The Importance of Multiple Revenue Streams For Your Business

One of the biggest opportunities I see for boutiques today is to diversify their revenue streams, to use this community that you've built for yourself, not only to build a growing boutique business and sell your products, but to also build influence, to collaborate with other brands and to build new opportunities. Today I'm pumped because my friend Kate Yonski, who has been an OG Boutique Hub member, her and her mom Sharon, are longtime members of the Hub in retail boot camp. I see them in LA on our trips, market on our trips, and I love hearing their journey continue to unfold, from growing to one bedroom in their home, to three bedrooms in their home, to a brick and mortar to an even larger brick and mortar just last year before the holiday season. It's amazing to see her continue to push through the next level of where the boutique is taking her. So this is a real open and honest conversation with Kate about what it's taken to grow, what obstacles she had to overcome, and how she has now leveraged the business she's built and the influence that she's built to build multiple revenue streams. So get ready to meet my friend, Kate Yonski from Vogue Society Boutique. I know you are going to love this conversation. Let's talk about your business strategy and the juicy details of what actually works, from mainstream fashion to fashion on Main street and the entire ecosystem behind it. How do we scale your company and do it with the balance and the happiness that we all seek? Let's hear from those insiders, experts, and strategists that actually make it happen. I'm your host, Ashley Alderson from the Boutique Hub, and I can't wait to chat. Hey, welcome to the podcast today. Thank you.

I'm so excited to be here. I'm the podcast's biggest fan.

I love this. You are such. I. I just have to start by saying this. I appreciate you and your mom so much because you've done so many things in the Boutique Hub. You've been a member for such a long time. I see you at all the markets. I feel like I saw you in la. I just saw you in Vegas, and you're such, like, you're. You're always there, you're always showing up, and you're always supporting other people. Like you're a person that other boutique owners always want to talk to. And I really admire that about you. I think that's really important. That is community over competition. I can see you guys living it.

Yes. Thank you.

You bet. Well, I'm pumped. We have a lot to talk about today. Because I've watched your journey unfold for quite a while now. And I think no matter where your business is at, if you're listening to this episode today, you're going to be able to relate to Kate on one stage or another of the journey. All the way from building a business in a bedroom to a warehouse, to a storefront and a bigger storefront. So Kate, I want you to start. Just tell me about the very beginning. How did you first start? When did you start and what was that very first journey like?

Okay, so my journey has been a long one and it's literally been a roller coaster. And I feel like it makes sense in my head, but when I say it out loud I'm like, these people probably think I'm crazy. But so anyways, I'm actually from Pennsylvania. I went to Penn State for marketing and at the same time my mom had always worked like a 9 to 5 job. And she was just ready to like get out of the corporate world. I was ready to graduate and she was like, let's start a business together. Like we were both like, you know, bright eyed and bushy tailed thinking like, that's easy, like that's what we'll do for a living. And so I was like, yeah, like I really want to start a boutique. And I guess the reason why I wanted to start the boutique was because, I mean, honestly, like we just loved like shopping together. That's like what we did to like spend time together. Because like I said, like during the week and stuff she was always working. So like on the weekends, like we'd go get lunch and go shopping. That was like our thing. And back then, like, I know that was only in probably like I think 2017, but I didn't know know about any other like online boutiques. Like maybe like a few big ones, but like, and I knew they existed, but I was, I didn't know how many I guess there were. So I thought I was coming up with like a new idea. And so anyways, we actually at the same time ended up moving to Florida because we were like, well, if we're gonna make this big life change, like let's do it there. Because we've always wanted to like move here. So we've been in Florida ever since when we first started the boutique. We literally out of our guest bedroom when I tell you we had no idea what we were doing. Like, I didn't even know that you can look up YouTube videos about this stuff or that there were other people doing this stuff anywhere. So I remember I, like, Googled, like, how to start a boutique. And I remember the boutique hub was, like, the first thing that came up. Like, before I even had a name for the boutique. I was like, this boutique hub thing. And I saw your name and, like, found your email somehow. And I literally remember emailing you, and I was like, hi, Ashley, can you call me and tell me how to open a boutique? And so I just think that's so funny now. And you were like, oh, you could, like, join the hub. I was like, okay. And I've been in it ever since, so I'm pretty sure I was a hub member before I even started my boutique, which has been, like, the biggest blessing ever. So, anyways, started off in our bedroom. Just launched online. And of course, like, you know, the first day of sales is always great. And then you go on and you realize that you actually have to, like, you know, do marketing and, you know, do all these things to actually make sales and actually, like, drive people to your website and grow a business. Yeah. So I quickly realized that it wasn't as easy as I was gonna think it was gonna be. And so after a while, I kind of figured it out. We started doing some live sales on Facebook and just, like, grew, like, a small but really loyal customer base. And we grew to the point where it was taking up, like, three rooms in our house. So we were like, okay, let's try to find, like, some type of, like, office space. But we live in Sarasota, Florida. It's like a beach town there. It's. It's an expensive town, so even the office spaces here are very expensive. So we found a place where it was, like, a retail location. And we knew there wasn't going to be a lot of foot traffic, but we were like, well, this is, like, perfect to start, but we might as well just, like, have a store here, and we'll just work here every day, like, how we do now. But, like, customers could come in. So we did that, and we opened our first store probably, I think that was in, like, 2018, and it was okay. And, like, we were still, you know, profitable and everything because we had our online store. But once Covid started and we had to, like, we were forced to shut down, we just decided not to reopen that location because our overall sales went up as soon as we, like, started focusing on online again, just because that location wasn't great. So my mom and I were like, we're never opening another brick and mortar store again unless it's in the perfect, perfect location. So we Were like, all right, let's get a warehouse. So we got a warehouse just this past, like summer in July, like 2021 went into that warehouse. And about the same time, I kind of like had this idea about opening a store for the holidays in kind of like a pop up sort of store, maybe that you would do it for three months or so. So I called my local mall and it just so happened that literally the best spot in the mall, which it's a good mall too, but literally the best spot in the mall was opening. And he was like, well, you have to sign on for, like, at least a year. And I was like, okay, well, let's go ahead and do that. And when I say I never wanted to open another location again, I meant it. But I said if it was in the perfect location, we would do it. And when I say this is like legit, the perfect location, like, our mall is hopping. It's in, like, right next to like a Lululemon in the middle of the mall. It's great. And so I decided, okay, let's go ahead and do that. And so we've been open there for a few months and literally I just feel like our business has gone through every stage in the book. And so, yeah, that's where we're at now.

Oh, my gosh. I love that, Kate. So there's so many pieces of that I want to break down and digest from going online to starting a brick and mortar and pros and cons of each. But go back to when you started. It was really after. We'll call it like the heyday of Facebook. Right. There was so many boutiques that got started and really grew with the algorithm. But you started after that when it was still really tricky to get any kind of traction on Facebook. And I know you mentioned that you were going live at that time, and that was probably pretty on in boutiques going live. Like, that was a pretty new thing when you started doing that. So tell me about that time and when you first started. How did you get that initial traction?

Yeah, well, I think it was really. I think it was really frustrating to us. So, like, if anyone's feeling that way, like, I totally get it because it was a lot harder just to, you know, grow a customer base and sell products than we thought it was going to be.

Yeah.

Because the Facebook algorithm at that time and everything had already changed. We didn't get the opportunity to be like, hey, everybody, like our Facebook page. And now we have all these thousands of customers that are seeing our stuff. And so I was seeing these huge boutiques blow up, and I'm like, how did they blow up in two years? And here I am, like, six months into it, and I still feel like I haven't seen that much growth. So I think that frustration was there, but I kept. I kept working at it and trying new things. Like, lives really did help us because it was like a new thing. I didn't have comments sold then. I do have it now. But I just remember I was like, well, mom, like, there's this live sale thing that people do, and I made, like, sticky notes and put them on the hangers, and we did it, and our customers, like, loved it. Like, it was the most sales we've ever done. And I'm sure I only, like, showed, like, five products or something like that, but it was still, like, the biggest sales day we had. And I was like, oh, my gosh, we're gonna do this all the time. And since then, we still do them. They're not, like, our biggest stream of income. But, I mean, I think that they still. They still work. And I think that back then, it was, like, really different. People really liked that. I think it's getting a little bit more common now. But yeah, Yeah, I would agree with that.

I think it was like, there was such a huge surge, and now a lot of people do it. It's very common. But I guess with that, there's opportunity, but there's also, okay, what's next? Like, I have to break through and find what's next. Do you think that, like, as you've gone through each of these stages and this evolution of growth, that you've had to, like, adjust your mindset each step of the way? Or I guess their question is, I get. I get asked this all the time. I'm sure you do, too. What is the secret? What is the secret to success, Kate? Like, how do I grow? What is the mindset shift that helps you identify what the secret actually is and how to grow?

I think the secret is to just not give up and just keep trying new things because there really, like, isn't a secret. Like I said, I was that person who I would listen and dig into these podcasts and everything, and I'm like, okay, what can I get from this mega boutique owner? Is she gonna tell the secret? And it's like, there really is no secret. It's really just the mindset of going from day to day and, like, just focusing on different things, like growing your email list, and if you don't have a text list yet, like, do that and grow that. And those little tiny things that you do over time are going to, like, help your business grow over time with you. And I think that was, like, the biggest, like, mindset change for me that I had to, like, make and just know that, like, I'm not gonna blow up overnight. And I know that, like, there are some people now, like, there's like a new generation of boutique owners coming in where they start and then they blow up TikTok. And it's like, wow, like, I've been at it for five years and now you're making more sales than me because you had, like a viral TikTok. And I know that doesn't happen to everyone, but there's definitely things to take advantage of too. So we're on TikTok as well and always hoping to go viral.

Yeah, it's interesting because you. It's easy to see that from the outside looking in, like, okay, I saw this boutique go viral or I don't know, I just like this idea of external success. But I feel like from my seat when I dig in and I see these boutiques come to us like, hey, can you help me? Then I look at their financials or I look at their inventory management. I'm like, oh, like, you have viral on TikTok, but you don't have any money in the bank. So there is definitely a balance of, like, this idea of fast growth. But then idea of what you and your mom have built is sustained growth that is reached levels over time, and you've done it the smart way and the right way by really investing back in your business and back into your inventory. Right. Do you see that differently?

Well, I will say yes. And I will say that's all my mom, because we're the perfect dynamic duo because she. She actually used to be an accountant. Like, that was her job. So she. Yeah, so I got it made. So she does all of, like, the inventory management and, like, the cost and, like, keeping up with, like, the bills and insurance, all the boring stuff. So I get to focus on the fun stuff. Yeah, the boring stuff to me, I'm not a numbers person. I like to look at, like, social media analytics, but that's as far as I.

That's so important, though. So you and Sharon are the definition of like, I always talk about retail right brain and retail left brain, and you have to have both. You have to be able to be creative and be on social. If you don't know how to use a computer or don't know how to be on social. Owning a boutique these days is really, really hard. You have to have those skill sets or have someone next to you who does. And, and like you're saying with your mom, you have to have the left brain side where you know the analytics, you know the numbers, you know how to invest in inventory. What is that partnership been like between you and your mom? How have you kept that? So you've maintained a great relationship through this because it can be challenging working with someone in your family.

Yeah, I mean, it can be. And we do fight. But I think at the end of the day, when you own a business with like someone in your family, or my mom for this case, like, we get over it a lot quicker than somebody might with another business partner that you're not related. If you have a disagreement, who knows, you might not be able to get past that. But we're a family, so we get past things really easily. And she'll have an idea. And I'm like, no, mom, that's not a good idea. And she's like, you never like my ideas. And I'm like, so those are the kind of fights that we have. But overall, every day we work together really well. That's so good.

I feel like the older I get and the older my kids get, I look at this through such a different lens. So as I think about your relationship with your mom, I'm dying to ask you this. When you're, when you were being raised right, when you were younger, are there things that your mom did that really helped you to build a strong relationship like you have now? I mean, because this partnership that you're talking about and you guys fighting but getting over it, like, that doesn't just happen. That came over time. So what advice would you give to the mothers who are listening, who want to raise daughters that they want to have a long term, great relationship with?

Well, let's just say my mom. My mom and I were always close growing up, but she was pretty strict, I will have to say. But she made it a point to like, have dinner every single night together. And she like. But we still did, like. And we still did like, fun things, like on the weekend, like going shopping together. Like I said, she definitely, like, instilled a lot of, like, life lessons in me. And a lot of the times, like growing up, I would say, like, oh, like, you're, you're so cheesy or like, you're so weird for like, saying these things or doing these things. And like now, like, I will say them. And I'm like, Shoot, I sound exactly like my mom. So I think just like having, I do think like having a friendly, real like a friendly type of relationship and like a goofy relationship, but also like, she was like kind of strict as well. So still having like, structure in my life, I think that that all helps.

Yeah. You still had boundaries. Even though it was fun, you had healthy boundaries. That's really good to know. Thank you.

I.

This morning, as I was taking the kids to school, my like pre puberty daughter was very much in like that way of being. And I was like, I don't even know what I'm in for right now. So you're, you're healing my mom.

I was a handful as a teenager, let's just say that.

Yeah, I was too.

That's why I'm so nervous about this.

Like, I don't know what's to come around the corner. Oh, gal. All right, so you and your mom, let's go back to like mid stage. Right. So pre Covid, you guys decided you were going to move out of the house. It was taking over three bedrooms. You moved into your first storefront. Tell me about that very first step into having a storefront. What was that like?

So I had to hire our first employees. And so we just, I think had like two girls, like working with us and they would cover like some of like the hours at the store. And we, at first, I will say this, at first we were like, okay, we're gonna be open like seven days a week, and we're gonna be open from like 9am to 9pm because that's like, you know, no boutiques do that. And then we would sit there at like 6 o' clock and like, nobody would come in. So I'm like, okay, like, maybe, maybe we don't have to do this. And we cut down the hours, had more of like a work life balance. And just having that store, it did teach me the, just the basics of like having a storefront, like merchandising, like having some employees. Even though it wasn't like a ton to like manage because it was a small location, we didn't have much foot traffic. But from there we actually grew our online a lot in that location. So it's kind of like an awkward thing where like, we didn't have a big back room and like, we kept pushing the back room like further and further up and like making the storefront like smaller per se, because we needed room to do lives in the back and all that stuff. So it was definitely like a crazy time. And like it was always kind of crazy in there, and it was a small space, but I definitely think it was, like, perfect for us to, like, start off in that location.

Yeah. How did you decide then that you wanted to go to a bigger space? I mean, I know you found, like, the perfect location in the mall, but talk to me about the mindset shift that it took to go from a small space to, oh, I guess I want to do this, and I want to do it even bigger.

Well, honestly, I didn't even realize, like, how big the store was. Like, right now, our store, the whole unit is, I think, like, 3, 500 square foot or something. It's really big, but the dressing rooms are really big. The back room is really big. And we did have our warehouse, like, a few months ago. We ended up getting rid of it, like, pretty quickly and just, like, subletting it because I was like, I really, like, don't need all this space. We could run our online store from the back. It has, like, a huge stock room that. But I mean, to be honest with you, I didn't even really think about the challenges that would come with the bigger storefront until we started with Management one. And they kind of were like, you need more inventory for this amount of square footage. And I've gone through so many periods where I've overbought for our store, and I'm like, we should not have this much inventory. But now it's like, I'm under buying because I wasn't used to, like, the volume that it takes. And, like, if there's just, like, a week that I'm off and, like, didn't buy enough, then, like, our store is, like, it looks empty for the weekend. So it's definitely one of those things that I've been learning as I go is, like, trying to buy for the volume that you have, which is fun, but also, it still is, like, challenging, and you really have to look at the numbers of everything.

So, yeah, tell me more about that process, because I know when I last saw you, I mean, I just saw you in Vegas, but before that in la, you and your mom were trying to figure that out. You were in the middle of, like, oh, my gosh, we have to buy all this stuff. What are we getting ourselves into? Yeah, and also, like, you're going into a huge storefront that was right before the holidays. And then, you know, January and February are coming after, which can be really tricky for a big storefront. So tell me more about the lessons you Learned with management 1. Like, were there other surprises that, that you found along the way in buying that volume of inventory.

So I still think that I'm struggling with, like, I don't know if I should buy like, more pat, like, buy deeper or wider. Just because I feel like if, you know, there's six of something out on the, on the floor, that's still giving them like, the option to buy any size, like, out there. But then I've quickly learned that, like, those two smalls can sell out in like 10 minutes. And so. And that could happen online. It could happen online too. But I'm just learning like, more of the behaviors like, of in store. So I have been buying a little bit deeper and a little bit wider. And just looking at the numbers that management one has given me to follow, it's just bigger than I've ever seen before. So it's a little bit daunting sometimes. And as much as I buy, I'm like, wow, we still need more. Another one of our struggles, I guess, or something that I'm trying to figure out is the merchandising on the floor and using like, every little space that I can possibly use, like, making sure all of the face outs are full and trying to, like, layer with them and incorporating jewelry into the mannequins and stuff like that. So because I've never had a really, like, busy storefront before, like, with a lot of foot traffic, it's definitely a learning curve for me. But it's been really fun.

That's so fun. And that's such a big, like, I can tell, like, when we work with a store who's like a newer storefront versus a more established that merchandising piece, There's a lot of money to be made in merchandising. And when I see a store that just has like a bunch of tops on a face out, right, Versus like, you go into the buckle and it's got like 17 layers on a face out. There's a reason for that. And that goes back to that whole idea of a style educator. One other thing you and I have talked about, Kate, a lot is CEO versus entrepreneur mindset. And I know you've really leaned into what does it take to be a CEO, especially now with a bigger storefront, more employees, more responsibility, more inventory, more cash, all those things. What would you say? Like, what is your definition of a CEO versus an entrepreneur mindset? And how have you lived into that?

Yeah, well, it's been almost five years since we opened, and I do think, like, even listening to the things that you were saying and posting. I kept telling myself, like, oh, yeah, I'm a CEO. And then I would really look at things and I'm like, no, I'm more of an entrepreneur mindset. I literally do all of it myself. And I hardly outsource anything at all. Even before we opened the storefront, I only had. It was only me, my mom, and one employee who basically just modeled and stuff like that. But now going into it, like, I had to hire, like, I think over the holidays we had like a team of like seven or eight people, something like that. And that was just like a lot because now I'm a manager and it's like I never really signed up to be like, a manager or like, you know, knew what I was doing. So it's like a whole different, like, job, which could be really challenging, especially in a time where you can't find anyone who wants to work. So that has been definitely, like one of my biggest challenges. But otherwise, going into more of a CEO mindset, I have divided up some of the work that frankly, I was like, okay, I just don't want to do this after doing it for so long, steaming all of the clothes and tagging all of the clothes and packing the orders. And I'm not above that or anything like that. But I have the resources to, like, yeah, have the resources to give those jobs to, like, other people. So that way I can focus on like, things like segmenting my marketing list better and doing things like that. So that's been really helpful and like a big, big shift of from where I was like six months ago.

It's a big shift and it's a really hard shift to make. Like, I think sometimes it sounds easy, like, oh, I'm just gonna hand off these tasks, right. And I'm gonna focus on the income generating activity. But that's hard because as entrepreneurs, we're control freaks and it's hard to let go of some of those pieces as we continue to grow. So kudos to you for seeing that opportunity to keep going. Something else that you do really well, that I really want to call attention to is you've put a lot of effort into building a personal brand along with the business's brand. And I feel like the name of the game anymore is not just about owning a boutique and having this one successful business, but it's how many multiple revenue streams can I build? And so talk to me about your decision to really work on being an influencer along with a boutique owner and also monetizing that side of the business.

Yeah. So it all started because I was like, I need to advertise my boutique more. So I would use my personal Instagram to take like some of the better shots that we took during our photo shoots. And I'd be like, I love this outfit. Like, shop it at Vogue Society. And then I quickly just started sharing like more and more of my personal life. After seeing like other like influencers and bloggers, I would go on stories. I would start making like, just more like taking more time to make actual good content for my Instagram. I didn't even know that you could monetize until somebody like offered me money one time to like post something and I was like, wow, this is cool. And then I slowly started to realize that like people do do this like for a full time job and there is a lot of money to be made and it's definitely not easy. Just like some people think like owning a boutique is easy. Like this is not easy either. And it does take a lot of hard work to get the engagement and to make great content to have all the relationships with other brands and things like that. But at the end of the day, it is like another income stream for me. And just long term, I definitely want to diversify. One of my long term goals is to own properties as well. So once I make enough money to invest in something like that, I'm all for having multiple income streams along with the business.

I love that. That's so powerful and, and oh man. Whether it's on your personal page, Kate, or with Vogue Society, like the opportunity that you have to cross post those products and bring awareness, that's just like such an opportunity. What are some apps and tools that you've used along the way to help build that side of the business?

So I have been using Inshot. It's like a tool to edit like videos and stuff like that. That's like a really good one. Also Lightroom to edit of my pictures and put nice little filters on them. And then also the Tezza app is good too because you could actually put filters on videos, which has been really nice. And then obviously like the like to know it. A lot of people have a lot of questions about like to know it. And our boutique is on there. I think it's a little bit easier to get on there now than it was a few years ago. When I did it, I was like, I begged them, I was like, will you please let my boutique be on, like to know it. And then that way bloggers could l your products. Then it gives them more of a Reason to, like shop with you. So then they could like actually buy from you. They can show off the product in like an authentic way and then they could like link it and make commission. So then you're basically like paying them commissions as well. And then I use like to know it on the other end, being a blogger, slash influencer, whatever you want to call it these days, to link other things. Like I maybe like, I buy on Amazon for my boutique and people are like, oh, like just a simple thing. Like, you know, what kind of printer do you use to ship your labels? And I could be like, oh, here's a Dymo label printer, here's the link. And if someone buys it off my link, I make commission. So there's always money.

There really is. There's such an opportunity and. And I know we all dog out Amazon and we don't like Amazon, but on the influencing side of things there, it's a great way to go, make some extra commission to make some money. Tell me more about your boutique getting hooked up on like to Know it. Did you have to have your own, like a platform you're using for commissions in order to get approved with like to know it or like, isn't that part a little bit tricky? Tell me about how you got that set up.

Yeah, it is a little bit tricky. They give you a few different platforms that you could use, but you can basically just sign. Sign up for the platform. I can't remember what it is called that we use it, like share a.

Sale or anything like that. Share sale. Wait, there's a few of them. That's the first one that comes to my mind.

I think that sounds right. And once you get it all set up, it's all, it's all very automated so, like, you don't have to worry about like paying anyone. Like, it'll just automatically like, do it. So I have that set up. I will say that I wish that I tried to like, push it a little bit more. And it's definitely in my. One of my goals for this year to try and push people using the like to Know it app more. Just to grow our business and bring more awareness to it.

Yeah, it's so helpful. And it goes back to like, as easy as you can make it for somebody to collaborate. I mean, that's really the purpose of like to know it. I think when boutiques are like, how come more influencers don't work with boutiques? Well, because when you have to do all of that from scratch, it's a lot more work but when you have like to know it, it's kind of a done for you opportunity, right?

Yeah. And to be honest, like, it does kind of just like suck. But like a lot of big companies have like a lot of a bigger budget to pay influencers and that's just like what it is at the end of the day, which is why they are working with big companies and maybe not as many boutiques. And I think if you establish a good enough relationship with an influencer, they might do it for just the free clothes or just like a small payment or something like that. Because what a lot of people don't realize is big influencers are getting paid thousands of dollars for one post on Instagram. And at the end of the day I don't have the money to do that and it's not going to be beneficial for my business. I will lose money on that because it's not, it's just, I know it's not going to bring those sales to my boutique off of one post or if it does, it is a big risk. So I do think though, I've had relationships with bigger bloggers that have done things for a very low cost for me because I have talked to them a lot from the beginning and I was never really asking them to do anything until like several months into our relationship.

Tell me more about like what, what is a most successful partnership or an ideal partnership? What does that look like for a blogger and a boutique?

I think, I definitely think it has to be a long term partnership because if they post you one time, most likely you might get a sale or two. I mean, depending on how big they are. But most likely you're not going to see the long term results of that until they've posted you like three or four times, maybe even more, and consistently did a try on with you or showed several pictures with your product because their audience is gonna see you once and forget your name. But if they're constantly posting about you, then the audience is gonna see that and they're gonna, you know, next time they need an outfit they're gonna be like, oh, like what's that boutique again? And then they're gonna look you up from there.

The long term piece of that is so helpful. It's not like a I'm gonna do this one time, I'm gonna find all of this success, I'm gonna sell out. I better buy deep.

Yeah, I would definitely say like don't go into that, like don't work with influencers until you're ready to do it. Long term, because I think that's, like, the only real way to do it.

Kate, what is the biggest. Actually, the word isn't biggest. What is the best mistake you've ever made?

I would just say the best mistake I ever made was probably over buying. Because I do remember, like, there was a point where I would just buy whatever the heck I wanted. Our store was, like, overfilled to the top, and I ended up having to use the inventory exchange group to purge a ton of stuff for a while because we really didn't need that much inventory. And it was hard to, like, get out of that and, like, free our cash up again. But now I feel like I have PTSD from that because now.

Bummer. Due to some technical difficulties, our episode got cut just a minute short with Kate. But I did want to bring you this because Kate ended on this super important high note, and that is that sometimes as boutique owners, we think that bigger is better, right? We always see so and so on Instagram, chasing that next goal, that next warehouse, that next location, that next, you name it, trip to market, trip to la, trip, trip, wherever you think you need to be to be successful. But the truth is, bigger's not better. Better is better. And being better means being completely at peace with where you are. You know, I've worked with so many boutique owners over the years, and, you know, there's a huge difference in somebody who makes a million dollars but only keeps 50,000 of it or someone who makes 250,000 but keeps keeps a hundred of it. So keep in mind, it's not just what you make. It's not just these outward external things, but it's where you are with profit and where you are with peace. You guys, I hope you love this episode and all the episodes that we bring to you here on Boutique Chat. I would be so honored, you guys, if you would take just a quick second and leave us a review here. Wherever you're listening to this episode, that really means a lot to get your feedback and what you think of this episode and all the episodes. I'm also an open book, so anytime you are welcome to email me or to message me over on the Gram at ajalderson or the Boutique Hub on the Gram or Ashley, the boutiquehub.com. your feedback is so important, you guys. Thanks so much for listening to this episode. I can't wait to be back next week. So set your calendars. We'll talk to you soon. Hey, guys, thank you so much for listening to this episode. We hope that you loved it it. Don't forget to hit subscribe and leave a rating and review down below for a chance to be one of our featured listeners each and every week. For more information on our spirit of community over competition and how to access complete show notes and bonus downloads from our guests, head on over to the boutiquehub.com and join the community. We'll see you next week.

Sa.