#605 The Power of Adaptability: Thriving in a Changing Retail Landscape

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Business can be a lonely game, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to Boutique Chat where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. We'll hear from product based businesses of all types, retailers, e commerce and wholesale brands, along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. I'm your host Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub and I can't wait to chat. Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. I am so pumped about our conversation today. April, thanks for joining me.

Yeah, thank you for having me.

We've got to dig in. So you have a unique startup story. Tell me about how you got started in the industry, why you decided to open a boutique, and specifically the time of year you open the boutique.

Sure. So my husband and I go on a Sunday walk every Sunday together and we dream and talk about whatever and we had actually been kind of through a hard time. My husband was like, I want to do something different. And it was just kind of a tumultuous time. And this was actually probably March of 2019. And so we're going for a walk and we're just dreaming. He's like, let's open a business. Because I'm always down for opening a business. I am that person. I've had like a cupcake business and all the things. So he was like, what about a nail salon? And I was like, no, I don't, I don't want to do. I don't, I'm not interested. And I was like, well, what about like a tanning salon or clothing or something? So we were just bouncing around ideas. But here's the thing, if you throw me an idea, I'm probably going to run with it. So I immediately started looking for rental properties in our downtown because I also, I love a downtown. I love downtown. So found a couple of spots, but I found this one spot and I went and looked at, had the sign for lease, but it also had people still in there. So I knocked on the door and it was a church. Actually, they were using it as a church. They let me come in and look and I want to see if I can be as PC as possible. But I was like, oh my gosh, this thing will need a full renovation. Like, I cannot, I cannot sell clothes in here. But I was like, knowing me and Matt, this is the one we're going to rent because it's going to need all the work, but we're going to make it beautiful, right? Of course. It was the one that we needed. And so we rented it in May of 2019. My husband is an engineer. I was a high school science teacher. And we continued to work our Monday through Friday jobs. And then on Saturday and Sunday every weekend, we went into the shop and we did demolition. We did all the remodel except for electric and plumbing. And then roll around. It took us a long time. It did so roll around, like March of 2020, and we're ready to have like our final inspection. Right. Everybody knows, okay, what's going on? March of 2020. And once again, I'm an enneagram8. I'm a challenger. And. And I'm like, the government shall not shut me down. But the government shut everybody down. Right?

Okay.

So I got my final inspection. I got my CO to open up, but we couldn't do anything. So I think it was like May 1st. The governor of Texas said we could all go back to work. So we opened May 2, and I hardly had any inventory. I don't know, maybe I had $10,000 wholesale. I don't know, somewhere around that. Because I was not tracking numbers in the beginning. Yeah, I wasn't tracking anything. And here's the thing, that money was rolling in. I didn't have to do anything. I didn't do emails. I did not have an Instagram. I barely functioned on Facebook. I had either a page or a group. I still couldn't tell you which one it was because my girlfriend Adrienne was like, you need to have this other one. And I'm like, no, I don't. So just the money flowed. And it was a beautiful time.

It was a beautiful time. Isn't that crazy? Someday we're all going to. It's not even someday. It's right now. We all are currently looking back and going, what in the world happened during that time? I kept like all my kids journals and like their art projects from that time where they were drawing like masks on themselves. So many things. But for you to open like that exact month, that is a heck of a story. So when you did open then, May 2, was it just like word of mouth? You posted a little bit on social. People were just in Texas. People were antsy to get out and about. And that really benefited you.

Yeah. You know, I'm trying to think because obviously there wasn't like a grand opening email. We didn't have a grand opening with the chamber. I'm guessing it was just word of mouth. You know how it is in a small town. Like, you know, there's like a shop that's doing renovations and like, I think maybe just word of mouth spread. Yeah, that's amazing.

So you launch, you're catching up because the world is, it's really feeding our industry at that point. Things are going amazing. How did you, like, at what point did you eventually get to. And you were like, oh, okay, I need to put some more systems and processes in place. I need to put some like, guardrails around what I'm doing just to make sure, like I'm going to continue to head in the right direction.

Well, we started having pretty what I would call big months, right? Like, I know numbers are different to everyone, but I have no problem sharing numbers. So I, I started having months and I was the only employee. I started having months where I was doing 20 to $25,000 a month. And so that means, you know, I'm doing everything. I'm doing the ordering, I'm doing the processing. We steam everything. I don't care if it's a T shirt or a pair of leggings, I'm steaming it, it's being tagged, everything's in the system. I'm managing the website, I'm doing social media, I'm doing try ons. And, and I was working still as a teacher. I continued to work for two years. So I had, I couldn't even tell you what my hours actually were. My hours were really weird. Like I had evening hours, like, because we were teaching from Zoom. And so when I got done with Zoom, I would go into the shop. It was all really weird. So I was working a lot between teaching in the shop when I realized, oh, we're having these big months. I think I'm probably going to have to hire help. And so I'm also former military. It's where I met my husband. My husband and I are both former marines. And so we're like real big on SOPs, standard operating procedures. Like there's a way to do everything right. And so my husband like, kept telling me, he's like, get it down on paper because you're going to want to train people and you're going to want them to do it exactly the way you do it, or at least as much as possible so that there's a, like a continuous kind of experience when people come in, right? So I did. And Lord help me, I hate, like, for me to sit down and type out that kind of stuff that's not in my nature. Like I might know I need it. And so I see this a lot. And you know, you can edit this out But I see this a lot on the Hub, where, like, I just want to get on there and say, you know what you need to do? Just force yourself to do it. Like, you know what you need to do? Like, there's no one to blame. Like, this is your business. You just have to do it. So that's. So that's what I told myself, too. Like, I am preaching to April. Okay? So April sat down with her Mac and typed up this whole sop, which I emailed to your girly. So if people want to use it as a template and adjust, they sure can. Yeah, you're welcome. So I did that, and I started putting all these procedures in place and writing everything down. And I have it in a binder at the shop, and it is what I use to train the girls. And then I. I don't remember what it was. It was probably a podcast that I listened to of y', alls, because I have listened to every single one, everything. So here. Here, you're going to hear I'm a cheapie. Okay. Before I got my membership with the Hub, I was like, I don't know what this is. I think I saw an advertising on Facebook. So I found the podcast. I went all the way back to episode one, and I listened to every single one while we were doing the renovations on the shop.

Oh, I love that.

I knew nothing about running a brick and mortar like an actual business. Yeah. And I learned so much. I learned so much. And when I was. When I ran out of episodes, I was like, well, now I have to get a membership.

I'm pretty sure you're not alone. There's a lot of people that are listening. And for the record, I would do the same thing, too. I'd be like, okay, I'm going to take in all the free content I can. I'm going to learn and implement what I can, and then I'll join.

So I totally get it.

But I'm glad you joined.

Thank you. And I'm very glad that I joined, too. And I'm going to, like, once again, this is something else I want to tell people when I see it. I'm like, have you listened to every single podcast? Like, it's free? Instead of listening to music when you're in your car, put the podcast on, or while you're cleaning or while you're tagging inventory, like, just put the podcast on, and you're going to learn so much. And so that's probably. I started hearing about emails and stuff, and once again, emails are not. It is not my strength. And I don't get super fancy. Like, I use templates, and it's more about just communicating with my girls and letting them know what's up. And I will tell you, we have very high open rates. Very high open. All our open rates are between 38% and 53%.

That's awesome. Yeah.

And I'm like, I ain't even giving out anything fabulous. So I don't know what's going on there. But I love my girls for it, you know, because to me, it shows that there's some actual communication happening between us. So I think everything just kind of evolved along the way. Like, we did one thing. And also, I can't take on too many things at once. My brain will go on the fritz. I just can't. So I kind of integrate a piece at a time because, like, I keep getting things to, like, do text stuff with my girlies. Yeah. And I'm like, okay, I have to. Let me get emails in order. Let me get this in order, and then maybe we can add in text. So I think you do it kind of piecemeal, what you can handle at a time, and you get that really solid. And. And then I just kind of would move on to the next piece.

I think that's so helpful, honestly, everything you just said, and I'm not editing any of it out, by the way, because it needs to be said. I think that there's this misconception that there is some big secret. And anyone who. I'm going to say, like, I'm so happy you shared your numbers, because that's a really critical point in business, is when you hit those, like, 20,000 months, 30,000, 40,000 right in there. And then once you start to hit 100,000amonth, like, there's these inflection points that you're like, oh, crap, like, I've got to do things different. But I. I love what you said, because there's this misconception that there's a. A big secret out there. Like, just tell me, what is the thing, April? What is the one thing you did that helped you get to 20,000? Tell me the things. But the truth is it. You already know them. We're already talking about them. You just have to do them. You have to build the community. You have to build the content. Your energy is so infectious. You have to connect with your customers. Right. And you've got to send the emails and you've got to track the numbers. Like, these are things we talk about every single day. But you just have to do them and iterate on them and learn from them and continue to push forward. So thank you for all of that because we all need it. We all need that kick in the pants and that reminder for sure. So take me back. Let's talk about emails a little bit more specifically, because I know there's lots of people listening who are like, oh, April, okay, fine, I'll start the emails. But where do I even start? How did you first dig in?

Okay, so once again, I'm a huge podcaster, okay? I only listen to music at my shop, only. So any other time in my life, from pretty much the moment I'm up, even if I'm taking care of Huts, my grandson, like, I've got a pod going. So I listen to Jenna Kutcher's podcast, Gold Digger. She uses Flodesk. And there was like some kind of promo, right? Use my promo code and get 50% off for the rest of your life. Okay, fabulous. So I use Flodesk. The templates are super simple. It's just very easy for me to handle. So to each their own with whatever they choose. But for me, it was very easy to handle because, yes, I have a couple of part time employees, very part time. They switch every other Sunday. Okay? That's. That's the extent. Otherwise, I am doing it all, okay? I have to model the clothes, I have to do the emails, I run the social media. If you DM me, I am responding like it's me. And a lot of times you're going to get a voice message from me because, you know, I'm taking care of a baby in one arm and it's nuts, okay? But I'm doing it all, so it had to be something that I could handle. So I think I started with one email a week, and then I saw that it worked and I was like, oh, well, you know, maybe I'll do more. And so then I just started doing more. And the more that people. I saw people responded to every email, everyone. So I found that they work. And I'm telling you, I am now that business, okay? So you just need to unsubscribe from me if you don't like it, because I will. Like, I send out probably seven emails a week, and if we have an event going on, which is quite often, I'm sending out like evening reminders. So, I mean, some weeks I'm sending out 10 to 12 emails and I still have fabulous open rates. So I feel like if I don't have a ton of unsubscribes and my open rates stay high. I'm. Okay, so I'm a big believer in watching your numbers, looking at the analytics that's going to give you actual data that you can't turn away from. Yeah.

I'm so glad that you send that many emails. Obviously, if you're on the hubs list, you get a lot of emails too, because we're notorious for that. But I'm just such a believer in it that it works. And as long as you're monitoring the data and you're not seeing split spikes in your unsubscribe rates like you're saying, and your opens are staying high, that's so positive. Talk to me about, like there's someone listening, I guarantee it. That's saying, but what if, what if I annoy my customers? What if they don't like my emails? What if it's too much? How much is too much? I mean, obviously your data hasn't changed. So talk to me about like the data piece of it, but also what's in your emails that are keeping people engaged.

Yeah. So I think that's really important. Okay. I, I have lived 100 lives. I was in the military. I was a stay at home mom for almost 20 years. But through that time I went to school. Right. So I have a bachelor's degree in biology and then I have a master's degree in clinical counseling. So I'm a really big believer in really sharing and connect, like truly connecting with people. And one of the easiest ways to connect with people is through your own faults and failures. Because if you remove the veil and you're like, this is where I really actually messed up and this is kind of the damage that I caused. And then this is what I did to help repair it. And I'm talking like pretty deep here for a minute. You know, relationships, marriage, children, finances, mother, daughter, relationships. As you age, you know, all these things. So every now and then I will do. And I usually do it on a Monday, a Monday or a Friday. But every now and then, like, I have a thing, thing that's like weighing on my heart. Or I listened to a podcast and it, you know, gave me a thought and so like, I will share, you know, and those are the ones that have my highest open rates. Those have the open rates, like in the 50%. And I have people who will email me back. Like they'll return email and say like, I really needed that, thank you so much. Or they come into the shop and they tell me, they're like, please don't stop sending those emails, you know, so sometimes I think people are opening them just to see if it's one of those. Yeah, but I think you have to, you have to have something that you're offering your client. Right. So I don't just sometimes I'll send like a new arrival email if I really have some fun new arrival stuff. If there's some kind of a promo going on, for sure I want them to know about it. And but a lot of it's like, oh, we're having this collaboration or I'm having this person into the shop. Like this Saturday were having permanent jewelry at the shop and last Sunday was the Grinch. So like it's, it's stuff that I'm providing the girls and I want them to know about it.

Have you decided to attend the Boutique Summit yet, you guys? This is our industry's biggest business conference and in person gathering for you to learn from all of the top industry experts, top retailers in home and gift, top retailers in e commerce stores in apparel, and all kinds of industry experts. I hope you join us June 9th and 10th in Dallas, Texas for the Boutique Summit. Plus you guys, John Acuff, he is our keynote speaker this year and he's one of my all time favorite authors and he's going to be doing deep dives on leadership just for you. You guys, I want to get you something special. So here is a $50 off per ticket at checkout coupon that you can use just for listening to the podcast. Use summitcast at checkout when you're purchasing a ticket to the Boutique summit and get $50 off per ticket. I've got those links linked up to you in the show notes. So let me know if you've got any questions. But I can't wait to see you at this year's boutique summit June 9th and 10th in Dallas, Texas. I love that I've got to go back to your, to your post. I call them like, I don't know if this is a marketing term. I have no idea where this came from, but I call them like a long tail post. And I love that you do that. That is something I feel really strongly about. I love to write. So you've seen my posts in the Hub where I write like a book about all sorts of things. But I think that's missing for a lot of people. So if you're listening to this, lean into that because I completely agree, like that's what builds community, it's what builds trust, it's what build relationships. It's what sets you apart from every other not only boutique owner, but big box experience as well. So I am so pumped to hear that that's your strategy.

Yeah, I think I'm just being myself. I don't know how strategic it actually is. I mean, if I'm being honest, because I'm not one of those people who like, I don't sit there and like plan a lot of stuff like that. Do you know what I mean? It's kind of like this is who I am and I'm going to share that with you.

Yeah. So good. How about like the flows and automations? Like have you got those set up as well? Like abandoned cart. Thank you for your first purchase. Welcome new subscriber. Like, how about those?

Okay, so this is where I'm not strong. I don't really. I don't even know how to set those up. Now I do have an abandoned cart because I use Shopify and my husband initially helped me to set all that stuff up and so he did set up abandoned cart. I don't think. I do not have like a new subscriber. 1. That is probably something I would actually end up hiring someone to do because I, I don't really know how to do tech things at all. Like, if I have to change something on the Shopify website, I am so scared because I'm just like, I am that person that's going to click the button and it's all going to go away and I'm going to cry and have to have my husband and my son come fix it all.

You're going to get there, you're going to figure it all out. There should be just, just so you know, there should be. I'm not as familiar with Flodesk as like Click Klaviyo and some of the others, but there should be like a templated automation for you or. Some people call it a flow, some systems call it a flow. There are I've seen just like fill in the blank.

Okay. I've seen the word flow. Okay. Maybe this will help someone too. You do not have to have it all together. You have to have some of it together, but not all of it because I've actually seen the word like to set up flows. Like there's a thing you can click on and I have been so scared to even click on it.

Click on it. Okay. Okay.

That's my homework assignment. I will click on it.

I love that. Okay, you're gonna have to report back. We're all gonna be curious. Okay, we're signing up for April's email list just to see what happens. So something else I know that you've done that's really impactful for your business, and I. You're just, like, making my heart sing when I hear that you do this, but you have a weekly date with your numbers.

Talk to me about that. So when I first started, I was just like, I'm going to buy whatever I want, and I'm, you know, just fly by the seat of my pants, and if it's pretty, I'm going to have it. And that worked during COVID It really did. There was a lot of free money floating around, all the things. And then things just kind of gradually kind of started to change, and I was like, oh, you know, maybe I should pull some of these reports and maybe I should look at what's going on. And. And then we actually. We worked with management one for a little over a year. And so they really taught me, you know, they taught me so much. They taught me so much. But we really, this year, to be honest, we started to see, you know, a downtick in our sales. Not. Not. Not really large. 10 to 11%. It's fluctuated this year, down lower than last year. And so we did cut some things out. I still meet with my numbers every Sunday. I schedule my emails on Sunday for the. For the next week, and then I do my numbers. So, like, I just did my numbers, you know, Sunday, and I'll just kind of tell you the things that I look at. So I have Shopify. I don't have the highest plan. I have them, their middle plan. So I. I have access to quite a few reports. And I also have the delirious profit app, which is so helpful, y'.

All.

It's like $5 a month. So helpful for data. So I look at, like, I kind of do this cross section of the highest sold, like, quantity wise, my highest margins and highest dollars, and I do, like, my top five. And then I see where they link up, where they cross, and then I take my top three of where they kind of line up and cross, and that's. And I just do that. And then I look at that trending data over, you know, a long period of time to see what's happening. Because when we first opened, we were known for being a dress store because I love to wear dresses. And so I had so many sold. I mean, they sold so well. And then they did not. They did not. Yeah. Like, we have definitely seen a change in just in what we sell. We sell a ton of denim now. A ton of basics. My girls do not like color. Okay? They do not want any. They want neutrals. And I'm okay, because I like, when I go and look in my actual closet, I pretty much have five pieces that are colorful. So I'm like. And I look, I see these boutiques on Instagram, and they have the most beautiful Instagram, and they're selling all this hot pink and all these smiley faces and stars, and I covet it. I'm like, oh, it's so beautiful. And, you know, and my Instagram's like neutrals, and just. But it's.

It's what we.

It's what my girls want, and it's what I wear, so it works. So I am always checking the average order value. Our top brands. Now, here's the thing about brands. I'm pretty loyal when it comes to certain brands only because they sell well.

Right?

Right. If they weren't selling well, I wouldn't. I wouldn't care. I drop them in a heartbeat. And also, if I couldn't get access, I don't care. If I can't buy it from you, what does it matter? If it sells well, I don't care. I need product. You know, that's. That's how it is. And I know there's a whole. Let's just call it denim gate. Like, there's a whole thing right now. And this is another thing. And I did make a couple of posts finally, on the hub Facebook, because I was like, oh, my gosh. Like, okay, I go to market. I go to market at least three times a year in Dallas. And yes, I am close to Dallas, but spend the money. Go. You have to. Which we could talk about that in a hot minute, too, because I've gone to Dallas market with my grandson when he was, like, eight months old. Seven. Eight months old. And, like, it was almost the end of my life. Okay? But, like, no matter how hard it is, get to market. So the whole thing with denim, like, we do vervette and hidden, but I've tried other denim cancan. I've tried so many, because you have to know, like, and you have to go to market, and you have to see the quality. It's really important, I think, to put it on the body, too. Sometimes if you're really nice, they will let you put a pair on, or they'll put them on their little girlies who are there. Right. So do not get so attached to one vendor that your business goes under. And here's the thing. How do I word this properly? My girlies want what I want.

Right.

If I say, this denim is fabulous and I wear it all the time, then they're like, oh, yeah. Like, she. Every time I go into the shop, I see her in that denim. Or every time she's out with her family, she's in that denim. Like, your girlies are gonna like what you serve to them. So you might be the bottleneck of your business if you will only wear one brand because of XYZ Girl. Expand your horizons and expand your business because you have to have product to sell. And there are so many denim brands. Yeah.

So many good ones.

So anyways, that's just. There's a little soapbox there. But so I look at my.

We're ending the podcast right now because that was a great soapbox. And for the record, if you're not watching this on YouTube, I mean, she said that she has a grandson, and look at her. We're going to talk about your skincare routine in just a minute, so stay tuned.

Anyway, so that's that. And that's really what I'm looking at. And I always am looking at, like, the percentage, how much is online. So, like, this last week when I did it, 23% was online. The rest was brick and mortar. Sales are down about 11%. But here's the thing. Sales down about 11%. We are 10% up in our profit margins. 10% from last year. Awesome. No, that's fabulous. So I didn't, like, extrapolate it out to see, like, our profit in dollars might end up being the same amount of profit in dollars last year, even though we're down 11% in sales. So that's why you really have to know your numbers. Because, like, for a hot minute, I was getting depressed, but then, like, I was like, no, like, go back and look at the numbers. Because the numbers don't lie. Like, it's there.

Yeah, that's the goal at the end of the day. And I think about that. April, I'm so glad you said it, because I think about it sometimes, even just specific to the holiday season. Like, sometimes we get really wrapped up in the holiday season, specifically looking at sales, and we forget about, okay, great, you made those sales, but you had to discount your store 30% across the board to get there. And you're left with no profit margin and no money to pay your quarterly taxes. But it's the same all year long. Like, one bad week won't make a bad month, a bad month won't make a bad year, and a bad year is not going to really kill your business. So I'm curious. You and I have had this conversation about looking at your numbers and owning them, but also looking at other people's successes around you. And when you're thinking, like, okay, my numbers overall might be down and not getting in the trap of comparing yourself to others who seemingly are succeeding because a, you don't know their profit margin, at the end of the day. Right. It could be zero. But how do you keep yourself out of that comparison trap?

Yeah, I actually have a few ways. I love my other girlies here in downtown Taylor. You've actually done a podcast with Mezuzah's. Yeah, but I do not follow them on Instagram because I did it first. And. But it would just. It distracted me because these. Look, these girls are successful, okay? Yeah. And I was not. I mean, I'm not like them, you know, I. Or, you know, I just wasn't. Okay? So I had to unfollow them because I don't want to see every single fabulous thing they're doing because, you know, maybe I don't have as many employees or, you know, I'm at a different stage of my life. I do childcare for my infant grandson, you know, four days a week while the kids work. It's different if you. If you're a mom with young kids, your stage of life is different. Your season is different, and you have to have grace for that, and you have to be okay with it. Like, I'm okay with it, you know, if I'm not a multimillion dollar business. But I have beautiful Huxton, and my kids are happy and my marriage is solid. Like, come on, y'. All. You know what's really important. But the other thing is I look at my girlies in my town, and we have a sleepy town. We live in a sleepy town, kind of rural Texas town outside of Austin, Texas. We're in Taylor, and sleepy is just. Yeah, the best word. Okay. But I'm like, they're successful. And so when I see that, I'm like, april, if they can do it, they're one block over from you. Literally one block. And if they can do it, you can do it. What piece do they have? What piece of the puzzle do they have that you don't have? And obviously, okay, this is just me. I'm not going to go ask them, because these girls are business owners. They've got a million things to do, and they're moms and they have young children. Like, they don't have time for that nonsense. I'm going to go find it out myself. So, number one, I've listened to every single one of Yalls podcasts, but not just Yalls. I mean, Jenna Kutcher. I couldn't even. I. There's probably 10 that I listen to daily. Okay. And then all the trainings that are in the boutique hub. Just books. Oh, my gosh. I've read Hug your customers, how to win Friends and influence People. So many. I have, like, a lot. I have an actual library downstairs in our house. I'm a huge reader. Like, just educate yourself. A book is so inexpensive. And if you're like, I don't have time to read, so I read actual books. What are these things where. Audible. Right? Where. Yeah, audible.

Audible.

Like do what? I guess what I'm saying is if. If one person can do it, especially if there's that one person in your town who's doing it. And this.

This is.

This is April preaching to April. This is what I tell myself. If one person in my town is doing it, there is zero excuse for you, April. You just don't have all the tools yet. So you, April, need to go out and find those tools and use them.

Oh, I love that. I love it because it's so easy, especially this year as things are changing, to look and go, oh, gosh, you know, they can do it, but I can't.

Right.

And just. Just to fall into that hole. And I love what you said. That's so powerful. Investigate. Because they did it and are doing it. That means I can too.

Yeah. I wouldn't say this too, as an out, because I do think there are seasons, because even for myself, there are seasons. I'm 45. Honestly, I don't think I want to be trying on clothes when I'm 50. That's just April. Other 50 year olds might. I fully want to have nanny's farm out in the boondocks and have a whole castle of grandchildren and be teaching them crazy science experiments and then going and feeding the goats. Okay. That's what April wants in five years. Husband, I hope you hear this.

I want to come live with April. I'm moving. I'm leaving Wisconsin. Now.

There might be a time right, where you're like, yeah, you know what? I don't want to fight this battle anymore. And if you are making that decision for yourself and not like, oh, like poor pitiful me, but just like, this is not my season anymore, then that's okay too. Like, you have to give yourself grace for that, that you did your thing. There will be a Next thing. I promise, there's always a next thing. Even if it's just rest.

That's so good. So true. There are so many seasons, and it's okay to say, this is not the season for me, or, you know what? This isn't the business for me.

Yeah. Yes.

There is no shame in that. No, you didn't fail. There is no, you know, what are other people gonna think?

It's.

What's the life I want to live? And how do I define success? On my own terms?

Other people are gonna think about you for about three seconds. They're gonna, like. Like, if I were to close down the lighthouse, they'd be like, oh, the lighthouse is. Is closed down. And then the next Instagram post would pop up and they buy something. Like, they would think about me for three seconds. It's. It's okay. It's the world we live in. Don't worry about what other people think about you, darling. It's not worth it. So good.

April, this has been incredible. I have loved this conversation so much. It's absolutely flown by for us. So I've got to ask you this question. And usually when I get to ask this question, I'm like, okay, fast forward, forward, you know, 20 years, and you're sitting on the front porch, right? With your family. You. It's amazing. You have a beautiful family, grown children. You have a beautiful grandson. So let's just say 10 years down the road when you're, like, feeding the goats on the front porch, right? When you're talking to your family and multiple grandchildren about this life you lived and being in the Marines, Amazing. Thank you for your service, you and your husband. That's incredible as well. But you're going through all these journeys you've been on. What's the thing you want them to remember the most about you?

Yeah. Who? The only thing that matters to me, the only thing, are my men. Because that's all I have. I have a husband, I have three sons, and I have Huxton. Someday I will have daughters in law, but they are the only thing that matters. It's not the shop. I love my clients, but it's not even my clients. If my clients know that my children and my husband were deeply loved and my grandson were deeply loved, then I'm successful. If my sons know Mommy loves them and my husband feels content in my love. I've got the whole world.

Oh, so powerful. April, you are such a light. Now I'm.

Now I'm crying.

We're all crying, but so true, man. Thank you so much, April, for sharing your message today and you are living out your life's purpose. I. I just believe it. You are such a light. Thank you for being the lighthouse. Thank you for being the light. Thank you for being on the podcast today and thank you for being in the hub.

Yes. Thank you for having me. Thank you for creating such a wonderful space for us.

Oh, you're so welcome.

All right, thanks.

Thanks for listening, guys. I hope you took away all of kinds, kinds of nuggets and new ideas from this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating and review. We love to hear your feedback and give you a chance to be featured on the show each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and to access guest downloads and bonuses and all the resources we talked about on the show, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.