Ashley Alderson and Sarah Burks map out four priorities for boutique retailers in 2022: managing inventory through supply-chain chaos, building a lifestyle brand, keeping staff, and systematizing content creation. They also introduce Retail Bootcamp, a 14-week coaching program with lifetime access and an LA industry trip.
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All right, welcome back to season number four, our brand new season of the podcast, episode number two this season. And I'm so excited because as we start the new year together today, I wanted to take some time just to look forward and think about what are the biggest issues that our industry is going to face this year. So today I invited Sarah Burks, our director of education here at the Boutique Hub and our co partner at Retail Bootcamp, to talk to me about what she sees and coming down the road this year, how we're going to handle things like inventory issues and just some general overwhelm when it comes to so many new marketing channels this year and how we can set ourselves up for success right now. And then we're also going to take some time today to talk through Retail Bootcamp, because as you guys know, Retail Bootcamp is our highest level college for boutique owners program. It is the top program in the entire industry, and the doors open two times a year, once in January and once again in June. So today we're going to talk through all the details of Bootcamp. In case you have questions for now or for later, or if you're a returning student, we're going to get into the nitty gritty details of what's coming up this year. So stay tuned. Let's talk about ideas for 2022 Retail Bootcamp, and let's get some of your most pressing questions answered this week on the podcast. Thanks for being here, guys. Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what 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 to the podcast. This week, I'm so excited. I've got my partner in class time here, our director of education, Sarah Burks. Welcome to the podcast.
Hey, everybody. It's great to be back.
Oh, man, we have got a lot to talk about today. So we're starting a new year and there's always that question about what are your predictions for the new year? What's going to be the biggest topics in 2022 for retail? If we could have had, like a crystal ball two years ago, can you imagine what kind of chaos would have come from that conversation?
Oh, my gosh.
Right?
Yeah. Hindsight is 2020 looking back and the decisions we would have made that were different, but then all the skeptics. Right. Like that is never going to happen. We will never have to go through that. And but yet here we are. So much, we've learned so much along the way, right?
Yeah, we have. I often when I think about the crazy two years we just lived through, like we thought 2020 was a dumpster fire. And then I feel like 2021 kind of lit that dumpster on fire even more and more. But when I look at it, I think about what blessings came from it. You know, like it's the thought that something good will come from every single bad situation if you choose to look for it. And I feel like there's been a lot of good that we've found through all of it.
Oh, right. I talk to retailers every day that have found a lot of clarity in the last two years personally and business wise. And, you know, they've really narrowed their focus. They've got more streamlined in their processes and they really have identified what's important to them and have that strong, straight path to get there, which has been a real eye opening experience. And it's too bad that we have to go through a lot of trials and tribulations and bad times to, to see that. But that's just the way. That's the nature of the beast, it seems like. So, yeah, you're right. You either make lemonade out of lemons or you just are stuck with what you get. It's all about the attitude, right? So I think, I think it's been a blessing.
Absolutely. Well, let's talk about that today. I want to talk about what should we expect in the new year? How can we take what we've learned in the last couple of years and turn that into a really clear path going forward? And you and I just. So everyone who's listening knows and if you're watching on YouTube, we've got video today as well, but we've kind of talked about these. We've got it narrowed down to four. So I'm going to just like kick off the very first one and we can, we can squirrel all over this. But that's inventory issues. We all know that that's going to be a huge issue in the next year. We're all, you know, battling it currently. We know it's probably going to get worse before it gets better. What's your take on how to really prepare and know how to manage inventory in 2022, considering the challenges we're facing?
Right now, all right, well, we've, you know, depending on where you are in the business, you know, we have over two years is a long time. A lot, a lot of different things happen. But to go back to like you said of that March of 2020, right, people were very fearful they were going to be sitting on all this unsold inventory. They, they felt like they, you know, a lot of retailers felt like they just had too much to get rid of. They, you know, things were closed down, people weren't buying life, life has just completely disrupted. But over time with that I think like we said, people really narrowed their focus. They realized who their main customer was, who they were serving and where their more income generating inventory was coming from.
Right.
So now Fast forward to 2022 and I just fear that people remember that and don't just buy inventory out of just sheer panic of I need inventory, I just need stuff, but it's not the right stuff. So I feel like one of the things, you know, the supply chain is going to continue to be disrupted, that's people say that, you know, all the industry is saying that and that's going to happen. That's going to be the case for a little while. But there is inventory out there. It's can maybe take a little bit more digging to find it. More conversations, you know, showing up at your markets, being mindful about your open to buy plan when you need things, but not get in a panic and just buy things to buy things and then find yourself spread way too wide, way too thin on your marketing effort, which we're going to talk about that later. But I think when it comes to the inventory again, going back to what inventory really paid the bills over the last couple years, right? And if you're brand new, you know, really identifying who that customer is and what that customer is is needing what solution you're offering for them and stay in that lane, stay there, stay focused, stay narrow. Don't get yourself so widespread just out of sheer panic of like, ah, I'm gonna need inventory. I, yeah, I don't sell trinkets, but I'm now gonna sell trinkets or I don't sell plus size, but because there's plus available, I'm gonna, I'm gonna buy that and have that in my store, right? Where all of a sudden then our efforts are just too diluted to really target our customer. I think that is if I have one big thing for inventory, that's, that's the conversation. And I say that because I've had a lot of customers that say to me, well, I just feel like I need to get hands on whatever I can get hands on. But then that confuses your customer when all of a sudden you show up selling, I don't know, hunting gear and you're a bathing suit company.
Yeah, I totally agree with that. I. So to echo everything you're saying, I guess I just think we have to start with planning a lot better. And we're so spoiled to have so much ready to ship always available to us. And I just don't think that's going to be the case going forward. I've talked to a lot of vendors who have talked about, especially for spring inventory, not having any recuts like, you get what you get, you don't throw a fit sort of thing. So the more you can plan ahead and map out what your inventory buying plan is going to be, and then really second to that, besides having a plan would be really build those relationships. There has never been a more important time to have really strong vendor relationships. So, you know, you can ask those questions, you can follow up, you can trust that you're going to get what you, you know, have bought and paid for and are planning to receive. I think those relationships really matter. And then, you know, third point, to echo what you said, don't just settle and buy whatever you think is out there. You know, really make a plan around that. And yeah, there may be some shifting where you're used to having more reorders and being able to go deeper. You may have to try a few new product lines. I see a lot of people moving into more gift, especially if you're an online boutique to complement apparel. And I think we're going to continue to see that trend grow. And. And really, also what I think is powerful about that is it makes you different. You know, our industry is. I don't want to use the word oversaturated because I don't believe that. I believe if you go down the wine aisle or the bread aisle, you know, there's no such thing as oversaturated. But there's a lot of boutiques out there, and there's a lot of boutiques out there because they all look the same. So if you want to grow, you should use this to your advantage and really make yourself different. You know, people are doing business with you for a reason.
Oh, man. So good. And I think as far as inventory goes, be that wise. Investor, right? We talk a lot in the hub and in our courses that we teach about being an investor in the inventory. Right? You don't go to market and buy inventory like you're going to hold onto it forever. You go and invest in the inventory with the expectation that it's going to turn over into cash, right? You're going to, you're going to invest in it at this price, but you're going to sell it higher to make money. That's what retail is all about. That's what we're hoping everybody's doing, right? So use that data, right? Track that data so you have those numbers that can steer your ship on the direction of what it is you're going to invest in. It's not about, oh, that's cute. I think I'll sell it. Oh, yeah, I think, you know, that's on the first page of this wholesale site that I landed on. I think that's awesome. I think it's really cute. I'm sure I'll sell it. No, you know, use that data. Understand the buying history of your customers, right? The sell through what you're, what vendors are really working for you and what are working against you. And, you know, that being said, having that relationship with your vendors, like you mentioned, is crucial. It is so imperative that you have that. So when you do get in a bind, you can call up Bob or whoever and say, hey, this is Sarah and I. I'm in a bind, right? Like, I've sold through this lots faster than I thought I was going to, or the opposite. You know, I really thought this was going to work and it's not. And vendors today are different than vendors were back in 2019, specifically. Right. I talked to a lot of stores that are even doing some things on consignment with vendors because vendors are wanting you to get new product in the door. They're wanting you to try things. They understand there's a risk involved, but that's a whole nother side of things that I, you know, I'm starting to see trending a little bit more. But nonetheless, if you are just that silent buyer, I'll call you the buyer that shows up at market. You don't give your name, you don't give a. Have a relationship. You just give a credit card and expect it to all work out. There is no loyalty there.
Right?
They don't know you any different from anybody else. But when you come in, you present who you are, you know, you build that relationship. You ask for a name, you follow up when they call, you answer. When they say it's time for payment, you provide it. You know, just the same on the other Side, if you have an issue, you expect them to be there for you as well. So I think, you know, your point about having that good, strong relationship that is, that is, you know, relationships are everything. We want a relationship with our customers. Well, we're the customer for the vendor, so it's important that we have those good lines of communication all the way across.
Absolutely. This kind of wraps into point number two, where I think there's really going to be some opportunity in the next year, if you're going to look at it that way, is I know a lot of people have been struggling with engagement and with reach. Right. Social media is always changing. There's just more players in the market. Right. So it's harder to get noticed. You might have gone live and had 200 people tune in, and now you're going live and 50 or five people are tuning in. So what does that mean for opportunity in the new year? And for me, I think the shift is really just how much boutiques have become lifestyle brands. And I think where we're used to maybe going and selling a product across social media, maybe now we're used to going and creating a TikTok that has nothing to do with the product that we're selling, but it's relating with people and it's getting reach and engagement. That's what's starting to build the brand. So I think really successful stores that we see are really leaning into both the interpersonal side of the business along with the product side of the business, and letting that really help them stand apart from the crowd again in the bread aisle. When everyone is a. An online, trendy, affordable boutique, why are you different? And that's the lifestyle that you, you bring to the table that really relates and resonates with your customers because people want to do business with people at.
The end of the day.
And our social media and our marketing really has to showcase that.
Oh, man, that is so good. And you know, I talk with store owners all the time that this is, this is their biggest hiccup.
Right.
Like, they have sourced the awesome product. They have it. They have it in their warehouse, they have it in their brick and mortar, they have it in their, you know, their spare bedroom, whatever it is, however, they're running their business. But their marketing side, that communication, that reach, they're missing the boat there.
Right.
And they're not being vulnerable in their story. They're not getting it out there to the right people on the right platforms. And again, just to what I said about the inventory, it's. It's 2022, there's data out there to provide that information. I remember when I had my store and we'd say, oh, gosh, should we do a billboard, a radio, do we do the newspaper? You know, those. That's way back in the day that was really hard to track. Where our sales came from, where our, you know, our new customer acquisitions came from on those. Unless a person actually came in and said, hey, Sarah, I saw your billboard, right? But now in 2022, we have that at the click of a button. And that is so powerful.
I feel like one of the biggest things we do inside of retail Bootcamp, besides all the inventory, financial management, all of that. And we'll talk more about Bootcamp in a little bit. But is really taking the traffic and making a plan and analyzing where it's coming from and how to build a budget of sorts of how you can continue to build on it the next year. So you might think, gosh, should I be on TikTok? Like, is anyone really converting from TikTok? Well, it's really not about the conversion, in my opinion. It's about how can I source how much traffic I need at a certain conversion rate to make the number of sales. We call it the boutique traffic formula. If I need to make this much in sales, I need this much traffic now. Where's the traffic going to come from? And when I know I need to send 10,000 people to my website or to my live sales or whatever every single week to my app, how am I going to get them? How many emails is that? How many social posts is that? How many live videos is that? How many TikToks is that? And then through all of my history, my Google Analytics, historically, where am I acquiring all those views and how can I double down my efforts in that area? Or do I need to try a new, new channel that I haven't branched into yet? Is it Instagram reels that I've really been intimidated by? But now I know I need the traffic, so it's time to go there. But I think we can really systematize that, that traffic process and make it a lot easier on ourselves.
Oh, man, that is so good. I love that. That is such a big part of what we teach here in retail boot camp and in the hub, because that is so powerful. Because a lot of times we just make these rash decisions as business owners and a lot of times it's, we're late to the game. You know, it's kind of an afterthought of like, I always use the fourth of July example in our store, because you'd get through a really busy spring season, graduations, weddings, all that stuff, and then all of a sudden you're like, oh, crap, Fourth of July. This would have been a really good opportunity for us to do whatever it was. And the ship had sailed. Right? Like we were too late. And so I love the education that we provide in the actual how to.
Right.
And how to read this data, how to collect it, how to read it, and how to make the very best decision decisions. I personally, my big thing is on the inventory side of it, on the financial side of things. And you with the, with the content and the reach and getting, getting that word out there so that whatever we invested in an inventory can quickly turn back into cash. All one big cycle.
One big cycle. Let's talk about the next big issue, I think for the new year. And this is something we've all been battling for 2021, and that is finding and retaining staff. So it sounds great to take on that inventory and take on doing TikTok, but you can't do it yourself. You have to be the CEO of your business, not just the, you know, hustling entrepreneur, and you have to ask for help. But the question in 2021 was, where do I find them? How do I retain them, how do I pay for them? And that's going to continue to be an issue in 2022. So I know this is a big thing that you coach on a lot, but talk to me about your take on finding and retaining staff in the new year.
Gosh, this is going to be, I think this is going to be one of the biggest challenges. And you know, we talk about TikTok and look, the big movement on TikTok right now, you know, I quit my job and I did it on TikTok and whatever, you know, and that's a.
Thing and that it is.
And I, you know, we just, we need to own it and wrap our heads around it and it's scary as the business owner, you know, and here, here's a couple tips I have for that is to be relevant with your, your staff currently or your future staff, you've got to be real, right? And they have got to come into a place where they can grow, not where you're going to put a ceiling on them so you can grow. And I think that mindset around your staff is so powerful in 2022 and. And beyond. You know, it is. Life is different than it was when I started working way back in the 90s.
Right.
And. And, you know, I'd come to work for $5.25 and bust my butt and never complain, and I never looked on the other side of the fence because I. This was my job. This is what I did.
Right.
I had no idea that there was all these other things out there.
Right.
Well, everybody knows there's all these other things out there. Heck, you have it in your phone, you. You swipe through anything and you see grass is greener on the other side of the fence kind of a thing. But being authentic, being honest.
Right.
Being real with your staff and under. Having them have some sort of value in your business. Accountability, but also a voice that's going to be really big. And that whole idea of like, I don't want my staff to know whatever it is, that mindset shuts you off from your staff to the point where they don't really trust you and they will look for other things. So then too, you ask, where do you find them? Gosh, everywhere. You know, everywhere. Be relatable, be fun. I know that's one of those core values that we kind of laugh about, but ultimately, just like social media is not, Is social entertainment the job. It's. We've got, we're in a fun workplace. We can be. It can be very stressful, but it's not boring, right? It's constantly changing. We get to make people feel amazing. All of these things should be really fun, you know, and we get to take pictures and we get to, you know, see all the fun new trends and all of those things. So we have to communicate that in a way, just like, you know, communicating your value proposition, all that stuff to your, to your customers. You have to instill that and make. And get a buy in from your, your customer or your, Your staff as well. That is going to be on us, really. It's going to be on us how well we train them, how confident they feel in their job. You know, if they start to feel unneeded or what they're doing does not really move the needle in the business, or if they start to feel unappreciated, they will easily move on. There's no. The idea of feeling guilty about leaving a job is so few and far between anymore. So I've always said it's hard to break up with someone who cares about you. And I think that still is true. And I think it's just even more than it used to be. So that is my advice on staffing. Is it going to be easy? Absolutely not. And we know that there's still a lot of people that are not working. And it's their game, you know, they've got the same, yeah, I'm gonna. I am going to commit to this, or I'm not, but it comes back on us of what we're asking them to commit to.
Yeah, I like what you said. It's. It's hard to break up with someone who really cares about you. And I just want to elaborate on that point for a second because I think when we can wrap our minds around that, we're bringing these people into our lives, but it's for a period of time, they aren't going to stay there. And so we shouldn't set the expectation that they are going to stay there, but we should care about them enough to know that we're building them up as people and we're setting them up for whatever comes next in their life. And I think when they feel that level of value, sure, they're going to stay longer, but it's also going to be easier for you to know. When they leave and there is a breakup, it's. It's on a different level and it is for the best. So I think it's just a different perspective that we take that they aren't betraying you, but you're setting them up for the next stage of their life, too.
Absolutely. I think that is a huge thing and a big pat on the back for all you business owners out there listening that can right now say, that's my fill in the blank with the person's name. I employed them, they grew, they blossomed. They decided to go do their own thing, whether it was take on a totally different role, take on their own boutique or their own business, or become a teacher or become a. Whatever it was. But you planted the seeds in them and the confidence that they could go out and do big and amazing things. It's not for us to have our employees for the end. Till the end of time. Right. But if we can grow leaders instead of levers, that's so powerful and we will get so much more productivity out of them. Why they're leaders in our business than we would if we were raising a bunch of levers that were rotating through every four or five weeks, it's exhausting.
That's good. I like that.
I didn't. I did not make that up. That's from a book. That's actually from a book. That's.
That's really good.
Yeah.
Good use of recycling that content. Sarah, that's point number four for the new Year is we're all so busy on this hamster wheel, and as we're talking about needing help and needing team to manage all the content we're going to create right on these new platforms to drive all this traffic, that's a daunting task. And so I think another huge issue that we all are going to face and we all have to systematize is content creation in the new year. And are we actually going in, making a plan, batching content, reusing content and being smart about it and not just trying to create new, new, new, new, new every single week and not really maximizing what we already have on the table?
Man, Ashley, I love that. And I'm going to be very honest, the first time I sat in a meeting and you said batching content, recycling content, I kind of went, what? What? So, I mean, there's people. I know there's people listening right now that are like, what exactly does that mean? So walk me through what that means from like the blog post or the first Facebook post, the big Facebook post you got a ton of engagement on. It was awesome. But then do you just let it live there in Facebook land and let it die or what do you do with it?
Well, I'll walk you through this whole process. And again, this is something that inside a retail bootcamp, I'm super passionate about because it's about working smarter and not harder. And so for me, there's six essential pieces of content, which I'll tell you about in a second, and you'll obviously already know about them. But in order to get there, I think we have to be of the mindset to really know it's about quality content and not quantity of content. And to know, like I mentioned in issue number two, is to really go in and see what is working. Like, are we actually looking at Google Analytics? Are we looking at our Facebook and Instagram insights to know what are people responding to and why are they responding to it? So we can double down and create more of that, not just more of the same. This is how it's always been done. Or this is what so and so posts. So this should be what I post. No, your brand is yours. It's totally different. Your customers are totally different. What works for you doesn't always work for somebody else, and vice versa. So what I think about is really systematizing creation in these six pieces of content. The first is live video. I think live is essential. It doesn't mean you have to be a live seller. I see a lot of successful businesses that are not live sellers. But I think having some live component is just humanizing your brand. So that's piece number one. Piece number two is fit videos and try on sessions. So this quick like, oh, look at my shacket, blah, blah, blah. How many times can I say shack it in 15 seconds? Isn't it cute? Here's how it fits, here's how it fits. Different body types, yada yada. Piece number three is product photos. We all have product photos. We're not using stock photos. And they're fully merchandised. Right. There's a thousand boutiques selling this shacket today. How does your picture look different? How does your picture educate me and how to style the shacket? Piece number four is quotes and memes. So how am I actually engaging with lifestyle content this week? Piece number five is personal stories. You mentioned this earlier that we need to be storytellers for our brand. I 1000% agree. We have to be able to tell a really good story every week that relates to our core customer. And then piece number six is collections. So what are people buying right now? Why are they buying it? They're buying things to go home for the holidays in, they're buying things to travel in, they're buying Valentine's Day, date night ideas, they're buying spring break, trip, whatever, swimsuits, you name it. They're buying things for a reason. So how are we thinking ahead, like our customer and creating collections around that? So when you can break those six essential pieces of content down now, you can build an entire system around batch creation and taking this one piece of content and using it 10 different ways. That is such a time saver. And it really goes back to creating content that's really high quality and it's going to hit differently on all different platforms and it reduces us just spinning our wheels. And again, being that hustling entrepreneur and not that systematized, smart, savvy CEO.
Oh man, that's so good. And you know, from a consumer side, when I, when I think of this, I'll think of myself as the shopper. And how many times do I need to see something before I'm actually going to bite the bullet and buy it, right? But then I hear shop or store owners say, well, you know, we posted it on Facebook or something. Well, if I'm the Instagram person, I didn't see it, right? So. Or if I, you know, if I found you on TikTok and I found you fell in love with the story and the brand, you're telling me, but then I don't ever see any of the products that you have. You might not get me as that shopper. I might like you. I might think, oh, this is cool. But now I'm going to have to. It's on me to go find your, your products.
Right.
And how many clicks do I have to actually get till I get to that purchase area? And we all know that the consumer is super sporadic right now.
Right.
We're all just ping, ping, ping all over the place. And we're one notification away from dropping off your social or dropping off your website or whatever it is. So getting that in front of them in multiple different ways on these different platforms where they're seeing it multiple times, it's really saying, oh my gosh, yes, I do want that. You know, that's solidifying the purchase in my mind. I'm not confused. I don't feel like my buyer's remorse is not kicking in. I feel confident what I'm doing and next thing you know, it's all because you created something, but you just recycled it across a number of different channels to solidify within me and the shopper that it's a good decision and I do want it, I need it. Right. And I take action on it.
Oh, man, that's good. That's so true. There's so much more. You know, when I think about growing a business in 2022, it just, it's always changing. Right. But it really goes back to some very foundational pieces of business that I think sometimes we build the plane as we fly it and we don't always come back to that foundational piece of who is our customer? Why is she buying this? How do I make her life easy? We get so caught up in this day to day action. So these things are really important. And when I think about you and I teaching on a daily basis, we cover all of this in retail boot camp because we all have to go back to it. No matter what size business we are, we have to come back to all these things every year and make sure we're still on track. It doesn't. It's not like one magic secret that grows every business. You know, it's not like, tell me the one thing. It's, I'm going to tell you the hundred small things that all add up to be the one big thing.
Yeah. Because the bigger you get, the bigger your problems, the more your boutique grows or your business, whatever it is, is growing, it's going to acquire different problems and they're going to need different solutions.
Right.
And I Think that is the thing that, you know, for those that took Retail Bootcamp the very first time, they still go back to it every semester because their business is in a little different place and they take out different things from Retail Bootcamp because it's such an evolving course that they can implement wherever their business is at currently. And one of the biggest things I think, you know, that we do is we bring in so many industry experts that can help us with that. And they are bringing in real time information relevant at that facility, specific moment in time that can help everyone in their business reach their goals, solve their problems, you know, really move that needle. And yeah, I think, you know, you and I, we do so well at things, but we also, we have our limits too, because we might not be in that on the daily. Right. But our industry experts are, and that's exactly why they are so valuable. And, you know, we're all learning from them, taking different things away from them. And the boutique owners in Retail Bootcamp are, you know, they thrive at all that information.
Yeah. So I really want to call this out. If you're listening and you're like, what is Retail Boot Camp? Is this being a member of the hub? Is that the same, Is that different part of the, you know, the reason we're together today is this week is the opening of this semester of Retail Boot Camp. We open twice a year and this is like college for boutique owners. This is the. If you really want to grow and get serious about it, this is what Retail Boot Camp is. And that is slightly different than membership. If you're a member at the boutique Hub, that is our day to day community. It's wholesale buying. It's discounts on things you're using all the time. Yes, it's live education training in our training library. But Retail Bootcamp is like that times 100 in a very systematized live, weekly coaching process with you and I and the experts we bring in live every single week, where we start at the beginning and kind of break down the foundations of your business and rebuild them and then build all the way up through finances and inventory and merchandising and team and online e commerce, live selling, Facebook ads, Google, SEO, all of that.
Everybody's like, holy crap, that's a lot of stuff.
It is a lot of stuff.
Running your business is a lot of hats. You have to wear a lot of different hats. And we, we, we dissect all of them.
Yes. So what is Retail Boot Camp? It opens twice a year. You have lifetime access, like you mentioned, a Lot of our students come in and gosh, some of our students have done six or seven rounds of boot camp and continue to come back. It's free. You never pay for it again once you've enrolled the very first time. But you continue to get updates every single year as we go. A couple other things I really want to mention that I think are special about boot camp. One of my favorites actually is our trip that we take together. All of the retail boot camp students are available. The, the offers on the table, I guess to come join us in la. We take a private trip to la. We tour all areas of the fashion district, different levels of brands. We talk about Consolidated Shipping and just all the different pieces that you need to know about why the industry works the way that it works. What's one of your favorite pieces?
As far as that LA trip that we take with our retail boot campers, I think that's super powerful because that's a very intimate experience for a niche group of retailers from across the country. We spend two and a half days together. We do a lot of celebrating, we do just a lot of collaborations. But you're right, we talk about and we introduce them to industry experts that like actual here, this is shake this person's hand. They can help you with private labeling. They can help you with consolidated shipping. These are your go to brands here in la. This is their warehouse. Let's walk through the back door of here and see the logistics of running a warehouse. All of that insider information is so powerful. I think when they come back to their stores, no matter where it's at, and have that knowledge that can really position themselves for profit, position themselves for the next level. Right. Elevate their business. And those relationships don't end when people leave la. They continue to grow and flourish. And I think that though that right there is so powerful about the course to me, that is I like personally, I like you and I gathering weekly in a zoom room with all of our class, all of our students or whatever you want to say, everybody in Retail Bootcamp. And we learn so many things about every one of them personally and their business, which helps us teach them and coach them and mentor them because we understand where they're at in their business today, where they want to be.
Right?
So I think that too is. That is just very unique. I feel it's a very personal course. So I think yeah, all of it. Yeah, I think personality. I think that the whole personal.
Feel good.
Everybody is you are all together. I don't want that to sound cheerleader like, and it totally sounded cheerleader. Like that's not what I wanted it to be. But we, we're there to support each other and I guess the word community. Yeah, that's what it still comes back to. And that's what the Hub's based on.
Yeah, it's a really intimate group and I, it's the, it's the Most one on one time FaceTime that you and I offer anyone throughout the year is our, is our retail bootcamp students and those who do vip. There's a VIP option where you do get like one on one coaching with Sarah, with myself, with Shannon, with Jeff, with all the experts on our team. And then that, that, you know, retreat is really what LA is. It's a retreat that we all go on together and those students that we've seen really create bonds with one another like true boutique bestie relationships. Most of them have come out of that trip going to LA together from Retail Bootcamp and that's just totally invaluable. I, I'm so proud of that and love seeing all these businesses grow and flourish that have come through the program.
Yeah, 100%, yes.
So what I will do today, if you, I know a lot of you that are listening have actually been through boot camp. So I, I always would love to hear your experience if you're excited about going through it again. Those of you that are curious about it and have questions, I'll make sure the link is in the show notes so you guys can find out more information. You know, shoot me a message on Instagram if you have questions. You're always able to do that as well. But it will be open in January only and then we will start coaching right away in February and then it will not open again until late June, early July. Just two times a year, the only times it opens. And then we're live together for 14 weeks every single week. And I would definitely say without hesitation, this is the most in depth boutique owner program that exists. I feel really confident in that, in not just, you know, us coming to the table, but it's who we bring to the table with us. It's not what you know, it's who you know. Right. And so like you said, those, those industry experts, those are really important because there's 14 of them every single semester that come and you get all of them that have been here for past semesters as well. So it's a great group of people.
Yeah, it is definitely a collection of all of our knowledge as well as in industry experts and your Fellow boutique owners as well. I think I, I do. I just think it's an investment. You can invest in your business, right? And if you are going to go ahead and identify something to invest in that really gives you a high return, this course is it. Yes, you could, maybe you can, I don't want to say gamble on inventory, but sometimes, you know, we do. Sometimes we take these big risks on inventory and say, o man, maybe, maybe our customer would like this. Or, you know, that. I think that's cute. Well, I know we already have that, but maybe we need some more of it. You know, in retail boot camp, you're going to learn that's not the way to buy inventory. But nonetheless, investing in yourself, in your business is so important and so often we can just say, oh, maybe, you know, I need to do this or I'll spend money on that or whatever it is in your business. And you forget about yourself and you forget about your team and you forget about giving yourself that insider knowledge to really move the needle. Because I can tell you as a boutique owner, I those days of just coming in, getting busy, working, working the floor, right? Managing, trying to manage everything, but ultimately my head was down, just working and I didn't see the bigger picture. And I remember getting off the plane in Vegas one time and saying, you know what, I'm not leaving here until I meet some new people and I get some new, you know, resources and find out about some new tools. Well, I did my best. And next thing you know, I was back on the plane heading home and I was like, I didn't. I ran out of time because my focus then was shifted. I focused so much on the inventory side of things that that's what I spent my time doing. I got home, I didn't have any new relationships. I had not sourced any new technology. I didn't have any good conversations, really. And yeah, I had inventory to turn on and sell, but I didn't have anything to grow my business with because that inventory was here and gone again. Right. And so that's what this course is. That is 100% why we created it. Knowing that you guys are busy, knowing that you are, you know, what, you know, but there's so much more out there.
Yeah, 100%. Well, guys, I hope that you took away tons of value today with our predictions for the new year and the four biggest areas I think all of us can focus on throughout 2022. And also, I hope you're excited if you have not been a part of retail boot camp or if you're coming back as a returning student. I hope you're really excited about as well. Regardless of what you choose, know that I'll be here every single week on the podcast to help you along the way. Those of you that are members of the Hub, Sarah is there with you every step of the way as well. And together I know we are all really, really excited about bringing in this new year together and making this your best here yet. Sarah, any parting thoughts or last minute big tip you would give someone when it comes to growing their business this year?
Oh man. Just you guys be confident, you know, get to know your customers and be confident in serving them. That is my big tip for you. And there's so much more that goes along with that. But ultimately, if what you're doing is for your customer, your core customer, you won't go wrong.
Well said. Wonderful, Sarah, always happy to have you on the podcast. Thank you so much. We will see you back here next week guys, but thanks for tuning in.
Foreign.
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