The Elements of Successful Live Selling

Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast. This week I'm pumped because Katrina d' Ameli is with me today and I know so many of you have followed her journey on the Other side Tribe Boutique. She is one of the top live selling boutiques in the country and a huge part of being active in the boutique community, both on the retail side and the wholesale side. I've run into Katrina so many times in person in the last year and our conversations have been so insightful and I would say deeply personal on the sense that she is constantly evolving, she is reinventing herself, she is seeking answers to deep questions and she is looking for ways to collaborate and create community over competition in her own community. I'm pumped. I think you guys are going to love this episode for a number of reasons besides our talk about the Jersey Shore. But but get ready to meet my friend Katrina. I think you're gonna love it. From the Other side Tribe, Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works. From mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hu and I can't wait to chat. Hey guys, welcome back to the podcast this week. I'm so pumped. We are going to have a huge conversation today around live selling. So buckle your seatbelts you guys. Katrina, I'm so pumped that you're here. We have had the opportunity to run into each other a number of times at market and you've been in the hub for quite some time. So it's so nice to get to have this conversation with you today.

Yes, thank you. I'm so happy to be here with you guys.

You have such a unique perspective on this industry and I cannot wait because I think anymore, like when people used to think about boutiques, we thought about a brick and mortar boutique. Right? Like that was your mom's boutique. And then with the invention of social media and how E commerce evolved and then through MLM companies, how it evolved even further. Today there is no just like one right way to do things. There's so many variations which I just think is so beautiful in this industry and you represent a really unique path in this industry. So I would love to hear from you. Just tell me your origin story of how you get started, how you decided you wanted to be in this industry and where it went from there.

Yeah, absolutely. So When I was 21, 22, I was always entrepreneur at heart, and I wanted to open my own hair salon. So I started really young in the hair industry. Just a quick background of me. I'm a high school dropout, teen mom. Crazy story of, like, all the odds always being against me getting married at 17. So I had a double mastectomy when I was 22, and I was like, okay, I need to open my salon. So every time I had, like, a major event in my life, I felt like God was leading me to pivot to something crazy. So at 23, I opened up my own hair salon. And by the time I was 30, I have four kids. They're like, okay, you need to do a full hysterectomy. And I was like, oh, my gosh. So that I felt like, was another huge moment in my life where I needed to pivot. So my girlfriend at the time, she was selling Lularoe, and she's like, you need to do this. And every time she would come, we would do a breast cancer event in my salon. We donated all the proceeds to breast cancer. And every year, she would come. You need to do this. You need to do this. And I jumped into Lularoe, and it was Facebook live selling at its finest. No one knew what it was. I didn't know what it was. It was a crazy, crazy time. And this was 2017, I think.

Okay.

It was wild jumping into this world.

Yeah. And you. I mean, you were super successful with Lularoe. Tell me more about that journey. I'm assuming, like, hearing you talk about those highs and lows, you had to be so connected to having community, like, people who understood where you were, people who supported you. Like, how did that piece evolve?

So in Lularoe, you know, I was never a mentor, a coach, anything like that. So for me, all they knew, really, was to sell. So in the hair world, you know, you have to build your book, build your following. So in Lularoe, I kind of transferred over that same mentality. I was like, if I'm standing behind the chair doing hair nine to nine, there's no reason why I can't stand behind the camera. Yeah. And try on clothes. You know, it was crazy mindset. And the community behind it was wild, too, because as I quickly grew, I mean, in Lularoe, I mean, for me to do hair and bring in an income, for me to do a lifestyle, I would bring in the same amount of money in an hour. So it was a Completely different mindset too. And learning. In Lularoe, there was five others that were 15 minutes or 15 miles away from me doing all over a hundred thousand dollars in Lularoe a month. Yeah, it was. It was crazy. It was crazy. So with community over competition, like, it wasn't really a thing I felt in our world and our team.

Yeah. So were you guys. Because I want to talk about that in a minute. But did you guys, like, you all first met each other in Lularoe before the boutiques became a thing?

Oh, 100%, yes. Yes. LuLaRoe had events. They had events, kind of like market, you know, and just being able to know that, like your boutique, your community, your group is something completely different than the other girls. And they're like, we could all sell the same thing and maybe some would sell, maybe some wouldn't. And it's just really, every. Every group is different and unique to fitting your style, I feel.

Yeah. Yeah. So when you decided to leave Lularoe, I know you were. We were one of the first to leave. And I'm just curious, like, at that time, what was it like leaving and going out on your own and you decided to start a boutique, like, right away, didn't you, after that decision was made?

Yes. So I made my decision February, I think it was 2018. So I wasn't in Lularoe long. I was only in Lularoe for about a year. And, you know, I went to New York and I saw all the vendors and I was like, oh, my gosh, my creativity. I have ADHD too. And I was just like, it was so overwhelming. It was exciting. But, you know, it was nerve wracking because a leaving Lularoe, they provided you the business plan, essentially. They provided you the inventory. You knew, even though you didn't know your prints, but you knew, essentially. I felt like you knew what you had to do. Going into the boutique world, very overwhelming. My adhd, sometimes I'm in right now, I'm even in a buyer's block. Like, I don't know what to do. You know, I'm in between seasons. I'm not sure what I should buy. I don't know if they're gonna like it or not. Versus just getting a box and opening it live and being surprised. And, you know, I felt like it was more controlled in the sense where now anything goes. It's like I don't know what to do. It's very overwhelming. Yeah.

How did you start to put the pieces together? Like, when you first started to build a boutique, did you just bring over some of the same principles from Lularoe? But all of a sudden you had to figure out how to buy. What was that first experience like for you? How did you start to get some traction when you went on your own for the first time?

It was actually quite difficult trying to explain to vendors and brands that I do Facebook Live. I didn't have a storefront at the time, so they didn't know what I was talking about. They're like, oh, we don't sell on Facebook. Oh, we don't sell on Amazon. What is this ring light? Like they were freaking out. So I had to get on a mission to open a storefront. I was like, I need a storefront. I can't sell. They're not gonna sell to me. So it was almost like they didn't legitimize me and it really gave me a lot of self doubt. Like I was like, am I, what am I? Am I so futuristic that they don't, they couldn't comprehend. So it was really difficult to transition into, you know, trying to teach them, you know, this is what I do. I don't discount on Amazon. I don't do those things that you think I'm doing. And so I had to get a storefront. I had to pivot to be able to prove myself, you know. Yeah, that do this.

Did you end up having a storefront? I didn't realize that about you.

Yes, I eventually did. Yeah, about a year, like I would say like six months in trying to get a storefront. And we did. Yeah.

It's interesting because even though like this is live selling and E commerce is such a big thing today, and right now there's still some pushback. Like there's still some of that hesitancy of like, well, we don't sell online. So this is like an ongoing conversation and, and point of education, I think, for our industry. So when did you, you started the storefront? Did you decide to close the storefront when Facebook lives then in your own boutique really started to take off or what was the next step? What was the next level you pushed to?

So we had the storefront and I had my live room. I actually got like a custom glass door put in so when customers come in, they're not be like, who is this crazy chick screaming behind the wall? Because we're kind of crazy from the Jersey Shore. You know, I get props, we get all nut. But so we got this custom like glass door and we have like a live light up sign. So we kind of like Brought the live into the boutique.

Yeah.

So. And customers love to come visit, even hop on the live. You know, I'm pretty open. Like, anything goes on my live. Like, I don't mind. So people are really loving the boutique and the live. But then, you know, Covid hit with Jersey. We had to close down the store, and we're actually. We reopened this past May, and then Covid hit again. So now we're going to be reopening again this May, so.

Oh, my gosh.

It's been a crazy journey with the boutique, but, yeah, with the live sewing, it's being able to maintain us through everything.

Yeah, that's so helpful. Was there a point where, like, things first took off and you, like, rode this, like, wave of roller coaster when it was growing, but then you kind of hit a wall at a certain point? Tell me about that.

150%. So it was almost like we went viral. So when I left Lularoe, like you said, I was the first top 100 to leave LuLaRoe. So within that three months, everyone's calling me, like, how is it out there?

You know?

And I'm like, if you have to think about it, then maybe you should stay in Lularoe. But it went viral. I completely quadrupled my numbers. I was just grabbing bodies off the street. I didn't know what to do. It was insane. And I was definitely inexpensive experience with that whole, like, if you're selling a thousand shirts in an hour, like, you. You need help. Like, you need help, what do you do? Yeah, and you can't stop. You know, you. If you're on the wave, like, you just keep going. So, yeah, when we. When we crash, though, oh, my gosh. I had to eat some humble pie. I used a major humble pie. You know, mix of greed, pride, all the wrong reasons. I had a massive void in my life that I was just trying to fill. So that when it was high, it was high, and when it was low, it was low. But I needed it. I needed to fall for the business and being part of the hub and being part of the community like that, and being vulnerable to open up, saying, like, yo, I don't know what I'm doing. Like, sometimes I feel like I'm just throwing stuff against the wall, hoping it sticks every day. Like, that's not fun. It wasn't. It wasn't sustainable. It wasn't realistic for my business at all. It was just going viral and then that was it. And then just hitting rock bottom.

Then it just stopped. Like, the sales, like, the viral pizza just stopped and sales just stopped. And then were. You were just stuck with inventory?

Yeah. It was almost like I felt like God turned the faucet off. He turned the faucet off. Because I feel like I was getting bigger than my bridges. I don't know if that's a saying. I think it's.

It's bigger than my britches. Listen to my Midwest accent tell you about your britches.

Britches. I was getting bigger than my britches. So, yeah, I was just. It was God turning the faucet off for me. I felt it was a good thing because I wasn't learning my business. It was like, if I can compare it to the hair world, I almost had to put in my time. You know, when you get into a hair salon or any type of business, it's almost like you have to do your two years not making any money, just learning the basics of the business.

Yeah.

And then, you know, when you get on the floor now you get to start building your book. Yeah. So. And that's what it was, you know, in the hair world. I was 14, assisting, sweeping, picking up, you know, doing all the, the dirty work, then getting on the floor and actually learning how to cut hair and not burn someone's scalp off. You know, on the, on the floor, building a book.

Exactly.

And then, you know, six years of that of getting my own salon, now actually owning a business and still learning. So you figure, you know, that's 10 years of. Before owning a business where now you're into the boutique. And I've never been. I'm. I don't know anything about a boutique. Nothing. Yeah, nothing.

Yeah.

And I'm starting from scratch, so going viral on top of it and not knowing the basics.

Yeah.

And that's why I'm so appreciative of the hub, because I'm like learning about inventory, circle or cycle counts. And I'm like, we. I wouldn't have known. I wouldn't have known that, you know, if maybe I worked in a boutique and then started from the ground up a little bit more and getting prep work.

It's interesting because I feel like the most boutique owners I know, they come from being a stay at home mom or a teacher or a nurse or doing hair. Right. But it's not like anyone walks into this business with a business background. So if anyone's listening to this feeling like, well, I don't know. I don't know either. Like, I'm just trying to figure it out too. We're all in that together. And I think that's a beautiful part of community over competition, because you came in. You came into the hub, you've came in through retail boot camp, but you also have connected with a ton of people who, you guys can collaborate with one another, you can learn from one another. You've been able to rebuild together. Tell me about that process of just leaning on your boutique owner friends and helping grow through this process.

Hundred percent. So, you know, when I went from my high to my low, I felt like when I started opening up and really being 100% transparent, I felt like I had a really high wall built up over my heart, and I was really scared to open up and, like, say, I. I don't know. You know, I think a lot of people are really scared and have it guarded that people are going to judge or, you know, maybe we just get jaded in the business of life and getting burned. Like, I don't want to get hurt, so I just let it all go. I just gave it to God and I was like, you know what? I'm just going to have him protect me if, you know, someone's going to try to hurt me. Like, okay, I already been on the lowest of low. I've made a ton of money, and I've been at the lowest low. So I was completely transparent of my failures, and I felt like also I had to make my apologies and make my rounds and try to make my past right, my. My past wrongs right. So opening up and being 100% transparent has brought me the bestest of friends, like, ever this past two years and just being able to collab together. So, like, right now, like, I can call my girl, like, hey, I have a jewelry vendor that's coming to the boutique, and she's just a couple miles down the road. She'll come over and do a lifestyle here. Or, you know, it's not. And we don't have to worry. Like, I'm not worried, like, and I can have her hop on my live. I'm like, oh, my gosh, it's my girlfriend. Like, it's just that confidence and knowing that if you're in it for the money, you're not gonna make money. Like, like I said, I made a lot of money, and it did me no good. So if you're in it for the money and the numbers and it just is really gonna go terrible. That is definitely something I can vouch for. 150.

I think that's. So. Thank you 100% for saying that, because I feel like I get on my soapbox and say that a lot. The money is a secondary impact. Right. It's a secondary opportunity, but your heart has to be in it for the right purpose. And I also want to say this, you and I, we're going to be totally transparent here. We didn't even get off on the right foot when we first met. Like, it did not go very well.

We kind of did this. We butted heads.

And I think it's important that we talk about that because I think we all will face conflict in our life. Right. We're all going to face like, oh, that didn't go very well moments in our life. But I really appreciate the fact that we've been able to come together and have conversations and support one another. I'm so appreciative that you're here and that you can be an example and we can be an example together of it may not go right the first time, but humility goes a long way in getting past whatever that was and starting something new. So I just want to call that out and thank you for that.

Yeah, it's really important. That is so huge and I feel like it's perspective. It was definitely when you see something, sometimes you have to take a step back and see, okay, is it me? What, what triggered that in me and what do I need to change in myself? So I actually have a funny story about like my, my mother in law. So when we were younger, she would cook and clean and I would take that as defense. Like I was so defensive. Like she's telling me I'm not a good cook or I'm not a good cleaner. And now I'm 4K and I'm like, hey, you're gonna cook that meal, you're gonna come over, help me clean. You know, it's all perspective. So just taking a step back and really looking at yourself. And I was just praying for God to change my heart and for me to be the salt and light in life. And that really has completely not changed the other person. It's changed me and is in essence changed the relationship. Yeah.

And you know what, let's just take that one level deeper because that salt and light and just like changing our hearts before we could ever change anyone else's. Like to me that's true in marriage. That's true as a parent. Like it's so easy to project what we see is wrong in the world on somebody else. Like it must be their fault. Like they're an a hole, they're a bad person. But really the question is, what Do I need to do differently? And all of us are called to do that, to, like, humbly ask ourselves that question. So.

Yeah.

Dynamite.

Yeah. Not just taking feelings on surface level. And that was a big aha to me. I was like, wait, maybe it's not really that person doing it, but really, why did that bother me? Like, why did that trigger me, like, digging deeper into just the surface level feelings and really getting to the root of the problem? Because nothing's going to be solved.

Yeah. That's so good. So you have this group of friends. Let's go back to the Jersey shore. You truly have the Jersey Shore, like, next door. And you have, like, your. What do you call? Like, it's not your posse. Like, what's your Jersey Shore? What is your group called? Like, where's Snooki?

What's going on? I'm not. I'm not sure. I know we definitely don't pump gas, but we do pump our fist. I've never. I've. I've only pumped gas once, and it was terrible. I didn't know what I was doing. I was looking for the hole, and I had to go inside and, like, ask for. I don't even know. It was crazy. It was absolutely berserk. I normally just roll down the window and say, fill it regular. Like, I don't know what I'm doing. But I guess posse. I guess posse. I'm not sure.

Yeah, okay.

Well, you get your positive girl gang.

So tell me about who is in your community, because I think this is fascinating. Tell me about who's in your community with you, how you've met and collaborated and what that looks like in terms of community over competition. Just like you said, going live together. But go deeper on who's there, how you work together, and what that means to be in community with one another.

So, yeah, absolutely. I mean, so I have. There's definitely my girl April. Like, she's amazing. I grew up with her. Her mom and my mom were best friends, and so we've always connected. So when I was invited out to the big leagues in California a couple months ago, she texted me, like, should I go? I said, yeah, get here. And she flew on a plane, like, literally that day. And we eventually flew home together. And just being together, like, she's like, okay, you got to hit up this vendor. And I'm like, okay, you got to hit up that vendor. And just working together, and we're literally, like, miles apart. So my girl April is amazing.

Love her.

She's so great. Then I have my Other girlfriend, Rachel, she's like, New York, New Jersey. And we connected this year, too, on a whole nother level. And we're always like, do you want to do a boutique takeover? What do you got left over? I'll take that. Send that. So that's working out well, too, because if you're stuck, if they're stuck, like, working together can really help unify and grow each other.

Yeah.

And people. The customers see that too. Like, they could sense that. So I also have Renee, Amanda. They're literally like a skip a town next door. Like, really next door. And I'll text them, hey, I got jewelry here. You want to come see? Or, you know, if we're at market, you know, just working really, like, honestly together, it's really insane to think about how close we all are. And speaking of frenemies. So it's funny because her name's Pam, and we actually connected. It was my first time meeting her in Dallas. We were in the one showroom, and I was like, I think that's her. And in Lularoe, we were kind of enemies. And, I mean, if she's watching. Sorry, I'm just airing it out. But, you know, I confronted her, and I said, hey, like, I would love for you to come to my boutique if we have new vendors. And just totally just like, went with a different perspective, because I know the old me, and I didn't like that me. So I just completely was open and transparent and was. And we actually became, like, friends from that. And every time we saw each other at Mark, we're like, hey, girl. Oh, my gosh, you can't get off this floor. And we exchanged information, and it was just something I was just really proud of to overcome, something I would have been literally throwing up in my shirt over if I saw her years ago. You know, like, scared to death of her, but just getting through it, just pushing through.

Yeah, I think that's so good. We hear so often today. You know, there's stories like yours where there's collaboration between one another, or, like, you just open a boutique and someone like the boutique down the street sends you flowers like that. But there still is in some. Some communities, that sense of real tough competition and stealing vendors or just kind of being shady. So I think your story is really inspiring in the sense that I think a lot of people could take that and say, okay, how can I do this different? Like, I can't change this person. What can I do different? How could I extend the olive branch? How could I air this out? And what Do I want, like, in an ideal, perfect world, what do I want the situation to become? And really leaning in that direction rather than just hiding from it or being bitter because of it? Is that so good?

Exactly. Yeah. I would never want to see a business fail. Like, and it doesn't matter if you think of them, a competition or not, because there's still someone's mom, there's still someone's, you know, aunt, there's still someone's daughter. Like that. That's a person like, you know, I would never, ever like. It makes me so sad to see businesses go out. Small businesses in New Jersey, we hit it real hard. It was one out of three businesses went under the past year. And it was just. It's devastating to see because I would never, ever want that to happen. And, you know, speaking of, like, competition with being directly, especially with storefronts, I know when I opened up my hair salon, I had all the odds against me. Seriously. I had family members trying to, like, really shut me down. And when I opened up my hair salon within that year, a great clip opened up right across the street. And I had a family member call me, congratulate me for going out of business. Because the great clips opened up across the street from me, and I was true to myself. I stayed consistent. I didn't lower my prices. I kept my quality, and I was just who I was. And you know what happened? Within the year, the great clips went out. I was shocked. Yeah, they were doing $13 haircuts while I was staying true to myself with my pricing and my. Like, I. And I was voted the best in New Jersey that year. I was featured in magazines. So, like, just staying true to who you are and just being confident and knowing that the only competition should be yourself. And that's just trying to be better person every day. Just looking at what can I do better in my life today than I did.

I love that.

And that's really, like, that's the. That's the core value of just being a human being. Being life, being in business, being in everything, being a mom, being a wife, being a sister. It's. How can I be the better person I was than I was yesterday?

That's so good. That's so true. And I think the boutique industry needs to hear your very specific salon and great clips example because it's so easy to get. Like, we need the blinders on, right. But we still feel like we're always fighting against Amazon and Walmart and Big Box and Sheen and all of that, but price isn't like cheap, ain't loyal. Doesn't matter what price someone else is charging. What value are you giving? And just like you said, how are you being truly authentic to who you are today?

Yeah, you guys do such a great.

Job of translating that in your live sales. Like, you're just. It's real. Like, it's raw. You're just going to have fun. I've watched your live sales. Talk to me about the anatomy of a good live sale. What do you think comes together to make a live sale? Really great.

So, okay, when I first started doing live sales, I was freaking out. So if you are completely new to live selling, I. I completely understand. I only had like five to 10 people on the live. I stood there, I had these heavy bangs, and I would touch my bangs 30 times. I'd say like, like, like, like. So I would freak out. Oh, it was crazy. So what I started doing was I would re watch my own lives. I would fix my camera. I would go back and critique myself in a good way, but I would do that in the salon as well. So I would sit in a salon chair and look around as a customer. So pretend to be the customer and watch yourself. Try to just fix little things that you can do to make it. If you won't watch yourself, then who else is going to want to watch you? So have good conversation starters. Ice breaking conversation. I'm probably a little too raw with my group. I could probably bring it down a little bit with some my transparency, but I think that's what people appreciate because I look at the camera as if it's just me and my best friend. And that's what I look. That's. I feel like we are. With my group, it's just me and my best friend. If I KNEW There was 500 people really watching me, I would freak out. Like, I would. I can't talk in front of 500 people. But I just think it's just me and my girlfriend and we're just having fun. We're trying on clothes, you know, and. And just being yourself. If you have someone to be there with you, I think that would help as well because it kind of brings, you know, a little bit more dynamic. But I understand if you have to do it alone, it is a little bit harder to do it alone. But I would say prepare your racks. Have a friend with you if you can, or a helper. Just some conversation talking. Because it can be really hard in the beginning when you don't have a lot of viewers and there's no one Talking. I think that's probably the hardest thing to overcome, is to talk to yourself. Yeah.

I think that's such good advice. You do. You have to be like your own hype man. You better get some hype music going, something to bring some excitement and just. I think it's like with anything when. When you're selling something, right. If you're not excited about it, nobody's going to be excited about it. So if you feel like you're alone, you're by yourself, it's. It's pretty hard to make it work. Do you think that there's, like an ideal time to be live? How many days a week do you go live and how many products are you showing when you go live?

Yes. So for me, I go live at least three times a day. Monday through Friday, sometimes I'll pop in some weekends. I do focus on live selling the most. I would say 95% of my business is lifestyles versus any other income. So it is a lot. But in my mind, you know, I was doing hair nine to nine. So if I. I could stand behind the camera for an hour, that would be a haircut. Blow dry, you know, a full head of highlights. How long does it take for a full head of highlights? An hour and a half.

All freaking day, it feels like. Yes. Yeah.

Right. So if I was doing that, there's no reason why I can't stand behind the camera.

Yeah.

So three times a day for sure would be something obtainable for me because I'm used to working a lot.

So. That's right.

What were the other.

I don't even know. But I'm sidetracked now because I'm just thinking, like, I'm just thinking about your example because part of me wanted to ask you next, do you worry about burning out? Like, that's a lot to go live. And there's so many people now that are bringing in other personalities, other models just like to take that weight off. But I've never thought about it, like, oh, if I was a hairdresser, like this, this is what it would be anyway, so it was just a different light, I guess. I had really never considered. So I'm still absorbing it. But do you have, like. Do you think about, like, long term having a plan B or someone else to take some of that pressure off of you if you weren't able to go live that day?

Yeah. So I am in the process of hiring help, but it's just. They really only want me. Yeah. So that's really hard to pivot a Process, but that was also in the hair. That was in the hair salon well too. And I hate to keep comparing good. But if I brought on another hairdresser, I'm at risk of losing my customers. I'm at risk of losing my book. You know, I. And the reason why I pivoted from the boutique world too, is because I had so many hairdressers come in and take my following and open up their own salon down the road. So, yes, you can have contracts, you can have non competes, you can have all that, but that only. You have to have a time frame. You have to have a miles. There's a lot involved. It's not just, okay, sign here. You can't ever open up a business like they can. And online, there's no miles online. So you're at a major risk when you're doing that. So it's a lot. It's a lot to think about. It's a lot for your customers. You know, it's someone coming into the family, they're like, you know, but it is, you know, for me, I do feel the calling to move more towards a wholesale. I did just launch a lash line. So I am. I feel I do have some value in the business world that I really love to help women succeed. So, like, I feel my heart is being led into that. So my goal is to maintain my business numbers because it does well. I don't want a massive warehouse. I don't want massive employees. I know that's not my goal. I know I don't want that. So when I see that, I'm like a cheerleader for them because I'm like, you go, girl. That's not for me. Yeah, like, I know I don't want that, but I'm like super excited for them to see that growth and that, you know, explosion. I'm not jealous in any way because I know what amount of money, time. I mean, the sacrifice, that. That is a major sacrifice. I'm not willing to sell. I feel like my soul to that because I know I'm already sacrificing so much to maintain what I have now.

I think that's been a real motto this year. I just had someone was live today inside of Retail bootcamp talking about this very thing and it that is that bigger is not better. Better is better. Better is always better. And what makes you happy is better. How can we build something that's sustainable and that has life and can feed our family and can feed our freedom, but doesn't own us mess at the end of the day. So tell me more about. You have the lash line coming next. I also think, like, just having more than one revenue stream is so important. So often we're locked down to just having a boutique, but there's so many other opportunities to be an influencer, to have a wholesale line. How else do you see yourself diversifying so that you can have more fulfillment at the end of the day, five years from now?

Oh, my gosh. So there is, like you said, you don't want to keep all your eggs in one basket. And I do feel like, for me and my experience of just like the salon world and the boutique world and it kind of all does go together, like hair, makeup, clothes, the fashion world is all together in one, and it. It has exploded to be that. So TikTok is huge right now. My goal is to be, you know, a content creator on TikTok, but also helping women to do that as well. So, you know, I don't know if there's going to be a stream of income in that, but I just know that I'm passionate about it. So anything I'm passionate about, you know, the money will flow. So I know I'm passionate. I've been wearing lashes since I was 16 when everyone told me I was crazy. What are you doing? I got controlled so many times on the Internet about them, but I still wear them. I don't care. I'm addicted. I'm literally addicted to them. So for me, it's just, you know, the calling to do it. I know I love it. I'm passionate about it. I know I can create them. And the packaging, it's going to be like, yeah, so it's vegan, it's cruelty free, it's paramount free, phthalate free. Like, all the things that I would want in a product I know I can create. And helping women go live with them or whatever, I knew that was going to almost carve me a path into something with helping women. So I just know that I'm not really worried about the money like I used to be. So I know the money will come. I know God will take care of me with whatever I go. But I do agree that you should try to find other streams of income. But it's it again, everything you do, there's going to be sacrifice. You have to do something.

Katrina, this has been so helpful today, this conversation. I always want to kind of end on this note together. And this is so much of what you've already illustrated, like the reason that we're here and the Reason that we're in business is not about the products we're selling. You know, you've demonstrated. It's about the women that we're helping. It's about the legacy that you're leaving. I'm curious. You've got four kids and as you think about, man, 20 years down the road, you're sitting there with those kids and grandbabies and you're looking back at the businesses that you created, the life that you live, the experience that you had. What is the thing that you want them to remember about you in your life and what you taught them the most.

So I feel that with having four kids, it's definitely a lot. And I want them to know that that money isn't what it's all about. And I know the drive. I know they're going to have the drive. I know because between me and my husband and our personalities and the endurance and the tenacity and they're all, you know, they all have this amazing personality and creativity. But I really want them to just be passionate and happy with the decisions they make in life. And I know that they're gonna want to be entrepreneurs, whatever they're doing. I would just really want them to just be passionate, happy about their choices and not just go for the money because that's where I fell flat on my face and got depressed and really was just filling a void and that, you know, that God's with them and that Jesus is here for them and really just to focus on that and just getting in the Bible, finding, you know, that faith based relationship, I think that that's probably the most important for me and for my kids to know that Jesus loves them, God loves them and not to live for the world, to live for him. That that would be the most important information that not only my kids, but everyone knows for me.

I'm so glad that you shared that. Katrina, thank you so much again for, for being here, for sharing your story, for sharing your heart honestly, and for being a part of our community and lifting others up. I really appreciate it. Thanks for your time today.

Thank you.

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