#829: What 30 Years in Retail Teaches You About Staying Power

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. Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. This is a blast from the past. Anna, I'm so glad that you're here. We have some stories to tell today. I'm so excited about this.

I know, right? Thank you for having me. I'm super excited to chat with you for a while. So yes.

It's gonna be so good. So, okay, I'm gonna take everyone back to the very beginning. So I don't think you even knew this until I ran into you Well, December at the NFR, my husband and I, my family, we always go to the NFR, the National Finals Rodeo. For those of you who don't know, it's in Las Vegas every December, and it's like the Super Bowl of the sport of rodeo. And gosh, Anna, how many years have you been setting up at the NFR?

30-plus years. So it's been a long time. Yes.

So crazy.

I know.

You and I, typically when I'm there, we get a chance to visit. I always stop by the booth. You didn't know this story until I recently told this to you this last time we were in person. But you guys, all the way back to the origin story of the Boutique Hub, when people ask me like, why did you start the Boutique Hub? And in my background, for those of you who don't know, I'm team rodeo, grew up on a ranch, grew up on the back of a horse. I actually had the opportunity to be Miss Rodeo America. And during that time, I was on the road for 320 days that year, and that was 2007. And when I was on the road for 320 days, I was literally at all of the biggest rodeos across the country. All kinds of states. I mean, I really went everywhere. And one of my favorite things about that experience was I grew up in a small town in North Dakota, really small town, like one flashing red light, no fast food, no Walmart, like no nothing. It's a one-horse town. And so when I had an opportunity to travel as Mrs. Rodeo America and go to all these cities and go to all these rodeos, I really fell in love with boutiques. That's where the passion came from. And I can remember during that time, As Miss Rodeo America, specifically going to Reno. Reno has a huge rodeo. And it was the cutest boutique I'd ever seen. I'm pretty sure I maybe bought some jewelry. I definitely bought some denim. There was some cute Western tops. I mean, you had boots. It was all these things. But I remember, oh my gosh, this boutique I discovered in Reno. And then at the NFR, I was like, oh my gosh, here's this boutique again at the NFR. And after shopping with you, and I didn't know you personally at the time, I just fell in love with your brand because it felt like Western was so fresh for me. It wasn't, you know, Wrangler boots and jeans, but it was, it was fashion. It was a boutique with a Western twist. And I can remember coming back and for years resonating on, you know, now that I'm back in North Dakota in the middle of nowhere, how do I find cute boutiques like this that I discovered in Reno in a vendor booth that I will likely never find again? And so the original idea for The Boutique Hub was an online shopping mall of boutiques so that people like me in the middle of nowhere could discover all these cute stores that exist that nobody knows about. And your store literally was the one I was thinking about. So Anna, to take this full circle, I am so glad that you're on the podcast and a part of the Boutique Hub because you had such a huge impact on me. I'm so grateful for you.

Thank you. Thank you so much. It really means a lot because it's been a lot of hard work, a lot of work and a lot of sacrifices. So thank you because like I said, it's sometimes you're like, am I doing the right thing? And you just made it feel like, yes, I have been doing the right thing.

You've been doing the right thing. And I look back at your business and I mean, 30 years is a huge accomplishment. And by the way, for those of you who are not watching on YouTube, she does not look old enough for it to be possible that it's 30 years. So that's impressive, number one. But impressive number two, I feel like you were a pioneer. I feel like you were really taking a spin on the boutique world. That was way back in 2006, 2007. You were taking a spin on this world that really didn't exist yet. And you had taken our niche, which was the Western industry, and really made it mainstream in a way that nobody else was doing. So tell me about that. I would love to go all the way back to the beginning if you don't mind. Like, how did you first get started in the business? And then how did you decide this was the path you were going to take that really was a brand new path?

So, well, I come from a family that basically my parents, we did have a Western tack store. So it was a tack store. And obviously at the ranch we would dress Western, what I would call Western, which is the button-up shirts, the Wranglers. But outside of that, I wanted to dress what I would call normal, you know, just fun clothes. And I had such a hard time finding it. So I was basically just like, where can I get this? And women, I thought a lot of them would be like me and have the same interests and needs that I did. So I just basically started to bring on different type of clothes. And yes, people looked at me and other vendors like, what is she doing? It's like, what is she selling? And I just kind of stuck to my gut. I did what I knew I wanted to do. And it's worked. It has worked. People love it. I know that other people kind of have followed my path and that's, and that's okay. I love it. Western is so much more. It's, it's fun clothes. It's us dressing In a very exciting and different way.

I love that. I think that's what's so neat about Western specifically. And I'm with you, like, I, I grew up on a ranch, right? So there was the Western me, but then there was the normal me. And then, um, for a while I had worked in like government. And so I was always like, okay, well then there's a like DC cowgirl is what I called my style for a while. It's like, how do I look like I'm going to a business meeting? I'm going to lobby at the Capitol.

Yes.

But I have on turquoise jewelry and I can make it Western and make my own. And I think that's what's so beautiful about it. Like, you don't have to be a ranch cowgirl, you don't have to be a rodeo cowgirl. Like, anybody can take what Western fashion is and make it their own, right?

Exactly. I mean, we want to feel feminine, we want to feel pretty. Um, so I mean, that's what it does. It's just a matter of mixing fabrics and, you know, a little bit of lace, a little bit of, you know, rhinestones here and there. So yes, it's, it's But that's what it's about.

I love it. All right, so when you had your family's tax store, right, and then you decided to go out on your own, you made going on the road a huge part of your business and setting up at these events. How did you first decide when you were getting started, like, what events to start going to? And then I'm sure you had some wins and I'm sure you had some flops. How did you continue to narrow down the list to these are the best vendor events I can go to?

To narrow down the events, yes. I remember one year we were super excited because we had actually been invited to go to the Houston Rodeo.

Mm-hmm.

So we set up literally the whole family, 3 trailers, and we ended up in what we realized was the Walkie. I'll never forget it. It was the Walkie County Fair. Oh my gosh. It was one of the most horrifying experiences. We lost money. But what we ended up doing is going to the carnival every single day and just having fun. So honestly, it was just trial and error talking to people. We did run into some amazing vendors that were very kind, that kind of guided us into the right path and, um, and just kept going, literally just not giving up. I think consistency and just not giving up has really been a big part, you know, of our lives.

Yeah, I see community over competition. I mean, obviously in all walks of of the boutique world, but specifically for vendors. I mean, when you're set up at the NFR or any show, you get to be very close with all the vendors around you. Talk to me about some of the ways like that community over competition mindset has really come through or how you and other vendors have really supported each other to get into the right shows.

So it is, and we'll just talk about NFR. When you go to the NFR, I mean, most of us, and I would say the majority of us prep for these shows months and months in advance. A lot of our capital is invested in this show. There has been times that we show up at NFR and we have very little money left and we're really making, you know, NFR to be that one show that is just gonna get us, you know, and keep going for the rest of, you know, the following year. So my husband, I remember we're walking and we see all these vendors and it's like, oh my gosh, there is so much competition. And honestly, what keeps me going is that I put myself in— there is a Coke stand and there's a Pepsi stand right next to each other and they both are making money.

Yeah.

You go to the mall and there's store after store after store And everybody is making money. So there is always going to be room for everybody. Some vendors are nicer than others, but you— we're just all in this. I mean, and that is just an honesty of life, you know. Some are very protective of their businesses, but for the most part, we are a family. We want to take care of each other. We want to support each other. And, and yeah, it's, it's a matter of just finding those vendors that are just going to stick to you and are going to be, you know, taking care of looking after you.

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Well, like, I think you said that a little bit ago or in one of our other previous conversations. I mean, NFR is like the Super Bowl of, you know, in the Western world. So it is a humongous show. And not only is it just NFR, it's gotten so big That it is just not the one convention. I mean, there is literally, I think it's like 4 or 5 conventions and malls that they can go to. But obviously, so there's room for everybody. It is just huge. There is, I don't know, at least a couple hundred boutiques and shops of all kinds. Oh, at least, yeah. And I mean, it is just massive. But there is, there's room for everybody. And like I said, if you go to the mall, you're going to go into one store to buy one thing, and then you're going to go into another to buy something with a little bit of a different flair. We're all different. And even though there can be a boutique next to me, she has to have something different than I do. And we may have the same customer, but there's always room for all of us.

Yeah, that's so true. For those of you, like, just to put it in perspective, if you go to Magic, right, we're talking about the Las Vegas Convention Center just for the show you're in, Cowboy Christmas at the NFR, and it's It would be like twice the size of Magic, in my opinion, just at that one show. But then we're talking about like Caesars and South Point, and there's multiple other shows all happening around town. And so for 10 days in December, I mean, if you're a Western woman and you're coming to town, you're hitting every show and you're hitting multiple boutiques at every show. And I bet by the time people come to your booth, like they're carrying multiple bags, they've been to several boutiques, but they still seek yours out. You do have something that is different than a lot of others. And that is, if I can say this, I hope it's okay, but I believe you are the largest dealer of 7s out of all of the boutique world. Like, you come and if you need a pair of 7s, and for those of you who don't know, like, the rodeo world, like, that's what we wear. If you aren't wearing, like, Cinch or Wrangler or whatever, if you're a teenage girl, you're wearing 7s and you're coming to Anna's booth to buy them. So tell me more about how that relationship started and how that really became something that was a stronghold of your business.

Well, Seventh's, I mean, I'm just a passionate— I'm passionate for everything that I do. Jeans are probably my strongest point. So Seventh's just really realized that I knew what I was doing. They actually came to me. I did not go looking for them. They came to me.

Wow.

I just know the brand. And I think they realized that I had the experience. I was in direct contact with the girls. And it was really more of the years of experience that actually they knew nothing about the Western world. So they were literally caught by surprise when all of a sudden 7 Genes were super popular. So I basically have been really consistently talking to them and sharing all my ideas, my thoughts, my concerns, and inspirations. And like I said, we've collaborated and continue to collaborate, you know, literally month after month. So it's been very, very exciting.

So good. What advice would you give for somebody that's making— I mean, because that's a big investment to go that deep.

I would actually send them pictures of a girl wearing 7Jeans out in a barn or in a show ring 2 hours after wearing them and all dirty. And they would be like, oh my gosh. And you could see the girls in the warehouse sharing them. I mean, they just had no idea the impact that their jeans have done in the Western world. So it's been really, really fun.

That's so fun. So for another retailer that's considering like, hey, I want to go deeper in denim, but there's a lot of size runs, like there's a lot of ways to get caught. What advice would you have for a retailer that's considering like, oh, I want to make a bigger investment in whatever denim brand it is they're carrying?

Well, if you're going to go deeper with denim, number one, for me, it's the smaller sizes that I sell The quickest. However, for other boutiques, it's the larger sizes that will sell the quickest. So my biggest is— my biggest suggestion is start small with all the sizes so that you can actually see what your customer is buying. So pay attention, really pay attention to what sizes you're basically left off with, because for some it might be the larger and for some it might be the smaller. So really just pay attention.

Just test it out.

Exactly.

How do you, when you're, you know, you're planning for the NFR, right? And your customers know you for denim and they're gonna come. How are you alerting your customers or training your customers that year over year, here's where I am at the NFR, here's where I'm at in Reno or Houston or wherever I'm showing. How do you get that repeat customer to come and visit you no matter where you're at?

I think it's the newness. I mean, we have— I want to pride myself on having different. I'm different than everybody. I go outside of the box. It's the customer service that we give. We literally go above and beyond customer service. By the time we're done with a show, I need to come home and I need to pamper myself. I get down on my knees.

Literally.

I get down on my knees. Fixing girls' jeans. So it's really more of that special customer service that we give them. We would wanna make sure that when you walk out of our store, you walk out with the perfect pair of jeans.

Yeah, I think that's true for every boutique owner that's listening, right? Like it's the customer service, it's the product knowledge, it's making sure the customer has the perfect fit that keeps them coming back because ultimately that builds trust. in your brand and keeps them coming back again and again.

Yeah, completely. And I mean, I'm honest with the customer. If we don't have what is going to look best on them, I will just tell them, I'm sorry, I just don't have what you're looking for. It's either sold out or we just don't have it in our boutique. So I will never try to sell you something that you're not going to be happy with. Why? And I do tell my customer, I don't want you to buy something that is just going to sit in your closet. If it's gonna sit in your closet, you're not gonna come back to me. And I want you to come back to me because you're wearing it over and over.

Yeah. How about when you're setting up at a show and let's just say the customer doesn't know you yet, right? First-time shopper walks by you. What do you think the trick is to, you know, number one, getting good placement in a show? Like where would you recommend being placed on the show floor if you could choose? And number two, how do you make your merchandising so enticing that it draws people in and they have to come and check out your booth?

Oh my gosh. I guess it's just years of experience. We start with hundreds and hundreds of boxes. I do draw maps of where everything is going to go. Sometimes I will move clothing around 5, 6 times. I'll literally hold it and I just basically place it where I think it looks best. I think over the years I've just created this visual, um, talent that just comes with time. So, um, the only thing I can say is pay— just be patient. Just place it where you think it's gonna look best. I do try to group things by color, uh, that helps out a lot. And I do see that my customer loves that, where we're placing everything by color. Sometimes you're looking for a specific color and you don't want to look through all these other colors, so placing it bicolor helps me out a lot. To answer your other question, as far as locations, sometimes like at NFR, there's like a 10-year waiting list for NFR, maybe even longer. So you can't get picky when it comes to a booth. If you're given a spot, I'd say take it, even if it's on the back corner in a dead aisle.

Yeah.

You at least got your foot in. The following year, it gives you room to start moving to a better location. So obviously you want to be in the middle, but it doesn't really matter. NFR is so big and everybody's going to walk every aisle.

It's true, it's true. And you have worked yourself to an amazing location. What about in terms of like lighting or using height to your advantage or just even booth layout so it's enticing for people to walk into and not just like one big open Like you're getting people to come in and weave throughout your booth. How do you set up like that type of layout?

Well, I think everybody has their own personality. My personality is a very neat, very organized layout. I see other booths that look super fun. They're very cluttered and they look fun and they look great. That's just not my personality. My personality is very clean, very organized. I want to make sure That people don't feel, you know, like they can't get through the aisles. So I kind of just navigate everything to where everything just has to look perfect and just clean. I don't know, it's just, it's just my personality.

Yeah. How about getting to know like your brand? When somebody leaves, right, you've got branded bags or business cards in the bag. What other ways for you or for anybody who's listening can we Like kind of create that continual brand recognition after the show is over? How do we keep people remembering who you are once they've shopped with you?

Well, my bags have been a huge success. And once again, I think I was also one of the first ones to start with that recyclable bag. People love those bags. I personally don't believe in spending the money on a paper bag. Number one, if it's NFR or any other show and if it's raining, that bag is maybe not even gonna make it out the door. So if you can invest money on a recyclable bag, that is so worth it. People will use those bags. I do have people that'll come in and maybe not even buy anything, but they just want my bag.

Yeah.

They take it to the grocery store. I mean, they travel with them. And that is a reminder to them of who you are and where they can find you. That business card may get lost. And that is once again my personal opinion, but that bag they're going to hold on to until it starts falling apart.

Yeah, that's so good. And it's walking billboard for you when they're walking around the rest of the show, right?

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

Yeah, okay, you have a lot of experience packing trailers and going to shows. What advice do you have to those who are listening about, you know, maybe there's a specific type of racking that you're like, oh, I can't go without this type of racking. Or maybe it's a checklist that you have when you're packing trailers. But over the years, what have you learned about making that process more smooth smooth and efficient and making sure you have everything you need to make that show successful?

So what I do is I have what I call my Bible. Other people call it their brain. I have a checklist of everything that needs to be in that trailer prior to it leaving. From anything, from shopping bags to screws to the wood to the signage to the mannequins, So that is on that checklist. At the end of the show, if I added or I bought things, I tweak that checklist year after year, show after show. And if there's anything that needs to be improved for the following year, that is on that actually checklist. So every single show has its own checklist from the year before to the following year.

If you could pick from that checklist 3 things that you're like, okay, this is like a little like insider tip or trick or hack that most people don't know they need, but they really do need. They could be big or small. What are, what are 3 things you think most people miss?

Oh my gosh, you really put me on the spot there. Um, for me, the biggest would be Probably my business cards. I sometimes, like I said, I sometimes don't pay as much attention to those business cards. So I think it would be business cards. It would be the proper lighting.

Yeah.

Having that light, having that lighting. And what else? What else?

How about, is there a personal care item that you have to have in there? Like, you're spending all day on your feet. How do you take care of yourself throughout the show?

Snacks. People think that I don't eat, so I think it's more of the snacks. My daughters actually call me the almond mom. I always carry almonds with me because that would— that's what keeps me throughout the day. So yes, almonds. I love it.

All right, so when you're sitting there at the end of the year and you're reviewing all the shows you went to and you're measuring success, failure, trying to decide, you know, how am I gonna edit my list for next year? How are you really evaluating your travel schedule a year in advance and deciding where you wanna go based on last year's performance?

Well, for us it's different because we've already been on the industry for so, so long. We probably started with about, I don't know, 15 to 20 shows a year and every year we would just cut some shows. I felt like it was not about how many shows you were doing, but doing the right shows. Some people actually that I know do like 40, 50 shows a year and I hate to tell you, but you're not going to last in the industry by doing that many shows. You're killing yourself. You end up really tired. You just burn yourself out. So after so long, We basically have just stuck right now. We're only doing 8 shows a year. So we basically— and we've only been doing 8 shows a year for like the last 4 years. So we basically have had the same schedule for about that long. And like I said, it's trial and error. You want to get your— you want to give yourself a break. You also want to enjoy life. Do other things outside of working.

Amen to that. As I know we're recording this, you're getting ready for your daughter's wedding. Like, there's so many big things out Outside of work that we have to take time for. Uh, you've seen so many businesses come and go, right, at vendor events. You've been around the block a lot. If you looked across all the aisles at the people who have been there the longest with you or have been the most successful along the way, what do you think it is that you all have in common that's created that longevity for you?

The common denominator for those of us has Is definitely loving what we do, being consistent, and just literally being there. We are there. We don't just send people to our booth and run it. We don't just set it up and then are not seen until the end of the show. I think that is probably the common denominator between us.

Yeah. You— no one takes your business as seriously as you take your business in those situations, for sure. Um, something that's new in your business is your daughter joining the business and building out the online side of what's happening. Tell me about that process and experience. How's it going so far?

Well, I have 2 daughters. One of them, a psychology major, never thought she would join the business, but she basically saw the potential that the business had and decided to join. So she's been with us for about 5 years. And then my youngest daughter, um, did study finance, but she was going to go into something else, decided to join the business. So I said, okay, you guys are going to take on the online. They are doing great things. Oh my gosh. And that was one of the things that we talked about last year when we ran into each other. We, my daughters were going through some really hard times with the online. They were so, so discouraged. I remember it was July and they did not know what to do. They thought they were doing everything right and nothing was working. We happened to run into Jane. She was our neighbor in Paso Robles.

Yeah.

And talking to her, she was like, you guys should join Boutique Black. And my daughters are like, well, we're part of the Boutique Hub, but not Boutique Black. So immediately my daughters, we were going to be going to Dallas Market in August. They made an appointment, they joined. And I'm telling you, that has been the biggest blessing.

Mm-hmm.

And it's funny because I tell my daughters, had we been doing well in our online store, they would have never mentioned it to Jane, never would have ever recommended Boutique Black. So things happen for a reason. We were supposed to do bad in order to start doing better. If that makes sense.

Isn't that an analogy for life? Like, I think every aspect of our life has that, right?

Totally.

Like, every flop, every failure, every lesson is an opportunity for us to redirect and to find something that's even better if we choose to look for it. And that's the thing, like, you were humble enough to ask the question or to say it out loud. And so many people are not humble enough to do that. They don't want to admit, like, it's not going as good as I thought it could. Should have been, right? Um, so kudos to you guys for having that conversation from the get-go.

Totally, totally. You run into so many people, and that's another thing. You go into, you know, you're having a bad day at a show, and you know for a fact that if you're having a bad day or your sales are down at a show, everybody's sales for the most part have to be down. But you talk to a vendor and they're like, oh my gosh, I had a fabulous show and I had a great show, and that is usually not the case. all the time, you know. So, you know, basically I'm just so glad that we were humbled enough, like we were talking about, because so many vendors, you go to a show and they're just not, you know, honest enough. You're having a bad day, you're having a bad show, and you're thinking, oh my gosh, is it me? And most of us are, for the most part, having a bad day. So I think it's nice, you know, that we are just, you know, honest with each other so that we don't feel that bad. You know, my daughters, you know, had they not reached out to Jane, uh, we would have never been where we are now. My daughter was actually telling me a couple days ago, Mom, our sales have tripled since we joined Boutique Black. Every single month, we're literally not only doubling but tripling our sales.

I'm gonna, I'm gonna send this to Jeff as soon as this podcast is over. That is so awesome.

Oh my gosh.

And I mean, considering like the business you guys have built over time and the massive customer base you have and the brand recognition, I mean, pouring ads is like, that's like gas on a fire right there. What a huge opportunity. But to your point, I love that you say that about the vendor shows though, because one of two things can happen. And to me, this is community over competition. Either everyone's having a bad day and everyone's sitting around and commiserating about it and woe is me. Or to me, community over competition is we're sitting around and yes, everyone's having a bad day, but let's strategize. What can we do different tomorrow? Or how can we team up and leverage our marketing together. Or just like Jane did, hey, here's this thing, you know, go try this. So what an opportunity if you choose to make it one.

Oh, absolutely. Like I said, we can be having a bad day. Some people are like, you know, what are you doing? And we're like, well, have you heard of Boutique Black? And they're like, no, what is that? And it's like, okay, my daughters then will go on and on and talk about it. It's like they are literally there to help you. They guide you. Sometimes you don't understand what are even talking about. But it, I mean, it is just like I said, a completely learning different experience that is, it can go down to your level. If you're a beginner, they will literally walk you through every single step and help you along the way and will always be there. So I mean, you guys just have been amazing for us.

Oh, thank you. Such a good team. That's awesome. Well, I'm so glad to hear that. This has been so fun. What an awesome update. Um, Anna, I've got just a couple more questions in a lightning round. Are you ready for that? Sure.

Sure.

Okay. All right. If I give you 2 hours back in your day to work on income-generating activity, what do you focus on first?

I would probably focus on making sure that we do have all the inventory that we need, that we have the right product, um, and that we are completely— that our pricing is done accordingly, uh, that we are basically ready to go.

I love that. What's been the hardest lesson you've had to learn in business?

The hardest lesson that I've had to learn in business has probably been to find those vendors that are going to be by my side and that are going to be honest and that are going to be caring. Like I said, there is so much competition. There is so much thinking that we're going to take from each other's business away. So I think that has probably been the hardest, to find those true neighbors, if you want to call them that, and friends that are really there to support you. I had my trailer broken into last year, and because of finding those people that are truly there— I was in— my trailer was in Texas, I was in California. I get a phone call, my trailer has been broken into. It I lost hundreds and thousands of dollars of merchandise. I literally made one phone call and within 15 minutes another neighbor was literally by my trailer making sure that everything was right, replacing windows and replacing locks. So, I mean, that is, like I said, to me the biggest thing, you know, to just be there for each other. We really need to be there for each other.

Yeah. Oh my gosh. That is the key to business right there. Don't do it alone.

No.

What's been, I mean, you've been in business a long time. What's been the best business advice that someone's given you that just always sticks with you?

The best business advice, be consistent. If you fall, you get up and you do it again and you do it differently and just always show up. You may not be motivated at times because motivation is sometimes it's not easy, but things are not going to happen if you don't act on them. So consistency, consistency, consistency.

Yeah. Oh, spot on. All right, Ana, well, one last question. I mean, gosh, let's just fast forward down the road whenever you're ready for retirement, right? And you're sitting on the front porch with your girls and grandbabies and the whole thing. You're reflecting back on this journey that you've had over the years, all the shows you've been to, all the people you've touched, and this business that you've built. What's the thing that you really want them to remember most about you specifically and how you lived throughout this entire journey?

Well, my daughters, it's— I'm just going to give you just a little bit of my daughter. A few years ago when she was very young, she said to me, Mom, she said, what is the best and the most beautiful and the most expensive wood that there is? And I said, well, I don't know. Let me call your uncle who is a carpenter. So I called him up and he said, alder. And I said— so I said to my daughter, it's alder. She says, Mom, then you are like alder because you are beautiful, you are resilient, and you are just, you know, just very, very strong. And I said, okay. And I just— I was like, you know, that almost, you know, brought tears to my eyes. So a couple years ago, she said to me, Mom, you know what? You are not made out of wood. And I said, I'm not? She says, no, you're literally made out of steel. And I was like, oh my gosh.

Wow.

So I just want to be remembered for somebody that was caring, that was strong, that never gave up, and that I always have a plan B or C. I, I always have a backup plan for I love it.

So good. Alder and Steel. We're going to put that on the show notes. I love it. Anna, thanks so much for being on the show today, for sharing your story, and just for personally inspiring me on this journey here at The Boutique Hub. It's amazing to watch you and your daughters, and I wish you guys all the continued success in the world.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me. 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, AJ Alderson, on Instagram. Thanks so much for being here and listening to this week's episode. I'll see you next week.