Mastering Storytelling to Build a Memorable Brand

I get so many questions from retailers about should I work with influencers? What's it like to work with influencers? Why don't influencers support small businesses like mine? Well, today we're going to answer so many of those questions because one of my favorite influencers and also one of my favorite boutique owners is going to join us. My friend Jordan from Flourish and Frills is just a light. I love following her online, but even more in the last year, getting to meet her through our Mastermind program and see her business from the inside out and what she's been able to build for her boutique related to her personal brand has been really incredible. She's so smart when it comes to content and absolutely knows her customer. So today in our conversation, we're getting into the nitty gritty about what it takes to learn from influencers as a retailer. When or maybe when not to work with influencers, but how you can take so many of the strategies and tactics that influence are using to work for them and put it into use in your own business. You're going to learn a lot. You're going to definitely want to take some notes from this one, so follow along. Let's meet my friend Jordan from Flourish and Frills. Business can be a lonely game, but it doesn't have to be. Welcome to Boutique Chat where we explore community over competition and how to scale your company with the balance and the happiness that we all seek. We'll hear from product based businesses of all types of retailers, e commerce and wholesale brands, along with industry experts shaping the future of our industry. I'm your host Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub and I can't wait to chat. Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. First questions first. This is the thing everybody asks when they get to know you is how to pronounce your name.

Story of my life. I'm like Jordan with a G. It's just my tagline. I feel like my podcast. I'm like, I'm Jordan. Jordan with the G. I always tell people, I'm like, my mom was on drugs when she had me. I mean, she was, but she's a huge George Straight fan. She wanted me to be different. And yeah, just Jordan is that.

It is a George Straight. And that's how you got Jordan with a G. What?

She says my dad wanted to name me Jordan. She didn't. She was like, if I'm naming her this, she's going to be different. And she loves George Strait. So here we are.

That makes so much sense. Now I feel so much. I'm so enlightened. We could end the podcast right now.

We're done now, you know. Oh, my gosh.

Well, I'm so pumped that you're here. You are just such a light, and I think your brand is such a light. I think following you is such a light and just. It's been so fun to get to know you in the last year through Mastermind and just see your journey unfold. So we have lots to dig into today. I cannot wait to talk about all the nitty gritty details of what you're doing and how you've done it before we get there. Take me back. How did you. How did you start your online presence? We'll start there. Before you got into Boutique World.

Yeah. So college I actually started. It was like, right when blogging was taking off. I'm going to, like, date myself now, but it was 10 years ago. So I started my blog as, like, a side project in college, and my husband literally, like, we came up with the name, like a Door More with George. Like, we're going to tell all the people, like, they're going to endure, like, everything with me. So that was, like, the premise behind it. I've always loved clothes, so that was like, back in the day, like, sharing my OTDs was, like, taking, like, the pictures from above with the camera, like, terrible, terrible.

The one that was, like, down facing you, like, down. And. And you had your watch right here and you, like, took it down.

Yes, I totally get it. And so that's like, when I started was 10 years ago, and I. It's come a long way. Obviously. Looking back, I'm like, man, I wish I would have been more consistent with it back in the day. I was consistent, but not to what I should have been. That was more focused on, like, my career and, like, what I was going to do post college because I wasn't viewing, like, blogging as a career. So, yeah, post college graduated, I studied radio broadcast. That was like, my emphasis in school. School. And thought I wanted to work in, like, journalism. Some sort. Reporting. Yeah. Worked for iHeartRadio Post College. Got my feet wet. And looking back, I'm like, man, the Lord really orchestrated, like, every job I had post college to where I am right now. And everything had a purpose and a reason. So it was blogging, working in corporate America. I started my boutique, which I really hate to say I hate the word boutique, but I'm like, I want to be a brand. Like, I. That has been my vision for flourish since I Started and so started that August 2020. So I was doing corporate America. I was actually working in influencer sales. That's a whole other topic. But was doing that was running my blog and doing campaigns and everything. And then I started flourishing girls. August 2020. Fast forward to October 2020. I get laid off out of nowhere during the middle of COVID being the enneagram3 that I am and, like, finding so much of my worth in my work. You get that, Ashley. I know you do. It was a stabbed in my heart and ego, and my world felt like it was upside down, honestly. So I had, like. I sat in the pity party stage for, like a week or so. I was, like, sad, depressed, whatever, trying to figure out what I was gonna do. And then me and my husband were like, wait a second. Like, if you really want to pursue both of your passions and make those full time and, like, let's give it six months and see what happens. And so we gave it six months, and that was four years ago, and I haven't looked back since. So it's like the biggest blessing in disguise. Like, I could just see the Lord working right then in that moment. So, yeah, here we are today.

Isn't it funny how much emphasis we put on planning the future and just, like, all the details of where we want to go, exactly when we want to get there, and all the things. But when you look back at, like, the messy middle and all the things that we've walked through, and you connect the dots, you're like, wow, this is really, like, the Lord's perfection bringing me to this point. And it wasn't exactly how I planned it. So then why am I putting so much emphasis on this perfect future and everything going just as I planned? Like, why all the anxiety right when.

I have to remind myself of now? I'm like, okay, you saw him work back then. Like, then, like, and it was messy. And so I try to bring myself back to earth. Down to earth. I'm not thinking about the future so much today, but that's, like, easier said than done, as we know. Yeah, it is.

Good. Okay. Before we get into the boutique thing, so take me back, because the influencer world, I feel like a lot of people in the boutique world don't know a lot about the influencer world. They want to, but a lot of people still don't.

My parents are like, what do you do for. Like, you take pictures for a living? I'm like, I do.

Yeah. Well, I mean, you've been big in the influencer world in My book. So tell me like the, tell me the day in the life of a.

Common influencer in the world. Let's just take boutique out of it, I guess and just like talk about influencer stuff. So campaigns, I'm really like relationship focused and I think that's where working in sales, like I got my feet wet with that and realizing how important relationships were. And so I have relationship. Let's like take Mark Fisher for an instance because I've worked with Mark Fisher for years at this point and so they will pay me for a campaign, like an Instagram story campaign which will include like four clips and there will be a flat fee on that. Sometimes there will be commission on top of it. They'll give you a code. And back then it was really based on community and just kind of spreading the word about brands. Today it's all about roi. Like they want to see you converting and that's how you're like getting those repeat brand deals which kind of stinks because I'm like a big like community person and that's some like, I kind of struggle with that because I'm like, I still think you have to have the community aspect, right? And not just be so sales, sales, sale, sales, sell. So that's a little bit about like how the partnerships work. I actually, I have a management company that like represents me and then they all work with like all of the brands and whatnot on the brand deal side these days, which is so nice because I don't have time to pitch even though I do enjoy like pitching and cold calling. So they handle all that, they handle the negotiation contracts and we have like our content calendar and schedule. So right now like I know things that are going to be on our calendar come September and like partnerships that I'm going to have for that. I think we actually have some lockdown for December at this point, which is kind of crazy. So it works pretty far in advance. But sometimes there's like last minute campaigns, like right now literally like 24 hour notice. It's like, hey, here's this brand deal that we've been trying to like lock down like a product that I already use and they're like, can you get stories up this weekend? So it's just depends, but that's a little bit about how that works. So typically during the week I'll carve out like a day where I'll just focus on blog stuff and kind of batch that stuff out like campaign wise. But then I'm always present on my like personal brand account and Flourishes, but more like the personal aspect, like letting people get to know me as a mom, what I'm doing, what I'm eating, all of that good stuff, like on my personal page. So that even answer your question. That was very long winded.

It's. I, I find it fascinating. Yes. That is so interesting. So I'm gonna piggyback. Like a common question I hear boutique owners ask is, and it's interesting to hear, like, you have someone that represents you how these brand deals work. Boutique owners are always like, well, how come I can't work with influencers? Like, it's hard for a small business to get integrated into that process. Why is that? And how do you see some boutiques somehow finding their way in there?

So I think because we've actually, from Flourish's perspective, we've just now started dipping our toes into the water with influencers. I think. And I think this is where we have to break the boundary of Amazon and like getting influencers making money from it and having the value of small businesses. So giftings, I would approach it with giftings, but you have to find your influencers and content creators that are niche for you just because you're gifting them product. One, don't expect them to post because that, from my perspective, that's, that's a pet peeve of mine. Honestly, like, don't expect me to post. I'll post if I want to post, which I typically will because I like small businesses, but a lot won't. And I think if you approach it in that sense versus, like, hey, I'm expecting you to post a real. In exchange for a top. Like, these influencers are getting paid thousands and thousands of dollars for one post. So I think it's about how you approach it, but also finding the right influencers that tell your story.

Yeah.

Is important. I've. We've sent some product and I've even had some influencers, like, purchase from Flourish just on their own. And it's interesting seeing ones that convert and ones that don't, which is like a very interesting perspective from my, like, influencer side of things. Just like seeing, like, whose discount codes are working and whatnot. But I think from the boutique side, you just got to find your people and approach it with just like, hey, I love what you're doing. I think you'd be a great fit. Can I get you some product? No pressure on posting anything. And probably chances are they will post it if you approach it that in that way and want to, like, receive the product.

So. So, yeah, like serving before you sell. Exactly. Essentially. And making sure. I, I love what you said about like making sure it's the right fit. Because you have to do your homework to know it's the right person. They're going to be a match for you. All the things. And I would say avoid the influencer that if they drink Coke on a regular basis and then all of a sudden you see them posting about Pepsi. Right. They're probably not going to convert. Right. Like that's kind of a false. Like, I'm just here for the product.

Do your homework. Obviously Instagram is like, so like, it's a revolving door right now. Like we're trying to figure out literally on a weekly basis, like me and my team, like, okay, like it's a different conversation every week. Like, how are we going to pivot? Because you think something's working and then it like doesn't. Do your homework. Diving into their comments, their likes, their engagement. Like, see if, yeah. See if their views on a reel make sense for how many followers they have. Because typically you can, I can point out bot accounts left and right all day long. Like, if it doesn't make sense, just do your homework too.

Yeah. What does the business side of influencing typically look like?

Oh, goodness. It's the part I don't enjoy. Just like in the boutique side of things, the numbers I'm like, can I just create content all day long and live my life on camera? Yeah, but I mean, negotiating contracts, so there's a ton of contracts. Today's world, like you, we can't make sure that we're, we have to make sure we're not overlapping like brand deals. So like if I'm posting someone on Monday, there typically has to be like a 72 hour like window in between the next brand deal. From my side of things, business wise, I try to keep it like, I hate the word authentic. I think it's overused, but authentic as possible. And I'm really trying to like, we're going after brands that I'm already using and loving on a daily basis that I'm like talking about that I know my audience is interested in and so approaching it in that sense. Like, there's been a couple campaigns I can think of in the past. For one, I'll just like, actually I'm not going to drop the brand name, but there's one that I. It was that didn't align with my content and it didn't perform and the brand was like, what the heck? Like, I don't think we got any Sales from it. And I was like, that's how we shouldn't have taken it. Because I knew better. I knew in my gut, but I was, like, thinking about the money, I guess, and that's terrible. But so having to train my mind about that also. Yeah, yeah.

So that. So thinking about, like, that business side, was that, like, a huge piece of why then you started Flourish? I mean, obviously, it's bringing together your passions, but then you're like, hey, I've built this amazing community. I have this influence. Why not sell my own products versus someone else's?

That's exactly where it came from, actually. So, I mean, I'd always wanted to work in fashion, clothing, some sort of own a boutique. I don't know. I actually worked in retail in high school, and I hated it, which is quite comical. What store was it? What kind of store was it? Francesca's. Francesca. Oh. Hated it. Hated my life. Which is funny. So I was working with, like, red dress and pink lily, like, just on gifting basis, because I'm like, if you can link it and, like to know it and make some commission from it, then I think, like, that's like, a selling point. So I was working with, like, those kind of brands. I was like, I could be doing this myself, right? And I could be finding the clothes. Like, I'm already selling them, so why can't I just do it on my own? And so, yeah, that's kind of where it. Where it bloomed from, I guess.

I love that. All right, so one of your superpowers now. Well, you have many. Let me start with this one superpower that I really love most. You. Your brand looks like you. The products you sell are. When I see something, I'm like, oh.

Jordan would buy that.

Oh, Jordan would wear that. Oh, I know I would find that on Flourish. Like, you've done such a great job of really nailing your brand and your customer and the products that are gonna fit her. Did that happen right away? Did it take you a while to figure it out? How did you get where you are right now in terms of that product selection?

So I think that when I started, I had a vision, right? But it's hard to take that vision and make it real life. At least it was. It was something I struggled with from the beginning. And, um, it took me probably a couple of years, honestly, to figure out who we were. Looking back at some of the things we saw, I'm like, man, what was I thinking? Like, that was so not us, was not my customer. And there's still things like that today, right? But that are just total bust. But you say that about, like, I want to be known on the street, right? Like, I want someone to be like, that's a flourishing girls top. And that is like something I'm thinking about when I'm buying. And I think we do a pretty good job of that because I'll get messages all the time with things with bows on them. People will just DM them to me and they're like, this has Flourish's name all over it. I'm like, yes. Like, that is like, our job here is done. Like, they know Flourish. And so really thinking about something we've been working on this year is like, our customer. Who is our customer. And so Charlotte Olivia, she is behind literally everything we're doing. How she talks, what she sounds like, what our marketing's like. I give the example. Cheyenne, my employee that posts, like our social stuff, she was going to post a reel the other day and she was going to put slay, like the word, like sl a y like slayer sleigh. And she was like, I had to bring myself back down to earth. Like, Flora, Charlotte Olivia would never say that. Like, that is so not Flourish. And so, like knowing how she talks and how she walks and how she dresses and Charlotte might have different seasons that she's in, but how do we tie all of that up with the bow for all of our different customers? But it's still being the same customer. So it's taken me a bit. But I like when I approach market and like buying, I have like my. My certain vendors I'm buying from. I'm not. I try to not. I. This is silly. But I try not to buy on the inside. Vintage, like at market. I try to go on the outside because I don't want to be selling what everyone else is selling. And we're in this era right now that the bows are so trendy. I'm like, we did bows way before. Bows were cool. And so we did. Honestly. So I'm like, what's gonna be the next bow? Like, how do I find it? But that's like kind of bow earrings for you today.

Look at this. I am. I wore bow earrings just for you tonight.

So happy.

So happy.

See, you thought about Flourish with both. I did. So, yeah.

Well, you know, so the idea of building a brand where you're like, I don't want to be a boutique, I want to be a brand, right? That's like, that's oozing out of everything that you just said. You you know, your customer, she has a name, she has a personality. People can see something and immediately think of you. Like, that's what it means to build a brand in the boutique space.

Right.

Well done. So someone else that I feel like has really built a brand that is. I know a good friend of yours, but has a completely different customer. Actually, I'm not sure this customer could get any more opposite, total opposites than your customer is our friend Gretchen.

Yeah.

So. And you guys have both been a part of our mastermind. Tell me about your friendship with Gretchen, because that's her superpower as well.

Gretchen's like, when we walked in a room, I would have never pinpointed Gretchen to be. I was like, she's gonna be my best friend. And we are the most opposite people, and we live 20 minutes down the road. We haven't gotten together yet. But she's a cheerleader. I can commend her. Honestly, she is. I can text her now anytime, and she'll help me, but just, like, be a cheerleader, even if I'm, like, having a down day. She'll cheer you up. And it's really helped with my mindset. Honestly, this isn't even answering your question. She's just, like, a solid person. Solid, solid person. Good people. But her brand, I'm like, she would never buy something with a bow on it, probably, and she would never sell something with a bow on it. And I would never sell probably turquoise jewelry. But she, like, knows her customers so, so freaking well. And so you have to commend her for that. Honestly, she's killing it. Killing it. Yeah.

What's so funny? So we were in this conversation the other day in the Mastermind group, and she was talking about, you know, if other people are struggling. She's like, I just had to go back and gut check myself in my own business. And she said, honestly, my customer needs my business. My customer needs Rolling Ranch. And when I think about your brand, like, it's become the same thing. Like, your customer needs flourish. That's become a part of who they are in their daily life as well.

It's here.

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That's like I could talk about this all day long literally the content creation and storytelling is my, that's my favorite part. And so long term goal would be like to be manufacturing and be like our own like my own designs and whatnot. And so I can't wait to see what's in store because I'm like then we could really, really tell stories like with the collections. But we still do that on a weekly basis. So we're, we do two collections a week. This might be changing in the coming weeks but at this moment time we do two collections a week and they all tell a story which can be, it can burnout can happen really easily with that. Because I'm like okay, how are we going to like tell the story with content this time? But I love to it makes sense, right? Like whatever's happening. Like our Memorial Day collection, it was super fun to shoot and it just made sense but it was still flourish even if it had like red, white and blue stuff in it. And so I always like to say like there is a difference in a content picture and a website picture. Like we don't post our website pictures on our Instagram feed. If a new customer or new follower comes to our Instagram page, I use that as a storyboard. I want them to get an idea of who we are in hopes that they'll follow and they can really just like see the story and what we represent and with our content. And this is something I struggle with from the Instagram capacity because that's like where 75% of our sales come from. Like that is our bread and butter, which makes me nervous because we don't own that. Anywho. That's a whole other conversation. That's a whole other conversation, quite literally. But where was I even going with this? Ashley? Totally lost.

How else are you storytelling with your collections?

Totally lost my train of thought.

Well, well, chalk it up for a good lesson and a short lesson and moving on to the next question. So to do storytelling, two things have to really take place. A, the process of photography has to be, like, very well planned out and just content as a whole has to be like, your content mapping and planning has to be solid. So start with photography first and tell me how you plan all that out.

Photography. You want to really know what we do because we use a tripod in an iPhone.

Yes.

And so I. We actually, we hired Cheyenne, who's now doing, like, all of our social, like, posting our social chat was like a huge weight lifted off of me because I was posting three times a day on Instagram, hired someone out, and I had hired her initially. I was like, you're gonna help with our, like, shooting our stuff. And we did it for a couple weeks. And I was like, this is not it. Like, I can do the same thing with the tripod and the phone. And so we just went back to, like, the good old days of how we always done things. And you should see me, I'm like, we need, like, a hidden camera, like, in our content room with me moving the tripod where it needs to go. And, like, quite comical. So we have, like, we always shoot like, once a week. And that is just like our shooting day. Mondays are Tuesdays. Typically, we'll shoot content website pictures, try on videos, and that's all, like, tells the story together, I guess. Like, there's like, different components, but then implementing that all into our website as well. It's like the content pictures are, like, in the headers, but then they're also, like, embedded into the product pictures as well. So obviously it's like the more times people see something, the more likely they are to buy it. And so that is kind of the process behind it. And I don't want someone just to, like, visit our Instagram page and it just be like mirror pictures or pictures, like, on a white background. Like, I want it to tell a story and just be us and be more interactive, I guess.

Do you have multiple different backgrounds and then how do you merchandise those?

So no, it's like we have our white room that is just white, and we. My thing is, like, vintage furniture that, like, is part of, like, our sets and stuff. And so I'm always on Facebook, marketplace, like, trying to find something that is just like, flourishing frills and merchandising is. I feel like that's something I could be better at, honestly. Truly, I think that might be because I'm so, like, get into, like, okay, let's see how fast we can get this done. Honestly, like, taking pictures. And I wish I need to be better at, like, merchandising, telling the story, showing how you can wear it multiple ways. And we do do that sometimes if, if something doesn't sell and like, we're relaunching it, like, we'll reintroduce it and give it a different look, but it's something I need to be better at.

I love that. I mean, that's helpful. I love the honesty. But truthfully, just to hear you talk about the process of this is how we shoot, this is how we plan the story, these are the collections. I just want to pause because I can't overemphasize how important that is for everybody who's listening. If you want to have an online business, this has to be a very central and essential part of your business. You can't just snap something and go, oh, I'm gonna put this on Instagram today. Oh, I'm just gonna take this mirror selfie today and hope that it works out. It has to be a mapped out process.

And I think that's something like we like, within our content, like, schedule for the week. Like, we are posting three times a day on our feed, which can be excessive. Like, I would never do that from an influencer perspective. Like, that's a lot. But again, like, valuing that as like, it's a storyboard, right? So even if the post doesn't perform that well, it's like, like someone is seeing it on our, on our board and mapping out, like, engaging content. So, like showing like the personal side of things, but mixing that in to make sense with, like, who your brand is as well. Like, the example I'll give of that is like, we did like a country concert collection and we got like, we're put ourselves out there and did like the carpool karaoke. So we had like, music playing and then it would stop and we would finish the lyrics. And that was like, those reels did really, really well. So figuring out how to. To intertwine the engaging stuff. But then like going live and not being salesy when we go live and just like having the girl chat and so just really there's all different pieces of the puzzle for it all to make sense and to work. Yeah.

That's so good. Okay, take me even deeper in the content planning, because just even think of, like, carpool, karaoke, and then you're launching a country concert collection. Like, those two things are brilliant together.

You.

Is there a spreadsheet? Is there a process? Like, map out for me, how do you put all that together?

There should be a better process, probably. I am not an Excel. I mean, we have like, a calendar. And it's like, we'll hop on a call on Mondays and be like, this is what's happening. These are like, for instance, we're heading into Memorial weekend right now. And I'm like, okay, this reel needs to go live Friday morning, giving, like, a tiny, tiny glimpse at, like, what's to come for the weekend of, like, hey, something big is coming. Turn on your alarms. And so, like, that kind of stuff. Yes. Is planned out from a weekly capacity. And, like, knowing when our collections are launching and, like, knowing we have to, like, there is a method to the madness. There is, but not on an Excel sheet. It's like, we'll go live and we'll unbox stuff because people freaking love unboxings. Yeah. That's their first time to see it. Then I'm gonna do sneak peeks. We're gonna give sneak peeks of the entire collection. That's their second time to see it. Then the next day, they're gonna get, like, the try on videos and the fit videos and seeing how it all fits. But then we're also, like, mixing in the content pictures as well so they can see it, like a still photo of it. And then it finally launches and all of that kind of comes together. And so that's just like our method to the madness. Because again, the more times people see something, the more they are likely they are to buy it. Which I'm like, oh, I hate saying that if, like, customers listen to this podcast. But it's true, right? For, like, even from us as a customer perspective. Yeah. So that's a little bit method that the madness.

How about the. So the content, though, on your personal brand? Same thing. I mean, you've got to have calendars to map both of them out. And then how do you strategically intertwine them?

So I'm always. And I'm always wearing Flourish controls. Right. Like, I'm always wearing stuff we sell. And I've had several, like, followers or customers are like, I love and appreciate that you actually wear the clothes I'm like, well, why wouldn't I? Like true. Why wouldn't I? First off, I love them. I'm not going to launch something if I don't love it. And I know that's different for some businesses. Like some businesses don't sell what they would personally wear but flourishes me. And so I'm wearing the products and that's like, it's so silly. But I'm like wearing them leading up to them launching, like the new arrivals up to them launching and then when they launch people are excited about that. And so that's like kind of on stories. I'm kind of shifting my content right now. I'm playing with it because I love the business side of things. I love being a cheerleader for other business owners and I have a lot of business owners that follow and so kind of shifting my content right now, playing with it and doing more work related stuff. But still mom stuff also. It's a hodgepodge truly. I don't really post like styling reels or like fashiony reels honestly, like on my personal page we use flourishes so it's more just personal. But yeah, I do have a calendar mapping out knowing like what brand deals are coming and whatnot and that not overlapping the two.

So yeah, that's helpful. I think there's so many, like, I don't know what would your advice be to a retailer who's listening and they're like, okay, I've built this great following on my business Instagram account and my, my personal account. Like it's kind of there but I really want to build a personal brand over there too. What advice would you give them?

Show up. I have several friends that are in the midst of starting businesses. I'm like, you can't. I truly believe you do not. You cannot own an online business where it's not like a storefront or something without having a personal brand. We should all be showing up on our personal accounts if that's what you want to do. Even if you don't want to have a personal brand, show up on your business page and let the people know what coffee you're having. Right? I think it's so, so important because people want to buy from people. Even in the Amazon world that we're in, people like buying people from people. And you say that all the time, Ashley. And I'm like, let them know you let them get to know you. Let them know if you're having a crappy day. Let them know if you're having a good day. Like be as Real as possible. And so I think just showing up, I've gotten the question sometimes, like, okay, well, I don't. I don't have a following. Like, our following, super small. That's okay. Like, talk like, you have to remember who you're talking to. I even beat myself up about this. And I've been doing it for 10 years. Like, I. I hate, honestly, that my following is not bigger than it is on my personal page because I've been doing it so long. But then I have to bring myself back down to. I'm like, think about the people that are listening and are showing up. Pour into them. And so that's like, really my why and my purpose. And people I enjoy following. People that give me the nitty gritty, right? That aren't just, like, giving me the fluff. And so that's something that I try to do with my content. And so I think you have to, like, incorporate that as well. But just show up and just do it. Be you.

That's so good. It's kind of like, have you heard the analogy of a hundred true fans? Like, so often you hear people like, I just want a thousand followers. And a thousand's like a fluff number, right? I just want a thousand followers. But would you rather have a thousand followers or 100 true fans?

What would be better, Right? So true. I love that opportunity. But I mean, we live in the world of, like, gratification of likes and followers, and it's so silly. But I think that is, like, I have blinders on. I truly. I do not scroll. I don't scroll. I watch my select people that I like to keep up with. I don't look at other boutiques, though, because that's when I start getting in my head, honestly and all that. And so I just know that I have to have those personal boundaries up, even, like, influencers. I'm like, man, why am I not there? But I'm like, that's not God's purpose for me. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be. Pour into the people that are there. And I just have to remind myself on the hard days.

Well, and I think influencing and boutique space is so similar because you could look across and you could see what these quote unquote big boutiques are doing that. And even the ones that post and say, oh, I'm making millions of dollars, whatever, and then they're not paying themselves anything, so it looks fantastic on the outside. And I think I'm in a unique vantage point because I get to see behind the Scenes of so many. Right. And some are really wonderful and some just are struggling. And that's. It is what it is. It's a season. But I'm sure influencers the same. It looks so beautiful on the outside, but are they paying the bills?

So true. Some of them are about it from that perspective. Honestly. That's a very, very good point. They kind of do intertwine. And I think from a business perspective, like, people think they get into either influencing. I mean, I've had countless friends since I started Flourish and influencing that. We'll start an influencer account or we'll start a boutique. Because I think it's a get rich quick kind of thing.

Yeah.

Like, you have to be passionate about this if this is what you're wanting to do. Because there are hard days and there are hard seasons in both capacities. Yeah. And it's like from an influencer perspective that you have to be willing to take those. I guess I wouldn't call it a brand deal if there's not money behind it, but you have to be willing to work for free right before you're gonna be starting. Same thing with boutique. You have to be willing to, like, work for free for a small second. But you. Even if you're paying your car payment, that's like what I did starting out, like, just paid my car payment from Flourish. Right. At least it was something.

Yeah. I think that's any business. I worked for free for a long time at the boutique Hub, just pouring into people and building a community around this idea.

Thriving, I said. Now look at you. Thriving. Killing it, literally.

There's seasons there. Seasons, let me tell you. It's not all perfect, but it takes a long time just to build community and then there's opportunity. But you have to stick with it and get through the hard times.

Like, the consistency. Right. Like I. You have to be consistent even on the heart. Like, show up on the hard days. Be consistent through the hard days. If you need a second, take a second. But you have to just show, get back up. Right. Get back on the horse. I don't know. That's what you do, right? Is that what you would say? You're coming over, get back up on the saddle or something? That's what I would say.

I want to see, like a joint photo shoot between Jordan and Gretchen and.

Just see what would happen. Honestly, that would be great. Engaging content.

So good. Okay, shifting gears. I have a couple questions left. Let's do some lightning round questions. So first question, I give you two hours back in your day. Magically. And you work on income generating activities. What do you work on?

Content. Content for Instagram. I would batch it. I would batch the, like, stories. So it's like. So I post a lot of stories, like in real time that are more of the engaging. So I would batch them so then I didn't have to like, maybe I could, like, go one day without wearing makeup and get doing my hair. That would be glorious.

I like it.

Yeah.

Okay. What is the unsexiest process that has the most impact in your business?

Knowing your numbers, which is something that I'm working on being better about. Like, the mastermind's been so, so beneficial for me from that capacity. It's like, you know your numbers, but, like, really, like, knowing, like, what is my profit margin and going in, like, on a weekly basis with the scorecard. That is something we've gotten into a consistent routine of now. And I'm so proud of to see, like, on a weekly basis, like, how our numbers are varying and whatnot. So it's not fun. I don't enjoy that at all. But it's beneficial. Yeah.

It's funny because I feel like once you know your numbers, and that's such a generic term.

Right.

Know your dollars, know your numbers, know your people, but once you do, that's what creates the freedom and the flexibility and the direction that you put into your content.

Right.

So they go hand in hand.

Yeah.

Okay. What's the hardest lesson you've learned in business?

I think something I struggle with still is like, coming from a sales background and being very, like, numbers, money driven. Like, there can be days that you only you don't sell anything. Right. But then it's like looking at things from a monthly perspective or a weekly perspective versus a daily perspective is something that's been really challenging for me. Again, like, I'm working on, like, my value doesn't come from my numbers. My value comes from the Lord. And so I have to, like, on the slow days, I have to remind myself of that.

Yeah. Enneagram 3 right there.

That's hard to be an Enneagram 3. Oh, my gosh, you're speaking to my soul.

Okay, what's the best advice someone's given you that always sticks with you?

Okay, this, actually, this is recent. I was recording a podcast and I'll shout her out. She's small business, Ruth and Ralph. Small, like children's brand. And she said to be. Be where your feet are. And that is stuck with me, like the past couple weeks. I'm like, be where your Feet are like, if I'm mommy knit, be, be in that moment, be where my feet are. If I'm at work, then I'm at work and be like, be there, be present. And so I just keep replaying that in my mind.

Yeah, that's so good. That one sticks with me too. I think about that one often. Yep. And so this is related. Next question. How do you set boundaries to take care of yourself and what's most important in your life? Your family, too?

I feel like I should just laugh at that one, honestly, because boundaries are hard. Especially, like, I'm a new mom. Like, I have a one year old and I've talked to you about this. Like, something I've really, really struggled with is I love to work. Like, I really, really love to work, but I also really love being a mom and feeling the guilt of thinking I have to do both at the same time. And I can do both. And so knowing, like, the boundary, it's okay to, like, send him somewhere so I can, like, crank it out and get work done and then I can go home and I can be a present momma. And so I'm still working through that. Is it's like a battle. But knowing that boundary of, like, my days are so much better when I go to work and he's not with me versus when I go to work and he is with me. So that boundary of just letting go, I guess.

This is something Eric's always said to me. He's like, hey, Ashley, life's not a zero sum game. Just because you're. You put 60 over in on one side, like at the business, doesn't mean you only have 40 left for the kids. Yeah. And this was a real battle for us. When our kids were really small, we were starting the business and we were working super so hard. And honestly, they don't listen to the podcast, so it's okay for me to say this, but our family did not understand that. I think, like, our parents, generations, all felt like, well, if you're working hard in one, you're slacking on the other. So we had a lot of really, like, negative feedback. But what we learned was when you're a high achiever by nature and you want to do really well in business and you also really want to do well at home, both are naturally going to rise and excel.

I love that. And that's so true. I think that's something I've also struggled with, like, from the family dynamic is a lot of people think, like, you should just stay at home with your babies. And I'm like, that doesn't. There are people for that. But that's like, not for me. Like, I'm not fulfilled from that. Not saying I'm not fulfilled from not being like, from being a mom, but I. I just love what I do.

So, yeah, nothing wrong with that at all. Okay, what is one metric you live by?

Oh, gosh.

Metric?

Yeah. Not a numbers girly.

It could be an Instagram metric. It could be a community related metric.

I mean, yeah, I was gonna say community, like thinking again. I think that goes back to what we were saying earlier. Thinking about like the people that are following. That's like not really a metric. But think about the people that are following along, that are showing up, that are supporting, that do trust me, trust my opinions, recommendations. I think that's a metric I live by. I can remember like when I was pitching, like I didn't have a management company, I was pitching on my own, like brands and trying to lock down partnerships. I'm like, yeah, I might be small, but my following, like my girls are loyal. Like they have.

A lot of them have been following.

Since I was in college and kind of have grown up with me. Like, they are loyal, they are small, but they're mighty. And so I guess that would be the metric. Small, but yeah, I like that.

And that's something everyone should look at when they're talking about working with influencers. That right there is the engagement metric, not the following metric.

Yeah.

Okay, so on the flip side of that, what's one metric you wish you knew more about but you don't right now? Not yet.

So I'm starting. We're dipping our toes into the water with ads. And so I've been learning all of the behind the scenes ad lingo, like a roas return on ad spend. This is like a new one for me. I'm getting better at it. So ask me at the end of this year and I'm gonna have Facebook ads down. Literally.

I love it. I love seeing people on that journey. So beneficial. Okay, last question. Best advice for retailers listening.

Be passionate, be consistent, show up, be authentic. But like, I really don't like that word. But be authentic. Let the people know you. I think online it's so hard because. Right. You don't know them. I don't know half of my people. I've never met them in real life. But like, my long term goal is I want them to feel like they know me. And so how are you going to portray that, like in an online setting? So, yeah, so Good.

All right. Well, bigger question at the end of the day is this. You are here not just to sell things with bows on them. You're here for a much bigger purpose than that. So when you fast forward and you look at your life, let's say it's 30 years from now and you're sitting on the front porch with your family, with your grandbabies, with your friends, and you're reflecting on all this and the amazing journey that you've had and the businesses you've built, all the things, what's the thing that you want them to remember the most about you?

So this has been something I've been, like, processing. I've been thinking about life in a different capacity now that I'm a mom. And ask me, a year ago, I would have said hard work. Like, I put so much value on hard work. Now I don't want to be known for that. I want to be known for, like, for them to remember me by. Like, the impact I had on others, the impact I had on people I. I didn't know. And, yeah, impact I would think would be my answer. I love it.

So good. Jordan, you are such a light. Thanks so much for being here today. This was way too fun. I felt like I was just sitting with a girlfriend on the couch having a glass of wine. So thanks for making this easy. Thanks for the light that you are in our community and we can't wait to keep following your journey.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks for listening, guys. I hope you took away all kinds of nuggets and new ideas from this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating and review. We love to hear your feedback and give you a chance to be featured on the show each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and to access guest downloads and bonuses and all the resources we talked about on the show, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.