#640: Boutique State of the Union: Lessons from 2024 and Strategies for 2025

Foreign. 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. All right guys, welcome back. This week I love these end of year wrap up episodes. Honestly as I'm scrolling through the podcast apps and Spotify is where I typically listen, these are always the episodes I love to listen to most because I'm always so interested in other people's perspective on what worked and what didn't and what do you think we should prepare for? So I'm going to give you my perspective on a couple things today and I would love it if when you listen to this episode you send me a message. I mean collectively, like two heads are better than one, right? So I want your opinion, I want your feedback, I want to know what you think about what worked in the last year or more. So like what do you think happened in the last year and then what are you expecting for 2025? What do you think is going to be the new state of the boutique industry going forward? So again, send me a message either at the Boutique Hub on Instagram or, or AJ Alderson, which is my personal Instagram. And I would love to just hear your opinion, your thoughts and maybe I'll have another like little recap 5 Minute Friday and I'll share some of your guys input along the way as well. But here's how I see things. First of all, let's start with going back to 2024 and the year that we're walking out of. And I mean I've got to say this as a whole, like if I could sum up this year, yeah, I have to say this, the year wasn't completely bad. Now you probably heard more stores closing than ever. Probably more negativity than ever. You know, a lot of like just negativity around 2024 and you wouldn't be wrong. We all heard that. But I also want to tell you I have heard from hundreds, hundreds of retailers who had one of their best years ever. And so the perspective is always so interesting to me because I think it's easy to look back and say, well it sucked. And then when you ask people, well why did it suck? Like that's when you get into the meat of, okay, is it a mindset issue? Is it a we just expected it to be like it was before issue? Did we not lean into shifting, testing, trying new things kind of an issue? I would say the people that I talked to that said this year was great for them, they were the ones who were very quick to adopt new strategy and test things out, think outside the box. None of them were scared of failing. They were, like, leaning into it, like, full on, you know, the business is what it is. I better double down, I better try some new things. I better lean into building a brand. And a lot of them saw success from that. And so I, I mean, hats off to you if, if that's you and you had an amazing year, keep freaking going. Keep going. Overall, when I look back, and I think a common misconception is, you know, when we looked at 20, 20, 2021 and the immense amount of growth our industry had, there was a lot of people who got trapped in that growth and thought, well, this is the trajectory I'm on and it's always going to be this way. But if you've been around the block a few times, you know, you know, what goes up will sometimes come down. And retail specifically is very cyclical. There are great years, there are not so great years. Just like in retail, there are great months and there are not so great months. But being a strategic business owner is understanding the highs and lows and being able to both. Right. Like, I grew up on a farm and a ranch, and so my dad always said, you make hay while the sun shines. And you do. You make hay while the sun shines. And, you know, sometimes the sun ain't going to be shining. And so how are you going to operate in those moments? And so there is a big, like, just mindset shift. I think that needs to happen as seasoned business owners to understand those ebbs and flows are totally normal and how are we going to handle them when they hit us? So definitely, as a whole, a more challenging year. I think there was a bit of a. I don't even know that I really want to call it a boutique bubble, because that is, I don't know, very cliche. But there was a lot of businesses that started in 2020 and 2021 and made it, you know, everyone was making it look easy at that time because it was. Money was flowing. But then they got into it and we're like, oof. You know, this is tough. This is more work than I thought it would be. This is more stress. I'm not Making cash as fast as I thought I would like. I think there's a lot of that coming around, and therefore those. Some of those businesses going out. And then there's also businesses who have been around for many, many years, and they're like, you know what? I don't like the new way of doing things. I don't want to have to change and adapt. I think it's just time for me to move on, which is normal. That is the life cycle of business. And we saw a lot of that this year as well. But again, let me remind you, that was not everyone. There were a lot of people who had a great year. And whether you know, you're on one side or the other, it's okay to be wherever you are. It's okay to have the year you had. There is always a new opportunity. One of my favorite business mentors told me this once. He said, ashley, a bad day doesn't make a bad week, and a bad week doesn't make a bad month, and a bad month doesn't make a bad year. And one bad year will not ruin your business. So every day is a new opportunity, and it is what you choose to make of it. And that is something that sticks with me. Even with our own businesses, multiple, you know, some. Some things are good, some things are not good. It's what you make of it. And I'm going to wake up tomorrow and I'm going to try to figure it out, and I'm going to keep going, right? There's highs and lows, and I'm going to keep going. So overall, I would say that is definitely the sentiment of the year that I heard from many of you, but I want to take that a step further. So five other, like, kind of quick little pieces of feedback on the year. First was 2024 was an election year, and we all knew that. You know, gosh, how many different times did I say, well, it's an election year? I heard that again and again. And couple things to note about election years, because every four years, you know, it's. It's tough. Presidential election year's tough. And then we have midterm elections, right? There's always elections. Midterm election years every two years. Those are also big years. Things to remember, there's always a wave of consumer uncertainty. Consumer uncertainty during an election year. People are, you know, kind of feeling on edge. They definitely were fighting. They were feeling alienated. They, you know, were sick of dealing with the negativity in the news and the keyboard jockeys and the this and that and the back and the fourth. Nobody wanted to be on social media during the prime season of an election year. And so that definitely does impact consumer, you know, behavior and buying. But I will say the people who leaned into this mindset, the mindset of, yeah, there was a lot of negativity out there. And that's why I chose to be a happy place and a bright spot and escape from all of that in my brand and in my marketing. Those people seem to be the ones that were most successful, that the people who really leaned in on the blame of, well, it's an election year, so it's gonna suck. You know, cross your arms, Karen. No offense if your name's Karen, but there was some of that. And those people, of course, saw a major hit, and I would expect them to, because negativity is contagious. And whatever the vibe is that you're putting out, your customers can sense it. The. The truth is, and the fact is about an election year is once the election passes, no matter who wins, no matter what party wins, as long as there is a clear winner, consumer confidence rises, right? The normal people win, lose, or draw, they can say, well, at least I know what to expect for the next four years, and I can go about my life and move forward. And this year, what was interesting was the entire Black Friday season was earlier this year than normal. And I think Pink Friday hit at the perfect time because everyone was just coming off the election like, oh, I'm so sick of this. At least I can move forward. Then we roll into Pink Friday as, like, this huge shopping push. And I heard from more people this year than I ever have that Pink Friday was record break for them. Like, people were so excited to get out, shop, have a great, positive experience for Pink Friday. So that's really, really encouraging. So the next time you find your business in an election year, the takeaway is ride it out. Do not blame the election. Make yourself a happy place. Make yourself an escape, right? Your energy, your vibe, your mindset is absolutely contagious. And you can be the victim of that mindset or the victor of that mindset. But just remember, whatever the outcome is, consumer confidence will rise and we can all move on with our life. So don't just blame the election year. Blame. How am I showing up in my marketing during an election year? All right, second, big thing that I think was an impact this year, a major impact for the apparel industry. Specifically this year in home and gift, man, I'm hearing more and more people in home and gift say, you know what? This is hitting us too. And that of course is the rise of Shein and Temu and all these, you know, online businesses that are just, you know, cheap crap from China. We'll say. Now, I am going to tell you, just like the election year, I think one of the biggest mistakes that we could make is simply blaming our businesses struggle on these websites. Like, what's wrong with your business? Well, Sheena T Mobile, you know. No, I think that it's an opportunity for us to reflect and say, well, we've had change like this before in our industry. The rise of the Internet was scary for a lot of people. The rise of Amazon was scary for a lot of people. Honestly, today it's not even just Sheen and Temu and Amazon, but it's Walmart Marketplace, it's Target Marketplace, it's all of these other, you know, discount outlet places. Your customer for the most part is going to find herself in a place where she's going to want to shop these at one point or another. And you can't diss her for it, you know, like it's life. She's going to want to, she's going to be curious, she's going to find a bargain she can't refuse and she's going to shop there. So I think rat, rather than shaming people, I think there is a healthy version or a healthy difference rather in shame versus education. So if you follow me on Instagram, for example, AJ Alderson on Instagram, a lot of my content is kind of rallying the troops around educating. What is the difference in shopping, these sites versus shopping independent retailers or even just shopping locally, even if they are physically going into a local Walmart, let's say, in your town and spending money there, that is still more positive than spending money online at Sheen and Temu or whatever. Because at least Walmart, your local Walmart, is employing local people. It's giving back to the local community through grants and donations. We all know they do, they've got great programs. It is creating a local turn of money in your local economy. Right? It might be the snow removal business that has a Walmart account. It might be the pest control business that has the Walmart account. It might be the insurance, you know, somehow tied locally that has one piece of the Walmart account. Certainly there's national coverage for that. But the point is shopping local versus shopping, like big box, online or foreign are very different things. And so we can educate versus shame. The other piece of this I think is important to note is if you Find yourself in the same market as some of these big guys, Sheen and Temu. Specifically, if you are trying to be online, fast, cheap, trendy, and that's been your stronghold for so long, you may need to reconsider. What is my value proposition? Right. If you're just trying to get by with, you know, being cheap, fast and trendy, well, so are these guys. Is that what you want or is there a different market for you? Honestly, what I love about this conversation is I love that. This takes us back to the origin story of boutiques. What is a boutique? If you're calling yourself a boutique, what does that mean? Well, originally a boutique meant you are unique curated. It's where you could find, you know, quality, one of a kind, kind of handcrafted, unique, can't find it anywhere, all sorts of things. But somehow over the years, we've lost that. And I saw, you know, we saw, all of us saw just the rise of fast, cheap, trendy, sometimes garbage. And so we have to ask ourselves, is that who we want to be? What I found interesting this year was I heard from a lot of retailers who were higher end. And when I say higher end, you guys, I'm not meaning 300 for a sweater. Yes, I saw a lot of that, but I also saw people that were just camping out in that 80 to $150 range. They were carrying things that you couldn't necessarily find on these other sites. They were a little more unique. They had a brand story that went with them. They were felt more curated and special. They were more quality. And you certainly could do a Facebook live and talk about seams and stitching and buttons and lining and cuts and patterns and prints and all of that and really set yourself apart from everybody else. Same is true in the gift world. You know, whether you're carrying a candle like Capri Blue or something that's a little higher quality. A Capri Blue candle is not the same crappy candle you're going to buy on Sheen and Temu. Can you imagine? Massive difference. So a lot of retailers decided, okay, time for me to shift. This is not my market. I'm going to move because my customer is also moving. Yes, they want to dabble in cheap and affordable. I got a good deal. But is that where they're going to buy the most important things to them? No, they're going to probably buy something quality over here. That customer who is shopping on Sheen probably also drives an 80,000 doll Yukon, carries a Louis Vuitton real bag, and has a $300 pair of cowboy boots. So she's willing to spend the money on the things that are of value to her. Your job is to position your marketing to be of value. So how do you do that? Right? That is up to you and your photography, your merchandising, your lives, your language, just how you are positioning your brand as quality. So keep that in mind. Yes, this was a hit to our industry, but this is also a call to our industry to evolve. And that's okay. All right. Third thing I thought was interesting and this really goes hand in hand with what I just mentioned. This was the rise of TikTok Shops. Now, man, going back to what my dad said, make hey while the sun shines, girl. I saw some of you making hay, making lots of hay. Not just the small square, small square bills. No, these were like, these were like two ton bricks that you were making on TikTok Shops. It was incredible to watch this frenzy unfold. To be honest with you guys, I have been super duper skeptical of TikTok Shop since the moment it launched as a company, the boutique. We had multiple, multiple meetings with TikTok and they were wanting to partner with us and come into our community and become your trusted partner. And there was just always a feeling in my gut that was like, you know what? Oh, I just, I don't see this as the best long term solution for our industry. I fear this is going to be a flash in the panel and it's going to be kind of a bait and switch. They didn't seem like they had a solid long term strategy they could actually tell me about that was actually beneficial for retailers other than just being beneficial for TikTok. And so I completely stepped away. Like, we did not partner with TikTok whatsoever. Now, that being said, a lot of you did, a lot of you were TikTok Shop partners and saw major success making hay while the sunshine some of you still are. But there's definitely been a bit of a rise and a fall of TikTok Shops. I think it's gotten to the point now where I don't want to say it's oversaturated, but it's definitely becoming more saturated. The customers there really just want to deal. The returns will eat you up. But if you can find, if you can double down and find a niche product and go freaking ham and do volume, volume, volume of that niche product. I won't say their name, but there is a retailer inside of our mastermind who is one of the top sellers on TikTok for a very specific product. They have figured that out. They have ridden that train and they're going to ride that train as long as they can. And then when that train starts to slow down, they're going to switch and they're going to find another product that is going to have the same type of experience. So I think TikTok's great when you can be strategic. TikTok is tough when you're trying to sell on it like a traditional boutique channel, because it's not. So I say all that. It's good, it's bad. Make of it what you will. Again, I'm skeptical of it long term. I don't think it's great for the industry. I think it's another sheen and another temu. But it's great when you can be strategic about one or two or three very specific products and you can make your name, you can grow your brand recognition and somehow you can migrate those customers to be loyal customers on other channels as well. So again, make of it what you will. All right, fourth thing I think is really big in 2024 that we should all learn from. And I'm telling you what, we are going to double freakin down this in 2025. Like write this down, double down on this. But this is the rise of the boutique creator economy. I talked about this a year ago. I sent you guys a message big like, hey guys, this is what's up. It is the rise of the creator economy. Like, you better be on it. And this year I feel like we just saw that, you know, play out even more. I think 2025 is going to be more intentional about this. Last year, as I was talking about this, I was talking about diversifying your revenue. Like, you are not just a product flipper, your brand builder. Your job is to build a brand, build a community, build relationships, build trust of people who want to be in your space. They trust you, they trust what you curate and you pick out. You can sell them anything from that vantage point, Anything. It's not just about your boutique, it is about your brand. So people who really double down on that. It's interesting to watch some of the journeys that unfolded now. Some of them, gosh, I'll use Tori Gerbig with the Pink Lily, for example. Tori did an excellent job of getting on this train early. She of course, built an amazing boutique business, but she also built a really incredible influencer business. But I think she's maybe at or near a million followers on the gram. I know she's got tons of followers on TikTok. She did a great job of leveraging both sides of the business, personal and business, and I've seen some people do that and keep the boutique. Taylor Jones, if you're listening, I'm going to call you out. Taylor did a great job early on of building a personal brand. And it wasn't just the tiny closet, but it was tiny Tay Tay. It was Taylor. And now she's dabbled in having a wholesale brand. She's now walked away from the wholesale brand in the boutique. But what she did was she leveraged her personal brand power to team up with an amazing, huge boutique to be their number one live seller. And she's helping build their brand and she's also booked some amazing affiliate deals with outside companies. So there's just a lot of that. I think you need to double down, lean in, because again, it's not just about selling products, but it's about building that leverage and relationship and community to be a brand builder more than a product flipper. Hey, are you on the list yet? I know you want to be on this list. You don't want to miss this list because we are deep diving into your business college style. Not 101 style, not 301 style, 501 style. And that is inside of our college level course for boutique owners called Retail Bootcamp. Now, many of you may have already taken Retail Bootcamp, because the cool part about this course is not only do you get to watch it at your leisure, but then join us for 14 weeks of live group coaching twice a year. That's 28 weeks of live group coaching every single year. Once you're inside of Retail Bootcamp, you're always inside. So you get that same two semesters of group coaching every single year for as long as you want to join us this year inside of Retail Boot Camp, I can't wait to go back to deep dive into the six layers of your business strategically, step by step. What do you need to grow before you're ready for the Facebook ads and digital traffic, which we definitely cover? First, we have to make sure, how's your pricing, how's your profit, how's your inventory? How's your team management? We're going into literally every single topic of your business throughout Retail Bootcamp. So it only opens twice a year, January and June. Make sure you're on the wait list again. Once you get in, you're in for life. Why didn't college allow us to do that? Right. Whatever happened to all that college debt we had? That was silly. I can make way better use of your time inside of retail bootcamp. So I hope you're on the list. Get on the waitlist right now. So you're the first to know when we open the doors of our 2025 session. I can't wait to see you inside of retail boot camp. All right, last two quick things that I think are big lessons from 2024 Facebook ads. Let's talk about this. Let's talk about this without offending anybody. Okay, big lesson. I watched more retailers just literally light money on fire in the last year than I ever have with Facebook ads. How did they do that? Well, it was hiring agencies that were charging, you know, 5, 10, $15,000 a month to run ads that when you got into their ad manager and looked at how often they were actually logging in and making changes to your ads, it was like maybe less than two and a half minutes a month. It was very, very little. And when you calculated their agency fee with your roas, it was negative. So I say that not all agencies do that. Not all agencies are bad. We've got some very awesome agencies that I'm so proud to partner with in the boutique hub. So if you want someone to run your ads for you, there's people who can do it efficiently. So it's not them that I'm talking about, but there's. I think it's just a topic that not a lot of people feel secure about or know a lot about. And so a lot of retailers found themselves upside down Facebook ads and with agencies. And so what I loved about the last year here at the hub was we saw that coming. We saw people coming, like, calling us crying, like, what is going on? You guys run a ton of ads. Like, can you look at my ads? How can I do this myself? Can you teach me? Blah, blah, blah. So Jeff on our team, who has been running ads, I mean, literally since Facebook ads started, who is an absolute guru with traffic, digital marketing, SEO, Facebook ads, Google Ads, TikTok, Pinterest, all the things he was like, like, Ashley, we've got to team up on this. Like, we've got to build a new opportunity for people to get in there, get auditing of their accounts if they're using agencies or just simply to learn how to DIY it. So they are educated enough to know better of what's working and what's not. And so that's why in the last year, we built and grew boutique hub black, which is our higher level offering for retailers serious about growth and traffic and driving conversion and finding efficient ways to get People converting on their products both online and in person. So we have a few hundred people inside of Boutique Black, which is incredible because it's a one on one coaching opportunity. It's small group coaching every Wednesday and it's like real life auditing of your ads. So we have seen people make money hand over fist with Facebook ads. Facebook ads are working. Meta ads, Instagram ads, they are working. Improving your SEO and your e commerce optimization is working. But I think we just needed to figure out a way to get you guys the most important information hands on, specific to you in the last year to make that, you know, efficient. And we did and it's working. And I love hearing your feedback, so keep it coming. And if there's ways we can do it, even better. If there's other questions you guys have, you guys, our team is always trying to keep our ground or our ear to the ground to hear your needs so that we can try to find ways to solve problems faster. So that to me was something I was proud of because it was an industry wide problem and now we're starting to see industry wide solutions. So kudos to you guys who took advantage of that early on and have dug in there and become super efficient at learning how to run your own traffic. All right, finally, last lesson that I think was so key for 2024. And you know, as a business owner, when I say this again, business is a game. Like, it's a great game of business. And it's so fun. It's so fun. There's so much to learn. There's always a new opportunity, there's always a new angle to find. And the thing that I think we all learned and doubled down on in the great game of business, this was how to get lean. How to get lean. And you know, necessity is the mother of all invention, right? And so for many of us, we were like, oh crap, we can see the writing on the wall. Business was getting tight, right? Consumers weren't spending as much as they typically were. And so we had to get creative and we had to get lean. So many of you doubled down on where am I spending money, you know, inefficiently and how can I make that better? And that is something when you double down and do the work and get lean and make hard decisions now. And getting lean, keep in mind, isn't just like cutting expenses. It's not it. Sometimes getting lean is learning how to maximize investment. So getting lean might be doubling down on training your staff. Getting lean might be understanding the systems and processes that drive Your business and doubling down on those. How can I do this? Even better, when you take the time in a slow season, and we all have slow seasons in business, when we take the time to do that and get lean, it sets us up for success when we come out of a slower season. So those of you who've done the work this year to get smart, get lean, optimize. Boy, when business starts to really, like, take off, which a lot of economists are talking about, second half of 2025 being really, really strong, get ready, because that's how you maximize your profitability. So kudos, double down. Look at the numbers, get lean, get smart, and let's freaking go. All right, Those are my. Look back into 2024. Some of the lessons painful, some of them that we learned, factors that we definitely had to deal with. Let's talk about what's going to come in 2025 and what I think is going to be on the roadmap for success for many of us in 2025. So first things first. I think the retailers who have decided I am not going to, I'm not ever going to use the term, I know I should know my numbers, but I don't. Or I, you know, I'm not a numbers person like anyone who's made that excuse in the past. Like, I'm going to kick you in the butt in 2025 and say, frigging get on the train or get off of it. But now is the time to know your numbers. Now is the time to be smart with your metrics. So understanding sales versus inventory on hand, really understanding your inventory on hand, what does that mean for you? Where's the opportunity? Where's the aging? Where do we need to have a great markdown strategy? What does that mean for our specific business? Now is the time to do that. Same with understanding margin. Margin by category, margin by brand, margin by size, all those pieces of knowing what's actually paying the bills. Again, I use Queen of Sparkles as an example. Definitely had a wave of popularity, but. And some of you, like, crushed it, right? But some of you were like, oh, I see other people crushing it. So I'm going to try that brand, too. And then when you sold it, you realized you could only sell it if you were selling it at 40% off. So you kind of lost your butts there. Maybe you broke even. But margin by category or margin by brand is critical to understand. Yes, I might be selling this, but I'm only selling it at a massive discount. This doesn't make sense for Me to waste my time on it. Where is there a different opportunity that I can invest in and test out? So all those things critical traffic, average order value, really, as that all applies to the boutique traffic formula which guys in retail bootcamp we are like nerding out over these numbers and teaching you step by step by step how to get these numbers and metrics and what they mean and how to use them and how to teach them to your team, all of that. Be a business owner, not a hobbyist. That's the goal. Be a business owner, not a hobbyist. And you might be a multi million dollar business owner, but still acting like a hobbyist if you really don't understand your numbers. So rally cry, you guys, I'm calling you out. Get on the train or get off. But you've got to know your numbers to be successful. All right, second strategy for 2025. The goal is to be lean versus leaky. The goal is to be lean vs leaky. Bigger is not always better. Better is better. Be lean, not leaky and be better. What does that mean? Well, I mentioned this a little bit ago in terms of the lesson from 2024, but going into 2025, I encourage you to really think about systematically, how does my business function? There's a really great book by Mike Michalowicz. You guys have read Profit first, but Mike also has a book. Shoot. What's it called? Well, I gotta. Oh, Clockwork. That's what it's called. Clockwork. Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz. And in this book he talks about the qbr, the queen bee role. What is the most important role in your business that drives your business forward and how everything kind of revolves around this. And then he doubles down into like the systems, the processes, the things that will get you to the qbr. That's what I mean by being lean versus leaky. How can you get in? Make sure you have tight processes. You are spending time and payroll dollars efficiently getting the right most important things done. So optimizing staff time. Optimizing staff training is critical this year. Optimizing your time. If you are still finding yourself in the weeds doing $10 an hour jobs versus CEO level, $100 an hour jobs, you're wasting your time. So where can you double down, hire for scale and then make sure you save your time and set a boundary as a CEO so that you can yes, have the business that you want, but also live the life you want to live. I'll give you an example. My kids are in like the busiest season of life right now. Middle school, high school, sports. Man, I was not prepared for this. They run me. They run me around. They run me ragged. I live in my car. I live in my car. I hate it, but I also secretly love it. And the deal is this. I plan my life and schedule around their schedule. I know that I only have four years of Hadley being in high school. She's freshman. So everything I do revolves around when do I need to get them to sports after school, when's the next basketball game, when's the next rodeo, when's the next tennis match, what are we doing? And I set my boundaries accordingly, and I hire accordingly. Right. What are the most important tasks that I'm really good at and that bring me joy? That's really my sweet spot that I can be focusing on today. And anything else that doesn't fall in that category, that's where I hire, and that's how leverage and scale happens. I hire the $10 an hour jobs so I can focus on the $100 an hour jobs. Right. So where do you have that same opportunity? Don't get lost in the idea of $10 either. It's just an example. It might be $20 for you. It might be, but still $20 an hour versus $100 an hour income generating activities. That's what you focus on as a CEO. So dig in, get lean, not leaky, and be better this year. All right. Third focus for 2025 is I want to encourage you to focus on the ability to test quickly, fail fast, be willing to fail fast, have the ability to test quickly. So what does that mean? No more. I know I should, but when we say like, oh, I know I should do that. Yeah, I've been meaning to do that. I know I should do that. Actually, what you're saying is I'm scared to do that. Yeah, I could. I should. I hate that word. Should. I should, I would, I could, but I don't, and I won't. Right. So where do you need to double down and actually take action on the things that are holding you back because you're scared of failing? Lean into the idea of testing and failing fast so that you can redirect and try something new. And guys in retail like to. To be honest, that's what we do for a living. We fail fast for a living. We buy a pack of sweaters that turns out nobody loves and we have to discount, move on and try another pack that is. That's like the doggy dog world we're in. It is a hamster wheel of buying, seeing if they like it and trying something different. So try that in all aspects of your business, whether it's, you know, jumping onto text marketing or getting uncomfortable and getting front in front of the camera to make TikToks or doing Facebook lives like whatever it is, test it out, have the ability to test quickly and fail fast. It might also be building building out a sales funnel, building out your online SEO, learning how to run Facebook ads, testing out better brands, higher quality and different price points. Ooh, how about home and gift testing apparel and apparel testing home and gift. One of the biggest missed opportunities from apparel retailers is not knowing what is inside of the home and gift showrooms. It's a whole nother way to shop and it is so awesome. So dig deep into of pockets of this industry that you may not be familiar with. All right, finally, last thing to think about for 2025 is, and I alluded to this in, you know, lessons from 24, but in 2025, I really encourage you to think about how am I actually building a community and a brand. When you have a community and when you're a brand and you think of yourself as a creator more than you think of yourself as a boutique owner, your world around you will change. So how can you leverage the influence that you have personally, the relationship capital that you're building as you focus on building a community? When you look at those two things and you hold them in higher importance than just flipping products like, oh, I'm just selling shirts, we're selling jewelry. I'm just selling candles. No you're not. You're building trust relationships in a community and you're building a personal brand. Bring us along the journey. Three things to really think about when it comes to building a personal brand. Number one, solve problems every day. Wake up and choose one person you know that is in your sphere and build content around solving a very specific problem. Every day, focus on how can I solve this problem? How can I solve this problem? Number two, Throw rocks at a common enemy. Throw rocks at a common enemy. If your community has body image issues, you better start throwing rocks at what those misconception body issues might be. If your community is struggling with their busy moms, they're living in their car. It's time. Start throwing rocks at the idea of time going fast. Leverage it. If you find my content, if you follow my content on Instagram, I absolutely am throwing rocks at Sheen and Timu. I will, I will throw rocks at spending money anywhere other than local. So find a common enemy. Throw rocks at them. And then finally the third. Relate on a personal level. Bring me behind the scenes. You don't have to share everything about your personal life. You don't have to get into the nitty gritty details, but find ways to relate with me. Whether it's about a recipe that we're cooking, an experience we're having, a Christmas song that we both either love or hate, an experience that we're both having at this time in our life that relate to me on a personal level. So solve a problem, throw rocks, and relate to me on a personal level. And you will go far in building a personal brand and building for personal content. All right, that's it. That's my 24 recap. That is my 25 preview. Guys, this has been an amazing year on the podcast. I just have to take a second to say thank you. Thank you for tuning in. Thank you for listening. Thank you for your feedback and your messages and sharing where you listen to this podcast. So many of you message me on my Instagram, @ajalderson and @the Boutique Hub. Keep it up. Keep telling me what you love, what else you want to hear, where you're listening, and who's listening with you. It means so much to me that you guys are so invested in the podcast and also that so many of you are members of the Hub and a member of our community, and you're showing up inside of our Facebook groups. You're sharing the wins, you're sharing the losses. You're sharing the lessons together with several thousand retailers around the world means the ton. It means a ton. I am so blessed, you guys, to get to sit in the seat and hear your stories and watch your business from a vantage point and hopefully share some things along the way that'll just make a difference. Our mission at the Hub has always been about changing lives, because we know when we change a business, we change a life. And that business and that life not only change your life, but also your family and generations. It also changes your staff, your employees, and their families, and it also changes the community around you. So thank you for letting me get to live out this mission with you every day. All right, as we kick off our new year together, I want to invite you personally to join us during the best area challenge, January 6th through the 8th. It's free, it's live. Show up. We're going to kick the new year off together. And then right after that, we open enrollment for retail Boot Camp, which is our largest, most longest, most longest running. Is that actually a phrase? Longest running course and group coaching program at the boutique hub. It's 14 weeks of live group coaching twice a year, every year, lifetime access. It's pretty incredible. So those two things are coming. And then of course, if you have not grabbed a Boutique Boss planner yet, grab one of those along the way to help you plan your day to day life in business and at home. All right, that's it for the podcast this week, you guys. Thank you so much for joining me. I will see you in the groups and I will also see you at the Boutique Summit. Okay, I'll see you guys. Thanks for joining me. Have a great rest of your day. 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.