FTV: Being a Successful Business Owner Means Knowing Your Customer with Dani Flaming, The Fringed Pineapple

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I love these throwback episodes because it brings up such great memories of these boutique owners that I have been so fortunate to watch their journey evolve over time. So today's throwback episode is an important one because this boutique owner, my friend Danny from the Fringe Pineapple, is someone who has done an excellent job of really nailing her customer. She is in a niche market, right? She has a trending Western customer, so she has really figured out how to speak specifically to that customer style. And I think that the Western boutiques that I know that are doing really well, obviously they've nailed that niche. They know their customer. They speak to them. But I think it's something for anyone who's not Western to, like, take a lesson from. When you target everyone, you reach no one. So if you're a boutique who maybe is younger, just getting started, and you're like, I'm going to target women ages 24 to 50, and I'm going to buy all these different types of things, these trends, these basics, these staple pieces, these. All these different things, right? It's really hard to be successful and really nail your core audience when it's so broad. So if you can take a lesson again from the Western boutiques and from Dani in this episode on how to really nail who your customer is, sometimes you have to alienate people, right, and, like, push people away who are not your customer in order to really attract the ones who are. So I hope you think about that. I hope you journal about that. I hope you figure out the story, brand, message of how do you become the wise guide in the story of the hero, which is really your customer? And the hero is always fighting a villain, right? Who is the villain? Who's the hero? And how can you be the wise guide to support them along that journey? So with that, meet my friend Danny, the owner and founder of Fringed Pineapple. You're gonna love this episode. 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 ch foreign. Hey, guys. This week, I'm so excited to chat with Danny from the Fringe Pineapple and talk about this amazing pocket of boutiques that are popping up in the state of Idaho. You Know, you probably think about the boutique industry and how prominent it is across the south, right? Texas is definitely king of boutique land, but there's these pockets in different places of the country that have so many amazing retailers that are building killer local businesses, brick and mortar businesses, mobile businesses, and some powerhouse online e commerce giants. South Dakota, definitely one of them. Indiana, another one of them. But also Idaho. Today I'm going to chat with my friend Danny, who made it into the top 10 in our global Boutique of the Year in the Boutique Awards. Also our Boutique of the year overall for the state of Idaho and our Idaho online Boutique of the Year. Dani's going to talk about the ins and outs of her strategy. So social media, how she grew her Instagram, but also, what does it take to build a cash business and not go into debt trying to build the business of your dreams? You know, we had a long conversation, Dani and I, before and after this podcast about the Boutique Awards because she did so well this year. And we talked about what an opportunity it is to have a conversation with your customers about what it means to be a small business, what it means to be in retail today, but also just to say thank you for being one of my customers. And she said, you know what, Ashley? It didn't matter. I really didn't run a big giveaway or something like that to ask for votes. I just wanted to tell them thank you. But the traffic that I got from the awards and the camaraderie that I got from fellow boutiques during the awards totally made every moment of it worth it. And she said, I'm just a small boutique. I'm a small boutique from Idaho. That's a relatively newer boutique, right, that happened to make it into the top 10 global. So it just goes to show that at the end of the day, no matter what size business you are or how new you are in business, the followers that you have have on social media are just a number. But what really matters to grow a business today is how engaged your customers are and how much your customers are willing to come back and purchase with you again and again and again or show up to support you in something like the Boutique Awards. So, guys, I can't wait for you to hear from Dani. My hat's off to her huge accomplishment. I want you to hear firsthand about the growth that her business has had and how she's been able to make that possible. So please help me welcome from the fringe, pineapple, Danny Fleming from Idaho. All right, guys, I have got one of my favorite gal pals in the boutique industry on the show today, and I cannot wait for you to meet her. Dani Fleming is the owner and founder of the French pineapple. And since we're fresh off the boutique awards, you guys, I have to tell you this. This is the Idaho overall boutique of the year, the online boutique of the year in Idaho. And holy smokes, girl, you made top 10 global boutique of the year. Is that amazing? Were you shocked?

It was crazy. It was shock.

So, so cool. So I'm so pumped to have you on the show today. Thank you for joining me. Yay.

I'm excited to be here.

We were just talking before we started recording that a lot of people think of the boutique industry being so strong in the South. Right. There's so many stores in Texas and Alabama, all the way across the South. But there's this pocket of boutiques that we know of that's amazing in South Dakota. But I don't think everybody knows there is a pocke of the boutiques that are rock stars in Idaho.

Yes. Honestly, we have the most awesome boss babes in Idaho. It is crazy. We're keeping up with Texas.

You're totally keeping up. I wonder this, and I think a lot of other people, maybe people that are outside of the culture in the hub, let's say, because we thrive on community over competition, might see an area like that and go, oh, my gosh, must be so easy to go and see these stores all over Idaho. And a lot of you are mobile boutiques and online boutiques in Idaho. It must be so easy to go feel like you're in competition with one another. But truly, you guys all work really well together. So talk to me about how everyone in Idaho stays in their own lane but also is able to be so supportive of one another.

So my first, like, boutique experience was Ricky with frosted cowgirls. And she probably doesn't remember this, but it was one of my first setups, and I was so scared. And I just remember she walked up to me and she's like, I like your cactus. And I was like, wow, you can be friends with boutiques. But I've just learned even not in Idaho, but with all boutiques, you can either make them your competition or they can be your community. And I have the best, like, little boss babe. Like, my boutique besties that I go to, I talk to almost daily. And they really have helped me through so many problems. And it's good to have someone that's in your industry that has your problems that you can go to and ask questions. And you can really relate to.

Oh, absolutely. I think you fell in the category of. I know there's a lot of girls that go to the Boutique Summit, and they've got these Internet gal pals, right, that they've met through the hub, and they fly across the country and share a room with this stranger that they met on the Internet. And most of the time their husbands are like, dude, are you sure you want to do this? But you definitely did that and met an amazing girl in the process, right?

Yes. Addie. She is like my go to girl. We literally both wanted to go to the summit, and we were like, let's go. We met in the airport, and both of our husbands and our families were like, are you sure? Like, we're going against everything we were ever raised to do. Like, don't go meet a stranger. Don't go stay with them for a week. And we have, like, seriously grown to be, like, the best friend. Like, we talk all the time. And I can call her and be like, hey, I need koozies. Like, one day. I called her one morning, I'm like, I need koozies. And she's like, all right, let's get you some koozies. So really, it's been amazing, like, the friendships that from the boutique we have grown to have.

You were mentioning another boutique owner, actually, that was recently on the podcast, too, that you met through the Boutique Awards. Tell me about that.

Oh, my gosh. I love Vanessa. Vanessa and Brittany with simple blessings. I was talking to her last night because I'm not tech savvy at all, and they help me. I'll be like, hey, how do I do this? And she was like, girl, do you even have a computer? And she helps me just get everything set up. And they are my go tos. Like, if anything happens, I can just call them and they are there to help.

I love it. All right, well, we've got so many behind the scenes things that we want to talk about today specifically because I've seen your business. Right. We've definitely worked together before, and I'm amazed at the growth that your business has had in the last two years. Like, if you guys aren't following Danny yet, you definitely need to, because you've got some secret sauce that's pretty amazing, and I want to uncover some of that today. But before we do, do you want to go ahead and just like every podcast starts, I love to have a little bit of context and background into how did you get into this business in the first place?

Definitely. So in 2013, I got a license to start and sell and design little boys clothes. But at that time, I was a single mom and I was getting ready to start a second job and all my time was going to my little guy when I had the time to do so. And then I met my husband and in 2015 we got married. And he always makes fun of me because he says I don't have hobbies. So I was like, well, I mean, I get a side hustle. And so I started the French pineapple in 2017 of April 15th. Actually, it was my mom's birthday, was our first setup, and I started getting everything. And then I kind of got a little scared. And my little boy's like, mom, are we gonna start selling clothes or what? And I was like, okay, I have little eyes on me. So I was actually at the time working a full time job and I just really wanted to be able to go pick my little boy up from school because I hadn't really been able to do that. So I took the money I had from a down payment for a car and I bought one rack of clothing and I kind of just let it grow from there. And then almost a month later, my husband just looked at me and he's like, danny, you've never been a mom. Quit your job and just be a mom. And. And he is an act teacher, but he's also a farrier. At the time he was. And he's like, I'll take on more horseshoeing because I'm the type that's like, make sure your bills are paid, have a budget, like. And he knew I wouldn't quit unless he would help with something. So we started and it was doing good. It was doing awesome. And then in 2018, he actually got hurt shoeing horses. And my comfort was just like completely ripped away from me. I was like, okay, I gotta really depend on this business. And he was in bed. They made him stay in bed for I think it was almost a week and a half. And I was like, well, he is not going to shoot horses anymore. And I just sat staring at my computer and I just went into him and I was like, if you can take over my shipping, I will grow this business. And I brought him in and he still teaches. He's awesome. He supports it 100% plus. And I really think he would run this if I wouldn't have started it. I think he would have started it for me.

That's so cool. Your husband is so sweet. He comes to all the markets with you and he is. He's like behind the scenes running so many pieces of your business. I love that you guys are such a team that way.

Yeah, it's awesome. It's so funny. We'll go to market, and I'm like, it has to catch my eye. But he knows if I find a vendor that catches my eye, he'll actually go through the stuff a little more deeply than I will. In March, we went to market, and he was just kind of walking around and found these purses, and it was crazy. We sold so many purses. And it was because he went wandering at market, and so he gets credit for a lot. Our top selling items.

That's perfect. My husband would be like, where's the vendor serving the alcohol? I'll meet you there in a couple of hours.

Have a beer. But he's good. He is totally supportive. I'm like, well, you could be shoeing horses, or you're at market with me. But he is awesome. I'm super grateful for his help.

I love it. So when he got hurt, that's really when your business kind of took off. You were able to do teamwork together. Tell everyone listening if they aren't familiar with your business, where and how you sell online, mobile, kind of the setup and operation of the business.

So we are mobile. I actually was just going to be mobile, and then I started online. But our online has grown so crazy that we kind of cut down a little bit on our mobile. But we are online and mobile. I love doing the mobile because it's more getting our customers, seeing our customers being out in the community. But we are a lot online now. We've switched a lot to online.

Gotcha. And in terms of, you know, there's a lot of boutiques, like I said, in Idaho, but all over the country that have kind of a western contemporary crossover type of market. But you seem to have found a corner of the market that's a little bit different. Talk to me about, what do you feel like makes your business different than everybody else out there?

Well, okay. I had big city dreams. I was supposed to be a city girl, and I met my husband and he moved me out to the country. So I have a little, like, twist to my little market with our clothing. I really try to make our flat lace stand out. And I'm not the type that likes to be fancy. And so when someone's like, you have to be fancy, it, like, really stresses me out. But I really love, like, graphic tees, so. My husband's an FFA advisor, too, and I know the girls have to dress up to go do stuff. So we actually brought business casual in like blazers and like trousers and that kind of stuff to serve our customers that are working or have competitions like they need to go to.

Gotcha. And you would say, is there like a bigger why behind your business also that makes it different? Or where do you feel like the inspiration for doing what you do every day comes from? And what's that impact that you want to leave on your customers on a daily basis?

My biggest why, of course, is my little guy. I just remember when I had him, I was like, I'm going to give this kid the best life he could have and he's always here for me. And I just know you have to be so strong in your. Why? Because there's days that you are dragging and you have to give it your all. And really, I have worked for people, have done the two job thing. And I just know at the end of the day, I'm going to do what I have to do to be home and be able to be a mom and run this boutique.

Absolutely. So obstacles you faced along the way. You were talking about that first initial fear you had of, what if someone doesn't buy from me? Like, what if I start this and it flops and nobody buys from me? Then what happens?

Oh, my gosh. I seriously remember. I'm like, no one's going to buy from me. My husband's like, just start selling. But my biggest obstacle, I remember it so clearly. I launched my website October 5th. So I'd been kind of just selling, like, comment below. October 5th, I launched my website and it went crazy. It was awesome. I did a little sell and I was like, this is going to be so awesome. Then the next day, driving traffic to your website is not as easy as it looks. And I'm going to say that is one of our biggest obstacles with getting traffic to the website. I remember I started it and I was like, I'm just gonna delete my website. And I'm just thankful I kept pushing and doing what I had to get my website going.

Was it 2017 or 2016? When did you start your website?

April 15, 2017. And I launched my website October 5, 2017.

Gotcha. So what happened? You figured out that it was hard to drive traffic to your website. What did you start to do? What did you take action on that? Finally got that train rolling for you?

I did whatever it took. If they wanted a link, I sent a link. I really just pushed it. And I think it was April 15th. The next year, we actually hit the 10k followers where you could swipe up. And that actually helped a lot too on Instagram. But when I post a photo now, I make sure the link's on there. So it's just easy to just click and go find it on the website so you don't have to go searching.

So you're always sharing the link no matter where you're posting it. So it's one click, making it easy for your shoppers.

Yeah, I had a time where Cam wanted a sweatshirt, my husband, and he sent me the sweatshirt and I went to the website and I couldn't find it. And I was like, okay, I get how hard this is. And so after that I'm like, I am sending a link if they need the link. I was tagging on Instagram, but then for some odd reason, it won't let me connect my Facebook anymore. So when I post, I post the link and then I post the swipe up in my story for them to go swipe up and put that on my post as well. Got it.

So Instagram's kind of your jam, right? And I'd love to hear more about. You know, some people struggle to get to 10k period, to get to swipe up. And you did it relatively quickly. So do you think it's consistency or photography or you showing up authentically or what is it behind your Instagram that makes it work for you?

I don't know. I just put a lot into my Instagram. One thing that has definitely helped a lot is I post a quote daily. And that has drove a lot of girls there to the quotes and like, it just shows kind of who we are as a boutique. I post a quote in the morning and then I post a post at like 9am and then at noon and then at night. And then I do a lot of swipe ups. In our stories of our new arrivals. We do try on sessions. It's nothing fancy. I'm not very tech savvy, like I said. And so it's kind of just what it is. And I show us our family. Yeah, it's grown crazy. We were 10k in 2017 and it's just grown crazy from there.

That's pretty awesome. Do you use like presets with your photo editing or are there any like, apps or other tools that you use with your Instagram?

No, not really. That's actually Vanessa had to edit a photo for me a little bit ago. I try to use presets and they just don't work and they edit the Photos too much. So, yeah, I just kind of lightly edit them. I just make sure I have really good natural lighting when we take the picture and it doesn't need too much editing.

Gotcha. What else on Instagram do you feel like has helped your customers, like, really engage with what you have going on? Again, is it just you bring in your family behind the scenes, you talk a lot of, like, face to camera. You just seem like you're so relatable on the gram. And do you think people are just hungry for more of that realness in retail versus always just pushing a product?

Yes. I posted a thing the other day that's like, we all use filters. Like, we all struggle, we all cry. I just think people when Instagram first came out were trying to look so perfect. And there's days that I'm like, no makeup, I'm on there. Like, hey, like yesterday we've been so busy. And my husband's like, I usually, like, watch your stories to know what you're doing for the day. And I got on there like my hair was flat from all the rain. And just. I try to be as real as we can on there.

I think you're so spot on. People just want to know that they're shopping with people just like them. Right. That they aren't shopping from someone who has it all together, but somebody that truly gets where they're at in their own life.

Oh, yeah, I'm a hot mess half the time. And so I think they relate more when I'm a hot mess than when I'm all put together.

Perfect. What other channels are you on besides Instagram?

So we have Instagram, Facebook. Pinterest has been amazing as well. We do email marketing and text marketing. I just am such a firm believer if you're not going to see it in one way, you're going to see it in another.

Isn't that the truth? And not putting all of your eggs in just one basket. It'd be so easy to do that because your Instagram is awesome. Right? But to have it on all channels.

Yep, exactly. And I will say I have struggled growing my Facebook as much, but Pinterest has done amazing for us. Email marketing is still strong. And texting, I love the text marketing. I think it's so fun to, like, send a text out and then, like, see all the customers hop on your website.

Are you one of those nerdy people like me that has to have, like, one tab of Google Analytics or your Shopify store open that has to see how many people are on the site right now.

Oh, yeah, I love it. I will be like, one night I was like, watch this. I'm sending out a text for a sale. It's just so fun.

That's awesome. What's your text strategy? How many do you usually send out a week? And is it usually for a sale or a promotion or what's usually the subject matter behind your text?

It's usually a seller promotion. I just feel like it is really awesome of the girls to get on there and send their number and trust us with being able to text them that we're not going to text them too much. And so I usually try to, like, reward it with a code or, like, they'll be the first to know, hey, we're having a sale. And they'll get first dibs on it because I don't tell anyone else for like another couple hours or even a day. So I give them mostly first dibs on what's coming up in promotion.

Gotcha. So let's go back to Pinterest because you said that was doing awesome. When did you start your Pinterest strategy and how many pins do you make a day?

I started it. Let's see, it was January of 2018 is when I really was like, I thought Pinterest was not as crazy and popular as it was when it first started and I still used it. But I just remember one day in my group on Facebook, I just was like, hey, girls, how many of you are on Pinterest daily? Or how often are you on here? And it was one of my most engaged posts because a lot of people are still using it. And so from then I was manually posting. And then I think it was like eight months ago, I got tailwind. And it's awesome. It just will take my stuff from Instagram and post it. And I usually do about 10 to 15 a day. I schedule them and then just put them on there. And so, yeah, it's crazy how often I get a lot of traffic from Pinterest.

Talk to me about, like, your boards. I know I always talk about this, like in Bootcamp when we talk about Pinterest, how important it is to pin to, say, a new arrivals board and then like a themed board like fall fashion or gamey fashion, whatever it might be. Like, are you pretty specific about making sure that your pins get pinned multiple ways when you're using tailwind?

No. I wish I could say yes.

I literally.

So we redid 100 year old house and I had my Pinterest for that. And a lot of My customers are interested in that too. And so I kind of have my personal Pinterest as our Pinterest. And it actually gets a lot of engagement from that because if the girls. I post my house stuff and where I got it on there as well. So I wish I was more organized, but I'm not. I have, like, for my trailer versus, like, my inventory, but I don't. I wish I could say it was more organized, but I'm not.

Well, I think you bring up a good point, though. If you're sharing, like, your house stuff on that Pinterest and that Pinterest is generating a ton of traffic to your website, I think it goes to show that people don't want to join a Pinterest just for fashion, but they want to join, like, a lifestyle Pinterest account where they can follow things that are related to them in multiple ways. Does that make sense?

Exactly. It's even like, I have 10 minute meals or like, stuff that a lot of my customers like, my ideal customer can relate to that they'll see it, and that's kind of stuff they want because that is what kind of customer I have.

Absolutely. Have you had some pins go viral?

Oh, yeah, We've had a ton go viral that had over a million views. Like, it was crazy. I was like, I didn't know this was such a thing, but it was when I got tailwind. So I highly suggest the tailwind because it does help a lot.

So I know this is a question people ask a lot when it comes to viral pins. Let's say you're sold out of that item. How did you know your pin went viral? Because some people have a viral pin and they don't know it. And then what happens when that item is sold out? How are you redirecting them to other places on your site?

So I just have it direct, just to my homepage, but you can check all of it and stuff. So I just direct them straight to my site from the pins just so they don't get a dead end. And then if they have a question, usually they'll message me or email me and I just tell them it's sold out or just, we have Restocks. So I'm like, you can sign up for Restocks? Yeah, I check my pins because then I kind of know what's. It usually takes a second. Like, I'll have something that goes like, crazy on Instagram and then it pins on Pinterest. And I'm like, oh, this is gonna go crazy. And it doesn't. But Then something else goes crazy on there and gets repinned and stuff.

I think that's so funny. I'm mesmerized all the time when I see boutique hub members that have viral pins. Because you're right, it's usually something you didn't expect and usually it takes a little bit of time. Like it's not an instant gratification platform like Instagram is, but it's more of a long term search and like idea saving platform. Right?

Exactly. And it's. I'll get like I had some that from when we first started that people are like, do you have this shirt? And I was like, not anymore. Almost two years ago. But yeah, it's crazy what will go right or wrong there.

Perfect. So note to self, if you're listening, make sure you're active on Pinterest. I actually. It's so funny the timing of this conversation. This morning we have a contact at Pinterest that we work with for different projects and they've been to the summit and I was just talking to her this morning about boutiques that use Pinterest and I think the obstacle I was telling her is so many stores feel too busy, like it's another thing I have to do or another thing to learn. But really, would you say it's not that challenging once you can dedicate a little bit of time to it, right?

Oh yeah. I take probably one day a week and go through it and get stuff from our Instagram to pin and then it schedules it all out for me. It is worth taking an extra hour during your week to put the time into it.

Agreed? Definitely agreed.

Okay.

You mentioned email marketing and you laughed because you were like, I kind of do email marketing, which, you know, more power to you. Some do, some don't. But talk to me about that strategy.

I have like an email marketing series when there's something in my cart and I send about one every other day. And honestly, last week was crazy with our email marketing where it tells like the money it brought back in. I was like, it has not died. It is still here, it's still happening and it's still bringing in income. So I love marketing.

Are you on mailchimp or what do you currently use?

I currently have mailchimp. I just haven't given it up yet. I haven't had time to look into other ones. So I am still using mailchimp.

Perfect. It's user friendly and there is still a way to connect it to Shopify. Even with all the falling out and the things that they Had. But I think you're right. You bring up a good point. Email open rates have dropped on average below like I think 18% now. But I was just talking about this with someone else. Even at 18%, depending on the size of your list, how many people can you get to click through to your site? And if 2% or 3% of them convert into a sale, there is still money to be made in email marketing.

Oh, yeah. And it's like you may have to sell one T shirt. You're still selling a T shirt off of it. So I don't know. I think it's awesome. I love it and I'm still gonna keep doing it, so. Yeah. Yeah.

And you're still top of mind while you do it. Like, even if your customer isn't ready to purchase today, you're still like registering in her brain. Right. You're still the fringe. Pineapple is still showing up in her brain because she's seen you come across her inbox. Even if she didn't click on every email, she knows where to go to find you once she is ready.

Yeah. And if you have catchy subjects, like, I will do like catchy subjects. And then I watch like the open rates, those are what will get the customers. Is your catchy subjects.

Good idea. I love it. All right, talk to me about your biggest failure in growing your boutique. So we talked about the things that work to help you grow. What's one big like, oops or eye opening realization that you had to overcome to get where you are right now?

Impulse buying. I used to be like, oh my gosh, that's cute. Let's buy it. Instead of really, like, thinking about it. And I actually cut down on my inventory. Like, I don't have as much variety, but I have more of what my customers want. So I really think about it instead of just being like, check out, check out and really look at what I'm buying and if it's really gonna sell or if I'm just like, oh, that's so cute. And also just knowing I'm not everyone's cup of coffee, like, or tea, whatever, whiskey, whatever. Like, you can't please everyone. Everyone has different styles and we have our customers that love what we sell. And so that is one of my biggest failures. When I first started, I really wanted to just sell to everyone. And I really just learned after the last couple years, you can really only sell to your customers.

Man, isn't that the truth? When you target everyone, you reach no one. And you really have to hone in on who your best customers are going to be. Right?

Yes. I remember I had a girl from high school that was shopping, and it was when I first started it, and they're like, oh, have you checked out Dani's boutique, the French Pineapple? And she's like, it's not my style. And it really hurt my feelings. But looking back now, I'm like, oh, we're not. We can't be everyone's style.

Yeah. A to the men. You were telling me about this sweater story before we got recording today, and I think that's so true to what happens, like, once you finally realize who your customer is, even though there's a million people selling the same product, you can still make that product work for you. Yes.

This last couple weeks, we had a sweater that came in. We had tons. It was the most we've ever really ordered in an inventory, and we don't have much storage in our house. And my husband's like, how many did you order? And I told him, and he's like, okay. And I'm like, I'm going to sell it. And we are down to our last couple. So it doesn't matter the market, like, who your competition is. It's really, you can sell it. If it's your customer's style and you love it and you believe in the product, I guess you really can sell it.

Yeah. It definitely takes some trial and error to get there. Right. You have to fail fast and really test the things and figure out your customers, and then you can double down.

Yes. I remember trying to figure out my ideal customer when I started Boutique Bootcamp, and I was like, who are my customers? And finally I got it, and so it's been a lot easier and a little smoother ride.

I think that's pretty cool. I think since the first time you and I met, I mean, your business has probably like 10x since the first time we started talking and working together. It's so cool to see that happen.

It's awesome. It's been a blessing. Very thankful.

Very, very cool. All right, so a couple more questions. I know you guys are busy in the summertime, right? Because obviously all of the online has taken off, but you do some mobile shows as well. I know there's so many boutiques that are scared of the J months in particular. And I'll talk about the J month, January in the wintertime for you. I'm wondering, is there something that you focus on in seasons that are slower that you think helps benefit you when seasons pick up and are faster again?

I'm going to be completely honest. This July, I kind of was like, oh, my gosh. It wasn't slower. I really just don't. I try to beat my days. Like, so I go month to month. So I look at my July from last year. I don't try to beat myself from, like, my high months. I look at my July from the year before, and I try to beat those, which has helped me because our march was crazy. So if I was trying to sell as much in, like, June as I did in March, it's a slower month. So I really try to compare to the years before and know that the, like, the better days are coming. So really just set money aside, don't order as much, but keep going, like. And the better months, you come.

Oh, man. And I think you've done something really unique in that sense that you didn't go into debt for that.

No, I. My dad probably doesn't even remember telling me this. It has stuck in my head my whole life. He looked at me one day, I wanted a new car, and he goes, you know, it's easy to go into debt, being envious and trying to keep up. And so I have refused to take out a loan for this business. I have grown from a rack of clothing, set money aside, and really just let it grow off of that, man.

I want to emphasize that, like, in proof that it can be done, that when you truly know your customer and you buy smarter and you're consistent and authentic in your marketing, like, it can happen for you. You don't have to be overstocked, which I think that's the number one problem that Sarah and I see in Bootcamp is people over buy so bad trying to figure out who their customer is in the first place. But you've been so smart about, you know what? I'm not going to go into debt. I'm going to do it as much as I can, but then double down when you have the opportunity.

Yes. I'm like a safe buyer, is what I say. I'll buy a pack of something, and then if it sells out instantly, I know. And I have a restock app, which really helps because I can go and kind of look through it and say, okay, my customers want this. And so I just kind of played it safe that way. I really watch what they're buying. I watch my restock app, and I just am really careful. I buy like a pack or two, and then when they're like, hey, I like this, I'm like, okay. And we buy a lot more Instead of just getting so many in at once, right?

Absolutely. So if you would say for everybody listening, like, what's one thing you wish somebody would have told you in this process, or one thing you wish you would have understood much sooner in your journey that you think people could take home from this conversation today?

Really, just focus on your journey. Everyone is in such a different spot. People are selling different items. So someone's sales might be higher, but they might be selling $300 shirts. Like, you never know. You really just have to focus on you and your boutique and what you believe in and really know why you're doing it. Like I said before, like, know your why. Because you're gonna have days that you're gonna struggle, and you need to know why you're doing it and really focus on your boutique and make yourself unique.

Oh, I like that. So spot on. Stay in your lane, right?

Yes.

One personal question, then I want to go into our lightning round if you're down for that family, it's huge for you, like thinking about your why, what you just mentioned. Right. And I know we've had this conversation. I hate the word balance because I feel like it's such an elusive creature, like half truth lie. I don't know that it really exists. But there is something to be said about mixing business with family and what your son learns from watching you in the business and Cam in the business too. So how do you approach that as a family, balancing your work life with your family life.

So I believe Jett is going to learn, which is my little boy. He is going to learn more from watching me handle my failures than he ever was will any success. And there is no balance. I can't balance. We try, but we just have a role in our family that we support each other in every aspect. Like, they are at my events with me. If my husband needs help in the arena, we're out there with him. I mean, we're always supporting Jett. Of course. You just have to include them in it and have them be there and have them support you. I really do struggle with balance in summer because both my boys are out. So I kind of just let summer kind of settle down a little bit. And then once they went back to school, I was like, these are your workout, and this is what you're gonna work. And then nights I have for them, and we just do everything together and just have our family time.

I like that. So the summers are the boys time, and then they both go back to school, which, FYI, you made your husband do a back to school picture, which I thought was maybe one of the funniest things I've seen.

Oh, my gosh. I told people they couldn't make fun of him, but he knows I'm very bullheaded, and so he knew there was no getting out of it. I would have showed up at the school for that.

I forget what was like, he had to hold a sign because he's a teacher. Right? So this is his first day back to school. And what did this sign say?

It was like year six of teaching. I seriously, the comments on it were hilarious. But I'm like, you guys can't make fun of him because he had no choice. What's up with my crazy? So I'm just thankful. Such a good sport.

All right, so lightning round of questions. What is your favorite trend at the moment?

I'm loving all the Aztec print. I am so thankful for fall right now. Like, I was ready to sell fall stuff. So I'm really loving all the Aztec print and the sweaters. And I gotta say, but I love the holy jeans. The boyfriend jeans.

Love it. All right, how about is there a trend that you wish would go away?

I want to love velvet, but I can't. I don't know why. I try. I really want to love it. And floral, I just don't do floral very well.

Fair. I think there's a lot of people that don't love floral, so I get it right. All right, favorite book.

So my favorite book, which really was a like life changing book, it's better human. It's a full time job. It's actually from a lady from Idaho and I read it a couple years ago and I read it probably 15 times and it's one I actually gave away. When we did boutique awards two years ago, I was like, I want you guys. This is what inspired me. And so it's one of all time favorite books, full time job.

Awesome. You'll have to send me the link. We'll put that in the show notes.

Oh, definitely. Yes.

Perfect. How about podcasts or like inspirational mentors that you listen to?

So I've always listened to Joel Osteen. I listen to podcasts all day. That's what I do. And lately we've been listening to Tony Robbins podcast and he's awesome and he's really uplifting and motivating. So I'll listen to one and then I send it to all my boutique friends. I'm like, you need to listen to this. So, yeah, I would say Joel Osteen and Tony Robbins right now. Are what I listen to. And, of course, I always listen to.

Hubs, and I didn't even pay her to say that. People.

Perfect.

All right, what scares you more? Snakes? Payroll or Internet trolls?

Internet trolls or an unhappy customer. Someone that doesn't want to be pleased. But I'm going to say Internet trolls.

How do you handle them? Do you have, like, secret sauce advice? When you have an unhappy customer, what do you do?

No, I try to do the best I can, but I just know that there's sometimes that there's people that don't want a solution. I just don't think that they know on our end that it really does affect us. Like, we're not like our new boutique owners. But I really try to help them as best as I can, but there's. Sometimes you just have to know that you can't help them.

Man, that is the truth. There's some people that just want to be a keyboard jockey at the end of the day, right?

So if I get upset with something, I look at Cam because he's more laid back, and I'm like, okay, does this, like, wrong, or am I just overreacting? And if he's like, you're overreacting. I'm like, okay, I'll handle it like this. But if he's like, no, they shouldn't be talking like that. I'm like, okay, I can be upset then.

Perfect. How about is there, like, a motivational quote that you have on your wall or something that keeps you going?

You know, I always say, like, you got what it takes. It might just take all you got. And also, like, I didn't ask you to be her. I asked you to be you. That is probably one of my top quotes I go for.

I like that. That's awesome. All right, last lightning round question. What are your top three must have apps on your phone or that you use daily in the business?

Instagram, of course. Pinterest and probably Canva.

Definitely Canva. I like it. All right, girl. So last question of the day, and I love that you spoke so much today about knowing your why and how it's essential to have that in every up and down and high and low and critical point in the business. And I think you've done an awesome job demonstrating that. I'd love to know someday. Let's say you sell the business or the business has been passed down or whatever it is you want to do, and you're sitting on the front porch with your grandkids now, and you're talking about the life that you led and what you created in your time here on Earth. And I'd love to know what's the thing that you would love for people to remember the most about your journey and the thing you want them to say about you once you're gone.

More that I didn't let my fear of failure get in the way of my fear of not living up to what I supposed to do, that I went after what I wanted to. I lived a life. I always say I'm going to live a life that I don't need a vacation from. And that we inspired someone and helped someone through their day. That's my main thing when I put quotes and packages, is that it helps someone and that you are dealt a card like a hand in life and that you can play it the best you can and go after what you want. You just are going to have to get gritty and go for it.

Oh, I like it. All right, girl. Dani, thank you so much for joining me on the show today. Congratulations again on everything with the boutique awards and it's amazing to watch her grow. Thank you for being such an awesome member of the Hub and creating the friendships and the connections the way that you have.

Oh, thank you. We are seriously, our family is so thankful for the Hub and all the training and everything they have brought to our boutique.

Awesome. Well, I can't wait to see you again soon at a market somewhere.

Yes. I'm excited.

Hey, guys, can I ask you a question? Is your store really ready for the fourth quarter? I mean, are you ready to actually grow your profitability this fourth quarter and not just your revenue and all the chaos that comes with it? Hey, we have worked with so many boutique owners over the last several years inside of the Hub to help them maximize their holiday season in their fourth quarter. And we put everything that we know into one single training so that you can take this right to the bank. Hey, I want to invite you to join me this year inside of the holiday marketing masterclass where we cover six key ways that every retailer, whether you're a brick and mortar online, you do pop ups or mobile events, can really maximize the season. We'll cover everything from how to get ready and pre plan the entire season right now, how to buy smarter, how to train your staff so that they can be right there working for you so that you don't have to take the entire season upon your shoulders if someone doesn't show up for a shift or you get overwhelmed with shipping. We're going to talk about how to get real roi from your events hard and soft. We'll talk about the difference between a sale and a promotion and how to keep more money in your pocket at the end of the day day and then all of the marketing and e commerce strategies that you need to know. How to set up the right landing pages for the holiday season, how to build collections and bundles and gift guides and ultimately how do you drive more traffic to your online business and to your brick and mortar so that more people are seeing what you have to offer. So join me at holidaymarketingmasterclass.com 2019 or check out the link in the show notes and I'd love to to see your store grow this holiday season. 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, Guest Head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.