Ask Ashley Anything! Listener Questions Part 2

Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works, from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts, and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub, and I can't wait to chat. Hey, guys, it's you and me, and this podcast is going to be a little bit different this week. So rather than being in my office where I typically record with a fancy microphone and all the things, I'm at my kitchen table today. So the sound may not be as good and the background is, you know, my kitchen. But I thought it was fitting because today's topic is Ask Ashley Anything. And when I dropped this on social media, on Instagram and on Facebook and all over, I was really surprised at the questions that you guys asked this time. Certainly there was a lot more this time on just personal sides of things. So you hear from me all the time on this podcast, talking to fellow business owners and talking about business, business growth and strategy and scale. And I love talking about those things and could talk about them all day long. But I think the truth is that you have a life to live outside of your business, and I have a life that I live outside of my business. And so often we either are looking at those as, like, two very different independent things or one so heavily impacting the other that if one's not well, neither are well. And so I think it's just healthy to address both. Like, how do you have, you know, a life outside of your business that feeds you while you're in your business, and how do you have a life in your business that feeds you when you are out with your family and living your life? So I really wanted to address most of those questions today on the podcast and all of these fun ask Ashley anything topics. My sister's even got involved in this one. So. So there's some family drama. They're asking me about those turds. So I'll drop those questions at the end as. So let's start here because this was my favorite question. I want to kick it off, hit it head on from the start because no doubt most of you asked this question or a similar question or you liked this comment when you saw it. So my friend Alex, Alex is from Dallas, Texas. He has an amazing video creation company, amazing dad, husband, all the things, super talented guy. And Alex Asked me this question. I thought it was just so heartfelt. He said, what advice would you give to another parent who is a business owner on how to stay fully committed to both being a parent, the priority, and also being a passionate business owner, the thing that supports the priority. You seem to be very present and committed to both. Do you just not sleep well, Alex? I do sleep. And actually it's Eric who doesn't sleep. So at night, it's the battle. Like, he battles and battles and battles to fall asleep. I am out immediately. I also cannot stay asleep or cannot stay awake in vehicles. This is, like, a real issue for me. It drives Eric crazy. Typically, he has to drive by himself because I'm sleeping. I just can't stay awake. And I sleep on airplanes before the plane even takes off. So, no, sleep's not the issue. We're good there. But I do have a lot of thoughts on how to answer this question. And I will tell you, my answer is perfectly imperfect. I really had to struggle to figure this out. We walked through a lot of hellfire to figure this out. We had a lot of marriage battles to figure this out. I had a lot of shame and guilt as a mother to figure this out. I had a lot of shame and guilt from family as I figured this out and had to learn how to take some judgment. All right, so let's talk about the first thing that had to become really clear in order to get here. And the first thing is boundaries. So I feel like you have to really clearly define what is family time and what is work time. And I think in some situations, there's really hard lines that we draw, and in other seasons, the lines are a little bit more blurred. And it's just really important to know what season are we in. So there's times when I know, like, in the summer season, I draw a really hard line that on the weekends, I am done Fridays at noon because we're packing up a horse trailer and we're going to a rodeo, and that's what our family does. So that's become a really hard line for me. In other seasons, when it's a launch or we're getting ready for the boutique summit or I know I'm traveling a lot in a particular month, you know, that season is very different. And I think when I'm in that busy season, I try really hard and Eric tries really hard to communicate with the kids about the importance and the magnitude of the season that we're in. And what does that mean not only for us as business owners, because that's our income for the year, right? That's how we can afford to have horses and nice things, and that's how we afford to put food on the table, all that. So how does it personally impact us? But also like, our kids know what our mission is and they're bought in on that. So when they know that our mission is to change other people's lives and we're supporting other small business owners so they can have the freedom and flexibility that we are afforded to have our kids understand and are willing to make the sacrifices that they need to make because they can see the good it has in other people. Doesn't mean it's always been that way. The older they've gotten, the easier that's become. But we've tried really hard to really speak that message in our family. And Covid, I feel like really accentuated that because Covid was really tough. It was a really busy time. And we basically said, okay guys, there's things that are going to take a backseat during this time because we have to double down and help our community get through this. And our kids jumped in. I mean, they took on more chores than they'd ever had. They helped us ship planners, like they were a part of our staff. They really got to be hands on. And that has definitely paid dividends for us as a family. The second thing I would say has really helped me be both present as a parent and as a CEO is I have to know that what I'm working on and what I'm focusing on really matters. Because we have glorified this idea of being busy. Like, we wear it like it's such a badge of honor. When people say, like, how are you doing? You're like, oh, I'm busy, I'm busy. Like, it's great. It's really not like that's not the goal of life to be busy. The goal is I want to be effective and then I want to take time off. That's the real goal. So I think we have to stop glorifying this word busy, because it's garbage. So for me, like focusing on what makes me effective, whether that's income generating activities or the percent of my list that gets 80% of the results, or it's really knowing what's a CEO job for me, what's a hundred dollar an hour job. And anything that's a $10 an hour job, I delegate it. And it's always been like that, even from the very beginning of business, when we really didn't have any money to Hire people. I mean, this was just like having a babysitter, right? And knowing that when I had time to focus on work, even before there was really no income coming in, I could at least take that 10 bucks an hour I was paying a babysitter, and I could take that hour and produce a hundred dollars, right? Like, I know there's always a time, money, balance, payoff. And so I had to learn how to be effective, not busy, and delegate anything. That's a $10 an hour task. So I'm not ashamed at all to tell you that I have a lovely cleaning lady who comes every two weeks, and she's great, and she takes a ton off my plate. And we have a lot of lawn to mow. We have, like, a really big yard and barn. And in Wisconsin, the grass grows so fast, you have to mow it every single week because it's like the Garden of Eden here. So we have people that mow our lawn for, like, Eric and I took that off our plate a couple years ago so we could get those hours back to either be present as parents or, you know, to be very present as the leaders of our business. So there's those decisions you have to make, and you cannot hold on to your money story and your shame and your guilt for doing those or the shame and the guilt that those around you put on you for doing those things. And so I will say this is tip number three, is you have to let go of what other people's expectations for you are as a parent. So a lot of times our parents or our family or our friends will say, say, hey, in order to be a good parent, you must do blank, right? And they'll put their definition of being a good parent on you. But the truth is, most of the time, they're wrong by your definition because they're living a very different life than you're living. That was a brutal, brutal lesson for Eric and I to learn. We came to blows with some family members who didn't like what we were doing and felt like I should go get a real job early on in the days of the Hub. And eventually they came around to see, like, it. It's just different for us, and now they fully support us. But you just have to know when other people give you those expectations or put that advice on you, you have to know that that's for them. And you have to be able to discern, like, what is actually for you and let go of what's not for you and keep what is. And you have to be able to tell the difference. All right. The fourth thing is, how can you say no to the right things? So I know that in my heart of hearts, I would love to be a Pinterest mom. I think Pinterest moms are amazing. I went to this Halloween party recently. My friend had, like, the. The coolest stuff planned for everybody who is there. I really adore Pinterest moms. I just know that in this season of life, that's just not gonna be me. I'm probably not gonna have, like, a homemade birthday cake. And even though I love to bake, right? I'm just not. I'm not gonna have the best birthday parties for the kids. There's things that I'm willing to say no to so that I can be ruthlessly present at the things I say yes to. So for me, it's all the activities. It's our family time, it's family vacations, it's our nighttime with our kids. It's driving the kids to school in the morning. It's being in charge of the kids calendar and having that drive time between sports with them, or it's playing basketball in the front yard. Those things I am ruthlessly all in on. So there's other things that I have to choose to let go of or I wouldn't have time to do the work Right, which is the thing that supports that. The main priority. All right, last two things really quick. Number five, Hire an amazing team. Even if it's an intern. Start small. Wherever you are, as you grow, your team has to share the same values as you. If you do not hire on values, you will be really disappointed. I've been there. Really get clear on what your values are, what's important to you, and then go all in on that. And you have to be really, like, mindful enough of your team to care about them as people and their personal life as much as you want them to care about you as a person in your personal life. And then that payoff will come. And then the last thing, the sixth thing, is this. And this is probably just the most important, if I'm being honest. Find time just to laugh and to just let God's plan work for you. To be really frank, I think the times where I've had the most stress of trying to run a company and be a mom is when I felt like I was pushing, pushing, pushing, and I was basically like putting a round peg through a square hole, and I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders, thinking it was on me to figure it out. And to do it all, that seems to never work. It's an insane amount of pressure and anxiety. The more I find that I can just submit and go, okay, God, like, you've got this. I'm here. What will you have me do? Those are the times when things really start to lay out before me and the best outcome really begins to unfold. So just have grace for the season that you're in. Know the season that you're in. Know that life is not a zero sum game. It's like balance is right. It's not 50, 50, it's not perfect. It's. You have to do what you can wherever you are right for that particular season. So have grace for this season. Protect your sanity. Sometimes done is better than perfect and you just keep moving on. That was a long answer, but that was a really important answer. So thanks for bearing with me on that, you guys. Okay, let's go to the next question. Ashley asked this question. She says, Ashley, love the name. What software do you use to keep track of your work tasks and your family tasks? It's a great question. Okay, so first thing is, you guys know because of the planner, I'm like a ruthless planner, right? But here's the two things I do with the planner. So number one, I, I live and die by Google Calendar. So I have a work Google Calendar. We have like a company wide travel Google Calendar. Eric has his own Google Calendar. And then we have a family Google Calendar. So the kids, sports and all that stuff is on the family calendar. Eric and I share it. And then when we have like a babysitter, we'll share it with them. So sometimes we have like a driver after school that can help us do kid pickups because our kids are like going three different directions. And you know, there's two of us and we travel for work. So it doesn't always work that it's us. So the Google Calendar is really important. And then every week when I sit down to do my planning in my day planner, I take the Google Calendar and then I like transpose it into like my day planner. Okay. It's like taking it out of my brain and putting it down on paper so I can see, here's what's planned. And then I can take my to do list and I can put it down in my day planner at that point as well. The third thing that really helps from the planner's perspective is just all the tracking. So all the social media tracking, all the financial tracking, all the goal tracking, all of that stuff really seems to work as well. So the third tool I would give you is Trello. So anything that's not on Google Calendar or in the day planner goes into Trello, which is like an online planning, like a board system. So all of our goals by week, by month, by quarter, upcoming tasks for the family, the kids, Christmas list, like all that stuff, I dump all of that into Trello. So those things really help me. Okay, next question. Because I'm recording this from the kitchen table, there's a dog walking around and there's noises I'm not used to on a podcast. Just gonna tell you. Okay, next question. Leah asked, what is your best advice for worst days? So my best advice is to know that 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. So when you have bad days, you just gotta accept them for what they are. Sometimes there's bad days and they just suck. I try my best to really articulate to Eric if I'm having one of those days so he has a little more grace for me when I become a monster. I don't think I've become a monster, but if I'm like short and crabby, at least he knows why and he usually helps me talk through those moments. I also think you have to know when is it time to like go scream in a pillow or take the afternoon off or for me, I can completely reset my brain with a quick 20 minute nap. It's like I wake up a whole other human being. So those things are really important as well. Leah asked this question because she's a former rodeo queen like me. And I think the stigma if you are a former rodeo queen is that you have to be happy all the time and you're not allowed to be sad and you're not allowed to have bad days or at least portray it like that. And I think that's true on social media too. I think there's just so much fluff, right. That just doesn't work. So I think we know that we all have them. It's just when we have them, how are we going to deal with them? And give yourself permission to deal with them when you're in the middle of them. The last thing I'll say on this, my favorite song currently is Zach Bryan, east side of Sorrow. So east side of Sorrow is this awesome song about like the sun will come up tomorrow somewhere on the east side of sorrow. And it's got this awesome trumpet and I'm just a big Zach Bryan fan. Anyway, I blare this song because it tells me it doesn't matter what happens today, tomorrow is always a new a new opportunity. So hope that helps. Leah. Hey, it's time to save the date for our next Boutique Summit. The largest conference for our industry just for boutique owners, E commerce stores of all types and wholesale brands. June 9th and 10th. Coming back to Dallas, we can't wait to see you there. With several speakers, tons of breakout sessions, your very own private trade show. Did I mention swag? Plus an opportunity to network with retailers just like you, ready to scale and grow your business. You guys. We plan the Boutique Summit on the front end of the market happening at Dallas Market center so you can really get the most bang for your buck when you're traveling. Attend the Boutique Summit, stay for market, learn as much as you can, buy as much as you can and get ready to grow and scale your business. June 9th and 10th. Click the show notes to sign up, get the information and save the date right now. Next question. Let's go to Megan and Caleb asked this question. If you had a choice to do one thing to elevate your business with relatively immediate results, looking back at all you've done, what would that one thing be? This is a great question. Okay, here's what it is. It would be consistent video content. Consistent video content. So for me, early on that was Facebook lives. It was starting a podcast for you. If you're newer in business, it's reels and it's TikToks and it's YouTube shorts. Don't forget about YouTube shorts. Also, YouTube proper is still wildly impactful. I think everyone should have Facebook lives going or Instagram lives going. I just think video, when it's consistent, when it's relatable, when it is focused on solving other people's problems, not like bragging about ourselves because those are two totally different things. When we get those things right and we just show up like as real as an authentic as we can and the quality is relatively high. I'm not saying it has to be perfect. Please don't get stuck in that. But like, you know, you're trying and you can tell that you're trying, like, good enough for me. Get some good lighting, get a cell phone and have at her. But just get consistent and get relatable in your content. And I think that is a surefire mechanism for growth no matter what you do in business. Okay, Mariah asks the next question. Mariah said, ashley, do you ever have a poor me Attitude or a pity party for yourself. If so, how do you overcome that feeling? Mariah, I will be brutally honest with you. If there's one great gift that cancer gave me early on in life, it is that this does not happen to me anymore. I feel like that, honestly, biggest blessing, because I quickly learned, like, it could be worse. It could be worse. And sometimes it was worse. Like, and I had to just, like, drill this into my head because whether it was losing my hair and going bald, being sick from chemo, missing out on, like, moments like my 21st birthday and all my friends 21st birthdays and just the normal college experience to a certain degree. I mean, don't get me wrong, I had plenty of fun, but there was times where I was just different than the rest because I had to, you know, buckle down and take care of myself on a whole new level. I had to miss out on a lot of things because I was sick for quite a long period of time. So, yeah, I had to, like, fight that battle really hard at that time. So today I feel like I very quickly can tell myself, wow, it could always be worse and really focus on what I am grateful for. So I think people talking about, like, gratitude journals and really focusing on what is the is going well versus what's not, I think it's something that you can train yourself into for sure. Okay. Anna. Oh, Anna is a member of our boutique Mastermind. I love this question. She's also local to me. She says, what are the things that fill your cup beyond work and mom life? Sometimes those two things seem to define us. And I'd love to know what you are doing besides that, even if you don't always have time for those other interests. I feel like sports are a big one. Any others? This is such a good question, Such a good question because those two things do define us. Like when people ask like, oh, how's the work going? Or how are the kids doing? Those are the two most commonly asked questions. Well, guess what? We all have other interests, right? Like, I hope we do. I hope there's somewhere inside of us. So the things that fill my cup. Anna, thank you for asking. Number one, I love riding horse. That's always been a very, like, peaceful experience for me. Whether it's like a fun trail ride with the family or we're going to a rodeo together or like, for me, I've always loved working young horses. So, like actually working a horse and doing drills and seeing progression in the animal, in the skill I'm trying to teach them, that's Wildly satisfying. So that's big. Playing sports with the kids, like practicing, obviously, that's big. I love the spa. I love it. I will go to the spa anytime you ever ask me to go. It's my happy place. I love reading a book in the sun. It's awesome. I never have time to do that, by the way, but I love doing that. I really love taking naps. Love it. Like a 20 minute cat nap. Perfect. Pardon the pun. Perfect. I could get a lot done after that last thing. I really love food and I love travel. Like, I love to experience great food. I'm not big on like sushi, just to be honest. And then I really love to travel. I. I didn't like, we didn't grow up as kids getting to travel ever. There were six of us, so not a lot of money to go around. So today, like now that we can. I freaking love travel. So those are the things. Thanks for asking that question. Okay, next question, next question. If you could hit replay on one year of your life, what would that be and why? Oh. Oh my gosh. Okay. Oh, go. I don't feel like Callie asked this question, Kelly. I don't feel like I have one year that's like particularly better than the rest. I have been so wildly blessed to have some really unique experiences throughout my life. From the cancer journey to the Missouri America journey to early my career in economic development was awesome. I loved that journey. And then starting the hub and all the things here, the years the kids were born, like all those things were great. So I don't know that I'd repeat any because, like one was particularly my favorite. But one year I would really like to do over. I'm gonna be so honest with you, is the year that I got married. I would love to do that year over. And I'm curious your guys's thoughts on this. You're gonna need to send me a DM on Instagram. But I feel like when you get married, yes, you love that person, but you really don't love that person yet, right? I loved Eric, but I, I love him way more now. Like I didn't even know what was possible back then. Like, we were just kids, we were so young and man, that was a hard year. Like he had just started a new career, I had just started a new career. I was like a 24 year old girl. 24, 25, whatever. I was living in a man's world very much. Everyone around me was, you know, 70 year old men in economic development and lobbying at the state legislature and they hated me. They just like, who is this young blonde girl? Like, it was just a tough time and I was really trying to prove myself that I belonged there. And so I was working a lot. I was going extra it, like extra to every meeting, all the travel. Just really trying to digest what I had gotten myself into and trying to do a really good job at it. And really working for the public is tough. Working for taxpayers is tough. So I don't feel like I was the best version of myself in that year. And I also don't feel like I took time to really enjoy the journey of getting married and planning a wedding and getting to like enjoy Eric at that time. Like I wish I would have. So that year I would repeat for sure. That was so. Oh yeah, that was quite the. Quite the honesty there, you guys. Okay, what other questions do we see? Adair, what was your nine year old dream job? This is so clear to me as a 9 year old, as an 18 year old when I graduated, I always knew it was this. I would do something that no one's ever done before. And number two, I would change people's lives. That was it. I always knew that. And I feel like that's how God rolled it out for me. Right. And I think that's why I was willing to take such a risk on the boutique hub is because I felt like it's where I was supposed to be. Even though it didn't work and I was broke for a long time and everyone said, get a real job, Ashley. I just kept on it because I just knew, like, I was so called to do this thing. And I really believe this was it. And I'm so thankful that it paid off the way that it did. And I, I don't know, I just am so blessed in that regard to have had that calling really early on and clear. Yeah. So I just. Don't ignore that voice that's in your gut telling you to do something. Right. I think our logic tries to shut those things down so fast. There's gold in those little nudges inside of us. So lean into them. All right, this is a fun question. This is a fun question. So Stacy Martin. Stacy's a friend of mine. In the rodeo world, she's a big deal. She's a great college rodeo coach and instructor. In the goat tying world, she's just wonderful. So she says, what was the worst thing about being Miss Rodeo America? All right, this is good. The worst thing about being Miss Rodeo America was I flew over a hundred thousand miles that year in 2007, I was on the road over 300 days. That was a lot. And I lived, like, the nearest airport to me was 80 miles away. And it was, like, only had the puddle jumper airplanes. The nearest decent airport was about three and a half hours away. So for me to get anywhere in the country was pretty tough. I went through Denver. Like, everything was a connection through Denver. And there wasn't always, like, one great airline hub. Like, it was United, sometimes it was Northwest. When that was a thing, it was Great Lakes Airlines. It was all these things. Um, so I had a lot of times where I only had a turnaround of, like, two days to get home, unpack, repack, and leave again and see my family. And there was a lot of time that I couldn't. Like, I got bumped from a flight or the flight got canceled, or we got snowed in in Denver. I've had to sleep overnight in the Denver airport multiple times. The travel was just really tough. And I think part of it was the year I was Miss Rodeo America. It was right after I'd had cancer, and they were launching this program called Tough Enough to Wear Pink in the Rodeo World. And so I got to be, like, an early spokesperson for that. So I traveled a lot, speaking on just cancer awareness. Right. And what that program meant to the Western industry. So it just happened that I was really busy. So I did get homesick a lot because of that travel, for sure. Okay, the next questions are some fun questions. Okay. Jen asks, how do you stay so youthful? Jen, I already told you this on Facebook, but I. I owe you, like, 20 bucks or something. I owe you 100 bucks. I don't know. That was a really nice question. Thank you for the compliment. I'll take it. I don't know if it was like my mom making us use dial soap back in the day. Did anyone ever have to put dial soap on their face? Face. And it made your face feel like tight leather. Like, it was so bad probably for your face. But, I mean, if there was a zit, yo, it was gone, so maybe that was it. But I have always been super, like, particular about lots and lots and lots of moisturizer. So maybe that's it. I don't know. I'll take that. Marla asks. Marla's a part of our Mastermind, and she says, when was the last time you made broccolini for dinner? Let me give you guys the backstory on this. So we were at a dinner at our Mastermind event, and there was broccolini served on the dinner plate. And I can't even remember who it was. If it was Abby or someone asking, you know, something about the broccoli. And someone else is like, no, that's broccolini. And pretty soon this conversation broke out, like, what is broccolini? Because half the people there had never heard of broccolini. They just thought it was fancy broccoli. So that's the question for you. And this if. If you need a good engagement question for your Facebook group or for your Instagram, just ask this question, broccolini, question mark. Because most people don't even know what it is. So that was fun. Okay, next questions. My next questions are from my sisters. They're such dorks. First, who is your favorite sister? You guys know I'm never going to answer that question, right? You're all my favorites for different reasons. That's as good as it gets. Did you ever sneak out of the house in high school? Wow. I did a lot of terrible things in high school. I had more than my share of fun, but I never did sneak out of the house. I know some of my sisters did. I know what they did. They. Because we lived on a ranch, lived on a farm. Their friends were waiting for them around the tree row, and they would sneak out. But I never did that. So that. That's. That's on you guys. Next question. How did you like driving a stick shift for your driver's test? I mean, my first car was a stick shift, and it, like, made for a lot of fun memories because I would teach all my friends how to drive that thing. We could leave amazing black marks with that thing. We'd peel out on Main street in that thing. Like, I was good. I would take a stick shift this day. Like, above all else, it's perfect for me. I would take it. Okay, last question is, where did this go? Sarah Kelly, biggest struggle you have overcome in business. How can we overcome it, too? This question I really want to hit because I think everyone faces this. We all face different struggles. We all could probably name 10 different types of struggles, but the one I want to talk about is one I think a lot of people face, and that was imposter syndrome. So imposter syndrome. I would even, like, lump it in as, like, comparison. Right? Because social media does that today. I think that as business owners, you have to know. As business owners, you have to know that your job is not to be the absolute know all expert of everything. Right? It's not to be perfect. It's not to have absolutely everything figured out, but it's to at least be 10% ahead, right? If you're 10% ahead of where people are, you can bring them along very quickly in 10%. And you can just, like, keep gaining and keep growing. I think that if we all waited until we knew everything, until the conditions were perfect in order to start a business or to share our knowledge with others, we'd never start. So I think that imposter syndrome for me was just being okay with the fact, like, this is what I know, this is what I can share, this is what I have to offer. If it helps you, great. If it doesn't, that's okay too. And being okay with just putting myself out there without fear of other people's opinions or rejection, just like, absolutely crushing me. I get the question a lot. Like, hey, did you own a boutique? Like, who are you to start the boutique up if you didn't even own a boutique? Let me tell you, I didn't. I worked in retail since I was 14. I worked in a gift shop, flower shop. I worked at the Buckle, I worked at a grocery store. I worked in all these places. But I started the Boutique Hub really first as a shopping mall of boutiques so that people like me in the Midwest who felt like fashion was very New York and it was la, but what about the rest of us? I felt like boutiques answered that question. They were this really cool way to have a curated experience and try new things. And I love discovering boutiques around the country when I would travel. And so I thought, man, I just want to create this online shopping mall of boutiques for people like me. And when I did and went all in on this business idea, I quickly realized, just from wanting to serve people right, that that's not what they needed. The boutique owners didn't need that service. They didn't need that website that I was trying to build for them. They just needed that 10% more of education that they didn't have access to. And so I thought, man, my dad always said to me, he's like, ashley, it's not always what you know, it's who you know. Like, if you can be a connector of people, if you can bring people together in a room, wow, you can change the world. And so I thought, okay, I get it. At the Boutique Hub, even if I don't know the answer to the question, I will give you everything I know. Which happened to be a lot about marketing and Facebook ads and social, because it was brand new at the time. And I'd been on it since the very beginning of MySpace and Facebook, I thought, I'll bring you all of this. I'll bring you all I know from running a small business development center and the financial aspect of being a small business and all that. But whatever it is, I don't know, because I was not a boutique owner myself, I will bring in the people who do. And so our team now is filled with former boutique owners, and we bring in guest speakers every week. Who are boutique owners? I am not anymore. I'm not intimidated to share that. But at first, that imposter syndrome, you guys, was so strong. I thought, who am I to do this? But then it was just like I had this voice in the back of my head saying, well, who are you to not do this, right? Like, if you see a problem, solve it. Vanilla Ice. So I guess we went for it. So I just encourage you, like, wherever you're at, whatever you're dealing with with imposter syndrome, just know, like, the world needs what you have to offer. It doesn't matter that it's not perfect or wholly unique or whatever. Like, if you have a gift to give, Even if it's 10% more than what someone else has to offer, like, give it right. It's selfish to keep your gifts to yourself. So whatever it is that you have to offer, share it. And you have to let this imposter syndrome go by the wayside because it's fake and it's just the enemy trying to keep you down. Okay, last question is, what's next? What's next? I'll tell you this. I love where I'm at right now. I love where I'm at. I have the coolest job in the world. To get to serve other people, to get to serve boutique owners, to get to see this industry from the vantage point that I'm at. I love this busy season. I'm in with the kids. We are on a countdown. We only have five summers left with our kids in the house. Right? That's it. And then time's gone. So I am fully in this moment with my family, and I'm fully in this moment with this business, and there's a dog in my house. But I am also all in on. I have so many friends who don't own boutiques, who maybe are small business owners or who maybe are, like, vested in their career. Men and women who just resonate with some of the things I love to talk about. Like, a lot of the questions I we talked about today. And so if there is something you will see coming from me is I just want to Double down on these conversations, the real personal ones, the. The intersection between life and work and. And what it means to grow a massive business or even a small business, but also to have, you know, the fulfillment and the joy that you also get in your personal life and with your family at home. So I see so many big business consultants today who are talking about, you know, whether it's in the retail space or whether it's in, like, the coaching space or personal development space. And they're all in on these wonderful messages that I completely resonate with. But when I see them, very few of them also have the commitments of a family along with them. And that's no shade to anybody. But I just also want to have more voices of people who are doing big things in business, who are also doing big things with their family, too, because it's a big struggle to try to do both. And so if there's anything I'm fully vested and committed in, it's being a voice for both sides. And it's to show people that it's possible. You can grow a crazy business but also be crazy present at home. I want people to know that that's possible. So if that's helpful to you, if that's encouraging to you, I would love to hear your feedback. What questions could I help answer? What other needs do you have I could help fill? What other, you know, resources or strategies would you love to hear from me? Because that's the type of content that I really want to lean into more on my personal side of not just the boutique, but on the Ashley Alderson side of things as well. So hopefully today was fun for you. Hopefully it was interesting. Again, keep your feedback coming. Please send me a DM @ajalderson on Instagram or Ashley Andrews Alderson on Facebook or on TikTok as well. I'd love to hear what you guys have to say, but thanks for submitting these awesome questions. It was a blast to get to go down memory lane and answer them, and I hope you guys got tons of value. So have a great day, you guys. Sorry about the dog barks. Hey, guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode. We hope that you loved it. Don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a rating and review down below for a chance to be one of our featured listeners each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and how to access complete show notes and bonus downloads from our guests, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week. Ra.