#630: From Burnout to Breakthrough: Getting Back to Basics in Retail

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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 have been looking forward to this conversation for quite some time because, Carrie, I have watched you go through so many changes in your business and you just, like, you just keep showing up. You just keep showing up and evolving and rebuilding and I just admire your tenacity. So thanks for being here today.

I am so excited to be here and the changes that I have gone through. Yes.

And change can be a powerful tool. So let's dig into it, right?

Yes.

All right, well, let's start here. Carrie, tell me about your business. How did you get started in the industry? What did the business first look like? How has it evolved to where we're at today?

So 14 years ago, I had a traveling boutique called Western Legends, and we were really rodeoing a lot at the time. And so I thought, why not set up a booth and sell clothes to my friends? And it was a little hobby. Whatever. Never did I imagine it would turn into what it is now. So I got tired of being on the road and doing that and we opened up a storefront. I had a business partner, and it literally just kept growing and growing and growing. And we opened a second location. And, you know, they always say bigger is better. Completely disagree with that, bar none. But I. We have brick and mortar and online. But my small town, brick and mortar is literally my heart, my soul, soul, everything. I pour everything into this store. In my hometown, where I grew up, my parents had a feed store, and so I was probably voted least likely to open a clothing store. So when some of my high school friends come in, they're like, gosh, I never imagined you'd be doing this, but here I am. So after 12 years with this brick and mortar, it's still going strong. And I've learned a lot of things. Well, we're gonna get it.

I'm picking your brain on all the things. We're digging in all the things today. So. Okay, let me get this straight. So started mobile, and I love the rodeo aspect because, you know, that's my background too. So I totally understand. And then it started the Hometown brick and mortar that you still have, but you've had multiple locations, right?

Like, yes.

Added more to that along the way. And then now, I mean, we'll talk about kind of scaling it back in a minute. But tell me at the point where you were like, I need more. Let's keep adding and growing. What did that look like?

Well, so we started out in a 500 square foot building here in town, and literally no other boutique had ever made it. And so it was kind of like everybody's saying, this is never going to make it, you know, whatever. Well, then within a year, we moved into a 2,500 square foot building because we were growing so rapidly. And then within a few years after that, we bought a building and moved in here. And it's 4,500 square feet to back up a little bit. Nine years ago, I went through a divorce. And in my mindset, I was thinking, hey, I've got to compensate some extra income, you know? So we were headed home from market one day and we were trying to talk about, think about where to open up another location. And one of my best friends lives about 25 minutes down the road. And so we immediately called her and I said, hey, will you run this store? And she said, oh, my gosh, I would love to, but let me pray about it. And so literally, we went down the next day and looked around, looked at a building, signed on Monday, had it opened within three weeks. And so we were there for nine years. And I just closed that store, and everything's back in one location now. And it's good.

And it's good. Okay, we've got to talk about a couple things in that story. Laced in that story. So you had a partner for a while?

I did for 12 years.

Yeah. So talk to me about that. So, I mean, you went through a lot of change. First there was, you know, divorce brings a lot of change and obviously a mindset shift, you know, that you take on. Let's actually stay there first. Let's talk about the divorce first. And I would assume that a lot of women, when they go through a divorce, feel like this is the end. How can my business survive this? My personal life's going through all these changes. There's chaos. How do I protect my business and what I'm trying to do. Talk to me about just that process for a minute. How did you handle all of that?

Honestly, for me, it was a, I am not gonna fail, and this is gonna work, and I'm gonna make this work. It gave me a drive Like I'd never had before. And you growing up, rodeo and, you know, the competition part, I'm like, very competitive. I'm gonna win, but I. To win first place all the time, but I'm going to be at the top.

Yeah.

And so I made a decision then that, you know, for me and my son at the time, I was like, this is what I have to do. And I just put. Put it all in and I mean, made it work. Yeah.

Gritty. I feel like gritty is the name of the game, right, when you're going through that.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yes, completely.

So then you had a partner also at the time in business, and then you kind of came to this point. Tell me, before you guys split, what were your roles? What were her roles? Kind of, what did the operations look like? And then how did you come to the point where you went two different directions?

So I was mainly the face of the business for a long time, doing all the. Most of the buying and merchandising and just putting everything in front of everyone. She did all the books and the bookkeeping and stuff like that. And we. She's 10 years older than me, and we kind of just grew apart in our business life. I wanted to go different directions. And she has grandchildren and stuff like that, so she was ready to stay at home and do other things. So we just decided it was time for us to go ahead and split ways. And that happened in September of last year. So I was actually, when we were in LA talking to you about that. And so honestly, it was. It was a blessing, too. And it's been literally great for me to get my hands back in my business, to know my numbers, to know my inventory, my buying. You know, Christine's really helped me with that. So this is totally going down a rabbit hole. But I will say the Hub has given me so many resources that I have needed that I didn't know I needed and how to implement them in my business. So thank you.

Well, you're welcome. I mean, thanks for being. Thanks for being present. Like, you. You keep showing up, like the gritty piece. Right. You keep showing up and asking questions and getting involved. And for everyone who doesn't know. So, Carrie, you were at the Mastermind event that we were hosting in la, and I'll never forget looking at you sitting on that couch and everyone was kind of going around the room and talking about what they were going through at the time and what they needed help with and whatever, and. And you just kind of made a statement. Like, I feel like I'M starting back at square one. Like, there's these parts of the business that I, you know, have let go and let somebody else run. And I feel, you know, like just, I'm. I don't know what's happening in this area of the business and I'm going back to square one to figure it all out again. So. So talk to me about how you did that. How did you get back into that side of the business? What did you have to walk through in order to feel equipped and competent in that area again?

Well, I mean, literally in September when I came to la, I was thinking, I'm so unworthy of being here. I don't know all my numbers, I don't know all of this stuff, you know, but it gave me again that grittiness that I was like, okay, I'm going back home and I'm figuring out exactly where I need to be, what I need to be doing. And I've just gone back to the basics, literally. And it feels great going back to the basics. And I know it's. Sometimes you forget about those little things that you really need to be doing yourself. Yeah. And hiring out is great and I do have a lot of that hired out. But there's so many things that us as business owners and boutique owners, we have to just show up and be present as far as that. So after I left LA and my business partner and I split, I've then closed the second location. I lost my store manager. So I have literally gone back to. I'm taking all the pictures, showing up early to get things done, being present in the store. And my people love to see us in this. Me in the store. And just because I'm relatable and my. My customer is close to the same age as I am, you know, 45 years old, 30 or even to 50 to 60. And it's that casual but cute, sassy chick that wants to be all the things, but yet the comfort wear too. And her name is Angie.

Yes, Angie. I love these customer Personas. Like, you're making my heart sing right now.

Yes. So I've never had that before the Hub either. And the girls in the Mastermind have really encouraged me to sit down and find my girl and who she is and buy for that. I kind of have a couple, but, like, she's the main one, I think. And then it just goes down from, you know, the list. Yeah.

You know what's so interesting about, like, when I think about that room and I think there's always, you know, the question of, like, what's it like to be in a room like that? And if I can give anyone that feedback, and I want your opinion as well, I just feel like sometimes we have a perception that bigger is always better and that once you get to a certain point, you've got it all figured out and your life gets easier. But there, everyone in that room had a major struggle. They all were just very different. Like, there's always struggle, but I think what sets you apart is again, being gritty and figuring out, okay, what's my next best step to overcome that struggle. But everybody has that in common, big or small or anywhere in between. Would you agree?

Yes, completely. I mean, when I walked into that room, I felt so unworthy of being there. But getting to know those women, and I will say they have been my lifeline for the past year. We have seen each other through the ups and downs. I mean, the good, the bad. I mean, it's been. I cannot say how amazing that it has been to have those women in my corner. I've never had other people in my industry to actually support me the way they do. And I mean, it is amazing.

The power of building relationships and being vulnerable, right?

Yes. It's amazing.

Yeah. So let's go back to, you know, your role today and what that looks like. And you said you're back in your business. You've downsized your, you know, better is better, not bigger is better. What does that look like on a daily basis for you? What are you most focused on? Like, what's on your plate? And then what are you still outsourcing and where are you asking for help?

A lot is on my plate right now. So I literally get up about 5 or 5:30 and sit at my desk at home and work for a minute. Then I'm in the store probably about 6 or 6:30 doing photo shoots and restyling things and. And then all day I actually hired out my email marketing, so I'm no longer in charge of that, which that had gotten really. Sometimes when you hire in house and you're not totally on top of it all the time, you lose sight of what it should be doing. And that's exactly where a lot of my business had gone. So I have outsourced a lot of that stuff and I found that that was a lot easier, even though it's virtual, that those people are still very much on my team. And so then showing up in my Facebook group, literally, I've never shown up the way I am right now. And my engagement is up. So Much. But the people are actually just loving seeing me back on social media and show and sharing my life. Not just what I sell and you know, being raw and real and you know, I will say one of the people that I follow is Gretchen has the best social media. I mean, she kills it with her stories and just the real life day to day and you know, that's what everybody wants to see. I mean, they don't have to see the, the horrible things, but they still want to know your struggles and your.

Yeah.

Your wins, you know, I mean, just all goes back to being, showing up wherever you're needed. Yeah.

That's so true. I think there's such a balance.

Right.

Of we always talk about working on the business and not in the business. I've even found myself in this actually within the last year where I've almost taken myself out of the day to day so much and I'm working on all these like big picture things.

Yeah.

That I've lost sight of, like being present in the Facebook groups like you mentioned and just being like in the nitty gritty every day. But now that I'm like back, because I'm trying to be very much, you know, just more present and being back, I found that's really where my joy spot is. And I took the thing that I love the most away so that I could work on the business and not in. So I'm just like trying to relearn myself and I'm hearing you say the same thing.

I feel that in so many ways.

That balance look like.

Yes, I feel that in so many ways. I mean, I, I took myself out of the social media and I had a girl doing that for me for a long time. And now that I'm back in it, I realize that I should have been here a long time ago. And it took me literally going through so many changes this past year to get me back to where I am. And when I say it literally was all a God thing. It all was because it all played out exactly how it was supp to. And so a year later, here I am looking back on last year thinking how am I going to get through all of these hurdles I'm trying to get over and navigate running my business, you know, solely by myself and digging deep. And here I am and it's. It's actually all coming back together now and I'm back to square one where I wanted to be. Yeah.

Challenges being just a blessing in disguise, honestly.

Exactly. Yes.

So how else have you looked at, you know, getting back into the business and just creating better systems, processes like new buying plans or new ways of measuring success. What does all of that look like?

Well, my buying, I actually never had an Angie or a person and I let so many people influence my buying as far as even my partner, my employees and, and that was not who my, my person was. And so now that I'm actually back focused on who my person is, I feel like my buying is so much better. And I, I cannot tell you the people that have said, oh my gosh, I'm loving what's going on right now. And so given just that little bit of feedback for me has given me a more, the more grit that I just want to keep going, you know. So after 12 years I almost thought, well would I still be here in 12 years? But I still think I'm going to be that lady that's 100 years old and they're going to say is that lady and Jessie Jane ever going to go away? I mean she's still there trying to.

Take pictures, she's still there making it work. I love that it's here, it's time. Are you ready to start planning 2025? Well, you might have your own day planner, you might have a Google calendar, but let me tell you, I love planning with the official Boutique Boss Planner. The Boutique Boss Planner is a day planner that we created here at the Boutique Hub several years ago. Created by boutique owners for boutique owners. And it's more than a day planner. Inside the Boutique Boss Planner is not only your opportunity to operate a normal day planner with your hours and your time blocks, but it's also a boutique owner's go to resource. Inside there's inventory tracking, social media tracking, monthly reminders and to do lists, all kinds of information on how to host a month in review to really track what worked and what didn't in your business this month, but also a planning sheet on how to get ready for the next month in your business. Even if you're going to market, even if you're getting ready for social media content, there's tools, tips and ideas and checklists to keep you on track and organized all year long inside of the Boutique Boss Planner. So check out the link in the show notes for access to the 2025 Boutique Boss Planner or visit BoutiqueBoss store.com what, what advice would you give to others? You know, as you're going through all of this change, this navigating this change, you still have a team, right? You still have employees.

I do. I have four part time girls. So it's very small team right now. They're all super fantastic. So I love the small team right now. Of course, during the holiday seasons I'll have to amp that up. But and also this year I've kind of had a little bit of anxiety because of my fourth quarter. Going into fourth quarter, I'm doing a pop up at Mistletoe in Jackson, which is about an hour and a half north of me that the junior auxiliary puts on and it's a huge show. I applied back beginning of the year thinking I'll never get in that because it's really hard. Well, I got in and so it's the first week in November, then it's followed by Pink Friday and it's followed by Black Friday and then it's Christmas and I'm like, oh my gosh, anxiety. Just sit in and like took over.

You're gonna need a little more help, right?

Yes, yes. But so I am excited about the fourth quarter too as far as that. But my employee wise, I don't really have anybody that's doing specific things right now besides my inventory manager. And she is part time too, but she does all the inventory stuff. And then I'm literally just taking care of everything else right now until I can get back to past square one, to square two, I guess. Yeah.

How have you through this change? I mean, it's navigating your team relationships and getting back, you know, into the business. What about vendor relationships and brand relationships? How have those changed along the way as well?

Honestly, I've always had a really good relationship with a lot of my major brands and I love that that we have a one on one relationship with them. So we've had a couple viral products that went live and so, you know, I love that they share my social media posts and that is something that I don't think they've ever done before. And I'm like, oh my gosh, dear. Scarlet tagged me in their story. That's fantastic. You know, so yeah, seeing the little things like that with my vendors makes me really happy too. And I know that they care about their customers just like we love their products. So yeah, absolutely.

Well, take me behind the scenes in your business for a minute. What does your tech stack look like right now? What channels like your point of sale system? What are you using for email marketing? Tell me about that inventory flow and what processes you're using there.

So we use Shopify for our POS and that's also where my website's powered through. And then we have Klaviyo for our text and emails, which is really, really good. We've also always generated a lot of sales through our emails. And so this past year, I will, I will say one of my challenges has been my email marketing lady that was doing that. That's no longer with me. It has gone way down. So I am so excited about building that back up. There's just so many changes that I'm excited about going forward with, especially in my. My everyday inventory and stuff like that. I have cleared out a lot of inventory that I know is not my person and try to, you know, just totally eliminate that. I want people to come in and say, oh my gosh, I can totally relate to every piece of clothing she has in here, you know, and that's my person.

So good. You've cleaned out technology, staff, clothing, getting all the way back to really managing who your people are.

And before I hired Christine, I literally, we were talking about, you know, she was asking me about my inventory, my tops and bottoms and all that. I'm like, I have no idea what you're talking about. So I was just buying to buy and not keeping up with anything. And so once I categorized my 11 categories, I mean, I know where I need to buy and I know where I don't need to buy, and I know where I need to eliminate several things. And that's something in my business. Prior to January, I had no idea what I was doing with that.

Yeah. And just so everyone knows who's listening, she's talking about Christine Gray with she profits now, who's been a huge part of the boutique hub and a huge part of our Mastermind program. Who can help dig into all those things? Mary, with Management one also, you know, has been incremental with all of that as well. So you mentioned a minute ago thinking about like tech stack and email marketing. Let's talk social media for a second. You said you're putting yourself back in social media, back in the Facebook groups. What channels are you all marketing on and what's been your most impactful channels that you're on?

So I just actually got on Pinterest, so I've not been on Pinterest, so that's new for me, but I'm excited to go there. Y But my Facebook, Facebook group is the most active, of course, and Instagram and I will say that literally just showing up and doing the. So we used to do lives all the time before COVID and then kind of through Covid, we kind of still stayed a little bit and then we just fell off with that.

Yeah.

And so I've started back trying to go live, trying to get on a schedule with that, and I. I forgot how much I love that. Like, it used to be like, oh, my gosh, I have to go live now, you know, But. And I think it's just so much has changed in my mindset, and I. I said this to somebody this week about my mindset's just totally changed, and I'm enjoying being back on social media, on my Facebook group, and in the lives, and not just selling the product, but just showing up and hanging out with everybody. Yeah.

Do you think that's a huge piece of just, like, showing up and having that new mindset is. The focus is off of just, like, the business operations and the outcome of the business, and it's back to, this is my customer, how do I absolutely serve them and give them service in a whole new way?

Right. And that's one thing that. So we never did FIT videos. I never did anything like that before. My social media girl didn't really want to do any of that either. And so when she left, I was like, okay, I'm doing what I want to do again. I'm gonna do. I want to do lives, and I want to do the fit videos, and I've got to get better at it. But, like, that has literally made me happy and my heart happy and smile and just showing up and loving it again.

I feel like this whole conversation is just simply about, like, bringing the joy back to your business.

Exactly. And I will say so. This is really crazy. I don't. I don't know if I'm going down a rabbit hole or not, but so I read this Devotion every day. It's a Charles Stanley on Holy Ground, and I've been sharing it in my Facebook group.

Yeah.

And so everybody kept asking me what that book was. So instead of telling them, I was just gifting, like, gifting it to them. Well, literally one day, I had over 200 women want a copy of that book. So the copy is no longer. The book is no longer made because I've had it since 1999, and it's seen me through the ups and downs. And so I bought all these books off this thrift book store. I even called the publishing company to see if they could republish the book, because I was like, I want to get this book out to everybody. And that is one thing I will say that the women have just related so much to just being vulnerable about what's going on in your. Even my Christian life. You know, or the struggles that we all have that we're like, hey, you know, yesterday I had a lady that came in and talked about divorce as she was walking out the door. And that was my opportunity to, you know, assure her that, hey, it's all going to be okay. You're going to be fine. And. And she also had went through weight loss, 82 pounds. And so she was buying new clothes. And so her self confidence when she left here was, oh, my gosh, I actually am beautiful. I mean, she was already beautiful, but it made her just like, I could see a difference in her after we got done talking. And that is why I do what I do. I love being the customer service part of our business.

Yeah, that is it. You nailed it. And I think it's so. I feel like you're speaking to me because I know that in the times in my business when I feel the most, you know, burnt out or lost or just like distant, it's because I've lost sight of like, that is why I do what I do.

You.

It is to change people's lives. That's the fuel. And if you can harness that fuel, everything else falls into place.

Exactly.

So much more joyful. But losing sight of that and getting lost in the numbers and the stress, that's not where to be.

That will take you down, down, down. I've been there too. And so literally, I got my joy back and I'm excited to have it back. And yeah, and I think my customers are seeing that again and it makes them want to see more of me when they see me happy again.

And.

And that's important.

Yeah, the energy is contagious for sure. Well, let's do a little lightning round of questions. Are you ready?

Okay. Okay.

All right, we got this. All right, I give you two hours back in your day to work on income generating activities. What do you focus on?

Go live. Facebook group. Go live. Show up the whole thing. I just said, like, literally I clearing out some things or not the new arrivals because they're going to sell themselves, but the things that have been sitting and in the store, just go live and show it to the people again and be present again. Yeah. For the whole two hours till your mouth is dry.

So good. All right, what's the hardest business lesson you've had to learn?

The hardest business lesson I've had to learn has probably been not let others influence me and the way I want to run my business and my vision that I had in the very beginning to stick to that, like, you know, in Your heart, who you want to serve and how you want to serve them and. Yeah, and I just, I feel like that if you lose sight of that, it's, it's gone. So I just wanted to go back and be, be that person again and focus on what my passion really was in the beginning, which was serving other women and helping them feel self confident and. Yeah, and I love it. So good.

What's a retail metric or any metric in your business, like a number, scorecard, whatever that you live and die by? Probably. Well, you talked about your buying plan with Christine. So is it a, is it a profitability number? Is it a cash flow number? Is an inventory number?

Traffic, it's a profitability number and also my traffic and thrift store. And I actually like to keep up with that daily because even though I am online, I want to see my traffic, my people come back in the store. So when that starts going down, I mean, my online presence does give them a reason to come in the store, but I want them to still come in and shop small and stay in town. And so I think that's important. Yeah.

What's your best advice for retailers who are listening that are maybe stuck right now or facing a big change or just wondering like, ah, what's the next step that I need to take? What's the, what's the best advice you could give them?

Just stay true to who you are. And I mean, it falls into place if you can just go back to the basics. And even if you lose that sight, go back to the basics, start over, keep your focus on exactly why you started. And I said that before. This is literally just like a, a rabbit hole I've gone down. But I cannot stress that enough. Like, I think so many times we get wrapped up in the numbers and the money and the selling and all of that that we forget why we even started. And, and I just, I see that so many times and so many large boutiques that I've looked up to for so long and I see them going back to that as well. So I don't think that it's just myself that's doing that. I think a lot of us are going back to being true to ourself and finding that niche again. And so, I mean, you have to pivot where it pivots and then it all falls back into place again.

You know, I keep hearing people say back to the basics. I think you said it a little bit ago. And that seems to be the most common thread I hear from business owners right now is just Back to the basics. And I think you hit on, like, that's what that means. What does back to the basics mean? It means going back to who you are, why you started, who you serve, what fills your cup up with joy. And then the most basic processes of measuring traffic, cash flow, inventory, making sure you have those numbers that you're actually tracking on a regular basis and staying there.

Right, right. Very good. That's probably been one of my biggest challenges, though, is tracking my inventory and try and that. Because that's something I've never done at all. Like I said, I had a large buying problem and we would just buy, buy, buy, buy. And so really digging into my inventory has helped me with that as well. And I've. I mean, it's. If you're not into your numbers and your inventory, you need to get there. Amen. Completely changed my business.

All right, well, Carrie, this has flown by. This has been so good. I'm so glad that you joined the podcast today. I have one last question for you before we wrap up, and it's kind of like the bigger question, right? And I know you and I both probably agree, like, this business is about obviously way more than the clothes you sell and the, you know, fidget sp, all the random things that become trendy throughout our time in retail. So you're fast forward, you know, down the road, 20 years, 30 years down the road, and everyone's wondering, you know, that Jessie Jane girl, she just lasted forever. And you're talking to your friends and your family about, you know, the life you lived and the business that you had. What's the thing that you want people to remember the most about you?

I want them to remember that I served my community well and that I was a provider of not just the clothes, but a safe place for women to come and hang out. I mean, I say it all the time to people that come through the door. I'm like, you don't have to buy anything. Just come hang out. And our store is really big, so we do have a lot of people that just come in. They're killing time or waiting on car line or, you know, whatever. And. And I love that, that they know they can just come in and hang out or, you know, have an issue or a problem. And we're always here just to have a conversation with you. And if I can encourage them, perfect. But I want that to be something that I'm known for as well as the self confidence that we give other women. But I love that part of my business so.

Good. Well, Carrie, thanks so much for being on the show today and for being such a huge part of the hub community and being a light for others and just sharing your message today. This has been really awesome.

I enjoyed it so much. Thank you.

Thanks for listening guys. I hope you took away all 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.