Maximizing Events and the Customer Experience with Jodi Stevens, Bless Your Heart Boutique

Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. This week I'm excited about this behind the scenes episode with a longtime member of the boutique of Jody Stevens, the owner and founder of Bless yous Heart Boutique. Together this week we're going to talk about her storefront in North Carolina and specifically how she's made Small Business Saturday one of her biggest days of the year. Now, knowing Jody for a long time, I know that events are her superpower. So we're going to break down how she plans events and how she manages the ROI for events and what you can do to set your sites far in advance to make sure your event is successful as possible. Jodi is as real and as genuine and as humble as they come. So I'm so excited for you to get this behind the scenes look at her business. Please welcome my friend Jodi Stephens, the founder of Bless yous Heart Boutique. Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works from mainstream fashion to fashion on mainstream 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. Alright guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. I am so pumped because this is an OG podcast treat right now. Jody Stevens, you've been a member of the Hub since the literal very beginning of the Hub. So this is so awesome to have you on the podcast today. Thanks for being here.

Oh, thank you so much for having me. So awesome.

I've got to go back. Were you part of the Hub when it was a like a free Facebook group? From the very beginning? I feel like.

I think so. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I've loved watching your journey now, from membership to being a part of boot camp and our mastermind and all the places in between and to seeing your family grow and evolve and change along the way too, has been so special. So I'm excited to get to uncover some of the tips and tricks and highs and lows and everything along the way today. So before we get started, just tell me back to the very beginning. How did you get started in business? Why did you decide to open a boutique and where.

Yes, for sure. So we started in 2015 and basically how I started. This is so funny. So I was a stay at home mom for nine years and originally from Chicago, so. Midwest girl. Yeah, Midwest girl. And originally from Chicago. We relocated to North Carolina. And, you know, I had a sales background for 10 years out of college, and. And when I was staying at home with the kids, I always had this, like, creativity bug. And I guess I had this sales bug, too, where I kind of missed being in sales and sort of missed talking to adults during the day, too. And, you know, at one point, I was like, I think I was at swimming lessons with some of the kids, because we have four kids, and they're currently ages 9 to 16. And I was at swimming lessons, and I told my husband. I was like, I think I want to get an embroidery machine. And I was like, I want to start making some stuff for the kids, you know, because I always liked creating things and crafting. Like, I'll try any kind of craft once. And. And he was like, okay, that's fine, because he was used to me always, like, getting the latest craft supplies and that. And so I started doing some embroidery for the kids. And I went to swimming lessons, and I was making these little hair clips for our girls, and this mom was sitting next to me, and she's like, what are you making? What is that? And I said, well, I'm making hair clips for my daughter. And she's like, well, that's really cute. Are you selling them? And I was like, well, yeah, I am selling them, yes. And I was like, what? I. I. You know, and so all of a sudden, the wheels got spinning, and I was like, yeah, I am selling them and $5. Okay. You know, and so that's kind of the whole process started going with that, and I was like, you know, I wonder what it would be like to have some of these things I'm making in a storefront, you know? So the wheels got spinning, and eventually I started an Etsy shop, and I started selling custom children's clothing and creations in an Etsy shop. So we did that for a couple of years. That was, like, a huge risk. We were like, just try it. We'll see. You never know. And I did this all while raising the four kids at home, and it kind of took off for us. We ended up doing it, like, till all hours at the night. And I say we, meaning me and my husband, because it got so crazy busy for us that I would be like, I need your help at nighttime. I don't know how to keep up. And, like, our Etsy shop got so busy, I would have to put it on, like, vacation mode. And it just. It got so awesome. It was really exciting, and I was really motivated again, you Know, by making these sales and everything. And then I went to this conference, and it was for, like, embroidery people. And somebody there was like, why don't you have your stuff in a storefront? You know? And I was like, I never thought of that, you know? And so, like, I never thought seriously about that. And at that point, I came home, and I don't know, I've always been one of those people that, like, if the thought gets in my head, I'm already, like, 10 steps ahead on it, you know? And so I told my husband, and I was like, we gotta do this. We gotta do this. You know, we gotta make this happen. And so, next thing you know, we're opening a storefront in Holly Springs, North Carolina. And when we first opened the business, it was very different than it was today. It was custom children's creations and gifts. So it was very much like a monogram and gift boutique. And I had very little women's clothing. Like, I was like, I'm not doing clothes. I don't know anything about fashion. I can't match stuff. I'm like, I'm not really gifted in that, you know? And so it was really different than it is today. And over, like, a year and a half. Kind of funny timing, because that was right around when I joined the boutique Hub. It changed into women's clothing more so and gifts. And I sort of started dropping the embroidery and the monogram. So now today, we're more so, you know, women's clothing with a little bit of gifts, and we do very little monogramming. We just don't have time for it anymore. So it's really interesting how, like, our customers kind of drove our business, and we've been really flexible about that. So it's really kind of fun to see how it's changed over the years.

I remember early on, you and I having conversations about monogramming, and you were like, we're staying up all night doing these monograms. And we had so many conversations. I remember at that time, just about, what is the value of your time?

Yes.

And the input. Yeah. And how much more could you gain by diversifying your products and going bigger into the storefront and less with the monogramming. So it's.

That is so true. Those were the really early days. You're right. Ashley. Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

You're taking me back. And your kids were so busy at the time. I remember all those things.

Yes. Oh, my gosh.

I love it that you did. I feel like you did really well during that time. Is. And I don't know, I'm curious to go back to your strategy, if you surveyed your customers or what happened, but you did a great job with really a good mix of name brands in your store and margin builders in your store. Like, you carry Kendra Scott and a lot of really popular gift and accessory brands. Talk to me about how you found, like, the right product mix and brand mix for your storefront, because it really was a great combination that's allowed you a lot of growth and probably some great margin along the way too. So talk to me about that inventory selection process you've gone through.

Sure, sure. So one thing that we always do, and I feel like we're sort of known for, is when we do go to market, I'm really big on doing like, the be the buyer and also kind of really frequently throughout the month. So when I. When I create a relationship with a new vendor, I'll look at stuff that I think our customer likes and our, like, customer Persona would like.

And.

And I'll take pictures and I'll be like, okay, would they like this? And then I'll share them on our page, like our group page, our VIP page, and be like, what do y' all think? Do you like this? Do you not, you know, give me your feedback? Should we buy? Should we pass? And, you know, I give our customers a lot of say I want them to be involved in the buying process. And I really listen, too. I don't just ask, but I listen. And again, I let them kind of stay, steer us, you know, so there may be times where, you know, I think there's, you know, a dress that's really fabulous and so I'll present it. And maybe they're like, eh, no, not so much, you know, and. Or maybe a product line that I love. And they're like, no, that's not our price point. We don't. We don't want that, you know, and so I feel like now, seven years into it, we've been able to really get very specific with our customer and figure out likes, dislikes, price points, pain points, you know, things like that, you know, what they're looking for, what they're not looking for, things like that. So I think really just asking a lot of questions, doing the live sales, talking about how things fit and feel. And I think too, being in the store and being on the floor is really important with them because I ask them a lot of questions as well, you know, and I'll ask them while I'm on the floor, like, well, you know, what is it you're looking for? You know, like, if they. If they leave empty handed? Well, what were you looking for today? You know, was there something you had in mind? You know, so, you know, if we didn't have it, what was it? You know, so I try to really communicate with them.

So, yeah, that's really helpful. One thing that you also are really good at, besides just that, listening to your customer and responding with the right product mix, is I feel like you draw a lot of excitement in your storefront. Like, you. You are the event planning queen. We can talk about events all day long, but I really wanted to ask you around. Like, one of the biggest events I know you host each year is around Small Business Saturday. And I know a lot of thought goes into that. So talk to me about how you use that strategy of just drawing excitement into events to keep both returning customers coming back, but also to attract new customers along the way.

Sure. Yeah. For sure. Yeah. I would say Small Business Saturday is definitely our biggest and our most favorite event of the year. And I think, like you said, hype is number one. You know, starting early and prepping really early is really important. I mean, there's nothing worse than going into a big event and feeling like a week and a half before you're like, I've got nothing. What am I going to do? And then you're scrambling, you know, so I think really hyping it up. And for us, we really were so thankful. We have such loyal customers that are local to us, and we make Small Business Saturday so much about an experience for them. And we don't make it about a sale. We make it more of an experience and come in and it's a celebration. You know, we make it so much of a celebration. And we do swag bags and we have free coffee in the morning when they're lining up, you know, two and a half, three hours early. We do the Saran Wrap ball game outside, and, you know, we're doing selfies out front. They love that stuff. It's so fun. And, you know, the swag bags, people come in like two or three days before, and they calculate out in their head. They're like, okay, if I have to spend $100 pre tax, what can I grab closest to the register to get in line and get my bag the fastest? And they'll come in and grab that stuff, and then they get their swag bag, and then they're like, okay, and now I'm gonna do my shopping after they get their swag bag, you know, it's so funny to, like, watch it. I love it. It's just so fun. But, you know, the. The funny part of it is we have door busters and stuff that day. And most of the time, they, like, walk right past the door busters. You know, they're like, whatever, you know, and it's just. It's like. It's like a big party. They just love being there for the event and. And supporting us and, you know, being there for small business, and it's just. It's awesome. So I think really, truly hyping it up. And, you know, of course, there's all of this side of, you know, working with, like, your people. If you have people that work on your newsletter and your ads, campaigns, you know, doing that all that early. And I'm a big proponent of using the holiday marketing masterclass through the Hub. I took that years ago, and every year I religiously, like, retake it and redo my notes, and I always print out the little sheets you guys made, and, you know, I always fill it out every year, and I'm like, okay, well, this is what we're gonna do. This is the plan. Did I make my graphics early? You know, all that, and it helps. It really helps. Like, this is. Nobody told me to say this, but it really helps. Like, it's, like, the easiest thing, and it's worth, like, every penny, you know, to take that class. And then I think another thing that's really important about your events is also to do, like, an evaluation after your event, too, and look back and be like, what worked? What didn't work? Because, like, I've looked back at years and been like, okay, the traffic flow in store this year didn't work. We need to change up this. Because there was a bottleneck over here, you know, and that did not work. We need to change that, you know, or we should add a third register over there. Or, you know, maybe close off the back door so people only can use the front door, you know, whatever it is, you know, make notes so that, you know, or maybe what were the best sellers that day, or, you know, things like that. But make those notes so that you're never going to remember a year later, you know, so. But yeah, I think hype is huge, for sure.

Yeah. I want to go back to a couple things that you said just to hit on them a little bit deeper around the hype. So first, can I ask you about the swag bags? So they get the swag bag after they've purchased $100 worth of product. Yes, yes.

So for us, what you have to do, we. For, like last year, for example, we had 50 swag bags. And inside our swag bags, basically what I do is, is I collect things throughout the year from our vendors. And, you know, sometimes I'll get freebies from, say, like scout bags where they'll give me like free cosmetic bags throughout the year. So I'll throw those in the swag bags, you know, or like, I'll get bath bombs or lip balms or hair ties or, you know, little candles, things like that, or popcorn samples, you know, things like that. Or I'll reach out to local small business owners in town and I'll be like, hey, do you want to put something for free to advertise in our swag bags? And of course, people are going to be like, yeah, you know, like last year I had a realtor that got PI servers, like metal pie servers, and she attached her business card to it and she threw them in our bags. I was like, that's brilliant. You know, it was a great thing. There were metal pie servers, you know, and so I had tons of people locally that were like, yeah, free advertising. I'll throw it in your bag, you know, and then I usually end up spending a little bit of money, you know, on things to put in the bag just to kind of beef it up, you know, like, we'll do, you know, maybe like a Christmas dish towel or, you know, this, that or the other, whatever it is. And we don't, to be honest, we don't spend a ton of money. Usually it's thing I can. I can collect throughout the year and. But yeah, they have to spend 100 pre tax, and the first 50 people to do it get the swag bag. And it's huge. Like, people go crazy. So it's just. They love it. They absolutely love it. And I tease about it for, like, weeks ahead. I'll even show them what's inside and, you know, they just. They love it.

Yeah.

One year I did. This was so funny early on, I did a picture of myself. It was like 11, you know, 30, 35. The night before Small Business Saturday. I did this whole, like, night before Small business Saturday. And it rhymed with, like, the night before Christmas. And it was me, like, sleeping on a couch and I had all the swag bags piled around me and I was like, passed out on the couch and I had this whole rhyme, you know, and everybody was like, oh, my gosh, they loved it. It was so fun. It was so fun.

I think that's that's so smart. And even if I think about, you know, this whole year long process, it's so easy right after the holidays when things go on sale and your vendors have so many closeouts, like just snatch that up. Or if you have over holiday themed items that you've tried to discount and move out, but you know, they could go in a swag bag next year to save them. And really you could do this bag for online orders too. I feel like this is an idea that isn't just for brick and mortars. I could see online boutiques taking some kind of iteration of this as well.

For sure. Yeah, for sure. Definitely.

Let's talk more about your height before Small Business Saturday. So how many weeks in advance did you say, do you feel like you're sending out emails or making a Facebook event or running ads or whatever it is that you're doing to start to build some of that hype? And I feel like second part to this question is sometimes I see boutiques ask this question in the hub is if I'm telling them something big is coming, does that detract from what they're going to spend between the moment they know about it and the event itself? Do you feel like any of that hype slows them down from purchasing weeks before Small Business Saturday?

So I don't, in our case, I don't think so because I make it really different. So like for example, like for us for Small Business Saturday, we usually have like, we do sell Kendra Scott and we usually have a Kendra Scott free gift with purchase. So that's something that is strictly that day only. So it's very specific and everybody knows it's, you know, just that time. And for us it's a busy time of year for that, that category. So it doesn't really slow down, you know, the jewelry sales for that. And then you know, like I said with the door busters, I feel like, to be honest, sometimes they go during the event, sometimes they don't. Usually the next week I'll have them on sale and you know, be moving them in that. But I don't really feel it makes that big of a difference. And it doesn't. I don't feel like it hurts the sales at all. But I feel like for Small Business Saturday we start talking about it, you know, probably four weeks in advance with our customers. But like with our ads campaign, I probably start at about like maybe six weeks or so in advance and then with like comments sold just kind of talking about, hey, what's our plan? What's our, you know, where are we going? What's the attack like, where, you know, what are we looking at ahead of time? Where, what do you need from me? What time frame do you need it from me? You know, when do you need photos? When do you need the graphics? How do we need to do this? You know, just so that everybody's on the same page. You know what I mean?

Yeah. Makes such a huge difference. And I love that you're. Thank you for mentioning the holiday marketing masterclass. I wasn't expecting that at all. But I appreciate that you, you mentioned the one part of it that I think is critical and that is the follow up, like the taking the notes after and analyzing after. And it's so easy for all of us to get so busy marketing and creating events and getting on this terrible hamster wheel that we never actually evaluate how did it work? What would I do different? What do I need to remember for next year? I think that's really special. And another thing I just want to note based on what you said to everybody, is this is not about the sale, it's about the experience. And to me, that's the biggest miss over the whole holiday season. I'm sure you would agree. So many retailers get stuck in what is the sale and discount, but that's not why people are shopping you. They're shopping for the experience, right?

Yeah. That's not the time to have the sale. Yeah. Yeah. Around the Christmas and the holiday season, we have experience after experience after experience. You know, on Thursdays and on Saturdays, you know, we'll invite people to come in and do permanent jewelry, a succulent bar, you know, hair braiding, fairy hair, things like that. And we try to have every reason to, you know, get people attracted to come into the store for experiences and just happen to want to walk around and kind of see what we have. So, yeah, for us, it's not really a time of year that we're having sales.

I love that. That's really helpful. One thing I'm really one thing. I feel like that's my repeat word for today. Jodi, just one more thing. Something that I love that has happened to your business in the last, what's it been, year and a half maybe, is that your husband has been able to come on board with you. And I feel like this has been a topic of the podcast recently. So I, I love that we're still on this note. Talk to me about that experience, how you made that decision, and like, what you've learned from this process. So Far of this business now becoming truly your family business. How what does that experience been like for you?

Yes. So he officially came on last February. And I say officially because, you know, he's been, you know, with Bless yous Heart since the beginning, and he's been working with Bless yous Heart since the beginning. We, like, he likes to joke and say now he gets paid, but, yeah, he left his job. He was a recruiter for 20 years, and he left his job. And, yeah, it was a tough, tough call. It was a tough decision for us because we were just like, you know, this is. This is really stupid scary. We don't live by any of our family at all. Like, our closest relative is, like, 12 hours away from us, and again, we've got four kids, and it was just. It was really scary, you know, and especially with, you know, buying your own health insurance and that. It was very scary. And, you know, would we make that jump in that. And, yeah, so we. We sort of set a goal for ourselves, and we're like, you know, when we get this, we felt like we could do that, you know, and so, yeah, it was last February that he decided we were gonna, you know, make that jump, and he would come on full time with Bless yous Heart. And so it's been awesome. It's very exciting. We do have a work relationship. That's how we met, so that's great. We already know we work well together, so we have that. I know some people are like, how do you work with your spouse? But we do work well together. Of course, it's still a challenge. You know, we're definitely learning every day. The other interesting part is, not only is it my husband that works with us, but. But it's also our two oldest daughters. So, you know, out of 12 employees at Bless yous Heart Boutique, four of the Stevens work with us. So, you know, four out of six in our family work at a boutique. So it. If you were to ask me, one of my challenges, that would probably be one of my challenges is, you know, it's hard sometimes to. You know, it's hard sometimes to be like, okay, I'm wearing my mom hat, or, I'm wearing my wife hat, or I'm wearing am I wearing the boss hat? You know, and so sometimes it's hard to, you know, to create that and to be intentional about, okay, well, let's go out and just be. I'm Jody. I'm the wife right now. Or, oh, I'm Jo. I'm. I'm mom today. You know, so it can be tricky, and we're definitely learning that and, you know, working on our roles, for sure, and, you know, trying to get better about all that, for sure. But I think it's great. I mean, it's. I think it's fabulous. We love that. I mean, what better way is it? I mean, you know how it is having two people with the exact same goal and same vision doing the same thing, you know? So for us, it's like, this is fabulous. So.

Powerful. But that doesn't come without its basket of issues. Yes, sure. Certainly been there myself. I'm curious, though, Jodi. With four kids, I know you guys are incredibly busy, and with two working in the business, I do get this question a lot from moms. As business owners, how did you first start to integrate your kids to understand what your business is, and then how did you bring them on? Like, talk to me about that process and maybe lessons you've learned along the way of including your kids in your business. What would you do more of or do less of in the future?

Oh, that's hard. Gosh. Let's see. I don't know. I feel like since I did, you know, the Etsy shop at home, they saw me doing that business, you know, for a while, since I kind of did that while I was raising them. And a lot of times I did that kind of alongside the kids, you know? Like, I had, you know, the pack and play in one room. I had this, like, gate in, like, our bonus room, and while there are babies, you know, I had them, like, all gated in while I was, like, over here sewing in the corner, you know, and so I feel like I just sort of, like, raised them while I did it, you know, and so I sort of feel like we kind of did it together, you know, and they saw me doing a lot of it as well, you know? But I do feel like I definitely have a lot to learn in regard to, you know, I need to be more intentional about, like, separating and being like, okay, that's enough working today, Jody, you know, and it's time to punch out. You know, like, that's definitely, definitely a challenge, but I'm working on it. I'm working on it. And, you know, we do. We have a special place we like to go as a family. And, you know, I was just talking with my husband about that, and I'm like, you know, we have to be more intentional. More intentional about truly being like, okay, line in the sand. No more. You know, and in taking that time.

So, yeah, working hard, but having Some time off, some playtime with your family?

Yes, yes, for sure.

All right, Jody. So before we wrap up our time today, I just want to go back for those who are new to starting a brick and mortar, or maybe they're online only and they're thinking about opening a brick and mortar. If you could go back, if there's anything that you would do different along your journey of having a brick and mortar, what would it be?

Oh, man. I would say location. You know, I would say location, location, location. They always say that. And y', all. That is so important. It really is. I learned that in our first location. You know, when we first picked where we were, it was in a spot that was kind of a little bit off of Main street, you know, kind of off the beaten path a little bit. And it was not super visual from the main street. It was sort of like down a little bit from. From the street. It didn't have the best parking. The floor layout wasn't the best. I would say don't jump into it. Wait for the best location. It's so worth it for us. It was like it made our business explode to have a better location. And even now, we're looking at, you know, another location, and we're being super selective about what we're looking for because we know how much it matters. So I would say really take your time and look for the best location and look for the best qualities in that location.

That's good advice. That's good advice, because I've seen you grow since you've made that shift, and I know that was not an easy decision to make. Bigger location comes, more inventory, all of that. And that's if you're looking at the expense side, but the opportunity side is huge.

That's right.

All right, so last question. And I know you know this question is coming, but you were going to fast forward. You've got four kiddos 30 years down the road. You're sitting on that front porch now with grandbabies, and you're looking back at your family's incredible journey in this business, a family business, and you're telling your grandkids about all the lessons you've learned along the way. What is the thing that you want those kiddos to remember most about you? The person you are in the life that you lived.

Yeah. Oh, I think for me, I.