Evolving as a Business Owner and as a Person

All right, who's ready for episode number 232 with man, one of the boutique owners that I have been friends with and followed for such a long time. She's been in the business, and you guys are going to love her to pieces. You guys, meet my friend, Randa Carrabba, the owner of, I could say, three different businesses. You'll have to listen to the podcast to find out. Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works from mainstream fashion to fashion on main 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. So I'm sure all of you remember one of the very first boutiques you followed on social media, right? Think of that boutique. Now, I think of Randa Carrabba and I think of Southern Jewels. And maybe it was because I grew up more on the western side of things, and I saw what Randa was doing in our western industry and going to the nfr, but, man, this girl had social media figured out, and she was one of the first to really latch on and create not only a great brand name for Southern Jewels, but she created her own personal brand right along the way. And she's truly one of the first boutique owners that I think figured this out. So it was such a pleasure to watch Rand grow and evolve Southern Jewels over the years. She even joined us at our very first Boutique Summit. On our very first opening panel, her and Kelsey Darby with the lace cactus to talk about the ups and downs of growing a big boutique. Now, it wasn't long after that that Randa actually sold Southern Jewels and created Randa Carrabba the label and now has taken her her journey and her personal brand on yet another exciting twist into a fitness company. You guys, this woman is so smart. She is so. And she puts her whole heart into everything she does. If you're friends with her on social media, she's always there to cheer you on, to give you a hand, to help you out however she can, to support your business. She's truly someone that you guys should know in the industry. And if you aren't connecting with her somewhere on social media yet, please take the opportunity today to do so. I know you're going to be so inspired by her story and by the evolution that her business and her brand has taken. And to know that wherever you're at in your business, when you're listening to this today, your business doesn't have to be exactly what it is today forever. It can grow and it can change and it can morph into something new and exciting. But that's up to you to dream about and to follow those dreams, to create whatever it is you want your business to be in the future. So I hope you're excited and inspired. I can't wait for you guys to meet my friend Randa on today's episode. All right, you guys, you are about to listen in on Girl Chat. It's not Boutique chat today. It's going to be Girl Chat, because one of my favorite people in this entire industry, Randa Carrabba, is joining me today, and we've got a lot to talk about, don't we?

We have a ton to talk about.

We were talking before we started to record, and I was like, man, I'm so excited for today's interview because I'm just excited to catch up with you because I've admired you forever in a day, and we've built this friendship over the last couple of years, and it's just so cool to watch your journey unfold.

And I think it's so cool to see what you've done with the hub, because I remember you reaching out before it was even really a thing. And just the mindset and the positivity in the community feels amazing.

I laugh. People are always like, oh, how'd you start this? And I'm like, a lot of cold calling to boutiques being like, hey, would you ever use this? And most people are like, no, you're crazy. Like, that could never be done. So pretty cool to have friends that have evolved out of this whole process. So thank you for that.

You as well. Yeah.

All right, we've got a lot of things to talk about. You're a rare breed, and you're so brave because you built an amazing retail business that was one of the very first, like, big boutiques.

Such a cool boutique.

And then you change. Like, you went away from the boutique.

You sold the business.

You're doing your own thing. You become a blogger. I mean, there's just this whole evolution to unpack that really, I think is going to be so valuable for every retailer to listen to today for a million different reasons. So I can't wait to kind of dive into each nook and cranny. But let's start with Talk to me about Southern Jewels, like, kind of Your background, how you started Southern Jewels and.

How it took off so fast. So I was a sophomore in college making my own jewelry and it was like the chunky turquoise jewelry and all the bright colors and everyone, like all my friends started wanting it. So I would make jewelry for them. Well then other people that didn't know me wanted it. So then I started selling it. And then I would post my like legit photo albums on Facebook. This is before Facebook even had business pages. I would post them on there. And so I grew up showing cat on. So I had a lot of friends from like out of state and stuff and they would reach out. And I remember when I did my internship between the junior and senior year of my college career and I went up to Kansas City to do a internship with the American Angus Association. I grew up the springest girl. I was like a Texas A and M judger. All this, like everything. Academia at Texas A and M, like defined me and I loved it. And it was like people when I did that internship knew me as the Southern Jewels girl and it was just a side hobby. But what's crazy is it kind of developed my online community kind of all over before I even understood that was a thing.

So you started the jewelry line that totally took off. When did you start to introduce clothing and more of like the boutique feel?

So I graduated in 2009 and I like worked for my advisor. I had a master's literally handed to me on a silver platter. And I like I said, I was always very academia like valedictorian in high school. So my family very much valued that as I was a first generation Aggie and they were so proud. Well, I like tell everyone, give me a year, let me see if I can make it on my own. And of course I kind of lost. I wouldn't say respect from people, but they were very doubtful. And like, when the hell are you going back to school? Right? So I'm like, okay. I would travel and I would make good money, but my expenses were so much. People didn't really trust online shopping that much back in 2009 and 10 just yet. Like, am I going to get it? How long is it going to take to shift? So I was walking in the mall one day, saw one of those kiosks and I know they are sketchy AF because that's where everyone chases you down a, you know, sample. But I could not afford as I think I was 21, 22 at the time. I could not afford commercial real estate in College Station because it was Three to five years, you know, earnest money down, all this stuff that was way beyond my means. And I was self funded from the ground up. So I saw this kiosk and it was month to month and I was there from September to December. My sales just increased so much. And that is where I could not produce enough, you know, creation. So I had to start bringing in the clothing. Then it continuously evolved online storefront. And honestly, the clothing is. It took over in no time to wear. The jewelry was kind of just a small part of the business.

So you, I mean, you really did have some like viralosity, we'll call it. Like you were viral for such a long time. Was it that you really understood your customer? You know, you were a college girl, you were an Aggie, you attracted that same customer into your store and you were one of the first people to really leverage social media or how did you really capitalize on that growth?

Growth as it unfolded. When I did my little kiosk, which I had to work like 80 hours a week, seven days a week, begged the security guy to watch it so I could like run to the bathroom because I couldn't afford help, you know, December, what my sales were like quadruple what all the months before were. And so that's when I was like, okay, I can really do this. And what's crazy is to think like social media, it was just a free avenue at that point. So it was a free way to put myself out there. And you know, I went through some things like a couple years later that we'll talk about later. But I think what really made it for me back then is I was so brave. Like I gave no Fs what anyone thought about what I was posting on social media. I just put stuff up. I never cared if anyone commented if anyone liked it. I go back to my old Southern Jules post and some of them like had nothing on it, but it was just like, get it out there and people will see it.

So you started to also collaborate with people. I feel like you're one of the very first people. I remember having these really unique collaborations. Was that kind of a factor in your growth along the way too?

I would say absolutely. And also the girls that worked for me from when I had my storefront, you know, I not only had them as employees, but I kind of branded them as jewels, if you will. And so they were like modeling for me. They were kind of like little faces for me. So I would kind of say I was capitalizing on this influencer marketing before it was A thing. And what's crazy is I was really trying to push more of the brand onto other models and employees so that I could kind of, you know, step away and do some other things and it not be all about my face and my name. But what's crazy is people kept tying it to my face in my name. So that's kind of where evolved this whole now like lifestyle blogger aspect from me to where something where I used to not. I wanted my business to speak for itself. Now it's like you want to have a person that is behind the business and people really don't trust if there isn't. So I think that God was kind of looking out for me a lot because a lot of this stuff was evolving and changing and just coming to fruition in ways that I didn't understand at the time. But now looking back, it makes perfect sense why it all worked.

It's a really good way to look at it because you're right. You are one of the first people I remember to have like that true personal brand along with the business. So I can see that evolution now, kind of from a 20,000 foot overview. So you grew the business. You had this massive storefront.

You had 3,500 square feet and there was like a wall in the middle with the door that I could see into the store, but customers only saw like a mirror on a door. And so they were each about 16 to 1850 square feet. Gotcha.

So you had this massive storefront and then the online business really took off. Were you on Shopify? I forget. What platform were you on?

I was with BigCommerce for about seven years. And I would say, you know, what's crazy about my online is it took off probably summ of 2012 and it was all because of a fringe bikini. I don't know if y' all remember, but way back when on Pinterest, there were this like hot little bodies with these like strapless fringe bikinis. I went to every market. I could not find anything. I ended up having my own created overseas again, blind. Like, what I did I would never probably do again. Just wiring thousands of dollars overseas before I had a sample. I don't recommend it, but I did it. And that is what really put me on the board online is I had a product that nobody else had and that and then like the lace shorts that were so popular. So my online when it started, it was really more one special item at a time rather than everything being sold, you know, across the board.

How did you get those items? To go viral. You mentioned Pinterest.

Yeah.

How else did you really push those?

Pinterest? And again, my social media, I kind of like, you know, started with Instagram before Instagram was really a thing for businesses. And I just think that we had such a young, fun energy. You know, I was young twenties when all this was going on to mid twenties. I was in a college town. And I mean, those girls, you'd post it and they would come. And way back when, when you would post, you know, you got so much more reach even without engagement.

Yeah, absolutely. At what point did you start to realize that you were evolving in a different way than your customer was?

I would say this would be about the time I got engaged. So I got engaged December of 2014. I was supposed to be there for Vegas. I always did like the Vegas NFR with my business. Well, this year it was like, you know, honestly just kind of wanting to start living some life rather than. My business was wonderful, but it was like online, the store, traveling, Vegas market. I mean, it just kind of consumed every aspect of my life, which I love that. But now I'm kind of like evolving into sharing my life with someone. And so once I started doing that and getting ready to, like, plan my wedding, I was starting to, you know, I was 29 at the time, so I'm getting older. I'm looking for more timeless pieces. I'm looking for more feminine pieces. Maybe not like just the young, fun, bright, colorful, boutique stuff. And I would say at that point is when I started noticing that my personal style was changing. I think it was as my life was changing and I was like, aging. Yeah.

Did you try to introduce those pieces into the boutique and did they work or did they just not work?

Girl, I brought BCBG to the boutique and I thought I was everything. Like, it was BCBG generation, which is a little bit cheaper than regular bcbg. And I just knew this was gonna fly. And I mean, I could not get rid of those dresses to save my life.

They were stuck.

They were stuck. And that was a big order. Buy in. Like, buying in with BCBG generation is no small feat, man. So I did Alex and Ani and I thought that was going to do great. And it was a huge buy in and it just didn't. So I was like, okay. These things where I see, like, life kind of evolving and changing, for me, it just wasn't working. In my store.

You were still very much like a college town. Those are the girls that wanted to.

Shop, trying to grow the Age range. Like, I couldn't get women to model for me that were over 25 or 30 because they're like, it's a college girl store. And I'm like, no, it's not. There's so much more. Like my mom and mother in law will wear some of the pieces. But I just, I think that it branded so like stoutly while I was younger and I was in this college town that I finally had to accept that is what this brand is. Quit trying to grow and evolve and change it with yourself. Yeah.

So was that kind of the beginning of like what came in 2016 when you made all of your changes to the store?

Yes. Well, I will say January, financially, where the store was, it was the lowest. And I mean like, not only just a little bit by the lowest, but it was really eye opening on the storefront side. Just the amount of foot traffic that wasn't coming in, the amount of lack of sales from any other month standpoint, online was still doing great. But I had these, you know, two big meccas to run. And I really think that's when kind of retail itself kind of started shifting. So when I shut and said, January 2017, there's not going to be any more storefront, it's all online. Only when my sign was going down and I blogged it because I'm very open and honest, I had people texting me like, I am so sorry. And I'm like, what are you sorry for? Like, we're just changing. We're not going out of business. But now I feel like if you're to say I'm shutting my storefront and going online, only everyone understands that.

Yeah, you were one of the first that I remember made that evolution so public. Did you fight that? Did you fight like that fear of quote unquote failing or how did that impact you?

You know what's crazy? So when I shut, it was like I announced it in December and February 4th. I was getting married. So I literally announced like my blog and I left like two or three days later on my bachelorette party, Dominican Republic, and was like, just let everyone talk.

Yeah.

But I think I would have feared it a lot more had I not had this exciting time in my life coming up. So that was such a blessing because it allowed me to focus kind of on the upcoming wedding and my marriage and I'd never take more than a week off at a time. And still that was probably for a work travel trip. So to really, whenever I moved from the storefront, I didn't like kill Myself to have everything up and operating again the next day. I gave it time for people to kind of consume what was going on. I gave myself time to focus on my wedding and actually go on my honeymoon unplugged. And now, looking back, I'm such a person of justifying things when I'm 80 or on my deathbed, that is. I will never, ever regret that I got to do. However, at the time, if I didn't have that would have been so hard to, like, shut the store, if that makes sense. Yeah, I had something kind of very exciting to look forward to that helped me not focus on, like, the negativity or the fear.

Do you feel like, as business owners, we become so engulfed in letting our business define who we are? Like, who's Ashley without the boutique hub, or who's Randa without Southern jewels? And then do you feel like there's a piece of you missing? And how do you get over that hurdle later?

It's huge. And I think it's not only huge for all business owners, I think it's also big for. My dad's a county sheriff. He's been a county sheriff ever since I was third grade, and before that, he was lead deputy. So even you don't have to be a business owner to let your job kind of define your identity. And I think this is probably the biggest lesson I've learned from the evolution of Southern Jules is that. And I mean, it took me some therapy sessions getting through that. I had no idea at that time of my life, and I'll probably cry, but, like, literally, my identity, my worth, my value, the reason why people loved me, and I was so fun and energetic, I felt it was because of my store. And, like, that's me. That's not my store. But when you become where you are, engulfing yourself so much into this business because that's what it takes. It's so easy for that to take over, and you become so fogged by it that you don't even know. So, like, it saddens me now to talk about it, but at the time, I couldn't have told you I was sad about it. Yeah, kind of crazy.

Oh, my gosh, I have goosebumps hearing you say that, because I know so many boutique owners, and not just boutique owners, but business owners of all types that feel the same way. Like, that is who they are. And I think the biggest reason we feel or fear, you know, quote, unquote failure is because we feel like we.

Lose who we are.

But as I know you're going to share. That's only the beginning. Like, that's just a turning point.

Absolutely. I mean, it is crazy, but the way I justified it kind of when I was evolving is, you know, I was going to have a much smaller team, and obviously my overall sales were going to be less. But just because my overall sales are less, because I'm cutting out a store income, doesn't mean that the profit is not going to skyrocket, you know? And then also sometimes I'm like, the more money I make, the more irrational money I spend. So I was like, I'm going to be fine. Like, we're going to evolve. We're going to, like, make this thing a lean, mean, efficient machine.

Absolutely. So what point did you decide then when you started to grow online after you closed down the store, that you were then going to sell the online part of the business?

I did not decide to sell truly the online side of the business until probably last summer. I knew probably like a year before that. So only six months into evolving to online only, closing the storefront, I knew something needed to change and, like, the client wasn't growing or aging with me where I was wanting them to. And I even just think, kind of in general, sometimes boutiques can be, like, kind of more young and fun. Not always, but especially where I'm from, like, in Texas or, like, my online following. So I knew that something needed to happen, and the thought kind of crossed my mind a little bit. But I was not at this place that, like, I was somebody without it. And so that's when I started learning, like, oh, my God, if I was to announce that I'm selling it, that's when I let the fear of, like, people are going to think I'm a failure. People are going to think, like, my business is falling. People are going to think, like, I'm just in need of money. And that's what kind of started to creep in. But I would say just kind of over that year, I would have never started a lifestyle blog after we got married had I not moved online only. But I knew that would generate more traffic to the store. And then as I again started just doing more fitness because I lost weight in 2016 because I had to do a huge layoff. And, like, I was literally working the store on myself and just didn't have time to eat and then getting ready for a wedding. And so then people were starting to ask me all these fitness questions, and I'm like, who am I right now? Where is my life going? You know, I opened There was a thing called the beauty market in College Station, and I went in there for a few months at the beginning of 2018, and that's when I was just like, you know what? This is what I needed for closure, to know, like, I'm evolving and changing. Southern Jewels is wonderful and it will still be wonderful, and I don't want it to go away. So I want to sell it to someone who has a passion for that style, that brand, and that boutique, and that's exactly what I did.

That's perfect. And so it really kind of. This evolution, this uncomfortable period you were in, was just a rebirth myself because.

Of that fear of failure, you know, you always kind of want to leverage and protect yourself, especially if you're out in the public eye, is that I kind of decided this in the summer, but I didn't announce it until, I think, like, October or November. And that was after I launched my first Randa Carrabba label collection. That was after I announced I was going to be launching my fitness app. So still, I don't need to justify those things. But at that point in my life, it made me feel better so that people would understand, oh, she's changing or evolving, rather than as much as I am a wife first and I love Grant Carrabba more than anything in my entire world. I am not wired to only be a housewife. And so if I would have announced that I was selling my business without announcing these other things I was doing, I felt like that was kind of where people would have thought or taken it, and I didn't want to have to explain that. So I just waited to announce the selling, which made it harder because then it's like, oh, well, just launched my new collection, about to launch a fitness app at the beginning of the year, and on top of it, let's sell a business.

Just a couple things going on, Right? Oh, man. So talk to me about the label first, because I want to talk more about fitness, but tell me about the label first and kind of your.

Yes. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you.

No, no, no, go ahead. Talk to me about the label and how that came to be and where you hope that's going to go.

So the label is number one. My maiden name was Yazik, which no one could ever spell or get right. So that could have never evolved kind of until I had this new last name. Right. And it was kind of all about branding myself as, like, this new life, this new evolution. You know, I'm focusing on marriage over business. My style is becoming more timeless and classic. Grant and I went through building a home at that same time. So, you know, when you build a home, I think you learn a lot about your own personal style. As to where when you're a boutique owner, you sometimes can't always let your own personal style show through in everything. Because let's be honest, if this fringe bikini is selling like a hotcake, honey, you're going to wear a fringe bikini and sell hell out of it, even if it's not your own personal style. Right. So it was kind of this evolution of me getting to say, you know, what, what is my personal style? Like, if I did not have to worry about the sales of the business, like, if I was just being my own personal stylist, brander, creator, what would I do? And that is where the label evolved. And I really thought, okay, now I went through this phase of Southern Jewels where I was trying to make other people be the brand face for me. And then people were craving me and I was aging. I'm like, now I'm going to step right out in front of my name. It is timeless. I don't care where this brand goes, it will always have my name attached to it in my own personal style.

I love that. So is it. I know right now you're selling wholesale to boutiques. Are you doing some direct to consumer as well?

Yes, I am. I am online@randacaraba.com shop so it's my lifestyle blog, but also has a shop of the label within my blog.

I love that. It's so neat to see your creativity come out in another way.

I love creating it and you know, it's one of those things to where there's not near as much pressure on my shoulders about the sales of the label or the growth of the label or how long it takes to create the label. Exactly. To have everything I want because. And that's the blessing that kind of came about with selling the business and launching the fitness app that kind of helps sustain me to where this with me being self funded and with me having other aspects of my life and that's one thing I really want to put out there is I know that like business requires us to niche down, but as a person, as an individual. Randa Carrabba. Nothing to do with my businesses and everyone else put themselves in these shoes. That woman is so many things. Like she's a wife, she's a mom, she's a friend, she's a stylist, she's probably got some kind of a hobby so it's all these things. And because I'm not at the place in my life where I want to go take a huge financial risk and go all in on the label, like, that's okay. It doesn't mean I'm a failure if I'm not this huge overnight success with retail like I was years ago. It is a lifestyle evolution maturing brand and it will take time and steadiness to get there. And that is a wonderful mindset and release of pressure for me to be at.

Oh, man, I feel like you need to repeat that. That's kind of like a mic drop. Because nobody gives themselves grace anymore to grow into what you're meant to be.

Are, you know, but at the same time, that is why even this newest collection that I just launched, it is so timeless and classic and I swear I think it will still be in style in many years to come. Like, that is a collection I will still be selling down the road rather than focusing on the trends or the quick sale or the fast fashion. So. And it's going to take a little longer again just to get my retail people into a different mindset. But they're not going to get there if I don't help push them and educate them that way and lead by example with myself as I age.

I love that. Talk to me. I mean, because you've got a different view on the whole industry at that point. But let's talk about wholesale first, because you're new to the wholesale side of things. But as much as it's evolved since you first started, which I'm sure at first you were like, okay, Google Fashion, go. You know where you first start ordering.

Right.

How is it?

Yeah, yeah.

How do you think that the wholesale industry has evolved the most and where do you think it's going to go next?

I would say it's obviously evolved in the aspect that we're so much more connected and educated and well rehearsed on it, that being the boutique hub, the group there, you know, a lot more brands being online and understanding that putting their things online first rather than only at market, because I mean, I'm sure I speak for everyone when you go to market, you see this really popular item that you're ready to get, or at least this was years ago, and you come back and realize they're not even going to cut it. So then you couldn't even like properly plan to stock your store based on only orders at market because sometimes those weren't already in stock. As to where now we're kind of demanding that more of the wholesale business. And I will say one wonderful thing when I started working with BCBG generation is it was open sizing. And that was huge to me because at that point, even though I was trying to evolve my client and that brand didn't work, I knew the size of my clients and so sometimes getting a 2 to 2 like my store, I couldn't keep smalls in stock. I literally had to ask my employees not to buy things if they were a size small so that I could save it for my customers as to where I would have to run sales on just size larges. And I'm sure other brands or businesses have struggles in the reverse way. So I really think, you know, evolving to this open sizing is going to be huge to benefit both the retailer and the wholesaler.

I completely agree. And really there's only a handful of brands that I feel like have caught on to that. But boy, yeah, huge opportunity there. How about the retail side of things? Where do you see that like and the boutique industry specifically, where you think that's going to go?

You know, this is a hard one. And I would overall say I don't know. And I think that's okay to say that because where I think it's going, is that really what it's going to be? I don't know. You know, we're kind of in this change, changing digital age. I mean, influencer marketing wasn't even a thing three or four years ago and now it rules Instagram and so much of our lives. So I think that we're very much at a changing state. But at the same aspect, I do think that there are simple, basic, fundamental things that will never change. And that's the relationships between retailers and their clients, retailers and their vendors. The way you treat people, no matter if you think you're some big boutique that is selling millions and millions of dollars a year, honey, it can be taken away tomorrow. And so understanding that and treating everyone like whether you are making 500,000 a year or 50 million a year, I think people are going to want to be treated the same. I think, you know, really building those relationships, that trust, I think that's definitely things that are not new to the industry but are going to become even more like demanded.

Man, I've got to stop on one thing that you just said because we've talked about this before too, but it's easy to get in this trap of comparison that bigger is better, right? And you see these quote unquote big boutiques and frankly during the very first boutique summit, it was you and Kelsey Darby who were our big boutiques on the opening panel.

Right.

The thing that everyone aspires to be and do. And both of your businesses really went through a very similar evolution of like.

Absolutely. I think we Both struggled in 2016 or 17 era, you know, and with change, evolution, you know, just so many things that we both kind of went through to where we were kind of put on halt, like we were these big dogs and now we don't. Just can't bank on being the big dogs. Right.

And both, you know, came through that and went in two different directions, but both like such beautiful directions. And we've seen smaller boutiques that are so profitable, you know, that run a very tight ship. But we've also seen big boutiques kind of try to muscle their way around things, so. So to speak. Can you talk about why bigger is not always better?

I definitely am someone who was guilty of this in the past because, you know, Southern jewels was one of those that grew real fast and real big and it was like this huge, like thing. But I also think where our world is evolving, and I'm learning this from my fitness community, is women want more like smaller groups where they are heard. They're not just a number, they're not just a statistic, they're not just one of a million. They're one of like 20 or 30. And so I want all the small people to know, like, there is so much value in this small person today that it's really hard to keep that small touch the bigger you get. I'm not saying it can't be done, but, you know, as I was growing, for instance, you know, I wasn't at the heart of my business anymore. I was managing, hiring, firing, training, doing all these things that kind of got me away from the heart of my business because I had to. And I'd grown so big. And I just think as we continue to evolve, especially with online still being so strong in social media and in retail, you know, people want to go where they feel safe, where they feel wanted, where they feel comfortable, where they feel like they're like minded, like stylish people in that group. And so I was someone who I wasn't about Facebook groups for the longest time just because I was like, gosh, I already have to put it on my website, my social everywhere, you know, But I really do think there's so much power in the small groups. And actually I'm getting ready to evolve my fitness business in the next couple months. More towards gearing towards that rather than being the big dog.

Man, I love that. Let's talk about the fitness business, because you said something that I thought was so smart a while back. You said, you know, the fitness business wouldn't have happened had I not gone through what I did in 2016. But really it also happened because I listened to what my customers were asking me. So talk to me about what the business actually is for those who don't know.

So the fitness business, it is an online virtual personal training app to where basically I have teamed up with a trainer and nutritionist that I love and adore. His style, his holistic approach, his full body workouts. So when everyone was pushing me to, like, go into this fitness, first influencing route and then into creating my own, I'm like, I'm a fashion girl and fashion is my number one passion over fitness. Fitness is right behind it. But I'm like, why do people want to come to me when, number one, I'm not a personal trainer, I'm not a nutritionist, I'm not a dietitian, and I really have no desire to go through all the time in schooling to become those things. Like, why do they trust me on this? And why am I being pushed in this direction when really it was the fact that I live my truth like I live the lifestyle. So I teamed up with someone that has those accolades to help the membership of my fitness community. And I live it by example. And I think that is why, you know, any, like, big fitness person you see on Instagram, all they do is fitness. And so that can be intimidating or like, my life is so much more than fitness. Kind of like me talking about the woman wearing all the hats. Well, mine is too. And I think that that is why I grew this kind of fitness attention is, well, Randa's doing this while she's also growing a business, selling a business, evolving a business, launching a new business, being a wife, all of these other things. And so in 2016, I had to do a huge layoff. It was exactly a year before I was getting married again. I told you all that January, that storefront, it was just awful. The layoff was hard. You know, I loved my girls. They loved their job. It was very open and honest. But there were lots of feel hurt, lots of feelings hurt. And it was hard. I kept me and my office manager, who then became my shipping warehouse manager. I was a team of two running this 3,500 square foot accolade. Okay. And so I was working nonstop. And Grant would tell Me, you need to eat. You need to eat. And like hell. I was doing intermittent fasting before it was even a thing. So I evolved to where I lost 40 pounds. And then it was like, the closer I got to my wedding, there was a Lululemon store behind me, and they reached out to me, and they're like, hey, will you put us up on your blog? It was the Southern Jewels blog. At the time, I still hadn't launched my personal blog. That came after my wedding. You blog kind of like some of these new outfits and showcase that you wear Lulu while you're working out and do hashtag sweating for the wedding. And I'm like, I love Lulu, so yeah, I'll do it. And there was such a response on that. And I was still just like, why, with everything that I share and I've been this big, fit fashion boutique girl for 10, 12 years, why is everyone so worried about my fitness journey? You know, I don't understand it, but now, hindsight, that's why I think it was so, you know, as I was evolving, I needed to step in front of my camera more. Number one, my team wasn't as big as it was when I got rid of the storefront and was honing in on being a lean, mean, just efficient machine. With Southern Jewels, I needed to cut cost wherever I could. And so it was like, okay, well, I'll do the modeling. And so that's where the fitness thing really, it's like, I wanted to look good for my wedding. I wanted to look good for my honeymoon. Then I didn't want to get. I give up all that work that I've done. And then I wanted to keep saying my own model. And not so much that fitness is just about looking a certain way, but it's, you know, boosts those endorphins. It makes me feel more confident and makes me, you know, happier to get in front of the camera. It makes me a better wife to grant and view things with a more, like, positive mindset. So it's crazy that fitness became such an aspect of my life in this fashion world I was living. And I again, it was the people that trusted me because I may not have the biggest community online anymore.

And that is a.

Okay. Because I'm living the small bit. I've had women who have been with me for 10, 12 years and see this evolution. So the trust factor is huge. And so, you know, with that, I also know women are aging the same as me. I haven't had a human baby yet. But, you know, let's talk about when women, when they get pregnant and then postpartum and the struggles they go through because they might not just be naturally thin like they were at 21 anymore. So I think it just kind of all goes with this whole lifestyle thing. And now I'm like, fitness is my thing. I wake up and work out, you know, five, six days a week, even on the days I don't want to because it sets the precedent. And also, I'm not that huge of a podcast person, but when I am a podcast person, any high performing individual in the world is committed and disciplined enough to have a fitness regimen. I just view it that way.

Absolutely. And studies show that, right? If you've listened to or if you've read the book Brendon Burchard's High Performance Habits, like, the highest performers all take care of their body like an athlete.

They do. And, you know, aging is real. Like, I'm 32 now. I'm not 22 anymore. And I'm trying to, like, keep up on this Instagram world where everyone is 22. And so it's a natural anti aging practice. It's a natural endorphin booster. You know, I tell Grant, like, exercise causes endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. And happy people don't kill their husband or probably don't kill the messenger or kill their employees. You know, just happier.

I'm gonna write that down. Happy people don't kill their husbands or their employees. So I'm gonna work out. I'm gonna take a break. What advice do you have for the busy boutique owner who's listening going, that's great, Randa. I don't have time to work out what can they do?

My thing is gonna be pretty harsh and crucial. You don't have time. But how much time do you spend scrolling and comparing your life to someone else online?

Ooh, truth bomb.

That's it. I'm sorry. People are spending hours and hours a day now. I know there's probably some boutique owners out there that all they're doing is posting their own stuff out there. And kudos to you. Post it. Engage, get off. And that's where I'm at. Like, this is probably my biggest social media thing. I want to be creating five to 10 times more content than I'm consuming. And so unless you can tell me you don't have time because you're creating five to ten times the amount of content, then maybe let's talk. But even at that point, if you're that big and that Successful, probably something can be outsourced because your life, your health, your wellbeing, your emotional state, everything that comes from the benefit of having a structured fitness regimen, you are worth. And something that you do 30, 45 and even an hour a day of your life can probably be delegated or let go of.

Man, you're right. It's because as entrepreneurs, we're such little control freaks over all these things, Right?

Yeah. You'll surely start comparing yourself less to people online if you are in the gym working out rather than scrolling on their social media.

So true. And this is something that I think I've heard on three different podcasts this week. Or for whatever reason, I think the universe is sending me this message that if you just do one thing, 1% better today than you did yesterday, like just one small thing, just 1%, think about the consistency and the evolution over time. And I think the same is true for fitness. I fell off the wagon for a good, like, five weeks in a row.

I quit working out. Randa, don't hate me, but I quit. I won't. No, it's life. I mean, it's hard for me too, but once you fall off for so long, it's just so much harder to jump back on.

It is, but it just took me. So then like two weeks ago, I started again. It was just like such a busy time in my life. During the boutique summit right after that, I was like, I just need sleep. Like, I can't keep up with anything anymore. But once I went back to workout, and I go at like 5:45. Once I went back one time, it.

Just took one time.

And then you're like, okay, now what if I did it just like, one more time this week? And then you just gradually improve from.

There and the, like, quality of your sleep gets so much better that maybe we're not as sluggish or needing to sleep quite as much as we're thinking. Yes, Maybe we're not as tired as we are because, you know, again, like, our world keeps evolving and all these new things, but there are some things that are just basic, human, fundamental things. And it's like the cleaner and healthier you eat, the better you take care of yourself, the overall better it is for you. I mean, it's not rocket science.

It's so true. It's just a choice. It's training your brain to actually take action on what you say you're gonna do.

It is, you know, and I remember I'm not there anymore, but I remember years ago, like, kind of when all the boutiques started getting on social media or this or that. And I thought, I need to see what everyone else is doing or I need to make sure that someone's not stealing my pictures because I have. I send out a lot of cease and desist letters because people were sending my pictures. And you know, there was this like epiphany that came to me one day because another boutique used my pictures and I had customers out the wazoo coming and letting me know. And I'm like, I don't have to police this. Everyone else will police this for me. I just need to do me.

I think that's so smart because you worry so much about what everybody else is doing and how they're out to get you versus just focusing on how much more can I improve what I'm working on?

Absolutely.

So I always ask this question in the lightning round and I'm just going to jump to it because I think it's going to lead to a whole other conversation. But I always ask people, what is your biggest fear? Snakes. Payroll or Internet trolls?

Snakes.

Snakes, yeah. Because you do live in the South. Well, I love that you didn't say Internet trolls because you're kind of a bad ass.

Can I say that without breaking it.

Out on this podcast?

I'm so proud of the fact that I'm not scared of Internet trolls. Like I. It sucks when I get the hate stuff. I mean, I actually a couple weeks ago got my first anonymous hate letter in my actual mailbox that kind of.

Stop.

I did. Yeah. With my address and they knew a lot about my life. So that's kind of like scary just from like a safety standpoint, but with that, I mean, like you are not doing something truly right until there's someone who is upset about it. And for. Oh, and I honestly feel like the deeper and more that you truly impact, and I know the word influencer can be so like miscued, but the way that you truly influence like people on their lives, like if you're going to do it in a deep way, like I think and you do this in such a deep way for every, you know, hundred that you are improving their life so well, it's going to come with 10 that are pissed off about it. It's going to know that going into it, like me being all over social media, even if someone doesn't know me or doesn't like me or anything. I mean some people are just on the Internet just to send mean stuff to other people they don't know. So just Being active on social media, you're open for that. So it's more about them than it is you. And that's. We'll probably get there. But one of my quotes is, not everyone's gonna love you, because most people don't even love themselves.

Oh, that is so true.

It is.

It's the lens that people are seeing the world through. And. And no matter what you are, what you do, you can't change the lens for them. No, they can only change it for themselves.

I can let them do a free workout at Power Fit and tell them the endorphins will make them happier and piss them off. Your.

I love it. I was actually visiting with somebody this morning and she was like, you know what, Ashley? She's like, the dark can never live in the light. So you just have to keep being as much light as you possibly can. And they'll try. You know, those keyboard jockeys will try.

But yeah, they're so the more light you keep bringing in and focusing on yourself to bring that light or shine that light or be that light. Those vampires, they cannot survive in that. They can't. Yeah. And it's going to keep you're further and further away.

So all you can do, like you said, is send them love.

That's right. That's it. And that's more. It's a choice on your part to not let it affect you, you know, because that's what they want. They want to get to you. And so not letting them affect you and just being like, God, I feel so bad that this person has so much hate in their heart that they need to troll people on the Internet. They don't know, or they need to send, you know, typed up anonymous letters and put them in a mailbox. Like, that is so sad. To take that amount of time.

The energy it took to find your address and physically mail you a letter baffles me.

Energy. Yeah, exactly. Like if they were to go do something to better them themselves with that time, can you imagine what more of a peaceful world we would live in?

Oh, so good. Do you ever follow or have you read any John Maxwell books?

Tell me some of his books. I'm really bad with putting authors with book names.

His latest one is Leadership. He's been around forever in a day. He's one of the very first, like, in personal development, a number of great books. But I'll just tell you, he tells this story that I think is so relevant to what you're doing and what. What you're talking about right now. He Says apparently on crab. Is it crab fishing boats? I don't know. People that go crabbing. Is that what you define it as? I'm from the Midwest.

I don't.

I don't know what you call it.

Yes.

People that get crabs in a different kind of, you know, clean way. When the crabs are in the net, the crabs are often trying to, like, crawl out of the net. Right?

Right.

But the crabs that are down below them in the bottom of the net will reach up and grab the crab and pull it back down when it's trying to escape from the net. They all do this instinctively because none of them want any other crabs to escape. They will all want each other to stay caught together. So the point is, in life, it's the same way. It's never the people that are doing better than you that will criticize you. It's the people doing less than you that want to pull you down to be mediocre, just like them.

Absolutely. And so with that, you know, talking about the fear of failure or evolving or launching these new things, it can be so scary. But I'm like, anyone who's doing more than me is going to see this and appreciate that and cheer me on. Anyone who's underneath is going to look for the negative. But are they doing it? And so does it even matter? And so what you bring up about the crab is so true. But I kind of want to evolve that a little bit and say that is where the company you keep on your inner circle is so important. If your inner circle does not want to see you succeed, make a hundred billion dollars, or doesn't want to be there for you when you hit rock bottom, like, get a different circle. And not only that, if you are not. Like, if the thought of your friends doing more than you, having more than you, going more than you, affects you, and you can't be there for them, then you need to get right yourself.

Yes.

Preach.

I just dropped the microphone for you.

If you are not that friend to them.

Yeah, that says a lot about what you need to do for inner work, man. Randa, I was in the interview with this question, and I'm anxious to hear your answer. So I know you don't have human babies yet, but I know that's coming. You've got bulldog babies, right. And you've got Grant.

We're almost.

I love following you for that reason. I love the dog stories. So let's just imagine for a minute you are 30 years down the road and you've got human grandbabies at this point, and you're sitting on your front porch with these grand. And you're talking about the life that you lived and Southern Jewels way back in the day and the fitness app.

And all these things you created. Right.

What is the thing that you want those grandbabies to know about the life you lived and the thing that you want everyone to say about what you created in the legacy that you lived in your life?

Well, I want them to first and foremost, see, like, by example, like, the hard work that was put in and the work ethic that I was not scared of. But at the same time, especially as I start to age and see these wonderful women business owners, the ones that I catch myself respecting and admiring the most are those who love their families first. You know, like, I don't even have my own family, but, like, I love Grant so much that, like, it pains me when I see some boutique owners or some owners, you know, they'll lash out at their husbands or not go on a trip with their husbands or not do these things because business prevails. And that is not the case, because when you're old, when you're looking back on your life, like, Grant and I try to go on an anniversary trip every year, and some people think it's, like, way too over the top. And I'm like, that is the most special, meaningful thing that's happened in my life, and I want to celebrate it and grow and age with it. So I want to be able to literally pull out this book and show them all these places that Grant and I have gone and all these things that we've done and experiences we've had. Obviously, I want to show them accolades in business, and I want them to be sitting on the front porch of a piece home that I can afford based on my business, but I want them to know there is so much more to life than business.

So good. Randa, thank you so much for this conversation today. As always, it's so awesome to catch up with you. I admire you so much. Like, the mindset and the spirit you have is truly second to none. It is so special, and I hope that everyone listening truly appreciates you for every stage of business, everything you are, and everything you've created. I can't wait to continue to watch where this goes for you. Thank you so much again for today.

Cheerleader and one of those people. I know we don't really see each other in real life that much, but the same thing, your mindset, your positivity, your sense of bringing people together and growing them all as higher performers individually while leading by example and investing in your own coaching and basically everything you're doing for others, you're investing within yourself and showing that by example. And I think that is huge and just going to take you so far. And I can't wait to see what the Boutique Hub. I mean I really think it's the future of the entire industry.

Thank you so much.

Absolutely.

Did you guys love that? Isn't Randa inspiring? I think she just has so much to offer and she's such a real and genuine person. It's awesome to have her on the show. Hey, if you're listening this week, I want to share a couple of exciting announcements with you in terms of what's happening inside of the boutique hub. Two things I want you guys to know about. Number one, if you tried out our 2019 version, our beta test, get it out there and make sure it works really well version of the Boutique Boss Planner, you're going to be so excited because the full year 2020 version of the Boutique Boss Planner is just about to go live. Guys, I have an early sign up list because I know you guys are such active listeners of the podcast, so I dropped it inside of today's show notes. So if you want to be the very first to know, you're going to get on the list before the Planner sells out. Make sure you go find and fill out that link right away. I also added a bonus if you want to fill out that link and get on our first to know list for the Planner. I think that something that comes along with using a planner correctly is also understanding how to time, block and manage your time and be more efficient with what's on your plate when it comes in priority on your plate and what you can outsource. So I created a bonus five Tips Every Boutique Owner Must Know to get more things done and you can get that free download when you sign up. For being the first to know about the Boutique Boss Planner. Second thing I want you to know about is I know how many of you guys love coming to the Boutique Summit and yes, I do have some information to share about where the 2020 Boutique Summit is going to be. You're going to have to check out our Facebook group for that. But for those of you who are in the Western side of our industry, or maybe you're not western, but you're local to Colorado and you want to come and join us, we're hosting the third annual Western Summit January 9th in Denver, Colorado in conjunction with the WESA market it's the Western Industries Only Business Conference. We bring in about 15 speakers and I know it's geared toward Western, but honestly, even if you're not Western, it's all business related content. So we have speakers on everything from mindset and motivation to money, finances, inventory, planning, marketing, a Facebook Ads workshop, a Shopify workshop for those of you who do wholesale and you design your own line. We're also going to have a couple breakout sessions just for you on what it takes to build your brand and we've got four awesome panelists that are going to help walk us through that process. So if you're interested, I'll also drop that into the show Notes for Western Summit 2020 so two big announcements this week. Get on the list for the Boutique Box Planner and make sure if you're available January 9th, you join us in Denver, Colorado for the 2020 Western Summit. Guys, I hope you have an awesome week ahead and full things or all things are full swing for holiday marketing. I can't wait to hear how it's going, so shoot me a message on Instagram ajalderson. Let me know what you're doing today while you're listening to the show and let me know how your holiday marketing is going. Have a good day you guys. 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.