From the Vault: Growing a Mega Boutique with Facebook Ads & Authenticity with Laura Benson, Founder of Filly Flair Boutique

I'm so excited to pop back into your inbox or your phone or wherever you listen to podcasts and bring you back some of my favorite episodes. Now I know some of you have been listening to this podcast for a long time, since the beginning and maybe you've heard every single episode. But for some of you who are maybe new to this episode, we wanted to bring you back some of our most popular episodes so you never miss an opportunity to learn here at Boutique Chat. So so today I want to bring you one of my very first episodes on the podcast with a dear friend of mine. And boy, has her life changed since this episode aired. I need to get her back for a complete life update, but the content, what she shares in terms of what she was going through at this time in growing her business is incredibly valuable. So I want to bring you back to one of my favorite episodes with my friend Laura Benson, the CEO and founder of Philly Flair Boutique. Now again, Laura has since sold Philly Flair. She's still an active part of their business, but she is talking about in this episode her running Facebook ads and growing an authentic brand and what it was like really scaling this business. So I hope you love this bonus episode. Here with Laura Benson on Boutique Chat, 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 Boutique boss, you asked and we are so excited to answer. This week on the show, we're kicking off our guest interview episodes with someone who's not only been successful in building a great business, but doing so with transformation, transparency, authenticity and an attitude of abundance. She's always willing to go above and beyond and to share with others in the industry just how it's done. Not only are we going to dive into the details today of Facebook ads and building an authentic and personal brand while creating connections that are authentic in E commerce, but also we're going to touch on something that's near and dear to my heart and something that Laura and I have spent hours talking about before this being both a mother and an entrepreneur. Just as magazines paint that perfect picture of that ideal woman balancing it all while dancing backwards in high heels, we know that Photoshop is a dirty liar. And that life, like business, are both hard. Like our spouses and significant others, women in business also have a deep drive to succeed, to grow profitable companies that provide for the family, create opportunity, but more than that, to also create that opportunity for balance and flexibility while raising children. Laura hits the nail on the head in this interview, talking about the myth that we all seek. Do you ever feel like you get caught up in that, too? When Eric and I hit publish on version one of theboutiquehub.com, just two days after bringing home our third child, Jade, from the hospital, from the couch while nursing, she and I tested, learned, dreamed, and built what we knew. And as time now has gone on, if there's one thing I feel like I've learned myself with three little people watching as this business has grown. Just as I mentioned last week, life and business are not about the end result, the goal, or the finished product, but they're about the journey. So with each step that we take, we do the best we can to make those impactful decisions. To handle the big rocks first, and then to set boundaries for when work ends and when family begins, or even when it's okay to blur the lines and integrate both business and family together at the same time. Taking those babies and those teenagers with us to the store, to market, and even to our vendor shows. Life's about celebrating the journey and making memories along the way. And one day, as our children go and grow, if we're impactful, we hope that they're going to remember this, too. Besides being chocked full of those many lessons of business and perseverance that we taught them, I hope you enjoy this episode with our dear friend Laura Benson. So let's get started. Hey, guys, welcome back to the podcast. I'm so excited to introduce our very special guest for today. And she is someone who probably needs no introduction in the boutique community, because in fact, when we polled the boutique hub community about who we should have on the show, this was the woman who was on the top of the list. So I am so grateful. I'm so excited to introduce our guest, my friend and the founder and CEO of Philly Flair Boutique and also one of our top boutiques in the 2017 Boutique Awards. You guys help me welcome Laura Benson. Hey. Hey.

I didn't know there was even a list. Ashley, did you not see the poll? I didn't see the poll at all. See, sometimes I. I'm telling you, we get so wrapped up in our group, I don't see anything else. Sometimes like, in my VIP group, sometimes I have to go find the boutique hub. I totally missed that poll. Wow.

Well, congratulations.

Oh, I'm so flattered. I didn't even like it to say thank you on it or, like, group.

Stalking after this is over.

Yeah. When I have to go back a couple of weeks. Well, I was gone. It's probably. When was that? When I was gone? I mean, I took serious vacation from my computer, so it was while you were gone. Okay. Yes.

Welcome back. So the funny thing is when you and I were chatting before we got on the podcast, this is such an informal thing. I feel like when you and I get on the phone, we sit there and could talk for hours about all kinds of things and lose track of time. So we actually had to talk about setting ourselves a time limit to get this podcast done. Or we could totally run off in the weeds, couldn't we?

Yes, we could. Yeah. We literally have been on the phone for hours when we talk.

Right.

I get off the phone and my husband's like, who was that?

It's because we're both from the Dakotas. Like, we just the Midwest people. So, so many things that we have to talk about today. This is going to be such an awesome podcast. But where I want to start, I know we're going to get into what Philly Flair is today because you guys are just a powerhouse in the boutique industry. Brick and mortar, huge e commerce store. You guys are doing so many great things and such an inspiration to so many other boutique owners in this industry. But as we get to that, who you are today, I want to go back because you have such a neat story to share, which you shared last year at the Boutique Summit with us, just about how you got started, because you literally started with a card table and worked yourself up into this awesome business. So take us back to the beginning of Philly Flair.

Yeah. Thank you. Gosh, we've just rolled over into our eighth year, which seems crazy and starting to make me feel old, but I started. So I grew up on a farm and was pretty much like a rebel kid. No idea what I wanted to do with my life. Went to a semester of college, hated it. Was paying for it out of my pocket, had no money. Ended up doing some odd jobs for a couple years, worked for a local farmer, and eventually ended up going back and running my dad's dairy farm. He had like 400 cows, and it was like a pretty big operation. So I managed all the employees and, like, I can. I did a lot of, like, herd check and health Work on cattle. I love cattle, but I used to rodeo a lot too and I loved what I did. Of people know farming, there's just not a ton of money. So I had a pretty low salary working for my dad which was fine, but I worked 12 to 14 hour days and then I wanted to rodeo on the weekends, but I didn't have a ton of extra money. So I just thought, gosh, if there were some ways I could make a little extra money to actually fund my hobby, life would be great. So I just kind of started doing a lot of research and it was the time when blingy belts were super popular. The buckle had them, they were everywhere, all my girlfriends had them. So I'd go to these events and there'd be, you know, 200 bale racers wearing all these belts. And I found a couple sites where I could get the exact same ones that the western magazines were carrying and I could sell them half price, still make a really good profit. And so I could make some money and make all my friends happy because they would be getting belts way cheaper. And so before I even did that, I just set up a really crappy, cheap, free website. I just literally, I didn't have Internet at my house because I couldn't afford it, seriously. So I would spend the, I would work till like midnight in my parents office, the farm office, on that computer and set up this website and. And then I just started hauling the little tiny bit. I literally invested like $110 when I started. But I launched a website before I told anyone because I was scared they were all going to think I was crazy and started hauling stuff to rodeos and always handing out business cards because I knew that I wanted them to be able to shop with me even if they weren't at a rodeo, you know, even if I wasn't in front of them. So that was like a no brainer from the get go was that I wanted the ability for them to go shop and buy things for me without me having to be right in front. And it grew really, really quickly. This was back before there was such a thing as fan pages. So I had a Philly flair friend page set up and I think within the first year that switched over to a fan page. And during that time I was like very aware. I was just like, I didn't sleep, I would just eat, breathe. When I was not working, all I was doing was investing my time, my energy into getting customers and who they were and figuring that out. And really quickly I saw that my audience was Way, way bigger and beyond the Western world. And so I kind of just listened to my customers and had a little bit of a realization that as much as I loved the Western world, there was a lot more opportunity in just fast fashion, you know, just cute, trendy clothes at an affordable price. And so really quickly we turned into that, and it just kind of exploded from there.

Did you ever. When you first got started, did ever you have friends laugh at you, like, what are you doing? Did they ever act like you were wasting your time on this? Or did your friends quickly see what was happening and they bought in?

I honestly feel like I was really lucky. My friends, I like my friends in my community, were insanely supportive. Like, I'm really impressed. Like, especially looking back. And I had done a lot of kind of weird, dumb things in my life, and I felt like they were really, at least to my. I think they were. I think most of them were really extremely supportive. They were. A lot of them bought for me. It was pretty impressive.

When did you feel like, along that journey that you realized, oh, dang, this is gonna work? Like, I've really got something here. What was the metric?

I knew right away. I don't know why. I just knew. I'm pretty. I'm a pretty passionate person. When I decide to really do something, I kind of go all in. I'm kind of all or nothing. And I remember it was only a month or so in. I was lip sitting in my driveway talking to one of my girlfriends on the phone, and I was like, I just. I could run numbers in my head and just see, like, just remember saying to her, I could just see this getting, like, this really has potential to become something so much bigger, you know, and that's. I don't know. That's always saw that potential, I guess.

Absolutely. Upside, all the upside. When did you finally quit working for your dad and start a warehouse and kind of begin that transition?

Yes. So anyway, I started in 2010, the business, and for a couple years, just kind of. Or a year, probably year and a half. Um, it was growing, doing really well. And then I got engaged and was going to be moving to my husband's place and all of that. So I actually shut the website down for seven months because I was working full time. And honestly, like, I was shipping orders out of my basement and I couldn't get back to customer emails, and I just didn't want to ruin my image, you know, I was like, I can't do everything. And I wanted to be in, like, the fairytale land. Of being engaged. So I shut it down. And then after we got married that October, he was busy. We got married in September and I was like, all right, this is going to be perfect time. He's a farmer, he's going to be in the fields. I will. If I'm ever going to give this a go, it needs to be now. So I had a girl I knew had a commercial property in Colton, which is like a town of, I don't know, 500 people at the most. Maybe I might be off a couple hundred, give or take. But it was a very, very rundown house. But it was a commercial building and I could put my stuff there and be open on Saturdays. And I didn't really care about the walk ins very much. I just needed someplace to have my stuff so I could sell it. I just didn't want to. I couldn't fit it all in my house anymore. So we started that in November of 2012 was kind of like our relaunching, I would like to say. So I kind of like to say that we've been on really open like five years, but it's officially eight. And then within the course of that year, year and a half, I went from being having like a couple part time girls to three full time employees. And in two years we moved three times because we kept outgrowing the stores. And then I was pregnant like six months and we were. I had three full time employees and probably three part timers that were coming in every day after school, Some high school girls. And my husband was like, laura, you're gonna have a baby in a few months. Like you need to, you need to. I don't know why I didn't quit sooner. It just, I don't know. I think it was probably family. You know, it's just hard to leave a family operation. So I should have left a lot earlier to run my business.

Is there something right now that you wish you would have known back then as you were in that moment making that switch? What would that be?

That's a really good question. I would have trusted my own gut more. When I got to a certain point, I knew I needed help growing the business especially I was doing so much of the work and I was literally a couple months out from having my first child. And so I brought in different people to try and help and they didn't know my business like I knew my business and. But I thought they were older, more wiser than I was. And so I listened. And a lot of those things did hurt. Some things Definitely helped. But there was a lot of things that hurt my business and I knew in my heart that I knew my business better and I should have stood up for what I knew better. Does that make sense?

Yeah, absolutely.

Like, I wish I could go back and tell myself like, Laura, you know what you're doing, just, you know, do some more research and trust your gut. Find a good mentor. And you know what I mean? Like, I wish I just would have found somebody that could have mentored me a little better and not just paid a craploads of money for people that didn't really know my business.

Man, that is so true. And I think that's a really common founder mistake. Like, I think sometimes when we're new and we have something that's growing so fast, it's easy to underestimate that gut instinct that we have.

Yeah. And like, if you think about it, if you're going to bring someone onto your business to help you grow, ask them, like, how big have they ever grown a business? You know, I mean, that's a real personal question, but I think it should be. I don't see how someone can counsel another person that has not grown their own business.

Absolutely, absolutely. So fast forward from where you were then to what the business looks like today.

So we are right, give or take, at 20 with our part timers. We have right now, we're in like a 9,000 square foot warehouse. We are building a 20,000 square foot warehouse. That structure will actually start going up probably next week, which is crazy exciting. And we're hoping to move in there by spring, end of spring, summer. And so we do. That is a huge deal. We'll finally have our own building. We're gonna have a storefront that's attached to that. And we do the. Probably the biggest change is we've been doing a lot of private cuts, private label special cuts. So that's been. The funnest thing is to go out to la, work with some of my manufacturers and really get to design and pick out things that I know my customers will like, even down to like, we had samples come in yesterday, this dress that I'm dying to get into production because it's gorgeous. But it was, the fit was still way off. So like being able to go back to them and say, no, this is not going to fit our customer. You know, like for me to try something on and know if it's too small on the waist, we got to give it two more inches in the waist in a small, you know, so that's been A huge thing and something that I'm most proud of. It's super risky on some levels because I have to buy huge quantities and pray that I made the right choices on the colors, on the fabric and the cuts, the bodies. But to know that it's not everywhere and that I am, with my. In my heart of hearts, making the right decision to make the best decisions on how something is going to fit my customer.

Absolutely. And you and I have had that conversation so many times about where this industry is going. And so, man, kudos to you because that's a huge step forward for you. And I think it kind of hits on the next point. You know, so many people see, quote, unquote, big boutiques like yours, like, we can say multiple seven figures, and they see all of this success and a new warehouse, all these things. But the boutiques, no matter what stage of business they're at, everyone is still faced with different challenges. Would you say looking back at your challenges, before, it was probably staffing and growth and just traffic those things, but when you're at the place you're at now, those challenges are kind of on a whole new scale, aren't they?

Yeah, they are. And I mean that in, like, the most positive way. It's amazing. I love that I have. I love my girls that I get to work with. That is the pride and joy of what I do. And providing an environment that they love is just as important to me. You know, like, I want to make sure that my girls. As much as I want to make sure that I'm not getting burnt out, I also want to make sure my girls aren't getting burnt out. You know, that's just as important. But it was a lot simpler when you're smaller, let's put it that way. You had, you know, there was trials and tribulations, but they were not to the scale they are when you just have a lot more things at stake and the dollars just get a lot bigger, I think. You know, it's funny, when I would have imagined myself at this size, I probably would have thought it was crazy that I would. I still work. I mean, I don't think I work any less than I did then.

Do you think sometimes people see that end goal and they see it, like, as, when I get to this size, I'm going to be happy or content or when I hit this goal. But really the challenge is, how do you enjoy every single moment along the way and celebrate all the wins along the way? Because that's what it's all about. Right. The journey. Not just that end goal or a dollar amount you want to hit. Yeah.

A real. In my opinion, a real entrepreneur is not about the end goal. It's all about the journey, because it's never going to end. Your ups and down. And if you ever get to a place of contentment, believe me, you are already going backwards. And I don't mean that in a way that you can never be. You should be content every day with what you're doing. But if you ever get to a place where you're like, oh, I've made it, you haven't. You know, I don't think. Like, I think you're going backwards because someone's always waiting to come in and. And steal that thunder in a way. You know what I mean? I don't know if I'm taking the question in the wrong direction. Maybe.

No, you totally got it.

You totally got it.

It's just a different set of challenges, I guess. The point is, no matter what place you are in business, it's all relatable. It's all relative. Right?

Always. Always. I love. I mean, it's funny, we were just on vacation in Maui and we were sitting in the hot tub, and there was an older couple, and the guy was retired, but he owned. He was from Canada and had a couple businesses in manufacturing. And I was, like, quizzing him a million questions, and he kind of looked at my husband and looked his wife, and he's like, she's kind of intense. And I just love to talk to other business owners. Like, I don't think it matters your size. I think everyone has. When you run a business, you know, it's your neck on the line all the time. You know, no matter if you have 20 girls helping you or if it's you, you've. And most of the time, for all of. For us that have started our own any. We've been. Every step of that point, I have been the one that shipped orders. I had been the one that answered the phone, you know, like, I was the one from every. Initially making every grammar correction on my website. You know, like, you go through all those steps.

Absolutely. So one thing. And you. I love that they asked if you're intense because I think that's one of the things that's made you so successful is just even listening to you speak. That hunger and that drive and that passion that you have comes through your voice, and it comes through everything you do. So one thing that I think you have in common with everybody listening to this podcast and something that Your hunger has had to help get you through is the ebb and flow of business and how social media and the way that we market change. So two questions. Because I'm thinking about the Facebook algorithm and how that really plays a role in our business. And when you were getting started, you were at a time when Facebook was free, Right? So you've ridden this wave of up and down. Two questions. One, can a brand new boutique today make it with the Facebook algorithm? And two, how do you continually shift your strategy to get through that Facebook algorithm?

I'm going to start with the second part of the question, how I continually shift my strategy. So I would say it was probably 2014 when Facebook first rolled out their really big algorithm switch. And until that point, we had definitely been putting all of our eggs into the same basket. And so really quickly I learned that I did not want to fully rely on that. And so we have very intention over the years been building up our audience base and mainly our customer retention. Like, yes, we always want new customers coming, but I want to make sure that 60 to 80% of my returning traffic is from returning customers. So I think you can. First of all, any platform that you don't own is going to change and evolve and maybe go away. You know, and I think, I don't think it hurts that I think you should. I'm so grateful for Facebook. I probably would not be here. Maybe I would have found a different alternative, but I certainly wouldn't be where I am right now without it, unless there was something else that would have came out. But it doesn't mean. So I don't think you can be mad at Facebook. They're just trying to run their business as smart as they can. I think you need to be smarter. I think you need to be better at what you're doing. I think you need to think outside of the box all the time. And honestly, I love the challenge of those things. Is it frustrating some days? Yes. Because it's not quote, unquote easy. Yes, it is. But they're most of the time I love the challenge because then we can sit down and say, all right, what about this? Let's try this. And then all of a sudden something works and we're like, oh, let's do more of that. You know, it's all about trial and error. And I think you have to have. And I'm going to tie this into the second part of your question. Can a boutique start with the new Facebook algorithm? So I'm going to tear the sentence apart a little Bit. I think, yes, a new boutique can make it in today's world. I don't think you should be relying on Facebook algorithm as your main avenue of choice.

Absolutely. So, and I 100% agree with you, there's too many people that are putting their eggs all in one basket. So whether it's your business or a new boutique business, what do you think a good mix is? What channels should people be focused on?

I think about this sometimes. Like, okay, if I were going to start something totally new, think about all these weird things all the time, I was going to start something totally new or say I had to start today, what would I. I would still, hands down, utilize any type of social media platform that I had available to me to start with my inner smaller circle. So I would start with my Facebook or my Instagram or my personal email and say, like, hey, guys, I'm doing this, you know, like a. Make sure you know what you're doing ahead of time. Make sure your product is on point. Make sure you know your content is on point before you just start telling people. Because you have one chance to make that first impression. It's just like a job interview, you know, you need to present it right the first time, which I haven't always done. I guess I'm learning that. But I would say I would start there and then I would real, really quickly do what I can to get that, those customers or potential customers information. I'm all about, like old school, hit the streets and collect information. I would be at shows, I would be doing all of that. And I would be, I would never not go anywhere, though, without the intention of. Okay, my main goal here today is to break even on this booth and get as many emails or phone numbers as I can.

Absolutely. Pre calling every situation and looking for every opportunity you can. But then it's hustle.

Yeah, absolutely.

Right, Absolutely.

I love Gary Vee, but I think there's a little bit of like, you don't have to work 18 hours a day every day. I think you need to work smarter sometimes. But in the beginning stages, there's two ways to grow a business. Either time or money. You know, so I didn't have money, I had to hustle. I had to put in the time.

Right. So today, what does that look like? Instagram, email lists, text messages, bots, Facebook.

Yep. What's your go to a combination? Honestly, there's two things. If you don't have time to do all of them, you need to know where your main audience is. Whether that's based on Age range or your personal idea of where that is, and stick with that if you have time to do them. We really are pushing the personal connection, so stories, brand awareness building, Snapchat, those kind of things. Did I answer your question? I kind of forgot. I didn't really know what the question was.

You got it.

You got it.

How about Facebook ads? Let's go down that road. Because you can hustle across all platforms, right? But if people aren't seeing your stuff, you still have to acquire new customers.

Absolutely.

You do a great job with ads. So talk about, what ad sets do you have running constantly.

We are constantly changing our ad sets, which is probably what you don't want to hear. And it is a constant trial and error. We always have ad sets running. One thing I will say that we have really learned is you need to set it and forget it. Do not go back in and change an ad, even upping the budget. Duplicate the ad and then relaunch it because it messes with it.

Yeah, that's a very good point. So let's talk about, like, the delivery of that. Are you. The video ads, carousels, single image collections, what do they look like?

I think. Here's the thing. I don't know. I think a. It depends on the business. I think who you're targeting. There's so many variables. I think the biggest point that people miss is you have to have something really good to present them to make it stand out. When people are getting so much content thrown at them, you need that killer item, you need that killer story or that killer picture. That's really gonna make people. Because if you put out a carousel ad and your images are so. So. Or if you put out a video but the quality is terrible and you're not. The lighting is dark. It doesn't matter. Does that make sense?

Yeah.

So I think, first of all, you have to make sure your content is significant. And I know people talk about that, but I don't think people really get how important that is. And then what was the second. What was the actual question? So I can tie that in.

Well, it's an actual. To piggyback off of that, though. A good ad is an actual stool. Right. So it's a combination of copy, image, audience.

Yes. And I will say, in my. In my years of running Facebook ads, I used to be most consumed with roi, which you still have to be, because it's still my. It's still the dollars out of my pocket. I look at that every day. But it also has to be about customer acquisition. Are you getting their information?

Yes.

Like if I guess I said that wrong, customer acquisition would actually be acquiring the customer. But I'm acquiring their information because that's just as important. Because then I can go in and retarget them, whether that's through emails or retargeting ads on Facebook or other platforms. That's just as important. I do think it is. I am in a couple masterminds and everyone talks about multichannel and how important it is for people to see you. A few years ago, it worked to be on one place and be on one place hard. But now, and I'm not trying to make anyone feel overwhelmed, I don't think it's as hard as people think it is. But they have to see you in multiple places to kind of. To remind them why they want to check you out.

Absolutely. So two questions, which I'm a squirrel. I love Facebook ads. I could go a hundred different directions here. But let's talk about spend and how people, if they are new to Facebook ads, what's a good place for someone to start? Okay, three questions. Spend. Where do you start? And we always talk about Facebook ads being like a faucet once they start to work, that's when you add budget and that's when you start to build up. So how do you read that roi? To know when to build up the.

Budget, you need to know what your cost of goods. So this all goes back to your product. If you don't know what your cost of goods are, so how much money you have to still break even and so you make that sale, what is your extra money that you have if you make that sale to spend on a Facebook ad? So you need to know your roi. Is that four to one? Is it six to one? I don't know. You know what I mean? To start? That totally depends on your cost of goods. After you've determined that you are going to have to a be okay with. In my opinion, it depends on your size. If you are totally starting out and don't have the money to spend, don't spend it. Start. Get some sales generated before you just start shoving money down a black hole that you don't know where to spend. Acquire a little bit, find other ways to get email addresses and start building a list. Because then you can take that list. I don't care if it's small, it might be 20 people. But you can take that list and give it to Facebook and say here are people that are interested enough in my stuff to give me their email and. And you know, find people that are like them, because that's going to be your best baseline of where to start. Then you have to be comfortable. It's really hard. And marketing on any level can somewhat be a gambling game. You have to decide. I have to be willing to test for so long. It doesn't mean you won't get sales right away, but until you figure out what actually works for you, test.

Understand where people are at in your funnel. Correct. Warm, hot, cold. So you know strategically what you're trying to do with them.

Yes, absolutely. I don't think I answered well.

So to follow up, let's talk about your ad spend. What that looks like.

Our ad spend changes. It's all based on ROI. If I can get 10 to 1, I'll spend all day. It's a spend it as fast as we can get that 10 times ROI. Do you know what I mean? Our baseline is. Has to be four minimum.

Four minimum. What's been your Facebook ads win? Like, what's one that went, like, wild and you were blown away with the results.

Super funny. Last year we hit albums. We started promoting albums. Not like a recap post, like an actual album picture album. And it went insane. I have not seen ROI like that since the very beginning days of Facebook ads. And it lasted for two months. And then they showed. Shut it off. So you cannot promote albums anymore. It's like it was a win and a loss. It was like, when it was working, it was like, holy motherload. But after that, it just. They just shut it off. Literally like a Sunday morning. I went to go promote a Facebook album and I couldn't.

I think that was right around the time of the boutique summit, because I think you and I had this conversation down there.

I'm pretty sure you did now that you said, yeah, so I probably, like, left the next day for. And having no idea here, I thought. Which just goes to prove you cannot put all your eggs in one baske because Facebook is going to ever evolve and change. So is Instagram. So is Snapchat. So is every other. You know what I mean? Like, that's why you always have to test. That's why you always have to at some level be okay with saying, all right, we have a level. I know for me, it's like whether it's like in a month, I'm going to say, here is $500 to test. So whether we want to test that all on Facebook ads or split it into Instagram or Snapchat stories, whatever that looks like. Because if you're not testing, you're not going to be on the cutting edge of what is really working. Do you know what I mean? By the time that everyone is talking about it, it's really saturated. So I think that's just part of being a business owner. Once you get to a level of. And I think there's different levels of, that's the hardest part. Because if I'm talking to a beginner, my strategy would be very different. If I'm talking to someone who's doing six figures a year, my strategy is very different. And I think if you are in that middle level, you have to be okay with testing some marketing money and knowing that you might just be. You're not throwing it away. You are putting it to use for discovery.

Absolutely. So when you transition from Facebook ads now to just managing the e commerce side of the business and tracking your ROI and metrics on the website, tell me about the things that you're looking for there on a regular basis to judge what's working and what's not and when you need to switch things up on the site or with SEO or other paid advertising.

It's every day. It's a combination of Google Analytics sales numbers, actual like inventory, you know, cogs, reports, like what is. You know, just because. Just because you have really high sales days doesn't mean it. Was it because you ran a sale and gave everything away. Well, that doesn't do you any good either, you know, so it's a combination of all those things. I'm still in Facebook ads every day. I don't specifically run them. One of my gals does. She has an awesome job. But it's a constant effort together of saying, is this working? And once something doesn't say we have a slow. First of all, if I have a slow sales day, the first thing I'm doing is going to my Google Analytics. If you do not have Google Analytics properly set up, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Don't spend any money until you have Google Analytics set up because you are putting it down a black hole. You don't know what's working. You don't even know what's driving traffic to your website. So I would go to Google Analytics and say, okay, where are my people not coming from? You know, like, look at the day before or the month before or whatever. Are we losing it on SEO? Are we losing it on Facebook ads? Is it, you know, organic traffic from Facebook? We did see a drop in that. With the algorithm hit, we knew it was coming, you know, but it doesn't mean you shouldn't ride those things out till they're here. So it's a combination of all those things. It's a. It's a healthy balance sheet for me, honestly, which isn't always daily. I mean, once a month, I'll sit down with my accountant and say, okay, what. What does this look like? And it's still a work in progress. I'm not perfect by any means. I've never been a numbers person. And I think a lot of boutique owners aren't number people, and I think it's okay to not be, but you have to be comfortable with, like, looking at your bank statement every day or your credit card statement every day. You can't just, like. You know what I mean? It's. You can't buy unless you have the sales coming in to support that.

Absolutely. So it's not. I feel like being a successful boutique owner, it's not what you know, but it's who you know, and it's how you surround yourself with those people. So in your business as a CEO, what does that look like? What do you feel like is the most important thing? If someone were in that middle ground and they're looking to scale their business, what do they need to start outsourcing right away and build their team up to do so that they can focus on the forest through the trees in the business?

Okay, so I'm going to break it into two questions. The first thing that you need to know is you need to invest in good people. Don't be cheap, and just hire someone to hire someone because they can get the job done. Hire someone that knows more than you. Like, I wish I could have. That is the other. If I would have been able to tell myself that five years ago and hire people that were smarter than me, you know, and. And just pay them more because they deserved it. I should have done that way earlier on. My business would be a lot further ahead. So once you find good people and then you have to trust them, it takes time. I mean, it's not gonna. You can't just, like, hire someone and walk away. But at some point, you have to decide about the little bat, the big battles and the little battles, as I like to call them, and decide, because I think all of us as business owners, it's our neck on the line at the end of the day. But you also have people that are just as much invested in your business. I could not run this by myself. And so I have to give them authority and trust that I know I have Girls that would do anything to make my business succeed. And I'm so thankful that they are on my team and I know that. I trust that they are putting doing everything possible to make it work. I trust that one of my girls has a large Facebook budget ad and she is going to spend that the best that she knows how, probably better than I can, because she has more time every day to be researching what's happening, what's changing, you know what I mean? Like, and you need to be smart enough to know. Like, I would love to can be in there running Facebook ads every day, but I don't have the time. So I can't do it as well as someone that can be in there constantly checking on it, changing it. Where do we need to tweak? You know, being able to let go.

As a control freak. Right?

Yeah, it's hard. I'm stick to work in progress. We all are.

So what about the future of retail and the future of boutiques? What do you think that looks like? You and I have had this conversation about retailers and what's happening in wholesale and the balance between online and offline sales. Omnichannel, what do you think that crystal ball says?

Oh, gosh, if only I had the crystal ball. I'm kind of a stay in my own lane. So I don't know If I have 100% advice. But for me, I really think where I think things are headed are I would not be. If it were me, I would not be opening a bunch of retail locations. I don't think it's bad to have one or two, but I think it's really important to drive those people to online because as people continue to, the generation continues to get younger. That's where they're gonna shop, first of all. And I think it's gonna continue to become that much more important to connect with your customer all the time. They want to know who they're buying from. They don't want to buy from a Macy's. And just like they don't want to buy from blank website that they don't know at all.

So. And you segue perfectly into more about you personally. Because something you're doing so beautifully right now is just taking that online relationship or that customer that is just doing some business with you online to making it a personal, authentic relationship and personally branding yourself along with the business. When you think about that, you know, what does it mean to you to have that personal connection with a customer? And how do you see that benefiting retailers?

Well, thank you. First off, I don't think it's done very beautifully. It's a work in progress. And I think I want to say this, I want to talk about this a minute because I think it's super important. We are all our own worst critic and we have to get over it. We have to stop worrying about what someone might think about seeing a picture of us posted of ourself on Instagram. If you're doing it for different reasons, you know, like. So, yes, I have been really actively trying to build my personal image along with Philly flair. And I think the importance of that is a customer, a person. I want to, I want to even almost stop calling them a customer because they are a person. And my problem is I'm not in my store ever, to be honest, because this is my bread and butter. So I'm at the warehouse all the time. I'm not at my store hardly ever. So I don't get to see those face to face connections with customers. And this is my way of helping them and to A, see my life and B, see the things that I do, the clothes that I like, and getting the opportunity for them to message me, reach out to me and build those connections because I can't do that in a store because I'm not there.

At the end of the day, the whole reason we're in business, right, is not about selling products. It's about building relationships and making other people feel good about themselves and feel beautiful. And that's what you've done so well through this.

So, yes. So I'll be really honest. When I started, I was a broke kid and every. All I wanted to do was make a quick buck. But really quickly after you do that for a little bit, it changes. And after you've like made a quick buck, it doesn't mean anything. And so for me, it really became about a bigger purpose. And I feel like that's why it's become even more important with me, to me to not only connect with my customer, but to design clothes that help fit them. Right. And if you can't design your own clothes, say you're not at that stage, you still can be super selective. I mean, learn your customer inside and out, you know, like ask them questions, send them surveys so you can really figure out what. Why didn't they buy a certain dress you had? Was it because, like there's. We've really had a battle. And one of the gals that, she's my operations manager, she's the best, she keeps me accountable on a lot of levels. She, you know, has been a really good job of pushing back because things I forget about, I'm small, really small. And like, so I like to wear a lot of dresses that, like, have a strapless or no backs. And she's like, that's like 4% of the population because everyone else has to wear a bra. Like, sorry if this seems off subject, but. And so I took her to. I took her to market with me last time, and every time I'd pick something up, she's like, can you wear a regular bra with that? Can you wear a regular bra? And I was like, no, no. Like, and it became this thing. I was like, wow, I have not been paying attention enough to that at all. And then when I would go back and look through, like what was on sale or did not have the sell through that I expected it to, it was little things like that. So what I'm saying is learn your customer. Like, if you. And I'm not saying, like, if you have a younger customer or that's the type of clothes you sell, then please don't follow that rule of thumb, but just know what your customer is looking for.

Absolutely. Such good buying advice. So let's. As we're kind of nearing the end of our conversation, I want to hit you with a couple lightning round questions. Sound good? So first one, if you didn't own Philly Flair, what would you be doing?

Probably farming or I would be a vet if I could handle school.

I like that. Perfect. How do you deal with haters?

I don't care. I move on.

Oh, good question.

I know. Jesus. Favorite book right now? Miracle Morning.

Miracle Morning. Oh, you got to win the morning. You got to win the day. Favorite podcast. And you can mention this one.

Well, I haven't listened to this one yet. This is gonna become my favorite podcast. I haven't listened to any new ones lately. Honestly, it's not as business related, but still my favorite is Andy Stanley. Your move.

Yeah, he's good. How about most inspiring person?

My mother.

Your mother? What scares you? Spiders? Snakes? Payroll?

Failing my children and my husband more than anything else.

You know, let's talk about that for a second. We haven't even brought up your kids yet, and I think that's something. Going back to a thing that you do so beautifully and being authentic is sharing, you know, farm life and your role as a wife and a mom and a business owner. And something I hear a lot from boutiques is just how do you deal with mom guilt and balance and all these things that go with owning A business. What's that look like for you? And does mom guilt ever creep in? Or how do you feel like you balance everything in your life?

I have mom guilt every day. Every day. So I don't think that really goes away ever. And I think you just have to learn. I went to a seminar one time, and a gal talk spoke about work, life, balance as a mom, and she's like, I compare that to a magical unicorn. She's like, I don't think it really exists. She said, I think you. You have to be okay with cheating something. And there was this. I need to look it up. There was something about. I don't know about cheating life. And it sounds bad, but it's actually so. Like, when you're. Hope this doesn't sound too negative, but when you're at home, you're cheating your job, and you have to just be okay with that. And then when you're at work, you're cheating your kids, and you have to like, I don't know, but you have to be okay with the balance and just realize that it has to be the best of both worlds. When I first had my first child, I brought her to work with me for the first year she was born. It was probably six months too long. And by the end of that time, I just didn't want to give up that, like, freedom of being able to bring her with me as a business owner. I thought, this is the whole purpose, is I'm supposed to be able to be a mom and take my kid wherever I want. And I realized how much I was hindering her time with me because I wasn't present. And as my kids have gotten older, I've realized that the quality over quantity is so much more important. And so I might not be with them every day, but I need to shut my computer off and I need to put my phone in a room where I honestly can't even see it because it's really that hard. I know there's been some interesting, honestly, studies that have just come out about Facebook and the adverse effects they have on us, our society, and especially kids. My kids don't, like, look at mine at all. But I felt so guilty about, like, oh, my gosh, that is me. Like, am I, like, addicted to looking at this, My phone? And so I've just really been trying to work on being present, and I fail every time. And then when I do fail, I'm like, oh, God, I feel like a liar because I just told somebody the other day that I set my phone down and was playing with my kids. But I try. I'm really trying. I really just want to love my life and I don't want to look back and be like, God, I did all of that. But my babies, you know, I didn't remember anything about having my babies, you know, So I don't know. I don't have the answer. It's a daily. I try every day to do better. But it has really helped to separate what I was getting at with my. When I finally stopped bringing my first to work with me within a matter of a week, there was so much relief and I was getting so much more done at work and at home. I was enjoying her because I wasn't trying to work. And when I was at work, I wasn't trying to be a mom. And I could separate the two and get so much more done. And it was amazing. And I felt like a productive woman.

Yeah.

So don't get me wrong, there are some days where I feel like I can. I'm superwoman and can conquer the world, but there are some days where it's, you just can't win and you have to be okay with that. Personally, my faith is what helps with that. And my husband, I have a very grounded husband. And so I'll go home bawling, feeling like I'm a failure. And he just tells me that everything's fine.

He's great.

You need to. I mean, you have to find the balance. You know, you'll burn yourself out. And I think. And I will. I want to add to this, though, when I say that you have to find a balance, I think there's always seasons in businesses. So when you are trying in the trenches. Trenches trying to grow something, I'll be honest, it is not the time to say I need to take every weekend off because I need balance. That's my opinion. You need a longer game term, longer goals and a bigger plan. You know, like, if, you know, my goal is to have this business here in two years, then I know for the next two years this is what my life is sort of going to look like. Yes. And because everything goes in seasons, you.

Know, it's well stated. I think you're absolutely right. I think balance is an elusive creature. But the statement that you made about seasons and understanding what season of business you're in and then planning your life and the sacrifices that you have to make accordingly, I think that's so well said.

Yeah. And I also. And here's the other thing. When I do have days where I'm like, God, am I doing the right thing because I work so much? Like, why would I be happier for myself and my children if I was working an 8 to 5 job? Absolutely not. Would I be able to provide them potentially more opportunities? No. So you can look at it both ways. And I grew up where we worked all the time. We worked with our family. And so it's just part of. If it's part of your lifestyle instead of separated, I think it becomes a lot different.

Absolutely. So that kind of brings me to the last question I want to ask you, which is, you know, the season of business you're in right now is still grow and scale, and you're building something amazing and beautiful. And I know that there are stages that are to come. But let's fast forward many years after the business is gone. You've had your exit strategy, you've sold it, whatever you've decided to do. And you're sitting at home now with your grandbabies. Your babies are grown, and your grandbabies are sitting with you, and you're talking about what Philly Flair was, and they're asking about who you are. What are the things that you want people looking back at you and your business and your life? What are the things that you want people to remember about you and to say about you when this is all over?

Wow, that's a loaded question. If, you know, I want them to hopefully say that I was super passionate about anything I put my mind to, that I was fearless when I put my mind to something, and I was okay with the risk because the reward would hopefully be greater. I think there's something. So it's like this romantic notion of that I love about being an entrepreneur is like, there's so much risk, but the reward could be so amazing and, like, look at what you can do out of nothing. And I hope that. I hope God continues to put me in places and in people's lives that I can help on a personal level, but also on a bigger level, whether it's inspiring, whether it's like literally walking them through a business help or a strategy. And I don't know, I hope it becomes a lot bigger than just we sold clothes.

Well said. Well, Laura, I just want to thank you and commend you for the business that you've built and the inspiration that you leave other people on a daily basis, not only through your own channels and through Philly Flair, but through ours at the hub, too. Because I know you're someone that everybody looks up to, and they value your input and just your presence so much. So thank you for who you are, what you're doing, and thank you so much for coming on the show and sharing that with everybody. Really appreciate you.

Of course. That means. And honestly, like, that means more than you know. I'm sorry, I feel like I do not get in there enough. But there is something to be said about there's only so many hours in a day and when you're like, really trying to hustle your own, your own business, you just only got so much extra time to, like, you know, be going, going through groups. But I. So yes, I'm sorry. Sometimes I wish I would get in there and answer some more questions, but I don't always get to it. But I'm really honored, honestly, to be especially I did not know there was a poll. So I'm now I'm really honored and impressed. So thank you guys. Thank you for having me. Yes.

Thank you so much. And have an awesome 2018.

Yes, you too, Ash.

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