#820: 13 Scariest Lessons I've Learned in Business | (Boutique Hub Turns 13!)

Welcome to the Boutique Chat Podcast, where we're gonna help you build a profitable, sustainable business without you having to sacrifice your profitability, your family, or your sanity. Each week we're gonna dive into real conversations with retailers who have been exactly where you are and industry experts so you can learn and know exactly what to do next, all in community over competition. Whether you're just getting started or you're growing past an 8-figure business, you're in the right spot. So let's get into it. Welcome to this week's episode. Mic check, mic check. Just kidding. It's just you and me. You and me here today. You guys, I'm so happy that you're tuning in. Thanks for joining the podcast. We're going to be very casual here today as I sip my coffee and record this episode because today is going to be so fun. We are celebrating our 13th anniversary in business here at The Hub. And once you see all the social media posts and the weird videos that I made to celebrate our 13th anniversary, The title of this podcast is going to make way more sense, but the title is The 13 Scary Lessons I Learned in Business. We had to go off of this whole Friday the 13th vibe for this birthday anniversary, whatever this is, whatever you— is it a birthday? Is it an anniversary? What do you call that in your business? You'll have to tell me that on social. Which one? Birthday? Anniversary? When you see the videos, it'll make sense. But these are going to be the 13 scariest lessons that I've learned in business. And I'm so happy to just share these with you so casually today, because I'm going to be honest, if there's anything that I have learned in business, it is that it's hard. It's hard. And business can be so lonely at times. And I think that all of us at different times in our life have probably had this idea that in order to be successful in business, you have to fit some kind of perfect persona and you have to have it all figured out and you've got to be on and You know, all the things just have to line up in perfect order. And I just really am coming into this time in my life, and maybe it's the perimenopause in me coming out, but I'm just really embracing the moment that I'm in and the mess that sometimes we're in in the middle of life and business and, you know, trying to do it all and balance it all and juggle it all and really just embracing the fact that no one is perfect and nothing is perfect. The beauty is in all the little imperfections put together. That create the journey that we're on in this business. It's not about just this destination and this number we're chasing and this goal and this outcome. And again, this perfect idea of what it means to build a business. But we're really just on a journey. And it's all the little moments along the journey that make it so incredibly special. So, again, thanks for tuning in today and coming behind the scenes. And I just want to give you a sneak peek into this journey. And literally the 13 scariest lessons that I've learned in business. And some of these I hope you can relate to, some of them I hope you can learn from, and some of them is just gonna be story time. So let's jump into it, 13 scariest lessons. Number 1, this is both practical, but I think that it can be a little bit scary at times as well. And number 1 is the importance of knowing your customer. And that sounds great. You're like, duh, Ashley, of course, I've been through Retail Bootcamp and Retail Bootcamp Accelerator, and I know I need to know my customer. I've done the surveys, I know who they are. But hear me when I say this, the important part of knowing your customer, yes, is so that you can market to her and you can have the right inventory for her to buy and you're not gonna lose money, right? You're gonna have a higher sell-through rate. Like there's all kinds of business reasons why to know your customer. But I think the scary side of not knowing your customer or knowing your customer is when you're really good at knowing your customer, you are comfortable with being a magnet. And by being a magnet, I mean, yes, we wanna attract all the perfect people that are our customers and our ideal avatars to our brand. When you do that and you wholeheartedly go in on these are my people, the opposite side of the magnet will repel people from your brand. And they will say, no way, that brand is not for me. And that can be an incredibly scary lesson to learn, especially early on in business. And I'm here to tell you, I have walked that walk and I can't begin to count the number of times where there was, you know, somebody was upset or drama or a fight broke out early, 10 years ago in the Facebook group days at the Boutique Hub, or just somebody was like, you know what, that's a bunch of blondes that sell t-shirts, or, you know, just negative feedback I got from people, or good luck with your little project, or that'll never work for me, or that's a stupid idea. I thought of it, but it would never work. Like, just there's so much negativity sometimes in that repel side of the magnet, and it's easy to let that negativity and the repelling of this is not for me get to you and make you feel like things aren't gonna work out or you're failing. But the beauty in it is when you can be comfortable with the repel side of your magnet, the stronger the attract side of your magnet becomes. So I really, really encourage you to consider that when you target everyone, you reach no one. And the more attractive you are to your ideal customer, you're gonna repel some people along the way. Lean into it because the more comfortable you get with it, people can sense that energy about you and sense, just the calm confidence you have in completely being yourself. And that's the most beautiful part about you. So number 1 scariest lesson: know your customer. All right. Number 2 scariest lesson is it's okay to feel like an imposter. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt like— I hear this a lot of times when people come into the mastermind group and they're like, you know what? I feel like an imposter. I feel like this is such a group of successful people. Do I belong here? Who am I? I really don't have it all figured out. I'm I'm also just winging it. Like a lot of times in business we feel like an imposter because like I said at the beginning, it's damn hard to be in business and it is a really lonely game. And there was a lot of times, and I'll say early on this was really strong, but I still feel like this today from time to time. I still feel like, God, is this, who am I to even be talking about these things? What do I know about this topic? I am just an imposter. So I think to embrace that, again, just being completely comfortable with, you know what, I'm gonna embrace everything I do know and the experiences I do have, but I'm gonna surround myself by incredible people who know even more than me, but I'm also gonna trust my ability to just figure things out. And as an entrepreneur, as a business owner, you have an incredible ability to figure things out in a way that most people don't. So I'm not gonna stereotype everybody here, but I will say, I'll use this example. My oldest daughter Hadley, when she was in like third grade, she really struggled. We thought she was dyslexic. She had to have a tutor. She's always had to have a tutor in school. Like there's just always been things. And she had this teacher that was just horrible to her. And at Christmas time, we went in for parent-teacher conferences and Hadley was sitting at the desk with us. And she slid Hadley's standardized test scores across the desk. And she said, hey, This is where average is. This is where most students should be. And look at her, look at how far below average she is. Look at how far behind she is. And then I was just like shocked. And so I stood up, I asked Hadley to walk out of the room and I came back in and the teacher said, don't worry, there's trade schools for kids like her. And you guys, I'm pretty sure fireworks came out of my nose, my ears, my mouth. I was so upset and I went off on this woman about the most successful people that I know in business and in the world that I'm in are not straight-A students. They're not the ones that are 4.0s. They're not the ones that are perfect. They're not the ones that follow the rules and do this and this and this and this all in this perfect order. The most successful people I know are comfortable getting things wrong and figuring it out and getting dirty, falling down and getting back up again and doing it again tomorrow. And that's the tenacity and perseverance that makes business owners so freaking great. I said, so don't judge my kid on some stupid standardized test score. I want you to watch what she becomes someday because it's going to be incredible because of the grit that she has to simply figure it out. Now, she hasn't graduated yet, but I can tell you she's well on her way to having an incredible life. She's got the most amazing speaking skills, leadership skills, and her personal skills, athletic skills. Like, she's a magnet wherever she goes. And I know it's because She had to figure it out along the way. So no sense in being an imposter in somebody else's world because you have the ability to figure it out and to be incredibly good at whatever position you put yourself in. I know you're going to get there. No more being an imposter. Hey, Boutique Chat listeners, this is one for every boutique owner who wants to know exactly what your shoppers want before they hit checkout. That's most of you, right? Your shoppers, they're already telling you they're saving items for later. They're checking back on styles that are sold out. They're building wishlists for birthdays and holidays. They're sharing their favorites with their friends, right? And that's not just browsing. That's a shopper that is showing you exactly what they're interested in, and most stores have no way to act on it. Swim fixes that. Now it's a Shopify app that remembers what your shoppers saved and brings them back to exactly that at the right moment. Wishlist, back in stock, gift registries. Every time a shopper raises their hand, Swim makes sure that you don't miss it. And it works. Shoppers who save items actually convert more than twice the rate of regular visitors. SWYM is trusted by over 49,000 merchants across the globe. And these are stores just like yours. It's fast to set up, it's built for Shopify and backed by a team that is genuinely invested in your growth. Search SWYM in the Shopify App Store and get started. That's S-W-Y-M. All right, lesson number 3. Oh, this is a big one. And this is a scary one, you guys. Lesson number 3 is looking good doesn't pay the bills. Looking good does not pay the bills. How many times have you seen a business on social media and you're like, dang, she's got it figured out. Dang, must be nice. Dang, look at that warehouse. But then you see a while later like, oh shoot, they filed for bankruptcy, or oh shoot, they went out of business, or oh shoot, something happened. And more times than I can begin to tell you in coaching a lot of really large businesses along the way, that we might get into somebody who I was like, shoot, they really have a great business on the exterior. And we get inside of their numbers and we're like, ooh, it's a little messy on the inside. And these people have this huge following but have actually not taken a paycheck in a year, 2 years, or ever. And so I really encourage you that bigger is not better. Better is better. Being efficient, knowing your numbers, digging in, doing the hard thing, serving your ideal customer, being that magnet. When you target everyone, you reach no one. So being, you know, perfect or looking good or being big online isn't what pays the bills. It's being really efficient and doing the things that nobody posts about on social media. The hard dates with your numbers, the saying no to the trips and all the pretty things that you want to do because you know you need to put some of that money back into inventory and just being really smart and efficient about how you're investing in and growing your business. So looking good doesn't pay the bills. Lesson number 4. This is a scary lesson because it hurts your heart. Lesson number 4 is not everyone will support you. Not everyone will support you. And a lot of times it's the people who you think will support you the most are actually the people who support you the least. I really debated on what story I was going to tell when I brought this up because I was not— not all these people listen to the podcast, but I will tell you, probably a biggest heart hurt for me was some family. I won't even go into any more detail, but some family who definitely didn't support me building the boutique hub, a family that was in my husband's ear, you know, saying Ashley should get a real job. What is she even doing? What is this even going to be? Is this illegal? What's— what is the internet? What is even happening on the internet? Like just so many doubts or or, you know, I got an email one time that said I should be home cooking more home-cooked meals, or my kids have a disheveled appearance. I mean, it just— I have forgiven what happened, but I'll never forget the way that experience and the lack of support made me feel. And so I really encourage you, if you are feeling alone because you feel like somebody should be supporting you and they're not, you're not alone. Sometimes I learned this from Brendon Burchard. There's 3 types of friends that we surround ourselves with or that are in our life. I'll say one is old friends, right? They're people that maybe used to be our friends, maybe used to be very close friends or family, but we just had to move away from because they were not in the support category. The second is maintenance friends. And that might be, you know, friends, neighbors, families, coworkers, people that you are spending time with, but they definitely still aren't your number one support people, but you're maintaining the relationship because you need to. And then number 3 is growth friends, the people who see you for who you are meant to become. Let me repeat that. You're meant to become, not the people who judge you for who you were, who they have this idea that you are, who you used to be, but they're seeing you for where you're going. You've got to go out of your way to find those people and spend time with those people because those people will build you up in an unbelievable way. The time that, you know, it's not over yet, but that struggle that I've had with that relationship in my life, I've just replaced it with people who are in my corner and do see the value in how we parent and how we're running the business and all the things that we're doing. So just remember, not everyone will support you, but the right people will support you if you choose to surround yourself with them. Find your growth friends. They might be halfway across the country and it might be worth a couple of airline tickets a couple times a year to be in proximity with them. They're there, go find them. And if you need help, I will help you find them in the Boutique Hub. That's one of my favorite things to do is help connect people. So lean into that, find your growth friends. All right, number 5 scariest lesson, and that is the lesson of community over competition. You guys, when the Boutique Hub first started, community over competition was not a thing. It was like going to market and everybody, pulled their rack and then they put it off to the side and they were like, nobody look at my rack. I don't want anyone to know what I'm buying, right? Or I'm competing with my neighbor across the street. I better zip code protect this and tell them, don't you dare let Sarah order that, right? It was just a lot of if you're not for me, you're against me. And if you're in my town, you're my competition. And literally the beauty of community over competition, the reason I started the Boutique Hub was back in my days of economic development before the Boutique Hub, There was two stores across the street from each other in my small town in North Dakota, a Western store and a department store. And when the Western store decided they were going out of business, the department store came to me and they were like, "Hey, you have to help us do something. We have to find another retailer like that to go into that same location." And I didn't understand. I was like, "Why? Now you have this whole market to yourself. Like, this is great for you. You can pick up those lines. Like, it's all gonna be wonderful." And they're like, "No, you don't understand." wherever two or more like businesses come together, we become a destination. And boom, like light bulb, like, duh, a rising tide lifts all ships. We hear that all the time, but it's true in business. It's so true. The more we can build up what does it mean to shop with a boutique and give each other our ideas and best practices and save people from failure, the more boutique shoppers we can create in this world. The more there is to shop with all of us, right? We're building up this industry together, which makes it better for everyone. You're not in competition with Sarah across the street. Now, Sarah might not be very nice to you. Sarah might be stuck in her junior high girl mindset and she's scared because she's insecure. But that's a Sarah thing. I'm sorry, Sarah Burks. I am not using Sarah on purpose, right? It just comes to my mind because I work with Sarah all day long. But the girl across the street might be stuck in a limited mindset. Make sure you're not. Do the olive branch, reach out to her, invite her into what it means to be in community over competition. Honestly, Pink Friday is one of the very best days out of the year to do that, to extend that olive branch, to show people, hey, we can work together and not cut each other's throats. And we can make this street that we're on, the town that we're in, the industry that we're in, we can make it stronger when we work together. So don't be the one that's in the negative mindset. Don't be the one that has the limiting belief. Don't be the one with insecurity. Be the one that's the leader that extends the olive branch and people will follow you and we will build this industry together. Okay. Ooh. Number 6 is a scary one. Scary lesson. And that is the lesson of how important it is to embrace change, to embrace change. A really unique vantage point that I've had in this industry is getting to see how people handle the highs and the lows in the market. And trust me, like every 2 years, 2 to 3 years, I think is what they always say. But it's true. There's, there's always a high and a low. Business is cyclical. It comes in seasons. It's not going to be this like perfect straight line of growth that you would love to post about on Instagram. It's high, low, high, low, and how you ride the waves to even it out over time. So some of you were in business around the 2009 recession. Some of you grew a ton during that time. Some of you invested in real estate during that time. When the market is low, what do you do? You don't sell. You buy. You buy because the market will rise. So when things are bad, you double down because when it's low and when it's bad and when it sucks, there's only up to go from here. So it truly comes down to your mindset. It truly comes down to how you're choosing to look at the situation. And oh my God, business is tough. I better just hunker down, get small, hang on, play it safe. No, I'm going to come through the screen. No, no. Get smart. Put yourself out there. Try something new. Invest in yourself. Like, do something different. But you have to embrace change., and you have to embrace the seasons that we're in. A great example, during COVID probably one of my favorite times ever in retail, not gonna lie. And the national news media would have you know that this was a terrible time in retail, right? And there's many of you, and I'm sorry that I'm telling you it was positive, but there's many of you who did have a terrible time. Your business was shut down, you couldn't do anything about it. Do you know what the beautiful part about that was? Is when so many people were shut down, it forced them to change. It forced so many of you brick and mortars to start selling online. It forced you to get a website. It forced you to do live sales. It forced you to build a personal brand. It forced you to build a community. You probably started Facebook group or going live or doing more Instagram stories. You probably did some cooking demonstrations and workout shows, and you just got to know your customers on a whole new level because everyone was in this weird world together. It forced you to change. And from that experience, It was like a rocket ship in our industry. Seriously, the highest of highs that our industry has ever seen came in 2021, right after COVID, because of the way that you guys embraced change. There was a lot of people who didn't. There was a lot of people who said, "Woe is me," and they're no longer in business. So I just applaud so many of you who COVID was your opportunity to start a business. Many of you started in 2020. So know that those changes happen, and every time someone says, "Oh, the economy's bad, gas prices are high," We're going to war, like all, all the things that are negative. I'm just like, girl, snap out of it. Yes, these things are happening and yes, these things are always going to happen and it will always happen again. It is a cycle, but what goes up must come down and vice versa. Ride the waves, invest in yourself, try something new and embrace change. And you've got this. Okay. Scary lesson number 7. Has anyone here ever been burnt out? Has anyone here— silently raise his hand— ever felt like, I am wearing 57 freaking hats, I am doing it all, and I am spinning my wheels, and I am not getting anywhere? Have you felt like that? 10 out of 10. I felt like that. Pretty much every retailer I've ever met Everyone has felt like that. It's normal, but you know what it is? It's just a growing pain. And it's you deciding, it's the catalyst for you deciding that you need to move from being a hustling, grinding entrepreneur and learn how to become a strategic CEO. For me, having 3 small kids, literally Jade came home from the hospital and I launched a website the next day while I was breastfeeding. My kids have been here through the chaos. I've been trying to juggle all the things all the way along. And I tried DIY my way forward. I tried to save my way forward. I tried to pinch every penny. I was stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime in so many different ways. I was so slow to hire and ask for help. And finally I reached my breaking point and was like, you know what? I can't freaking go on like this. It's not feasible. I have to ask for help. And what I realized, and this is where this whole CEO versus entrepreneur mindset thing came from, was I realized, and I did have a coach at the time who helped me see this, that there's really, you know, two things that we look at in relationship with each other as a CEO and entrepreneur, and it's time and money. And the only thing limited in this world is time. We can't make more of it. We can't get more than 24 hours in a day. But you know what we can make? You know what we can find? More money. There is more than enough money to go around in this world. There's infinite possibilities in how to make money. So the difference is an entrepreneur is gonna pinch the penny, save the money, try to DIY, try to figure it out, try to do it all. The business has become their identity. They're just trying to be bigger than they were yesterday, and they're doing one step at a time tomorrow. But the entrepreneur's like, you know what? No, I have to have a way bigger vision. I have to have a way longer-term plan that I can work my way backwards with goals and objectives that are gonna get me to the long-term plan. I have to have KPIs and metrics and data that I can track to get me there because only a tracked number will grow. And I have to be willing to take what resources I have, what money I have, maybe it's product that I have, and use that resource to turn it into more time. Because if I, as a CEO, can focus on things that are income-generating activity, and I can outsource and ask for help for the things that are not— hanging, tagging, shipping, steaming, just backend social media work, building of my emails, customer service, cleaning. Sometimes it's cleaning the house, things like that, right? Babysitters. When I can invest in those things so I can focus on income-generating activity, that's the only way for me to double my revenue. It's the only way for me to create more money. I can't create more money in time by me just hustling. It's not gonna work. So I have to be strategic about asking for help so I can create more time so I can focus on the things that bring in the revenue. So CEO versus entrepreneur mindset is huge. It's huge and it's scary if you don't get it right. It can be really scary. Hey, you're invited to join us as a member of the Boutique Hub. I love that you follow the podcast and all of our content here at the Hub, but more importantly, let's get you inside. As a member of the Boutique Hub, you have access to 4 key areas to grow your business. Number 1, we're gonna surround you with an amazing community of retailers just like you who get it. At your size, at your business type. We wanna get you connected with the people who can help you through all of the good and the bad that it takes to be a business owner. The second thing, we wanna get you expert education, live trainings every single week, instant AI answers with our personally trained bot, and a full training library on every single area of your business. Next, exclusive savings. Hub members save money, whether it's on wholesale brands that you're shopping with at Market or the apps and the tools you're using on a daily basis. Hub members have massive savings. And finally, it's all about networking and relationships with wholesale brands. So if you are looking for the best vetted, proven wholesale products for your business, we partner with over 1,000 brands inside of the Boutique Hub to get you instant access and the best savings. So come and join us as a member of the Boutique Hub. I can't wait to see you inside. Number 8. So many scary lessons. Hire slow and fire fast. This is contradictory to what I just said about CEO versus entrepreneur mindset. I don't mean don't hire because you're scared that it's gonna flop. I just mean take your time and do it right. Have your right interview questions set up, hold your standards for what you're really looking for. If someone gives you a bad vibe, call it out. Don't just hire the first warm body that comes in, but take your time to hire slow so that you get the right person. And then as soon as you notice they aren't, get rid of 'em. I'm telling you, one bad apple can ruin your bunch. And we've unfortunately had some people we've had to let go here at the boutique because we're an all remote company. Everybody's got to be a really freaking hard worker because you're only there to hold yourself accountable. We can't run the office with you, right? So there's only so much we can see. So if somebody is not meeting our culture, they're dragging everybody else down with them. And we either look like we allowed this to happen, or we just look like we're ignorant and we're stupid for letting it happen. So it's on us when our team starts to recognize there's a breakdown in our culture or with one of our employees, it's on us to change it fast. So hire slow, fire fast, and don't let it be scary. It's not scary. Number 9, this is one that I've really, really been thinking a lot about lately and really been leaning into. And early on, one of my first coaches that I had was a mindset coach. And we did a ton of work on just visualization and talking about the future and how I want to live and what's the best version of myself and visualizing what does she look like. And I have a very specific image in my mind of, of who the best Ashley is and what she looks like. Some of you have maybe heard me tell that story, but what I've learned from that and in this season of my life, when it's just simply so busy with 3 kids and high school sports and middle school sports and trying to run a team of almost 30 people. It's wild. Um, so I'm embracing this term, and that is live as if. I am living as if I am already that person. I am living in a way and ruthlessly saying no to things that do not fit the definition of who that person is and how she operates. Something that's become really clear for me in the last 6 months is that if I don't get up and the first thing I do in the morning is say yes to to myself, I will say no to myself the rest of the day. So the first thing in the morning is, is for me, and it's getting up, it's going for a walk, it's taking care of myself, it's getting my day set, and then I can take care of everyone else. But I can't do a good job of taking care of anyone if I'm not okay myself. And so for me, that's living as if I am that best version of the person I want to be. I really encourage you just to take some time to reflect, to manifest, to visualize, to really consider Consider who it is you want to be and how that person lives and what does she look like and what does she do and, and how does a normal day go and just start, just start picking up those habits. And you know, the, sometimes it's visual, sometimes it's clothing, sometimes it's a thing that's a trigger that reminds you of that person. Lean into that thing right now so that you can be that best version of yourself every single day. All right. Lesson number 10. It's scary. I'm going to say it. It's a cuss word. Sorry, but I'm just going to tell you, lesson number 10 is balance is bullshit. The idea that you perfectly have everything figured out and balanced at home, at work, with your family, with your friends, all the things is perfectly balanced out. No, it's a lie. It doesn't exist. Life is like juggling a whole bunch of balls and some are rubber and some are glass. And, you know, depending on the season you're in, that you can't drop the glass ones, but there's a few rubber ones you can drop from time to time, and then you can pick them back up. Again, I've been so blessed to be able to have my kids along this journey with Eric and I, and we have tried to over-communicate again and again about the season we're in. Right now we're in the summer season where I feel like I'm probably not working as many hours as I do in the winter season because I am literally on the road 24/7 taking them to all their things. It's rodeo season for us. It's AAU basketball season for us. So it's chaotic. And so work has to fit in around that season of my life. In the winter, it's totally different. So this idea that like everything is perfect, you've got it all figured out and you're a Pinterest mom, you know, sometimes life is a shit show and you're just trying to do the things the best that you can do. And you gotta know that that's okay, but you have to have a great support system around you and you've gotta be able to communicate with your family about what the real expectations are and what you're juggling and what you're willing to drop for the season that you're in so that you can pick it back up again later. All right, number 11. Oh, this is scary for a lot of people. This used to be scary for me. And the lesson is it's okay to look stupid. It's okay to look stupid. You guys, there's so many questions that we want to ask in business, but we're scared to because we think we're going to look stupid when we ask them. We're like, oh, I should know this, but So then we just suck it up and we don't ask. And then we learn the lesson the hard way and we lose thousands of dollars. We get burnt, right? Ask the question. Get in the community, get in the Boutique Hub, join the groups. Ask the question. There is no stupid question. It's okay to look stupid. My dad always said, it's not what you know, it's who you know and who you're willing to surround yourself with. So get in the rooms with the right people, ask the question, and don't fear looking stupid because it's only going to It's only going to help you grow faster and further. All right. Number 12, and I know it seems scary, but you really need to build a personal brand. You really need to put your face out there. You really need to get on camera. People want to do business with people, not companies. It's not you hiding behind the counter and hiding behind the camera. And you're like, oh, I just like to take the pictures, not be in them. Well, you know what? Your customers really freaking love you. And I hope you know that. I hope you know every time your customer comes in the door and she wants to talk to you about all the things happening in her life and ask you about all the things happening in yours, it's 'cause she genuinely loves you. Your customers do, and they wanna see more of you. The most attractive businesses that I have been blessed to witness over the last several years, last 13 years, are the ones that have a personal brand attached to 'em. It's so magnetic. And when you have a personal brand, this is the beautiful thing, It's not even about just selling what's in your boutique, but you can sell anything. You can sell anything. You can be an affiliate marketer. You can sell any kind of product. You can sell for other people. Like, there's just no end. There's opportunities. Build a personal brand people trust. Build a community that connects people. You're gonna change lives along the way. Don't be scared. Your customers are looking at you and waiting for you to take the leap to get out in front. It's not boastful. You know, there's nothing wrong with getting out there. You're literally out there to help people see the best version of themselves. And I know that you have the opportunity to do that. All right. That was 12. Oh my gosh, this has gone fast. Lesson number 13. It's the big one. It's the last one. And it's the scariest one because so often, oh, in this crazy business world that we all live in, we become so fixated on whatever the next the next big goal is. And raise your hand or nod if you're with me, if you're like, yeah, I set the next goal and then I hit it and then I don't celebrate it. I just set another bigger one and I keep going, right? And I'm just like, on to the next and on to the next and on to the next. And that's fine for a while, but eventually you get really freaking burnt out and tired and you're just like, oh, I just want to be— I just want to be in the place that I'm in right now and I just want to be Hint, hint. I just want some peace. I'm not going to lie, in the last year I have had a lot of those thoughts. I just— it's not about the next goal for me. It's not about the next thing to build. It used to be like that 24/7, and my squirrel brain was just like, brrr. And now I'm like, you know what? I just want to wake up tomorrow and I want to be happy and I want to be surrounded by the people I love and I want to get to serve people today. I want to be able to be in the presence of the team today. It is not about the destination that we're going. It is about the journey to get there. And if anything sticks with you from these 13 scary lessons is I want you to find joy where your feet are. And I want you to celebrate the really little moments and the things that people probably don't even see or notice. But the little moments that bring you joy every day, that's what this is about. I can remember, um, really early on in business and getting to go to different business dinners and stuff and listening to owners and founders that were much more experienced than me that had been around for a long time. And I can remember hearing them just share so many stories about the old days, right? Oh, in the old days, we— in the old days, oh, we loved— oh, the old days were so fun because— and I was always like, what? Like, why? Why does it have to change? And you know what? In the, again, in the last year, I've caught myself doing the same thing. And I've thought, man, in the old days we used to, when this thing first got started, we used to, oh my gosh, can you remember the time that we blah? Things do change over time. So enjoy every moment that you have. Every moment that you're given is a gift. Don't take any of them for granted. These are your old days. So enjoy every moment of them now and quit wishing them away in order to get to your next goal that much faster. All right, that's it, you guys. Those are my 13 scariest lessons from 13 years. I can't wait for you to see the video that's gonna go along with this title. That'll be all over social media. Please go find it and comment on it and tell me, tell me what you thought it was gonna be when you heard this podcast before you got to see it. It's actually pretty funny. All right, well, to wrap up today, to celebrate 13 years, I wanted to give you guys a little gift, a little something special. We are doing a giveaway. A big giveaway, and I will have this linked up for you in the show notes, and it will be on social. But if you go to go.theboutiquehub.com, so again, go.theboutiquehub.com/anniversary, we're doing a big giveaway. And all you have to do is like literally enter your personal information, your email list, we'll put you on our email list if you aren't already, many of you are, but you're gonna be entered to win a one-on-one coaching call, a MacBook Pro, a $1,000 Huvventuri shopping a Hulken bag, a retail planner, I think a couple of those, and then digital summit tickets for the Boutique Summit. We got a couple of those to give away as well. So we're going all out for the 13th birthday, and I want to be able to celebrate with you guys. I believe entries close July 27th. So jump on that, go.theboutiquehub.com/anniversary. All right, with that, you guys, sincerely, I want to say just thank you for being here. Thanks for hanging out with me on a casual podcast last day and just being able to reminisce on some of the good, the bad, and the ugly. And hopefully there was some wisdom and nuggets in there that you guys can take and put into use in your own life and in your own business. And genuinely, I just want to say thank you for being a part of the Boutique Hub in every way, shape, and form that you are. Some of you are just here listening to the podcast, and I love that you are. We are about to celebrate 3 million downloads. We're gonna cross that pretty soon before the end of the year. So thank you for that. Many of you are OG Hub members that have been here since the very beginning, since it was a free Facebook group many years ago. Some of you have taken the leap with us all the way through Retail Bootcamp, and now the brand new Retail Bootcamp Accelerator. Many of you are in Boutique Hub Black and you have your own one-on-one coach. Many of you have been in our mastermind or you've come to the Boutique Summit. Many of you have used the planner and some of you have even dove into something brand new that we've built out this year, the Boutique Hub Operating System, the BOSS system. Wherever you are on that spectrum, again, I just genuinely want to tell you thank you for trusting us with your business. Thank you for saying yes, for jumping into this community and just making this community better because you're a part of it. All right. Thank you guys for an amazing 13 years and shout out to our team at the Boutique Hub. None of this is possible without every single team member at the Boutique Hub. Those guys are amazing. If you see them, please tell them thank you as well. Alright, have a great rest of your week, you guys. I will see you here next week. Hey guys, thanks so much for listening to this week's episode. If you found it helpful, please share it with a friend or feel free to subscribe. And I would always love it if you would leave a rating and review. Hey, if you want more tools, education, and just support, head on over to theboutiquehub.com. Or if you have feedback or episode ideas, DM me personally, @ajalderson on Instagram. Thanks so much for being here and listening to this week's episode. I'll see you next week.