The Power of Community and Collaboration with Anna Ledebuhr, Coulee Boutique

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, guys, welcome back to the podcast. This week I feel like we could have done this one in person. I mean, it's not very often that I get a local to interview. Anna, this is so great that you're here. Thanks for joining me.

I know. I'm really, really grateful that you asked me to be on.

This is so good. I have had the pleasure of just getting to watch you grow your business from a close vantage point, not only just being local to you, but also watching you in the Mastermind. And you do some things that I think are so unique and so special to your community that I'm really excited to uncover those and share them with everybody today. So before we do, give me a little bit of backstory on your just entrepreneurial journey. Where did this come from? How did you decide to start a boutique? What's the Ritz?

So I feel like my story is not particularly groundbreaking by any means, but for a long time, I was a teacher. I taught middle school math in my community, and I really loved what I did. I loved who I worked with, the students, all of that. But I was really getting tired. I was getting tired of bringing home a lot of work and having little kids. And so I was looking for a change. And so I'd applied for some different positions, positions, and realized through interviews and stuff like that that I didn't want to work for somebody else. And so that spurred the idea that I want to work for myself, I want to own a business, but I really had no idea what it was going to be. I didn't. I don't know. Boutique was not, like, on my radar. But in college I worked at the Buckle. I like clothes. I always. I don't consider myself a fashionista by any means, but I don't know, I just started finding some things boutique niche and was consuming all the, like, YouTube podcast, all the content, reading books, and fell in love with just entrepreneurship in general. And then obviously boutique was like the route that I took. So I started to pop up in 2018. So I had a Shopify website from the very beginning, from day one when I launched and then would do pop ups throughout the summer. And that quickly ground me to, like, just. That was very, very hard because I did still teach the very first year that I ran my boutique, I still was teaching and then running on the weekends to do pop ups. And that was not fun. So I thought, hey, what better thing to do than open a brick and mortar? You know, why not do that? So in November, that was about six months in. It's like the busiest time in Wisconsin, I think. I actually just shared this with a woman yesterday in my store. She's part time in our small town and then part time in Orlando, of all places. And I said, yeah, November. I was talking about Pink Friday and then talking about the day after. I'm like, it is the busiest weekend for our entire store. And she's like, what? Why? And then I just said deer hunting. And she. I had to explain all of that. But in Wisconsin, it's like a cultural thing. But the opening weekend of deer hunting is such a big deal that the men go out hunting, the women come shopping. And so that was the first, honestly, the first weekend that I was open in 2018. And it's just kind of been growth, steady growth ever since.

And it's been fun to watch this growth. Talk to me about you started in a smaller location in that brick and mortar, and then you actually, you swap stores with somebody else right across the street. Talk to me about that journey.

Yeah. So my first brick and mortar was about 750 square feet. And, you know, it was like at the beginning, I look back at pictures and it felt so full. But I look at pictures now and I'm like, wow, all this, like, space on the wall, there's just. It just was so empty. But we quickly, like, just, I don't know, kind of used up literally all the space. So then I had rented an apartment down the street. Because I'm in a really small town, there's not a lot of retail space, and so nothing was available to move bigger. And so I had rented an apartment with a friend, and she ran a shop out of the front half, and in the back half, I had an office where we would do our live sales and then storage. But then I was literally hauling, you know, the big husky totes of clothes down the block or running, you know, big. Not scooter, but a big wagon with clothes down the block so I could fill up the store each week. And it was just like, too much. And so then my landlord, so she had owned the building or owns the building That I was in, owned the building that I am in, currently offered to swap locations. So I went from 750 square feet to now I have a total of 3, 500 square feet. But about 1500 of that is actually this whole lower level which we have for live sale, storage, office space. The building is like 140 years old. It's beautiful. It's really, you know, it comes with its quirks being old, but it's got a ton of history. So that's where I am now and that's where I have been for about a year and a half.

I would love to hear you just talk about like since I've been in your store and I've seen it, it's so beautiful. It's really cool, this open concept, even if you want to describe it a little bit more. But something I feel like you've done really well is just how you've merchandise and how you've bought for your store. Like it's not just an apparel store. Like you have so much gift. You've got men's, you've got kind of all sorts of things. Talk to me about your buying strategy and filling up that store and your rebuy strategy because that's a big investment, trying to build that space and do it, you know, kind of taking a risk, expanding into a lot of product lines that you probably didn't carry before. Talk to me about that process.

It was definitely different. So one thing I've always been really proud of is that I've always carried a lot of products from local makers business. You know, typically they're mostly women owned and so I already had a lot of gift that way where it was like I have candles, I have local jewelry, I have a variety like leather handbags, that sort of thing. So I knew that I had that and I just wanted to expand on it. So Dallas was definitely a really good opportunity for me to do like home and gift at the same time as apparel and just dipping my toes in. And so it's been finding, you know, fun hard. You're, you're. I don't want to say you're wasting money, but sometimes you'll find a brand that just doesn't connect. And honestly, men's has kind of been that like I had a couple of, I thought like good, solid, strong brands of clothing and the apparel for men, for me just didn't work. And it was taking up real estate in the store that was much better suited for my women's clothing. So we still have gift. You know, if Somebody needs to come in and get a Father's Day gift or a birthday or something like that. We have that. But yeah, our store, like since the very beginning, it's always been a department store. So it's kind of got that old feel. Like the display windows, we have these huge display windows on either side. When you walk in the front door, it's got this really cool mezzanine that's like you said, kind of an open concept. And so it's really neat. Like the other day I had people that were in, I don't know where they said they live now, maybe down by Madison, but they were visiting and she's like, oh, wow. Like, I haven't been in here since it was Casperg, which was in the 70s. I mean, like Casperg's had been around for about 50 years, but it was like 70s to. Well, no, it was maybe earlier than that, but anyways till like early 2000. And so the fact that I have so many people that used to come and get their school, you know, their back to school clothes at my store and now they're coming back and being able to like full circle buy clothes again. Yeah, it's been really cool.

That is a really neat full circle experience. You the community that you're in. Just to illustrate also, you know, it's a really small community, but it's so beautiful. Like you've got this beautiful town square and it's become quite a destination. I feel like for people to come and shop and just do touristy things. Talk to me because I know you're very involved with your local community. How have you really fostered even more activity by collaborating with others in your community?

Yeah. So last night, for example, I was at a meeting for. It's called the Downtown Galesville Business Alliance. So DGBA is what we're called and we started that. Boy, I can't remember 2019 because we saw we have a chamber of commerce, a local chamber of commerce, and they do a lot of great things in our community. But we wanted more to focus just on our downtown and really to highlight the things and I don't know, events that we've been able to host right downtown, like you said, on this very adorable town square. And so like last night's meeting, we have a local pizza farm owner that was there. We have a gift shop owner, a salon owner. And so it's open to a variety of businesses. And everybody just has the goal of growing downtown and showcasing downtown. And so it's been really neat to hear perspectives of people who have been in business for 30, 40. There's one women. One woman, they just sold their business, but she's been in business for over 50 years. And so leaning on the knowledge of people that have gone before, like, you know, they maybe did things more old school back then. And Facebook is not, like, not their jam, but that's what I'm there for, right? So it's like I. I run a certain portion of our. Of our page, but then they come in with like, hey, mailers have done really well for us in the past, or brochures. It's like, okay, well, like, let's try kind of all the different avenues and listen to everyone's voices. And. Yeah, so, yeah, I've just been really, really involved in that particular group since day one. And then there's just a couple of. Not just, but other local organizations that are more collaborative of small businesses. I just think that's very important. It's grown. It's grown business for everyone. And so I think that's the ultimate goal.

That's so good. If someone was listening and they're like, hey, I want to start something like that and know that you're not lacking in one area or the other. Like, you've performed your best in both arenas and you're excited to do it again tomorrow.

So a couple of things. Number one, I will say a big boundary that I've set. I'm not great at boundaries, to be very honest, but one that I've said is it goes for me and my staff, but is we're really flexible with scheduling. It's. It makes headaches a lot of times just trying to get everybody, like, in the right places. But family is really important to myself and to my employees. So, you know, there's some cut and dry days. Like, you're gonna have to be here on a Black Friday, Pink Friday. Like, there's just shifts that have to be worked, but other than that, we're pretty flexible as far as giving people the time off. So that I feel like they're also flexible with me when I'm not there. That. That it's not like it's unfair. You know, everybody's kind of pulling their weight work wise. At home, I do have a hard time not shutting off, but I just love. I love business. I love collaborating. Like, I had a meeting last night. I had a meeting Tuesday night. Tonight, I'm doing something that's, like, kind of personal, but kind of work. So with that, I feel like my husband has really picked up a ton of slack. And I give him a lot of credit for that because he does a lot more of the running around with kids during the week and I try to be as available as I can on the weekends. So like Saturday football games or you know, basketball tournaments. That's kind of. I really don't want to miss it, like unless we're absolutely short staffed. Like of course I'll work at the store, but yeah, that's just very, very important to me is, is being there for like the, I don't say the bigger events, the, the games, the tournaments, the whatever. But when my kids see me in the stands, you know, they don't see me when they're at practice. And so thank goodness my husband is willing to, to shuffle kids all over the place that way. Yeah, I just think we have, we have really flexible kids too. My husband grew up, his parents owned a family business for 40 years, so he was a kid of know the parents that were working a lot. So I think he gets it as far as like my, my role in all of this. And so that's been, it's been wonderful. I mean, I really can't say too much about that other than Eric. My Eric. You have an Eric too. But isn't that crazy? It is. I know, but he, yeah, he's just been kind of a rock star and so I appreciate that very much.

Awesome. So good. And your team too. But your team being able to step in and, and take over things so you can also step away means that you've trained them well. So talk to me. Systems processes, just ongoing training that has allowed your team to find success and to have you feel like you don't have to be there every step of the way as well.

I don't know. I've got good people and I feel like I'm really intuitive with hiring. Like I've never had to post. The only job position I ever posted for the store was a cleaning position and I ended up hiring it back end from somebody that I knew. Like I just. People have either reached out to me looking for work and I feel like I'm a really good judge of character that way or, or I've reached out to them and just said like, hey, I'm looking for somebody to fill, you know, these hours and, and it's, it's worked out. So as far as like getting people, I feel, I don't even know. I feel like I'm super, super lucky and fortunate that way, but training like even that. So today here I am on a call with You. I have two new employees training at the store because my third employee loves training. Like, she is phenomenal. She, when she first got hired, and this was, I think, recommended to me. So she. But she did. It was. She has a notebook that, like, when she was first training, anytime there was a system or a process, like a return, a return in common sold, a return in Shopify, you know, anything like that, she wrote it down step by step by step. So it's like literally this little bible that sits in the top shelf at the store. And so then other employees, if they're running into an issue, like, we train them well, but you're still going to have that moment of panic, like, how do I do this? How do I, you know, ship this? It's right there. They just pull it out. They go to the page. It's organized. So I, you know, I give her a ton of credit because you know how everything is like the original business owner is up in your head, and then all of a sudden, like, you're building the plane as you're flying it. You don't have time to. To go back and, like, write it all out. She did that for me. And so that's been a really, really helpful tool.

So good. So good. All the. All the systems we build as we fly the plane.

Yeah, absolutely.

What do you think, looking back on your business in the. What's been the best advice that you've gotten along the way?

Best advice for, like, business growth or just business in general?

Just business in general. The seasons you've been in.

Boy, I mean, I think. And this is something I'm still working on, but just being able to delegate is so helpful because again, then you're not going to be the one that has to be doing all the things. So I'm definitely the bottleneck in certain areas. And. And so things are still. We're still working on that. But being able to let go of certain things has really helped me. And then it empowers my to. To be involved in different ways in the business instead of just being a sales associate. You know what I mean? It's like taking their. I think of the Akrons and like, thinking of people's, like, joy spots and their gifts and being able to give them a task that they are super good at, and then I don't have to do, and it frees me up to do XYZ other thing.

Yeah. How have you looked at that for yourself? Like, how have you evaluated what your joy spot is so that you can find joy along your Journey versus just finding joy when you reach the next goal. So I think that's like, an issue a lot of people are facing is prolonging the joy rather than looking forward in the moment.

I think it's hard because, like, one thing I actually, I'm. I've been connecting with somebody that I know. She lives in Orlando, so this would be like my first remote employee, and she was going to enter product for me, and we just haven't connected. Like, we had a couple calls set up where we talked, and then it was going to be like the. The one where I show her what I. You know, how to do it. And that never happened. And I look back and I'm like, you know, this is fall. This is when, like, everything comes in. It's the most. I mean, I actually am looking at a stack of invoices right now. But I don't hate entering product. And I know that's one thing. Like, it's a, you know, how many $10 an hour job, like, hire somebody to do it. But I. I don't hate it. And so part of me is okay doing things that maybe aren't particularly moving the needle, but I don't know. But you talk about evaluating. I've never really officially sat and like, done the. What I like to do and what I don't do tasks or, like, write out every single thing that I do in a day and delegate. But it's more the opposite. Like, I come. Come in it from the back end. Like, what do I know they like to do that could help me and take it off my plate? So there's just been like, a handful of things in the last month or, I don't know, maybe since summer that I've changed that have just freed me up and it's been good, you know, like. Like I don't mind scheduling. I don't love it, but I don't mind it. Why? I graciously handed that over to an employee, and she's finding it challenging for sure right now. But I think it's also, like, it's busy season, right? So we need more people on and people have more requests off because it's like holiday and stuff like that, but I don't know. So I do find that to still be a challenge because I enjoy, like, most aspects of my business, honestly, like, I will whistle. I can't whistle, but I would whistle if I could. Taking the trash across the street. Like, I don't mind doing, like, the gross dirty jobs. Like, I don't know. I just and that's maybe a thing that was advised when I was in education, but it was like, treat every single person the same, whether it's the custodian, your principal, your super. Like, it doesn't matter who they are and what walk of life they come from. So I see that with, like, employees and customers, like, I don't know, just there's. Everybody is important. And so I think that's actually just been really important and valuable advice in my life in general.

Yeah, I love that. Well, Anna, this is so good. I feel like time's flying by just sharing ideas and, man, so many good takeaways. And hopefully everybody listening has got a page of notes and ideas as well. Man, as you think about your kids. And this is going to make me, like, think about my kids as you talk, but, I mean, the clock's ticking, right? And you think about your life 30 years from now and your kids have kids and you're sitting on that front porch with grandbabies and you're looking back, what are the things you want them to remember most about the journey that you've been on? These businesses that you've built, the life that you've lived? What do you want them to remember most about you?

So I. I kind of think I'll piggyback it off of what I was just talking about, but that I treat all people with respect and kindness. You know, there are days, and this is something, I guess I is very, like, what do I want to say? Being very transparent. Like, they, you know how you bring home kind of the yuck. So I would say definitely, my kids and my husband probably get, like, the worst side of me. And so that's definitely something I'd like to change because you are like, I am. So try to be gregarious and helpful and all the things for all the people. So. But I just want them to see that. That I'm doing it for them, right? So, like, I'm not necessarily building this business for them. It's not that I would expect any of them to take it over, but that it's so that they can do the things that they love. And so when they're older and they have grandkids or I have grandkids or whatever, that they were able to experience a lot of things in life that maybe, like, if I was still teaching, unfortunately, I don't feel like I would be able to offer them some of the same opportunities and so that the sacrifices are worth it that they were able to. And it's not even, like, monetary it's just being able to like do things as a family that weren't, weren't possible before, whether it be schedule wise or whatever. But it's for them.

I love that and all the lessons learned along the way having a family business. So good. Yes. Well, Anna, thanks so much for being here. Thanks for being a huge part of our community at the Hub and for the fun collaborations we get to do for Pink Friday. And I'm excited to sit at a basketball game with you soon.

Yeah, Easton versus Reed. We'll see it.

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Sam.