If You Don't Adapt, It's Not Going to Work with Taylor Jone McClellan, The Tiny Closet Boutique

Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works, from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts, and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub, and I can't wait to chat. Hey, guys. Welcome back. We have a life update podcast today. I'm trying to remember the last time I got to talk to you on the podcast that you were on. I think you still had the bus.

Yeah. And you didn't have video yet. You were still just all audio. Yeah.

Oh, isn't that funny how life changes? Look at us.

Like, it's glowing up 2.0 right now. Exactly.

Well, we have so much to dig into today, so let's. Let's start with a life update. The last time I talked to you, you were single. You were dating Blake.

Yeah.

I don't even think you were engaged yet, and you had the bus. So much has changed since then. Give me, like, a business update. How are things going?

It's been great. The last time we talked and I was on the podcast, we were in a very small office. It was the very first office that we had in Auburn. And since then, we went and had. This was. Oh, my God. This was like, pre Covid. Yeah. So it was like, in 2019, we went and did, like, a whole pop up in our mall. Realized I did not like being in a mall at all. Hours were too long. There's too many different people not happening. So the people that are in a mall, I'm like, all power to you. There's no way. And then we had our first. Our second storefront, which was in Opelika. And then I got engaged, and then we got married. It's so funny because everybody thinks that, like, Blake and I had a honeymoon baby because we got married in May of 2022, and then I was pregnant. May of. No, no, no. I ended up actually being pregnant in Vegas at Magic in August. Had no idea. No idea. Never, never go out and party when we're in Vegas at Magic. The one time I went out, hung out with friends, drinking, having a blast, was exhausted the last day of Magic, and I was like, oh, my gosh, did I take, like, instead of my Adderall, did I actually accidentally take, like, an Ambien? So I'm like, chugging Red Bulls. I had two Red Bulls. Coffee. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I'm exhausted. I. I get back, I was pregnant. Had no idea. No idea. So was pregnant in August. Everybody's like, oh, my gosh. Like, y' all didn't wait any time. I was like, well, Blake and I have been together for 10 years, so it was time. So I had my daughter Sophia in April of this year. So running the boutique pregnant was very, very different. And we can get into that for sure. But, yeah, no, everything's going good. I've started a couple of other businesses ever since then. Kind of dabbled into a little bit of everything and just trying to juggle mom, boss, and wife life now.

I love it. Let's start there. I want to dig into that first. We all. The business things will come to. But I think so often I get to talk to boutique owners who maybe came into the business already having a family or like, their life was somewhat established. But you started when you were single. So I just want to talk about, like, what were your expectations? What did you think it was going to be? Like, maybe misconceptions you had.

Right.

About running a business, being pregnant, having your first child, versus what was your reality?

So in 2017, when we started, I obviously was 22 years old, and in my. And that was hustle culture. That was like, you wake up, you work, you eat, you doing photo shoots, you're having, like, all the fun. Everything was fun until probably up to the point of where, like, it was no longer, like, a hobby. It started to be bills and employees and everything. And that still was a lot of fun because I was like, I've got employees. I've got this. I've got that. And then it started to hit. That was like, okay, like, this is actually, like, an income. This is, like, paying bills. This is what we're doing. So I was good. And then when I got married, it was one of those that I was like, okay, I've got to take this in. I need to, like, focus on my marriage. Like, I've got. This is like, there's a wedding. I need to relax on my honeymoon. I was still working on my honeymoon. Like, it was. It was. It was hard because it was like, I didn't get the traditional. Like, you go to the honeymoon, you turn your phone off, you don't talk to anybody. Like, I was still working, so it was a little bit harder. And then once I got pregnant, I was like, oh, I can still hustle. I can do. No, when you get pregnant, I just did not know how hard it was to be pregnant and not even a sense of like, oh, my gosh, I'm so big, I can't go around. No, it's like your mental changes. Yeah, like crazy. And I had no idea. So my motivation was, like, just everything. It was one of those that I was like, I don't care. I'm just. I'm tired, I'm exhausted. So I'm thankful for my team that was still showing up every day. Because there were days I was like, I'm gonna nap right here under my desk for just like 20 minutes and then wake me up. Like, it was hard because the creativity was, like, leaving, like, nothing. I was just kind of like, what are we doing? And of course, that probably is not, like, what you want to do as a recession is starting is to, like, just lose. Also, I kind of. I told Mom. I was like, I really wish I would have tried to focus right as my pregnancy was, like, ending to be like, okay, we don't need to buy all of this stuff. I. This is not working. But I was just trying to, like, push out stuff every single day, and it just. It wasn't working. So now that I've kind of, like, restricted back from that. We've had my daughter, she is seven months old now, which I'm like, where does the time go? Like, time moves so much faster. I was looking at your post the other day of your three, and I was like, they're teenagers. They look grown. And I was like, I remember when Ashley was posting them, and they were like, so, like, little. And I was like, well, I guess it has been seven years, so I guess it. But I mean, it's just hard to think, like, I started this seven years ago, so, like, the change of it has been, like, so weird and so hard. So now, like I told you, I'm trying to transition a little bit. We still have the boutique, we're still doing it. But I'm trying to have other forms of income come in. So that way I'm not like, this has to work, and if it doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do. Instead of, like, putting all my eggs in a basket. I've tried to, like, kind of dabble in a lot of different things that I've liked, whether it's been, like, social media marketing and helping others, like, with their social media, where they don't know exactly, like, how are you uploading products to Shopify or how are you building this website? Like, I'm able to do that, or Even just, like, help with their social media management. I've dabbled in that. I've loved that. I've started doing wholesale and started, like a T shirt company which we call 26 Threads, which is people like, where did 26 come from? I was like, well, my daughter was born on the 26, so. So we were trying to think of something that wasn't necessarily related to tiny closet. Like, I didn't want to be like, tiny threads or anything. I was like, this way nobody is like, is it for tiny people? Is it tiny clothes? I'm like, no, it's not. So nobody could say, like, unless they're like, Is this for 26 year olds? Like, I don't know what they could possibly come up with, but they will. So a lot of different things. A lot of has changed in what, six, seven years of trying to do it all. So I've slowed down a little bit just because I need to spend time with my daughter. But the hustle's still there. It's just not as like I'm eating more than just energy drinks now.

Well, I think you bring up a good point. And this, this has been my experience too, is there's just seasons.

Yeah.

There's just so many different seasons of life and different seasons of business. And the beautiful thing is there's so many different ways to do this business.

Right.

It's not one size fits all. Like you said, you thought, like, oh, I just have to do the boutique. Like, I'm just relying on what I'm selling through the boutique. There's so much more than that. Right. I really want to dig into all that, but I. I have to ask you one more Sophia question, because you talk about the pregnancy being hard, but, yeah, talk to me about then bringing her home and how you did. How you adjusted just your life.

Yeah.

Because first child's hard.

Yes.

Easier. Third child's a breeze. I'm just here telling you babies out, Taylor. But how did you adjust? Like, what new systems or processes did you have to put in place?

Right.

Or how did you, like, change your schedule or like strategic operations? How did that shift? And then we'll talk about those other businesses after that.

So when she first came home, it was kind of a little bit easier because she just slept. Like, she'd wake up, she'd eat, she'd sleep. So I would be. We'd be laying in bed. Cause it was nice because Blake actually got paternity leave from the hospital, so he was actually out for like a month with me. So I Was like, yes. So we really just kind of laid in bed for a month and, like, would try to, like, clean. Because even, like, after having a baby, your body and mind are just so, like. I mean, you know, your hormones are everywhere. You don't know what's going on. Like, that was a really big change to me was to be like, wow. I didn't know that there was a such thing. Like, they talk about, like, you know, like, you cry when you're pregnant. And I was like, yeah. But I didn't know that there was, like, you know, really hard postpartum depression and anxiety. Like, there were just times, intrusive thoughts. I mean, nobody talks about that kind of stuff. And I was like, what is this? I thought, like, all of that went away when the baby. No. So trying to adjust, like, my mind to say, like, no, like, you can do this. And then trying to be like, I'm going to be a good mom. But I really have had a ton of support. Like, Blake has been incredible. But it was nice because when he was here, like, I would sit there on the computer. He's the type that he's like, I'll get up and I'll feed her and I change her. I'm like, perfect. He's not afraid to change her, feed her bath or whatever. So I'm like, okay, cool. So being able to, like, I could lay in bed and sit there and do new arrivals. The girls would actually that were working for me, they would, like, shoot photos and they would. I'd go get the SIM card, I'd edit. They do try ons for me. So they were kind of running it for a good amount of time of it until I came back. And then we started kind of changing things around because we were dropping things, like, daily. And that is so hard. That's a lot of inventory. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of time. And, like, I was still sitting there, being the one to edit everything, to post everything. Like, also trying to have a newborn baby waking up every two hours. So my sleep was, like, gone. Yeah. So we started changing once I got back fully to the store. So it was probably about, like, a month and a half that I actually ended up going back every day. Because when Blake went back to work, I started going back to work. So when I started doing that, it got easier because the girls really loved Sophia. Like, they've all been around babies so that they would like, oh, I'll hold her, I'll feed her. I'm like, cool. Love that but then it started getting to a point where she was no longer comfortable at the office. So I was like, okay, I've got to make a change to where my daughter is now comfortable. It's no longer about me. It's no longer about, like, what I need. It's what she needs. So we actually ended up moving all of our inventory to the storefront that we opened in downtown Auburn, and then we moved all the shipping home, which has been, like, in my head. The thing is, like, my house isn't small, but it's an older home, so the rooms are smaller.

Yeah.

Like. Like they were back in the day. So there is just, like, boxes everywhere. And I love my husband because he's literally, like, so there's 10 boxes in the doorway. What are we doing? Because running a boutique and bringing inventory in and then having T shirts come in with boxes and boxes, and they come in every day. Yeah. So thank God that Blake is so patient. But everything did change, and so now I'm kind. I like where everything is now and how everything's going because, like, it's starting more of, like, people buying more now being able to. I can actually get back into doing it rather than being like, okay, so I had a baby, and now we're going to change and move everything. Yeah.

So much of that.

Yeah. Goes. Yeah. It's. It's. It's been one of those two that I had to talk to Blake and be like, I have to be okay with change. Like, everything is changing. Like, we're transferring. I mean, I'm really excited about 2024, because there is going to be a shift, but it's like, one of those that. It's like, it's personal life and it's business life. Like, everything shifting with boutique world and just trying new things. And then my brother's moving, and I've never been away from him. Like, we've always lived in the same town. It's not, like, five minutes from each other. So now he's moving to Nashville, which is five hours for me, and I'm like, okay, we're gonna do this. We've got this. So it's been a lot of change, but it's been a lot of good change. Hopefully.

One of my favorite things that we do throughout the year at the Boutique hub is getting together in person and networking and sharing wins, but also learning from some of the best experts in our industry and some of the best boutique owners in our industry. And that's what we do at the Boutique Summit. I hope you have saved the date June 9th and 10th in Dallas, Texas, for the Boutique Summit. It is our industry's biggest gathering of the year. This year, we have over 30 speakers, led by some amazing keynotes, including the best leadership speaker and author. You guys, I'm giddy with excitement. It's John Acuff. Please read his books or look him up if you have not already. Also, my friend Dominique Broadway digging into the finances. Lynn Graff talking about really mastering your brand and your story more crucial now than ever. And of course, I'll be dropping a few keynotes as well. You guys, this year, the theme is the Rising Phoenix, and it couldn't be more timely for our industry. So I hope to see you there. Snag a ticket. Save the date June 9th and 10th, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. So I'm sure through that change, though, one thing you've learned is how not to be the bottleneck of all of it. And something that I know. The first time you and I were on the podcast, we talked a lot about your social media, building a personal, being a really recognizable face. But when you go through pregnancy and then being home for a month with a baby, that changes. You've had to introduce additional models, Right? Getting additional people just into the processes. What did that look like? How did your customers accept, like, new faces and you building a brand more than just it being about you?

Well, I knew whenever I was. Because what we used to do was anytime there was, like, a bigger collection. So, like, if we dropped, like, Valentine's Day, like, there was going to be me and two other girls. Otherwise, daily arrivals were always me. Yeah. And I didn't mind it. I mean, it still drove me crazy to have to get ready every other day and put makeup on. But it was easy because my customers knew, like, Gracie and they knew McKenzie and they knew Casey and they knew me. So they knew, like, a majority of it. So once I got to a point that I was no longer able to fit in the clothes without looking incredibly pregnant, or I just really couldn't fit in anything, I was able to still have, like, Gracie and McKenzie and Casey shoot, but for try on videos, I would be right there next to them being like, oh, my gosh, you guys, you have to sit see this? Like, we talked with each other because that's what I've got a friend that she's pregnant now and she's a boutique owner, and she was telling me, like, I don't got to figure out what to do in the spring when I'm really pregnant and I was like, do a baby shower collection. Still be in there. Because when we did our baby shower collection, like, it sold so well. Yeah. Because I was pregnant, and I could really show you what a bump looked like in said clothes, and I could model in them and then also have clothes, like, if you want to go to a baby shower. So I was like, this is going to work. So it did. But of course, after I had Sophia and tried to do, like, a baby shower part two and invited a model, and it didn't work out as well because I wasn't pregnant. So I was like. But it was nice because everybody knows Gracie, because a lot is funny, because a lot of my customers, I think, think that she's a lot taller than she is. So Gracie is 5:2, and a lot of people are like, oh, my gosh, what does this look like on a short girl? I'm like, well, Gracie's 5:2, so this is what it's gonna look like. So it's funny that a lot of people could relate to, like, me and my size, like, when I was pregnant, because I have people that are like, hey, can this work for a bump? And I'm like, yeah, absolutely. Or I'd be like, no. Or, like, how far along? Right. So I'm able to kind of interact with them. And then Gracie's able to be like, yeah, so this is gonna be for my short girls. And then Casey was more of our, like, size medium large to extra large. So she was like, yes, I can do this one. No, I could go up in this. So it was nice to kind of have a mixture of everybody. So people really enjoyed it, which is nice. But they always bought off of me, which is hard because when I was pregnant, I was like, this works. And then nobody's ever going to, like, do it like you are. They're not going to ever take the photos like you are, or, like, model or interact. So you're kind of like, okay, how do we make this better? Like, how do we. So I was really happy and grateful for the team that I had when I was pregnant, because it was like, I got married, I was planning a wedding, got married, went on a honeymoon, ended up being pregnant. They were still there, and it was like, we still ran as a team. Yeah. So now everything is a little bit different, because now I'm like, okay, so how do I now show this team how to manufacture and help me with wholesale? So it's like, everybody's changing, and that's what some of my girls, they're like, I Hate change. I'm like, well, you're gonna have to love it because this is what I was like, I can't stay still. I was like, you have to adapt, otherwise you're literally going to stay still in this industry. I was like, if you don't adapt, it's not going to work.

You know, you're so right. That's exactly where this industry is at right now. And I've had that conversation with so many boutique owners, even members of our own team, like, hey, you don't like change working for a small business or owning a small business, it's not a good idea for you because the only thing certain is uncertainty and change.

When you, when they literally tell you it's a roller coaster, like, it is in fact a roller coaster, it is 100%.

It can be so good. There's so many blessings with that.

Right?

But you can't let the change or like the down times, you can't let.

Those crush you, right?

Because they're inevitable. They're always going to be there, they're going to come. You're going to face uncertainty and you're going to face hard times, but you have to know how to push through it. So how did you just start to make this decision of like, okay, I don't have to just do the boutique. I can do multiple different things. I can have multiple revenue streams. How did you start to lean into that? What was your first step?

Well, honestly, it's. It's been super helpful because I always see Jeremy and Susie from Nanomax and they have been literally. And I'm going to. I'll always shout them out. I was like, they have been like the best. Like, they're such good friends, but they're such good mentors too. We always go to dinner when we go to market or anything. And so Jeremy's always like, so what's your next venture that you're going to do? And I'm like, do I need one? Like, what do you do? So they've always been super helpful to be like, so, like, this could be a really good idea. Like, you know, so they really kind of showed me like, you know, this does not have to be the only thing that you do. There needs to be other forms of revenue coming in because if tomorrow this crashed and burned. What you doing? So it really started making me think, like, so what can I do to one to make me happy? That it's not going to drive me crazy. It's justly. Education is one of them. The hub has always been like, you know, everybody's like, how do I find this? I'm like, literally just go to the hub. Like, there's so many resources there. Like, go there. I was like, but if you have a very specific question, I was like, I can answer them for you. I was like, or if you need me to deep dive into your social media, I was like, I can do that for you. I was like, but if you need to have like a wide range of questions, like, I'm just gonna give you this website and it's 24amonth. Here you go. Like, there you go. So, but it's like, I've been able to like, help people, like, with their social medias, explain to people. Like, I've had a couple phone calls, people just to ask me questions of like, okay, so, like, what's market? Like, because people don't know, like, very specific things that, like, we know. So, like, I had a phone call with one girl and she literally, we stayed on the phone for an hour and she just asked me questions that were like, so when I go to market, like, how does it work? Like, do I give them a credit card? Do I pay right then? Like, they have no idea. And I'm like, oh, I can sell that information all day, every day. Like that, that's, that's no secret sauce. Like, that's just something like, when I first started, I had no idea what market was, like, like, no idea how it worked. So be able to do that. And then, like, people can also buy services from me. That's like, do you want me to go to market with you and explain it to you? So I've like, done that with people too. So it's been nice because I've done that and then, like, tried to stay creative and do things and like, sell content or help people with their content, give them ideas one on one. Talks like, it's been nice because I can still explain, explain it, talk about it all day. I just don't have to do it. So that's been nice. And then doing the 26 Threads and being creative with it and getting to design things and go back and forth with people and give ideas. Like, that's been nice too, because I'm not having to sell like a huge volume of things to like, multiple, multiple people. It's just one really big order and I'm like, and my day is done. Cool. Made that quirk. Love that. So it's, it's been like, very different of a lot of things, but it's a lot of things that I've always wanted to dabble in, but I thought that I just had to be in the boutique because I thought, like, that's where I make money. Like, that's it. And then I realized I was like, oh, I need other ventures. Need to do other things, because if this whole thing crashed and burned, what am I gonna do? Yeah, so it was one of those. It was like a sink or swim. Like, we gotta figure this out.

You know, what's interesting about that is I think it's really easy for people to get their identity completely wrapped up and locked on one thing and then start to panic and think, okay, without this thing, who am I? I've even had that with the hub, to be honest. Like, yeah, okay, without the hub, who am I and what do I do? So I love this because you're diversifying it, and your eggs are not all in one basket, and your identity is not locked in one place there.

Right.

I think for you, what's probably made that an easy transition for you is you've always done a great job of building a personal brand. Like, you built who you are with the character traits that you have and just being real and authentic. And then all these other things have been kind of like a mesh of that.

Right.

So if someone's listening and they're like, taylor, how do I build a personal brand? What does that even mean? Where do I start?

What does that look like? Well, I've always told people, I was like, you just got to post like this.