#276: Strategies for Sustaining Growth with Andrea Glenn, Owner of the Rusty Rose Boutique

It's time for episode number 276 with My Girl, Andrea Glenn, the founder of the Rusty Rose Boutique. 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. Hey, guys. For nearly 10 years, my friend Andrea Glenn has been a solid boutique owner, having both online and brick and mortar sales. Andrea has seen the ups and downs of this business, and here today, she's here to tell you all about it. Getting started with going to vendor events and pop ups and sleep. Slowly building her business from a smaller brick and mortar location to a much bigger one now, and growing online and video sales throughout the pandemic. Andrea has tons of experience, you guys. She is a boutique owner that's been so active, especially in our western industry. Having been a speaker at the Western Summit and been a very active member of the Hub for so long, I'm excited for you guys to hear her growth and to hear how 10 years in business changes your perspective on things. Get ready to meet my friend, Andrea Glenn, the founder of the Rusty Rose Boutique. Hey, guys. Welcome back to the podcast this week. I'm so excited that one of my favorite boutique owners, Ms. Andrea Glenn, the founder of the Rusty Rose, is here with us today. Andrea, you just got done speaking at Western Summit in January and now you're on the podcast. And I tell you what, I followed your boutique forever in a day, it feels like. So I'm so excited that you're here today and we get to share your story.

Thank you. Thank you. I am very excited to get to do this. So this is something like I'd said it was kind of a goal that maybe someday I get to share my story. So I just feel so touched that I get to be a part of it today.

Well, I think everyone listening is going to take a ton of notes and be inspired by you and where you are right now. So let's jump into it. I want to kind of just set the tone a little bit of where you're at, what type of boutique you have, and how long you've been in business.

Okay. So I just. The other day we were going back and forth, if it had been nine years or 10 years, that my storefront has been open. And before that I did shows and sold online kind of pre Facebook back in the days when you had a website, but it was like a homepage and you couldn't really shop. So we as. As of right now, today we are an online store. And then we also have our brick and mortar location where we stay very busy in the storefront as well.

Perfect man. Nine or ten years. That's crazy. And your business has shifted in that time. So talk to me about kind of where you're at today with online and your new brick and mortar.

Okay, so I had the opportunity. We. I always say I've kind of had a slow and steady growth. I have not been an overnight success by any means. And so year by year, we have probably the last five years seen, you know, just steady growth each year. And the last couple years, I've just really outgrown the location I was at. And I love being downtown in our community, kind of that small town, the old buildings that feel. And so the very first of the year, I was approached by a man that had a building, and we. I bought it and closed on that in the middle of COVID So that was a little scary. And then we started remodeling that. And it's probably about three times the size of my old store. And it's just been a long process. It's taken me a lot longer than what I thought. Again, with COVID we've just ran into a lot of issues with Mills closing and things being delayed. But as of last, I guess this past Sunday, I officially moved out of my old building, and we have everything crammed in the back of the new one. And we are still. We put new doors on yesterday and finishing floors and just kind of some painting. And then I'll start merchandising hopefully in the next week or so, and then open here in September. So I'm excited about that. It's. It's kind of hard going into the fall because you. I mean, this is fourth quarter, and it's our busy time, and I'm honestly fighting right now. You know, do I start releasing stuff online where we're not open, or do I hold off another week or two? So that. That's been a challenge for me this past month, but I know everything will be good. What.

Tell me more about what is the square footage of the new space and what's been the most, I would say, like, surprising or challenging lesson you've learned in moving to a new space. Is there anything you wish you Would have done differently.

So, yeah. So my new store is 4200 square feet. There is an upstairs loft area that is about 1400 square feet. I'm really excited about that because we have always kind of been a store that people come in and hang out and talk and have therapy time. And so that area I'm kind of using as you can go and hang out and have coffee or a Bible study or you could rent it for a birthday party. It's just kind of like a welcome area. There's lots of different boho furniture and seating areas and tables. And then I'm trying to think now, what were you saying to biggest challenge.

Or anything you've been surprised by?

So for sure, the biggest challenge for me is the time frame and getting things done. I am a, a hustler and get things done quickly. And I've always kind of had the mentality that I will be the hardest worker in the room. And things have just not moved as quick as I thought they would. And there's just a lot of things that I have not been able to do, like from a construction standpoint. So just kind of having this long, drawn out situation of getting the store ready and still running. My other store, I mean, we've stayed open this whole time and had the physical storefront and online and did Covid. And so I have been a little going in a million different directions the past five months and it's been difficult for sure.

Thinking about the pandemic, I like to hear people's stories of how it shaped their business because I think naturally we think of the negative, right? Oh, it must have hurt so many business owners. But I hear so many positive stories about change. So as you look back at this whole scenario and you having to close the storefront and moving to this new location, what positive has come out of that for you?

Yeah, so I, I think for one, what I've noticed within our industry, in this community, like on the Hub, I've seen a lot of stories, stores of, you know, that are thriving and that women are saying this is our best year ever. And then I've seen the other side. So you kind of just have to take it and roll with it for us. I know when we had to close, my very first thing was I had two girls pretty much full time. And I thought, what am I going to do so that they can still work and get a paycheck, you know, if that means I have to stay at home? And I don't know, I'm just, I very much Want to take care of my employees. So we just instantly shifted. And, you know, the word this year is like pivot. And that's what we did. And we did everything online, and we started doing more fit videos and curbside. And I was so humbled and touched by our community. You know, I say I always try to serve them, and they constantly would come and pick up orders on the curb and give us gift cards to other local restaurants, local coffee shops. I think they really started to understand the meaning of small business and supporting us, and it was just so awesome to see that they wanted us to succeed, too. So we worked on the website and trying to do more videos of things on and just trying to figure out how we could serve everybody better online while the store was closed.

Yeah, such a change. But opportunity within that, isn't there?

Yes. Uncomfortable situations make. Make you better and grow so.

Exactly. I think about, you know, 10 years in business, man, there's just a lot of. A lot to learn. And I think it's so positive because there's a lot of new boutique owners today to hear from somebody who has, you know, been there, done that, had steady growth. As you think about the last 10 years, what do you think has been a key to keeping you steadily growing and keeping you in business and making you really a boutique in the Western industry that everyone knows and recognizes? Do you think there's a couple of tips or secrets to that sustained growth over time?

I think for me, you know, people that know me, I'm really big on not comparing. And I especially these past five years, I work really hard at trying to just stay in my own lane. And I think there's things that you can pick up from other boutique owners, but then you really have to work on what gifts you have and kind of do you and do your own thing. And then the other thing for me is just consistency. You know, it's easy to see in any industry somebody that kind of has maybe overnight success and think, well, man, I'm not, and get down on yourself. But I've always had a goal of, we may not be every day putting out hundreds of orders online, but we're consistent. And every day stuff shipping out. And so I try, I try to always work on just staying, staying consistent, showing up on social media and keeping that. And I think that has helped us to kind of continue that slow and steady growth and that it's not up and down, up and down. We're just continually kind of growing.

Yeah. What have been your favorite marketing channels through that growth and Your, your best way to communicate with your customers, man.

So it's, it has definitely changed for me over the years just because of the amount of time I've been doing it. I have people ask, you know, how did you get your following? And I'm really big about not looking at numbers and not caring about that. I think starting out when I did shows and I traveled, that really helped me build up a customer base that was kind of spread out. Traveling and meeting people at shows really helped with that. Then moving forward these past five years, for sure, social media has been a big marketing tool. I personally for my business have not done a lot of paid type marketing through social media. But we do try to really push, you know, on Instagram and Facebook and we have our email campaigns and our text messages and we try to do it that way. And then store wise I just, we do a lot of events and you know, special events in the store to keep people bring coming in and more just serving them. It's not always like a trunk show to sell them stuff. I've had a manny trailer come and we've had an ice cream trailer come and just different fun things that maybe our community doesn't offer and I offer them at the store and that keeps people showing up.

I love that. I want to go back to something that you mentioned just a second ago. Starting with vendor events and storefronts, or not storefronts, but just vendor events and meeting customers that way. Were you pretty diligent from the start about collecting email addresses and growing your email list or text list or really honing that mode of communication for your customers?

So I, you know, you learn and, and I will say I remember doing a lot of shows and I would have a piece of paper on a clipboard and I would have people write their email down and then I would come home and I didn't really know what I was doing. And so yeah, I, I collected a lot of that stuff. But then I was having a hard time, you know, actually implementing a game plan on emails and things like that. I am definitely a big believer in it now. I, a year or so ago got with Jane and switch from mailchimp to Klaviyo and that has been a game changer for me because I really understand it a lot better. So I do think I'm kind of one of those people that you never know on social media. You never know tomorrow if it's going to be there. And I think having those contacts and your email list is very, very important.

Absolutely. You know, this Year you and I were kind of chatting about this before the podcast that vendor events have totally shifted gears. Right. And specifically the nfr, which is huge in the western industry. And I think you've got some really unique thoughts on that and a unique take on how that will be different this year. Tell me more about that and how you think boutiques can maximize that experience if they choose to.

So for me, I have done a lot of different shows and I never did go to the nfr. It was something that I'd kind of planned on doing and then the storefront grew and I kind of shifted to a different area. I have a lot of friends that go out there and just coming from someone that does a lot of shows, you have to do what works best for you. And sometimes those shows can be huge and profitable and they can also bankrupt a person if you're not careful. It's very expensive, you have a lot of inventory. So I think that again is one of those you have to do what's best for you and not worry about what everybody else is doing. I think the nfr, what I've noticed the last few years for my customers personally is they are really wanting specific, one of a kind pieces. And so I really shifted my buying about a year ago to get more day looks that they're going to be wearing. I have a lot of customers that are at the World Series roping and maybe not going out to the performances at the nfr. So they were wanting more day to day looks and not so much the flashy, you know, sequin NFR look. For me personally, I kind of change that. I think moving into this year, it's just like with everything else, we don't exactly know what it's going to happen, but I think it's great that they're going to still have it and they've moved it. I think it's great for the people in Texas and a lot of those girls that are setting up boosts, I think I've seen just like yesterday alone, everybody trying to get some, you know, what they're going to do as far as offering boosts and where they're going to be and how they're going to handle that. So I think there's still some good to come out of it. You just kind of have to shift maybe how you approach it this year.

Yeah, just a little bit shift in buying strategy, wouldn't you say?

Yes.

Yeah, absolutely. What other advice would you give to someone that maybe is new to setting up to vendor events?

So I, I Hope I word this correctly, because I don't want to discourage. And it's how I started my business. For me, I feel like it's really changed over the years. And I have some really good friends that that's all they do. You know, it is strictly. They do shows all year. You, you have to just be smart about stuff and buying and think about, you know, especially this year, what's. What's going to happen and what's not been canceled. I think there's great things as far as you meet new customers and people, and that can really help. Kind of a little backstory on my situation. I did a lot of different shows and I probably that last year that I stopped going and I was coming from the mindset of like, I had to have those shows to make it work. And I just had one thing after another that would happen. Blowouts on tires and crazy things. And I finally was like, if, God, if this is not what I'm supposed to be doing, you know, show me. So I had a big show in February every year I did in Oklahoma. And that was really important to me because February is a slower time in the store. And I said, you know, if I don't do X amount of dollars, I'm going to do something else. So I didn't. And I came home and we got home at 2 in the morning. I unloaded my trailer that morning. We went to town, got stuff to make some new displays, and I just hit the ground running. And I tried to use that momentum. And honestly, for me, that's when my business changed. I think I was trying so hard to keep doing what I had been doing, and it wasn't working anymore for me. So I kind of change, changed gears. And that's when the whole events in the store started. I thought, what am I going to do to replace these shows? So I started having more events in the store to do that. And it, it changed my business. And I think for me, it was really hard to have a storefront, do a show, have enough inventory everywhere, and it started to be a challenge. So. But I am definitely. I'm a big believer on. I think it's a great way to get started. I think when you do shows, it frees up. You know, if you don't have a storefront, you can just concentrate on those big shows each year and have some downtime in between. So there's a lot of positives that come with it too. I think you just have to do what's best for you and your business.

Yeah, I Think that's so helpful your. Your store. Let's talk about just like engagement and events in your store. I know that's something that you love is hosting people in your store. What have been some of the most engaging events that you've hosted?

We have done a little bit of everything. I know probably the most recent thing I did before COVID started was we did a Botox party. And it was definitely a more of a kind of what I'd say, a VIP. I invited probably 30 women that really shop with us a lot and had a local lady that does a doctor that does Botox and then another friend that brought her Airstream trailer and she did the Botox in the trailer. And then I went and got sushi and we just had like this really big girls night at the store after hours. And I. I try to think of, you know, just different things that we can offer that brings people in that necessarily you couldn't just have every day in our town because we're in a smaller town. And for the most part, I feel like we've done a lot of, like I mentioned the ice cream trailer. It had came from a bigger town and they were packed all day long. And I didn't make any money off the ice cream, but it brought people into my store. And we've done braid bars and painting nights and just all kinds of different unique things.

I love that things that are out of the box. You also do a lot of video for your store. Talk to me about that, because it's not comment sold, correct?

No, I don't do comments sold. I. And I know that works really well for a lot of people. I. I think just because my customer base, a lot of them I've had for so long, that was kind of a hard transition. So we do. And I have been slacking the last few months, but I have. I do a lot of like, outfits five different ways. And people seem to really love that. We do just like fit videos. And then I just do a lot of. Or not a lot. But, you know, once every week or two weeks, we'll just go live. And I think you can kind of see our silly, funny personalities and people relate to that. And, you know, it's. Somebody usually walks in the store and I forget something and it's just real life. And, you know, our customers, I think, enjoy that.

So, so helpful and very, very real, right?

Yes, very real.

You had kind of talked about this earlier, especially when it came to vendor events, but I wanted to want to go back to it again. You Know, having been in business this long, you've definitely got yourself a buying strategy. And I think newer boutique owners, I will say it's so easy for everyone to get caught up in the marketing side of the business and the social media and it looks so pretty and fun. But really what makes you sustainable in the long run is managing your money, your finances, your inventory, your buying. How do you sit down every week and start to plan your buys to know that you are going to be profitable at the end of the month.

And the end of the year? Right. I have a little bit of a challenge for me because I feel like my customer base is pretty large on styles. Online I definitely have more of a western presence, but locally the people that are shopping and supporting me are older women, teachers. And so I really kind of have to think about a lot of different styles and what people are wanting. I am a pretty big believer because I've made a lot of mistakes over the years on not over buying. And I try to buy smart and I try not to panic, you know, and I am more of like a month to month. I really think about, you know, what we have coming up and do it that way. I go to LA a few times a year and do like immediate buying. I do that every fall right before we have our big holiday open house. And that's worked really well for me because that's all immediate ship. And for somebody, if girls that are out there that go to market, that can be challenging when they say it's going to ship and it doesn't. And you plan outfits and only one piece comes in. And so going out to LA and buying straight out there has helped with immediate ships on things like that. And I've also learned over the years, and I just recently talked about this there when I first opened my store and what I think I had dreams of was not the store that was going to work in my town. So there are lines that I love that I have had to drop because my customers don't love them. And there's things that I've had to order that I may not love as much, but my customers are asking for it and they want it. And so just over the years with maturing as a business owner, I think I've learned that you kind of have to listen to your customers. I also feel like I have to nudge them a little bit to be a little trendy with certain things and you know, upcoming fashion. So we try to bring a little bit of that in too. And I'll put it on and show them how to wear it and kind of, you know, gradually get them into the newest trends.

And that's all right, right?

Yes.

Because every customer, every customer has money in their pocket, willing to spend no matter who she is. So knowing how to dress her perfectly. Are there reports or pieces of data that you feel are most important to look at on a regular basis for you?

I really try to kind of weekly go over my numbers. I really try to pay attention to, like, my bills as well. Like, you know, everything from kind of like the profit first scenarios. You know, I look at the apps and what we're spending money on and what's really working and what's not. And it's easy to buy tissue paper and custom bags and all this stuff. And then you, you've got to be paying attention on how much you're putting out and making. And so I, I, I really watch my numbers due to the fact of when I first started my business, I wasn't. And I made all the mistakes that you could make. I, I barely survived. And so after that, now I definitely am a numbers person and try to pay attention to that type of stuff. I don't have, you know, of course, just your sales weekly and things like that. I try to pay attention to even marking that, marking down things and our margins. I'm pretty big on margins. There's even certain lines that, you know, if I can't have a decent margin, it's kind of hard. So I, I pay attention to that. And I don't know, I've gotten, I've read that profit first book. I guess I've listened to it twice on audible and I definitely try to operate my business that way. So, yes.

Oh my gosh.

It's.

If anyone is listening and hasn't heard that yet, it's Mike Michalowicz and he was a keynote speaker at the Boutique Summit a while back. We'll link it up in the show notes so everyone has a chance to read it. But that philosophy is so important. And I think a lot of people will say, I wish I would have done that from the very start in my business.

I mean, I, when I first started the store. It's embarrassing to even say this, but I, I wasn't even paying attention. You know, I'm like, I made X amount of dollars today. I made X amount of dollars this month, and I wasn't paying attention to what I was spending until you get in a big bind. And then I'm like, oh my gosh. So, you know, it's Just those mistakes that sometimes you have to make on your own to figure out. Like, wow, I, I gotta change things so.

Oh man. And it's so easy to do that and get lost in like. I hate to even say this, but I would call it the vanity metric. Whether that's gross sales or it's social media followers, none of it matters unless you're profitable at the end of the day. And I think the most dangerous time of year is what we're headed into and that's holiday season. So many people will bust it and they'll be like, oh, I made, you know, blank amount this holiday season and they work twice as hard and they don't get to enjoy their family. And then they get to the end of the whole season and they're like, what did I even pay myself? And it's devastating.

Yes. Yeah, you, you really have to pay attention to that type of stuff, so. And it's easy, you know, when you mentioned it, and I'm big about that. Our job is to make everything look good and you know, our social media platforms are all the highlight reel. And you know, sometimes things look really good or other stores, it looks really good and they're in the hole and it's not. And so that's why I always go back to like, you just have to focus on you so so much.

So having mentioned that, let's talk about the holidays really quick since we're going into that time of year. Do you have a favorite like holiday marketing strategy that's really helped you over the years?

The biggest thing, I think probably about three years ago we started doing Our Town as a whole kind of does a hall holiday open house weekends. And because I love to kind of do special things in the store, we've really started to pump that up and I basically just flip the store. I go out to la, we buy, you know, for that weekend. And I think that goes back for me being doing shows, I kind of take on that concept. And we totally re merchandise the stores full of new arrivals. I have a good friend that's a rep that always brings jewelry in for a trunk show. And it's just this huge fun holiday shopping party experience. And that's the first weekend of November. And that just really kicks off for us. I mean, November 1st through Christmas Eve at 3 o', clock, I'm just busting it. So I think that's really helped. And online too. I mean sometimes we get so busy in the store that the online is kind of been challenging. But this past year I really Tried to be staffed a little bit more so we could keep those online sales going every day and showing up with new arrivals there as well. For me, buying this year, I think everybody has a different outlook on it, and that's great. You know, I've seen, seen some people that are like, stock up. You're going to get great deals. For me, I, I got back from Dallas market about 10 days ago, and I, when I was flying out there, I told myself, do not panic, buy and buy smart. And I just really tried to think. You know, it's a lot of loungewear this year and we're just in a different time. And so the holiday parties, like, I don't know if that's going to be happening. So I really, really tried to sit down and be smart about stuff and buy for my customers. I brought in some new things that I think kind of go with what's going on right now. Some self care and wellness. And it's definitely a year of pivoting for that. But I just, I tried to really buy smart for this upcoming season, but still buy enough to plan on. Like, you're going to have a great fourth quarter. We're going to break goals again. So. Yeah.

Oh, that's awesome. Well, Andrea, let's do a little bit of a lightning round, and then I've got some other personal questions for you. Let's start here. What's your favorite trend at the moment?

I am. I love fall and winter. I love layering. That's, you know, I just, it's a cozy. It's definitely my thing. I'm loving the chunky, oversized sweaters that look. I love the plums and the hunter greens and, you know, rust and all those fall tones. I've had a lot of customers. It was funny. I kind of did a poll a few weeks ago and they were like, we're loving the pleather. And I was like, I did pleather last year and y' all didn't buy it. So that's always one of those that I'm like, I. Y' all say you love it, but I don't know. So for me, just this year, given what's going on, I think those comfortable, good feeling, quality items, the big sweaters, the cozy cardigans, all of that is going to be what really sells for us personally, where we're at. I, me personally, I love high fashion and I'm a little out there, but we're not in New York every day, so I kind of have to think about that. But definitely cozy sweaters. And it's cold here today. And I'm thinking that too. I need to put something on like that. Agreed.

Is there a trend that you wish would come back?

Let me think here. A trend that I wish I could come back. I don't. I'm not thinking of one right off the top of my hand. I know one that I love that the girls are doing that I will never do again, and that's the Rockies. I. I lived through that when I was younger. Yeah, I guess that's showing my age. I'm like, can't do that again. So. Oh, my gosh.

Andrea. I did too. And my sisters, I'm the youngest of six and there's five girls. So, you know, like every single one of them had the matching Rockies and the like lace up roper boots that were turquoise and they, you know, the Rockies doubled as a bra. You were all set.

Yes. I, I don't know. And you like being from the rodeo queen and I showed and did step goat growing up and I'm just, I had matching bows and I'm like, I don't want to relive that. So. And I think, so cute. I see a lot of the younger influencers doing it. I'm like, that's so cute on y', all, but that is one that I'm not going to be jumping on, I don't think.

Yeah, my muffin top doesn't fit in Rocky. It's really not, not meant for that. Where is your favorite place to go get inspiration? Is it a YouTube channel or a podcast or a mentor or where do.

You fill your cup? I. So fashion wise, I definitely love more higher fashion and I feel like I look at that and get stuff for myself personally and then maybe we'll just implement a few things. So it's just not like, wow, that's way out there. And I would never wear that. And, you know, I definitely try to pay attention to trend reports and things like that. Again, I like, you know, I like going to market. I think that's really important because you, you get to see some of the things that's coming up and they're bringing in. And then just personally, I am a huge podcast person, so yes, I have something going all the time and it ranges from, you know, continuing education, like I would call it. You know, I listen to the Boutique Hub and a lot of different women that do like, marketing and online stuff and I just try to pick up things there. I like to listen to books and motivational things. True crime. I just try to fill My cup up different ways through that. So I. I would love to read, but I just don't ever feel like I have the time to sit down and read a book. So.

Yeah, I'm with you. It has to come audible, right?

Yes.

Oh, man. Well, Andrea, take me back to the very beginning. I know you're someone who. You built this great business, and you're such a kind and generous person, and it's been such a pleasure to get to know you over the years, but I know you've got quite a backstory, and you've had to overcome some things to get where you are today.

And I would love if you would.

Walk us through and tell us some of your story.

Yeah, so I. I think I'm pretty transparent. I really try to share the good and the bad, but I definitely use, like, my platform to kind of stay more positive. I've never really shared a lot about, like, my personal life or growing up and kind of how I got here. And I grew up in the agriculture industry. I was very, very involved in 4H and FFA and showing livestock. And I kind of always, you know, I had a normal childhood. My parents were divorced. I didn't really think much about it until kind of young adult college age is when I started realizing that things were probably a little bit different and maybe not as normal as what I thought they were. I was very blessed early on to get together with a family that I showed with, and I got to travel all over the United States and do all this great stuff. And I think that really grounded me, and they really helped me definitely have the desire to want and be more and to strive, you know, to not be average. So, you know, growing up when I was younger, I had a parent that struggled with alcoholism, and I think that definitely affected some things growing up and how present they were. There was also a lot of emotional and kind of verbal abuse that I kind of didn't realize until later that that that wasn't okay and it wasn't normal. And when I started into college, and I should say I love both of my parents dearly, and I think they did the best that they knew to do. So moving into college, I. It was kind of one of those, which. You're 18 and you should be on your own, but it was of kind. Kind of like you're. We got you grown up and you're on your own now. And I kind of quickly. I wouldn't say spiraled out of control, but I didn't really have a home to go back to, and I was very lost. And I quickly got into this dark kind of area in my life and really started struggling with depression and anxiety and had a hard time. And I think, like, for me, you know, the home I had grown up in was sold, and then that parent really didn't have a home. And then the other one, I was definitely the step kid and did not feel welcomed. And, you know, I remember on holiday breaks from college, it was like, where do you even go? I. I kind of was just so lost. And then, you know, even through that, I had a parent that lived in their car for a while and had a hard time with jobs and keeping a home and things of that nature. And so I think that's where my anxiety really started coming from, was I was trying to get through school and praying, like, why isn't the situation different for my parent? And that took a toll on me, too. Just from my relationship, like, as a Christian with God, I thought, what am I doing wrong? What. Why are. Why are things the way they are? And I. It was probably about that time I had an aunt come and visit me, and she'd said, I'm just so amazed that you've turned out the way that you've done. And then I had another cousin come and said, you know, something? And I just. I never realized growing up, how it really was. And I think that's kind of why I'm. I'm a fighter for things, you know, because that's what I've always done. And then I got married. My husband's great. And then in my 30s, I went to counseling. And that's when I really realized, okay, it's not your fault, Andrea. And it's. These are things that you cannot control. And I learned to. You kind of have to take care of yourself. And you. I have the choice to make a great life for myself, and that's kind of where I've shifted and put my focus. And I love my family, and I think we're all in a great spot. But I definitely have learned that you can't control everything and to take care of yourself. So it was. Growing up was just a little different for me. And I've had a lot of people say, like, quote, you know, you just have a sew together. And I bet you just had the perfect childhood. It was a good one. But I think a lot of times those really crappy hard situations mold you into who you become. And when you're going through that, it can be tougher than hell, and you can cry and you can not understand why it's happening to you, but there's a reason and there's a plan. And I know that the way things were in my past has shaped me into the person I am today, from personal to business. And I know that's why I am definitely a. I'm a giver, and I care about people and I want to serve people. And I think that's. That comes from some of that for sure. So I can have crappy situations sometimes, but you can overcome and you can be the best person that you want to make yourself be.

Oh, my gosh. I think that needs to be framed right there. You can be the best person that you make yourself want to be. I think that's awesome. Something good really does come from every bad situation, doesn't it?

Yes. Yes.

So good man. Andrea, I. It has been such a pleasure to talk to you today and to hear your story and your journey. Congratulations on nine or ten years of success, whatever you decided at the end.

I did where I did shows before that, I'm like, it's just all running together. I'm like, I don't even know how many years I've been doing this. Oh, man.

Well, you're a light in this industry and it definitely shows the way that you show up and the person that you are. And thank you for sharing your personal story as well, because I think there's a lot of people listening that definitely, you know, have walked those times. And I often think about, especially post, you know, living in a post pandemic world of the quote, is it happening to you or is it happening for you? And how no matter what the challenges we're facing, we all have an opportunity to look at it and, you know, really make lemonades out of lemonade out of lemons. And you've definitely done that. So thanks for being a light for everyone here and in your business and for your customers and everything that you have going on. We appreciate you.

Yeah. Thank you.

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Sa.