Boutique Chat

Erica Kelley, founder of Whiskey Darling Boutique, joined me in Season 2 to talk about  Marketing to Your Audience On a Personal Level. Erica's mission is empowering women of every shape and size to be themselves and knowing they can feel confident in her boutique's clothing. Erica covers other topics such as marketing to a large age range, photo editing, and Facebook ads.    I so hope you enjoy t...

This week I'm at my kitchen table for another edition of Ask Ashley Anything, and I'm doing my best to answer all of your questions! You guys submitted so many great questions, not only about your business growth and strategy but also work-life balance and personal development. I do my best to address them all.  This episode is overflowing with what I hope will be helpful information, tips and adv...

Dani Flaming, owner of The Fringed Pineapple, came on the show in the height of winning Idaho's overall boutique of the year and the top 10 global boutique of the year in 2019 to tell us what it's like to run a powerful, small-town business. Dani gives us insight on what social media outlets work best for her, how she stays real, and why finding your ideal customer is so important. In this episode...

Today we're talking trends! I want to give you a sneak peek at the latest Boutique Hub Trend Report and talk through some of the trends we're currently seeing for fall/winter and holiday, as well as what will carry into and what you can expect to see next in the new year.  I highlight some of the biggest trends in women's apparel, accessories and home décor — from colors and patterns to textures a...

How can retailers make smarter buying and inventory management decisions to make more money? This episode is PACKED with information about the flow of inventory, data analysis, point of sale systems, merchandised plans and all the details retailers need to manage a successful cash flow and buying strategy. Meet Dan Jablons, Founder of Retail Smart Guys, analyst, consultant, speaker and Management...

Pink Friday is officially one month away! For those of you who don't already know, Pink Friday is an annual event held every November before Black Friday with one mission: to promote shopping small first. It's a chance for you to get consumers in the door before all of the big guys and Black Friday deals. So, today I'm talking all things Pink Friday – why we celebrate, ideas for how to do so and t...

Every Friday I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes from seasons past to revisit my conversations with early guests and the business advice and practices they share! Up this week is my Season 1 conversation with fashion buyer Jacqueline Holmes.  Buying smarter means understanding your product lifecycle and getting the best quality and pricing for what you're bringing in. Going to LA on a reg...

We can all feel like a hamster on a wheel at times, and as we enter the fourth quarter, it's not only important to be ready for the busy holiday season but also take time to plan ahead for 2024 so that you can start the new year off strong — assessing business practices, refining operations and implementing new strategies to help scale and grow your business. I am constantly driving home strategie...

Every Friday I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes from seasons past to revisit my conversations with early guests and the business advice and practices they share!   Up this week is my second ever episode with my dear friend Laura Benson, who founded and grew Filly Flair Boutique into a huge online retailer with national reach through strategic digital marketing and social media. How do yo...

Every great story has the opportunity to not only help you build relationships and authenticity but also to sell your products. Which is why I am so excited to welcome Storytelling for Entrepreneurs founder Lyn Graft to the show to talk about how you can use story to help grow your business.  A serial entrepreneur and video producer, Lyn has worked with hundreds big brands, events and some of the...

Every Friday I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes from seasons past to revisit my conversations with early guests and the business advice and practices they share!   Up this week is a Season 1 Solo intended to help you prep for the holidays and boost fourth quarter sales. Do you know where Black Friday got its name? Well traditionally, retailers were in the red financially all year, but wh...

It's not often that I have local guests on the podcast, but today I'm so excited to welcome my friend Anna Ledebuhr, the owner and founder of one of my personal favorite boutiques, Coulee Boutique in Galesville, Wisconsin. Five years ago, Anna took a big leap, leaving teaching for entrepreneurship, and since she's built her business from a Shopify site and pop-ups to a 3,500-square-foot brick-and-...

Now every Friday, I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes from seasons past to revisit my conversations with early guests and the business advice and practices they share!   Up this week is Pinterest marketing expert Kate Ahl of Simple Pin Media.  Pinterest isn't for short-term strategy, it's for dreamers. Dreaming what outfit they'll wear to the rehearsal dinner at their wedding, what house...

I am so excited to be joined this week by my friend Amy DeFauw, who is a multi-state multi-storeowner and has a wealth of experience as the CEO of Katsch Boutique.  Today we're talking all about retail art vs retail science — retail art being the love of the product, customers and marketing as opposed to retail science, i.e. the numbers, inventory management, financing and metrics. And we dive int...

Now every Friday, I'm re-releasing one of my favorite episodes from seasons past to revisit the stories of our early guests and the business advice and practices they share! This week I chose a Season 1 episode that answers one of the questions I most often get asked: What tips would you offer a brand-new boutique owner? Let's cut through the noise of those Google and YouTube searches and get down...

This week marks another big celebration for us at The Hub — the first anniversary of Hubventory!  For those of you who aren't familiar with it already, Hubventory is our very own wholesale marketplace, built by The Boutique Hub for the boutique industry. In developing HV, our team spent months and months getting feedback from both boutique owners and wholesalers to create a true grass-roots platfo...

This is a super personal episode for me. This week as we wrap up our 10 th Anniversary Series, I wanted to chat about not only the origins and evolution of The Hub but also my journey as an entrepreneur, and I'm sharing a story that I haven't shared until recently or with many people.  I learned some huge lessons early on about imposter syndrome and finding strength in adversity. I put my trust in...

Ang Castelli is another boutique owner celebrating a 10th anniversary this year. She's also a longtime Hub member and her boutique is unlike any other at The Hub — it caters exclusively to boys and boy moms! When pregnant with her first son back in 2010 and trying to prep his closet, Ang thought, "Why are there no clothes for little boys and why are the children's clothing stores so dominated by g...

You're most likely familiar with CommentSold, but you may not know what the platform's been up to lately with new CEO + tech executive and investor Gautam Goswami at the wheel. And it's A LOT. Gautam (GG) talks about the transformational changes he's implemented since joining the executive team, as well as what's coming up next at CommentSold — including a new multi-source that provides a deeper l...

I'm joined for another edition of our special 10 Year Anniversary Series by Megan Randig, the co-owner of Mezoozah Boutique and an early adopter of The Boutique Hub! Since buying the business with her mom 10 years ago, Megan has expanded Mezoozah from a home and gift brand to a comprehensive boutique — selling everything from décor and gifts to apparel and accessories to kids, both in-store and on...

This week I want to talk not only about fourth quarter goals and planning but also our fourth annual Pink Friday! Pink Friday is a day in November to celebrate small businesses — what it means to be a small business owner, shopping small first, and community over competition. Since founding Pink Friday, we've seen small businesses around the world recognize this special day. Last year 38 boutiques...

Are you curious about what it takes to build a "mega boutique"? In today's episode, I'm excited to bring you a conversation with Leslie Hall, the founder of The ZigZag Stripe. Leslie's brand is a shining example of the term "mega boutique," a concept that's been buzzing in our industry for some time, and this is one business story that I have loved to watch over the years. Listen as we dive deep i...

Are you ready to learn from a boutique owner who has navigated the evolution of her business with grace and tenacity? Today, I'm thrilled to introduce you to Lindsay Heyneman, the founder and owner of Lettie Boutique. As part of our 10-year anniversary series, Lindsay brings her wealth of experience and genuine positivity to the podcast, offering amazing insights for both new and seasoned boutique...

Get ready for an important conversation that no apparel boutique owner who carries extended and plus sizes will want to miss. Our guest today is Jessica Throneburg, the founder and COO of Little Details Boutique. Not only is she a long-time friend of mine, but she's also a valued member of The Boutique Hub community, and she joins the show today to share the highs and lows of building a fully size...

Today I'm kicking off The Boutique Hub's 10 th Anniversary Series! We at The Hub are celebrating our 10 th anniversary all month long and as part of the celebrations, I'm bringing you a very special 10-episode series on the podcast featuring boutique owners who've also been in business now for 10 years. These industry veterans are joining me for the 10 th Anniversary Series to talk about the good,...