the podcast with this one question and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it. You know, like we've alluded to many times through this conversation today, that business is not about the numbers. It's not about the product, it's not about what you create or put in your bank account at the end of the day, but it's about a much greater purpose that we all see serve in life. And so as you now reflect on what Gigi's Cupcakes was and continues to be and as you start your new venture and and you look back at your life with your family and I want to fast forward five, ten years down the road and you continue to look back and you're talking about the life that you live and the businesses that you created. What is the thing that you hope people remember about you the most and will say about you in terms of the life that you live?

That's a great question. Well, I'm a single mom and I have an 8 year old and I want her to look back and say, my mom was so brave and my mom sucked it up and did what she had to do to provide to be the person she needed to be. And what I want people to remember me most is that I left a legacy of love and people were proud of me because I worked hard and that's what I want. Like I was. I'm so proud of her. She worked so hard that that to me is the biggest thing anyone could say about me because they're proud of me because I've worked hard and I've left a legacy of love.

Well, your legacy has now touched our community. So again, Gigi, thank you so much for your time today. This was such an opportunity to have you on the show.

Thank you so much and I really appreciate you being here.

If you guys have a question, anytime on what's happening in your business right now, how you can collaborate with other retailers or wholesalers or you just want to be a part of the Boutique Hub, reach out anytime@ashleytheboutiquehub.com find me on Instagram. Jalderson I would love to chat. I'd love to video chat with you or@the boutiquehub.com join. Thanks for listening, you guys. Foreign. Hey guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode. We hope that you loved it. Don't forget to hit. Subscribe and leave a rating and review down below for a chance to be one of our featured listeners each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and how to access complete show notes and bonus downloads from our guests, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community.

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