Reclaiming Your Hue: A Podcast for Women Rediscovering Themselves in Motherhood & Entrepreneurship
Motherhood and entrepreneurship are powerful journeys—but they can also leave women feeling drained, unseen, or lost. Like flamingos who fade while nurturing their young, women often put everyone else first and lose their own hue. Reclaiming Your Hue is about the moment when women remember their brilliance, reclaim their vibrancy, and step into who they were always meant to be. Hosted by Kelly Kirk, this podcast shares faith-led encouragement, inspiring guest stories, and practical strategies for harmonizing life, family, and business.
Why Listen / What You’ll Gain
- Inspiring stories of women who found themselves again after seasons of loss or overwhelm
- Practical tips for building businesses without sacrificing your sense of self
- Honest conversations about the challenges and beauty of motherhood + entrepreneurship
- Encouragement rooted in faith while welcoming diverse women’s voices
Listen In For: mompreneur journeys · reclaiming identity · harmonizing life & work · authentic entrepreneurship stories
Reclaiming Your Hue: A Podcast for Women Rediscovering Themselves in Motherhood & Entrepreneurship
Ep. 64 with Allyson Reinert | Founder & Owner, Ali Mada Boutique
From Fashion Dreams to Boutique Reality
What happens when your fashion dreams collide with the reality of motherhood and entrepreneurship? In this captivating conversation, Kelly Kirk welcomes Allyson, the creative force behind Ali Madi Boutique, who shares her extraordinary journey from corporate professional to successful fashion entrepreneur.
Allyson's story begins with an epiphany during her morning commute when she realized she wasn't dreaming big enough. Despite no formal training, she pursued her lifelong passion for fashion design through late-night research sessions after putting her young children to bed. Her determination paid off spectacularly when her second collection was selected for Macy's in Beverly Hills through a Poshmark contest—an achievement most designers spend decades working toward.
But the path wasn't without significant valleys. Allyson candidly reveals how she prepared an entire collection for the wrong selling season at a trade show, leaving her with inventory she couldn't sell for six months. Then COVID struck just as she was pivoting to wholesale. These setbacks, rather than destroying her business, became transformative opportunities that reshaped her entire business model. Through tears, determination, and flexibility, she found unexpected success by listening to what the universe was guiding her toward.
What makes this conversation truly special is Allyson's wisdom about harmonizing motherhood with entrepreneurship. She shares practical strategies like using timers for focused work sessions, embracing "organized chaos," and making peace with the fact that sometimes the most important business decision is stepping away to attend your child's event. Her approach to self-care—attempting to reclaim Sundays as a day without to-do lists—offers valuable perspective for anyone struggling with work-life boundaries.
The episode also explores Allyson's refreshing philosophy on competition: "You are not in competition with anyone else except yourself." She describes how collaborating with other boutique owners, rather than viewing them as rivals, has created community and opportunity for everyone involved.
Ready to believe in yourself and pursue what lights you up? Listen now and discover how confidence, passion, and the willingness to pivot can transform your journey.
Connect with Allyson:
Website: Ali Madi Boutique
Facebook: Ali Madi Boutique
Contact the Host, Kelly Kirk:
- Email: info.ryh7@gmail.com
Get Connected/Follow:
- The Hue Drop Newsletter: Subscribe Here
- IG: @ryh_pod & @thekelly.tanke.kirk
- Facebook: Reclaiming Your Hue Facebook Page
- CAKES Affiliate Link: KELLYKIRK
Credits:
- Editor: Joseph Kirk
- Music: Kristofer Tanke
Thanks for listening & cheers to Reclaiming Your Hue!
Welcome everybody to Reclaiming your Hue, where we are dedicated to empowering women to embrace and amplify their inherent brilliance. Our mission is to inspire mothers and entrepreneurs to unlock their full potential and radiate their true selves. I'm your host, kelly Kirk, and each week, my goal is to bring to you glorious guests as well as solo episodes. So let's dive in. Good morning Allison, good morning Kelly.
Speaker 2:How are you? I'm great on this rainy morning.
Speaker 1:This rainy morning, but it's okay, we want it.
Speaker 2:We need it. I know Rain is luck. Every time it rains I'm like somewhere it's bringing somebody luck.
Speaker 1:Speaking of which, very tangential, I promise listeners we'll get into this in just a second, but my sister-in-law is getting married this very Saturday, and weeks out leading up to it it's been sunny, not a cloud in the sky.
Speaker 2:It's been sunny, not a like cloud in the sky is supposed to be right, and all of a sudden there's a chance of rain. There's a chance of rain. Well, again, it'll bring your luck. It's good luck, is it an?
Speaker 1:outdoor wedding. It is an outdoor wedding the ceremony is outdoors. And then the reception is going to be at a golf course. But I'm like okay, we'll see. It's like 40% chance yeah.
Speaker 2:Anyways. So they just need it clear during the ceremony and then one hour, one hour. We pray for good vibes for one hour.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, we do Okay. But, anyways, back back to you, back to regular programming. Okay, um, welcome. I am as always, literally, and the listeners don't know that we have like just a tiny little bit of history together. But let me just speak to this real quick. Every single time I see you, like I just light up because you are such a like a magical lit person speaking high school like slang. But seriously, and even from the event, my husband was like who was the woman who dressed you? She was amazing.
Speaker 1:And I was like yeah, I know she truly is. She's very quickly risen to my top 10 people. Just so awesome.
Speaker 2:Oh well, you are very sweet to say that and honestly, I feel the same about you. I mean it is I feel like the universe pulls people together that are like each other. Right, that's why I think we get along so well and why we hit it off right away.
Speaker 1:So I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 2:And your event was amazing and everything about it was you and everybody loved it. And even just sitting like I went for a run, as I told you, I went for a run this morning it was not supposed to rain and then I got drenched halfway through. But in the back of my mind I'm like I get to see you today and get to be a part of this wonderful podcast.
Speaker 1:So I'm just thrilled to be here, well, okay. So let's give some context to the listeners. First, let's share with them how it is that we won know one another and got connected. Would you like to share?
Speaker 2:that, yes, I'd love to. So we well. I believe the first time we met was through the net women's network working event, through Stacey Stratton, through True Talent Group, correct?
Speaker 1:Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:Okay and Stacey for the listeners who don't know. She owns True Talent Group, which is a recruiting company and placement company, and she is also a wonderful human being and she is very good at connecting people.
Speaker 2:And she connected, kind of all of us randomly, I think. I mean, I think there were maybe a couple of women within that group that already knew each other, but I think the majority of us had never met each other before. I think that's true, right, yeah, yeah, so we all met at her house, or was it my house? Was it my house?
Speaker 1:Was it your house? I think it was my house. Yes, it was my house.
Speaker 2:Met at my house and we did introductions. And it's funny because I don't know if you remember this, but you each said, oh, we'll take one or two minutes to introduce ourselves, and all of a sudden like two or three hours later. And I think that was the one too, too, was it the one where everybody kind of started getting really emotional and asking there was, there were a couple of them that I don't know if you were at that one or if, because I know this was right before Christmas like I think it might have been okay it might have actually been in.
Speaker 1:No, it was at the very beginning of December, because I remember kind of going perfect. I'm gonna wrap up some of my Christmas shopping. And I did yes, I totally did yes, okay.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I think we went around the room and I mean just introductions and, and since it was at my house, I'm like you know, the introductions obviously were taking longer, which was great because we were getting to know each other, but nobody was eating. So I'm like people like, while people are talking, make sure you eat. I don't want anyone passing out of my house or whatever.
Speaker 2:But that just tells you the group of women that we were surrounded with right, just everyone willing to open themselves up and share and really get to know each other. And then, obviously, we ate, we drank and we shopped and I mean to me there's I've always said this there's, I mean, does it get any better to have wonderful women in a group, sipping and shopping and connecting, getting to know each?
Speaker 1:other.
Speaker 2:I mean, it just doesn't get any better than that.
Speaker 1:No, it's incredible. And you create such a nice setting for people, for women, to be able to come in, feel comfortable, right Like. Honest to goodness, I didn't know what to expect and I had zero expectations going into that, but what I came out of it with was so incredible One some clothes, or at least some ID.
Speaker 1:Actually, I think I only got a bracelet for myself and the rest of it was for everybody else in the family for Christmas, but I at least had an idea of what I was coming away with in terms of what you and your business provides, which we'll get to in just a second, and then also just some incredible new connections, both in relation to having individuals on the podcast, but just incredible women doing incredible things.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh yes, and thank you for saying that, because I mean, as any business owner, we're always looking somewhat for validation, like we think what we're doing is cool or is great, but you really your customers or who you're surrounding yourself with, or who is coming to your events or whatever it is that is your true test of like is this going okay? And obviously, if it doesn't you pivot or whatever. But I always want people to feel comfortable, whether it's at my house or an event, or on my site or whatever it is, because it's all about the experience.
Speaker 2:I want them to feel good and feel great, and anytime I ever do an event at my house or anywhere else for that matter I just try and tell them. I want you to think of this as a large dressing room with women, that you're sharing with women and you're very comfortable here and that sort of thing. So I appreciate you saying that you do a great job of it.
Speaker 1:Okay, so let's dive in so that our listeners can get all the goodies of what it is that you do for business. Perfect, so the first question that I want to ask you. Second question what came first for you? Was it entrepreneurship or was it motherhood?
Speaker 2:I was a mom first. Yep, I was definitely a mom first. And so I have a son who's 17 and a daughter who just turned 14. And when my son was first born, of course, we just had him for about three and a half years, until my daughter was born. And when he was born, I wasn't quite thinking entrepreneurial anything at that moment. I was newly married, getting ready to have kids.
Speaker 2:We bought the house doing all the things, and it wasn't until my daughter was born that it kind of made me wonder. I mean, I've been in corporate America for, however many years and I have met some of the most amazing people through that.
Speaker 2:I have learned a ton. But also in the back of my mind, it just didn't feel like it was enough, Like, yes, do I want my day job? And absolutely. But I, something else is missing. And I know with motherhood it is a lot right, but I still felt that there was room for something else and so, kind of trying to figure that out and we could do a whole other podcast, truly, on my discovery of how I got to doing what I was doing, what I was doing. But for this podcast, I'll tell you I'll kind of shorten that part up because, like I said, that could be a whole other podcast in itself.
Speaker 2:But I did a lot of um in interviews with people, informational interviews. I was like, do I want to do I? Do I change within corporate America? Do I make a change? Am I? I've been in marketing and project management, I love it, but because I'm, I need, I'm feeling the need for something else. Am I not in the right career path? Do I need to change? So I did a lot of informational interviews with, like, pharmaceutical sales rep Do I want to be a trainer? Do I? And and I did some research and um for probably six to nine months and nothing was panning out. And I'm one of those people that if you start to put things out into the universe, it should start to speak back to you, right? And nothing was speaking back to me.
Speaker 1:It was just falling very flat Flat and I had done all these interviews and nothing.
Speaker 2:But even when something would pop up, it didn't sound enticing to me. So I was trying to figure out I was struggling with that. What is something's happening? But I cannot figure out what it is and why something isn't panning out for me and why this all of a sudden doesn't sound interesting to me. So I was on my way to work one morning and it hit me like a ton of bricks and I realized nothing is working out because it's not what I'm supposed to be doing. None of that is. I'm not aiming high enough.
Speaker 2:What is my ultimate dream job? Like aim, start there. Why am I starting on just like, oh, maybe I want to do this, maybe I want to do this Like timeout, allison, what do you ultimately want to do this? Maybe I want to do this Like time out, allison, what do you ultimately want to do? And then I completely got energized and my dream was always to become a fashion designer. That was my dream since I was little. I've always had sketches, I've whatever.
Speaker 2:And it's funny because on the way to work that day I was honestly, I became a whole new person because I had something else that I was going to start looking into and it was all mine, like I didn't have to get approval from anyone. I didn't have to, whatever. It was going to be mine. And so I started researching how to become a fashion designer. I didn't go to school for it, I didn't know what I was doing, I just know I wanted to do it. And I was reading through a magazine, honestly, probably a week or two later, and it said do you want to become a fashion designer? If so, you can do it in these four steps. And I was like four steps, I can do anything in four steps, right, I mean we can do anything in four steps.
Speaker 2:Well, little did I know that these four steps were incredibly full of lots of steps within each of the steps, but so I started diving in that way and I mean I put my kids to bed at night and then I would Google, I would research. I mean, that's how I learned how to become a fashion designer. And my second collection, my and they always say like if your first time at creating something doesn't suck, you're not doing something right. And my first collection kind of sucked. So if any of you are listening and bought my first collection, I thank you because it probably wasn't that great.
Speaker 2:But, to your point, everybody's got to start. You have to start somewhere. And so my second collection I was pretty proud of and I was excited to get it launched. And literally a week later, poshmark, which is the app that you can buy and sell clothes from, came up with a contest and they said do you design your own clothes? If so, you can apply to be one of our 11 winners to be in Macy's. Your collection will be featured in Macy's. And I had literally just launched that second collection, and so I was like you know what? I'm going to try it.
Speaker 2:I'm probably not going to win, but I'm I have to try.
Speaker 1:Why not? Why not Right?
Speaker 2:And I won. I was one of the 11 winners, and so my second collection ended up in Macy's in Beverly Hills, um, which was incredible and um. And then COVID hit um, literally like less than a year later. So, just like everybody else, I had to pivot. So I started buying wholesale items and it's really gone well. So I'm not going to break what's going well, but I do have the itch to design again. We'll just kind of see how that goes.
Speaker 1:Well, what's really interesting? And we had talked about this. I think it was like the second time that I came over to your home for these gatherings, right, these? Networking gatherings and to do a little bit of shopping and we sat afterwards and talked, for I think it was like another 45 minutes and I was like just amazing.
Speaker 1:This is just amazing. But I think what struck me as so intriguing about how this process happened for you is, I think maybe you shared with me or or alluded to. Like that's a little backwards, it's normally. There's this process for fashion designers, where you spend years and years and years working on these collections and building up your rapport and your branding and you know, like that's what people aspire to. Is the thing that you started off with, yes, which was landing a collection in a big box store like Macy's, yes, and getting all of the press to go along with that, yes, as a matter of fact.
Speaker 2:So when my collection was in Macy's in Beverly Hills, my mom flew out there with me and she wanted to experience all of that, which was wonderful to have her, and it was very interesting, though, because she said to me on the way on the flight back home where do you go from here? Allison, right, you are at a place where most designers it's their ultimate goal is to you. Like you said, land your collection in a I mean Macy's. I mean, you know, we all grew up with that. It's like a dream come true, but this is where you're starting.
Speaker 2:So where do you go from there? So it was almost kind of a reverse way of okay, I hit the ground running in having my collection in Macy's when do I go from here? And so it probably took me a good month to six weeks, once I returned from that trip, to really figure out, and I didn't want to lose the momentum, right. So I know I need time, and that's one thing I've really learned as being an entrepreneur. I think we're somewhat designed and wired Like, if we're not thinking about our business every single day of every single moment of every single week, of every single month, of every single year, it's not going to be successful. And that's not necessarily true, right, it's almost if you're giving, allowing yourself breaks. That is actually where some of the creativity and some of the stuff, all of a sudden, you've allowed space in your head for that to enter. So I wanted to gain momentum, but I also wanted to kind of take a step back a little bit to see what that would look like.
Speaker 2:And my ultimate goal then, after thinking about that, was you know what? This was so successful that I want to sell to boutiques. I'm going to start a wholesale business and I'm going to sell to boutiques or Macy's, and so that my collections are in many different stores. So that was the path that I started heading towards, and then the first show was scheduled in March of 2020. And, of course, everything shut down. So there I was ready to launch two boutiques and whatever, and I still did approach some of them, just because I thought you never know, and I'm completely ready to go with everything. But I pretty much received the same answer from everyone that hey, we can't even sell the merchandise we have, let alone Bringing in more. Bringing in more and bringing in a designer that is very new.
Speaker 2:Yes, you have credibility the fact that you won that contest out of, however, hundreds of thousands of people or whatever. You landed in Macy's. It was successful, but you're still new, right.
Speaker 1:Right, it's a risk. It's a risk for them, absolutely. They're looking at the numbers. They're looking at the numbers Because they are like they're a business also.
Speaker 2:Yes, and when COVID first hit, too, nobody knew how long it was going to last Right.
Speaker 1:People thought well.
Speaker 2:I mean, I even remember people saying oh, I'll just take my laptop and work from home for about two weeks. We'll all be back in the office by April 15th, or whatever. And lo and behold, there we were so years later it's still like it's 2025.
Speaker 1:Now we're gone. We're still having these just weird residual domino impacts.
Speaker 2:Yes, I feel like, and to a certain degree I feel like maybe we're all still recovering from it a little bit, even socially or like our kids. My son's entire middle school was COVID, and so you look at that, their experience, and I think we're all I mean we've recovered, but I think we're still. It's still evolving.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it's still evolving. It kind of emerges in really weird sort of inconspicuous ways but then it comes, then it actually is very conspicuous.
Speaker 2:Yes, if that makes any sense. Yes, yes, and it's funny because I even the fashion like everybody was at home, so nobody was where everybody was probably in sweats or whatever it was it. Then it became the you know business on the top and sweatpants on the bottom for your zoom calls or whatever. And then when people started going back into work or people started emerging from their households again like you would have never seen prior to, covid people in business suits, with fun looking sneakers or athletic shoes, and now that's the norm.
Speaker 2:And it's so fun, and it's yeah, and you walk into some of these shoe stores. There's not. I mean, there are some high heels still in there, but a lot of it is what can I wear every day that I can rock and whatever. And it's these fun casual shoes that now go with everything you know.
Speaker 1:That was a trend that took me quite some time to adopt. And now I'm there and that's okay, I have you to go to here on out, to just like to tell you it's okay, yeah, and I've got there's two other gals who have been on the podcast that are more in, like they style people right they aren't like. They have not created fashion lines or on the boutique side.
Speaker 1:Right, I actually one of them has actually now that I really think about it and we can talk about it off air, but here's, here's where I'm going with this one. It took me a while to really adopt that Um, but I also wanted to share with you before it, like fleets out again, cause I kind of have done this like back and forth, since you just had this two minute talk on COVID and apparel.
Speaker 1:Yes yeah, I did. It took me a long time to. I was like absolutely not, I am not gonna wear, like I will not wake up and just roll out of bed. Yes, I refuse, right, I have literally never been that type of person. I will always get up. Even if I have to work from home, I will literally get up and get ready for the day.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:It's my way of like. I'm getting up and I'm ready and we're rocking the day, yes, and I'm going to put on a nice outfit while I'm doing it.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's amazing. But I also, during COVID, when it got to the point where it was like very evident that this was going to go a little bit longer than we anticipated, I embraced the athleisure, yes, and I went to Target because I was like you know, I'm not going to go full on purchasing a ton of stuff from Lululemon or Athleta. I'm going to get some stuff from Target and do this mix and match of athleisure outfits for the day and.
Speaker 1:I highlighted it and apparently everyone loved it. I was like, okay, but like I would hop on stories on Instagram and just showcase, like, what I was wearing for the day.
Speaker 2:Athleisure outfit of the day is what I called it.
Speaker 1:And I did that, I don't know, maybe for a month or so during that time period, and everybody was like what are you going to wear tomorrow? Like this is so stupid. But it was kind of fun.
Speaker 2:No not stupid at all Because it was like we've discussed it's a. It was a huge shift and I, when I was going into the office, I mean and I kind of grew up like you always look nice, you always have heels on or at least really nice shoes and whatever, so to wear the athleisure or the whatever was I mean, or me putting on a cute pair of sneakers with a business suit, I was like that. I mean, that even took me a while to adopt and look and kind of look at different outfits and say, yeah, I actually love that, but it was a big enough transition that even me, who is normally a risk taker with like, oh yeah, I'm going to pair that or I'm going to wear white after Labor Day or I'm going to.
Speaker 2:whatever. I always took those risks. That one, the getting comfortable I mean not obviously like physically comfortable, but just looks wise that you can put on a pair of sneakers with a business suit or whatever it is and walk out the door and be casual. And it's amazing, I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we can do that now. And how cool is that that you can actually do business while being comfortable and not having to wear these like really expensive heels that aren't actually very comfortable and you're like I literally just spent way too much money on these heels.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh, and I. It's funny because, as we're talking about heels, I just looked in my closet the other day and nine West used to make these heels that I loved and I literally bought every pair I could, and green blue comfortable too.
Speaker 2:They were comfortable and they weren't super, super high. I think they were maybe three inches or three and a half inches. They were amazing. Now, if I put them on, they're not as comfortable as they were before. We started wearing all these sneakers, but I can't get rid of them, because if I ever do want to put a pair of heels on, those are my go-tos, and.
Speaker 2:I've had them for years and they're still in great condition. But if anyone works at Nine West that's listening. I would love to see you come out with like heels that are even more comfortable.
Speaker 1:Okay, so I do want to. I want to go down this path because you may have seen Sarah Blake Lively.
Speaker 2:Yes, I think with her Spanx.
Speaker 1:Her sneaks, her sneaks, yes, and I was like that's risky, yes, but she did it.
Speaker 2:But she did it and people are.
Speaker 1:Women are buying this trend.
Speaker 2:Yes, absolutely this is incredible.
Speaker 1:What are your thoughts? Oh, I love it. I mean well, first of all, I love her and the fact that you brought her even up in this podcast.
Speaker 2:I'm like melting over here right now Cause she, that'll be your goal right.
Speaker 1:I got to go through a lot of PR to get to that one.
Speaker 2:She is obviously I've never met her, but what I know of her personally just an amazing human being and obviously, as a business owner, she is someone I absolutely look up to and if you follow her on Instagram or wherever, I mean she's also super vulnerable in disclosing how she made her business such a success.
Speaker 2:And not only that, but she's very funny at what she has done and, like you said, it was very risky to try and come up with that. But it's funny because I was actually doing an event and a woman walked up in those in sneaks and I literally like ran right over to her. I was like thank you for coming to my. You know my event, but I have to ask you about those shoes. Are they as amazing as I think they are? And she said oh yeah, they're incredible.
Speaker 2:So and the other thing about, yeah with Sarah is her she I don't know if you ever heard about her white pants that are not see-through, but I think it took her over a decade to construct those and make sure that they were what she wanted. And so something also like any idea that we come up with as entrepreneurs, right, like we kind of want it to happen overnight, right.
Speaker 2:But I think of that story and it kind of goes back to that whole saying of Rome wasn't built in a day. And you look at these pants that she, it took her. I'm almost positive. It took her over 10 years to get them to exactly what she wanted them to be, but the end result was exactly what she wanted him to be. And again, another success. I think there were like tens of thousands of people on her waiting list to get those white pants that are not see-through.
Speaker 1:And Oprah was probably the first to get them.
Speaker 2:I'm sure, yeah, and they probably landed on Oprah's favorite things list. Right, totally, yes, I, I gotta check this out yeah, I haven't tried them on, but I'm sure they're.
Speaker 1:I'm everything she does should we go and do?
Speaker 2:it. Should we just do it together? Let's do it, and then let's. I think we need to go try the sneaks, we should. We'll do the pants and the sneaks together. Okay, let's do it. It's a date. It's a date, it's a fashion date.
Speaker 1:It's an excuse to write it off too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly, let's do it. Let's do it. I love it. Sounds amazing.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, I need to back this train up. Just a second.
Speaker 2:I know, because we could probably talk all day about thousands of things right.
Speaker 1:Oh, for sure, for sure. And my brain is literally going like this, but I think what I want to fold into this is when this all started for you and as you're making your trip out to um, the West coast, how old were the kids at that point?
Speaker 2:Um, that's a great question. So that it was 2018, I believe, late 2018, early 2019. And my son, I think, would have been in fifth grade, which would have put my daughter in first grade. Okay, yeah, so they were. They were kind of little. They were little, I mean, they weren't babies and toddlers but they were little, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I want to talk through how you were harmonizing this venture, which has blossomed blossomed into something really incredible Allison oh, thank you. And then also harmonizing that with motherhood too, yes, yeah. What did that look?
Speaker 2:like it was well. It's kind of going back to that day in the car where, all of a sudden, I just got this burst of adrenaline and energy and this, literally like the clouds parted and this bright sun was shining through, because I was like, oh my gosh, yes, I need to chase my dream job.
Speaker 1:Why am I?
Speaker 2:not aiming higher? I mean, why am I not aiming at the very highest and seeing where it lands? And so just the pure energy I had with that. That never left and it's still part of me to this very day. That's why I can talk about it so vividly. I can almost even tell you where I was at on 35W going north.
Speaker 1:Look at that, that day, I mean.
Speaker 2:I can't tell you exactly what I was wearing that day. But I remember that moment. It was very profound, and so just having a realization like that to open up for me but again I was open to it, right, I'm like universe. Why what's happening? I'm throwing all this stuff out there and you're not speaking to me. I need help, and sure enough, there it was. So, honestly, it's just that energy that keeps me going going, and I am one I don't sit very well long periods of time join the club.
Speaker 1:We have jackets, turns out.
Speaker 2:Yes yes, like if you put me in a, in in front of a movie or a pool or a beach or watching something with my kids. I can sit for hours because that's amazing to me. Anytime else, I am, I'm up, I'm running around, I'm going, you know, 360 days out of the year at full speed ahead. I've just built like that. So, um, and I actually have to consciously tell myself to slow down sometimes, um, so I just the pure energy of that.
Speaker 2:So, and I still had a day job. I mean, I still have a day job. So that career has not gone away and I don't really plan for it to go away anytime soon. But so I would work all day, come home and obviously make dinner for the kids, spend some time with them. But if all of a sudden they were involved in watching a movie, or they were at a friend's house, or they had soccer practice or whatever, I took that opportunity to do whatever I could in my business. So, and then I would put them to bed at night and, as we all, if anyone else, has mastered, like, especially at that age or even littler, to get the kids to bed in under an hour, I mean I, I couldn't figure it out.
Speaker 1:But really so from beginning to end.
Speaker 2:Sometimes I mean it would be um longer than I thought, but yeah and you've got to.
Speaker 1:I will say I am very blessed in this arena that all three of the kiddos have their dad's sleep gene. It's like they out they're done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean the second that they are in their pajamas and laying down in their beds.
Speaker 1:Maddie's, you know she has pushed the envelope a little bit. Yeah, I mean the second that they are in their pajamas and laying down in their beds. Maddie's, you know she has pushed the envelope a little bit here and there. Like, and it's different when dad puts her to sleep versus when mom puts her to sleep. Like a very different narrative with her. But as soon as they fall asleep they are out for the rest of the night.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's amazing. It really is. That's amazing.
Speaker 1:You are blessed, I am not bragging about that by any stretch of the imagination, but I understand in those moments where the narrative turns for Maddie and all of a sudden she's like mom snuggie.
Speaker 2:Mom scoochie.
Speaker 1:You scoochie. No, now you snuggie. I'm like, oh my gosh, yeah, it's time to go to bed. Bye, bye. See you in the morning, yes.
Speaker 2:I think, as moms, though, we take every moment we can to break.
Speaker 1:We have to yes.
Speaker 2:Because that's sometimes the only way we get through it. Yes, because I can have something amazing happen, whether it's my kids doing or I did something great as a mom and I am cheering it to the rooftop, even if it's just in my own head, because I know something five minutes later is going to come and knock me flat on my back.
Speaker 1:That, like I, all of a sudden.
Speaker 2:Oh, I forgot to sign them up for this. Oh great, I completely missed the deadline. So I'm happy I took that five minutes to cheer myself up because now I'm not mother of the year anymore.
Speaker 1:This is something to talk about for just a brief moment. Such a humbling reality. Yes, where you are, you're like I'm killing it. I am killing it, I am just wow. I am up early, I'm doing this, I've got the bags packed, I've got this and I put the extra diapers in the bag because daycare needs that, and then all of a sudden, it's like midway through the day and you're like and I totally didn't send a snack, yep, yep, oh yeah. And I and that's just a little tiny one, for sure, but it could literally like. That happened to me yesterday and I was like, yeah, on the way dropping Landon off for his program, and I had moments before we were leaving. I was like we got to grab a snack and I forgot, even though I said it, even though I had that light bulb go off, and I was just about to drop him off, and I was like don't say anything, because otherwise it might trigger it. Don't say anything, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:I remember dropping my daughter off at daycare and this was years ago because she hasn't been in daycare for years. But it was again another vivid you know thing where I was thinking I had it all together, whatever, dropped her off at daycare and it was one of the first really cold days of the year and the daycare teacher looked at me and said where are her hat and gloves? And of course I have this like deer in headlights. Look, I don't know, I completely forgot, and I know we don't even have any at home because I was going to get some on my last Target run and I forgot, so I kept her at daycare.
Speaker 2:Of course I ran to Target frantically. I mean I'm supposed to be on my way to work at this point, right, but there I am at Target, you know, trying to find hat and gloves for her, because I don't want her little hands and her little head to freeze, you know.
Speaker 2:And as I was running around at Target feeling like a complete loser of a mom, you know, because I'm and not that the daycare teachers are judging me by any means, but maybe they are but you know just that. How could I forget my daughter's hat and gloves, like this is a must have. So as I'm running around Target frantically, I thought you know what? I can make this a really bad day, or I can make it a great day. So I'm going to choose right now to make it a great day and I'm going to grab a coffee while I'm here. I'm going to grab that cute shirt that's only $14.99.
Speaker 1:Yep, okay, I'll grab that.
Speaker 2:I've got her hat, her gloves, maybe a little snack that I normally wouldn't have bought Went back to daycare, dropped off her hat and whatever and I drove to work. I was late to work. I got there, I explained the situation. Nobody's feathers were rough, the world kept moving and it ended up being an okay date, but again just those moments that are like oh okay, this is what life is handing me right now.
Speaker 1:Well, alison, you bring up a really important point, and that is this decision process right that we, as mothers, can make.
Speaker 2:And it's.
Speaker 1:Do I want to be a martyr or do I want to be a victor?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:And I love that you in a moment that otherwise we could go down this rabbit hole or spiral completely, Because I think a lot of the listeners can empathize with that.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Like, hey, I have been there and have I spiraled before Me? Kelly, 100% yeah, especially in the early, like the you know know, first year and a half of Maddie being born, I think, because hormones and stuff were settling down. Oh yes, I would definitely do that. I'm better now yeah because everything is level setting up with the hormones and I am just starting like that hue is definitely coming back yes, right, right, yeah so.
Speaker 1:I think that this is really cool that you brought that up as a part of that story, which is, I could have really gone down this deep, dark pathway of like what a terrible day.
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, I'm a terrible mom and you know I'm going to drop it off and oh shoot, I'm going to be late to work and everyone's going to be really mad at me. Oh my gosh, I'm a terrible mom and you know I'm going to drop it off and oh shoot, I'm going to be late to work and everyone's going to be really mad at me. And oh my gosh but then you're like no, I am just not going to prescribe to this, I'm not going to.
Speaker 2:And if I would have gotten to work and people would have been upset with me, I just you know, I guess it would have been a moment like I'm sorry, it's just what happened, you know, and nobody was upset with me, but it was. I think the older we get to we get a little bit more comfortable with that, like hey, life is going to happen and this is just how it is.
Speaker 2:Um, so yeah, but you talk about the spiraling and I, I mean, there are days where I've continued to spiral, when I'm trying to pick myself back up throughout the day.
Speaker 2:So we all have those days, but it's sometimes we're human, absolutely, and no matter how many things we have on our plate, they can all go really well or they can all, in the same day, go really crappy. But going back to your question of like, how did I do it all? It was truly just finding every moment that I could, where I didn't necessarily. And you know, another topic we could probably talk about a lot is the mom guilt, right. So I want to start this business on the side, but I also don't want to lose any time with my kids.
Speaker 1:So trying to balance that.
Speaker 2:Like I said't want to lose any time with my kids, so trying to balance that, like I said, it was a little bit easier when they were a little bit younger because I could put them to bed and I'm more of a night owl than I am a morning person. So I mean there are times at nine, 30, 10 o'clock I'm completely getting my second wind and I'm I know I'm going to be up until midnight anyway. So, I might as well be making the most of it.
Speaker 1:Are you one of those individuals, the lucky individuals, that only needs like six hours of?
Speaker 2:sleep. Oh, okay, so that is. It's funny. People have asked me that before. I still love seven to eight hours. That's my golden spot. Actually, 1130 to 730 is my ideal sleep time and I've tried many times because I have friends who are very much morning people and they are in bed by nine or 930. It's me Okay, so you'll appreciate this story. So one night I was like I'm going to try and be one of these people, I'm just going to flip it, I'm just going to see how this goes. So I was in bed by 9.30, and I tried to do everything throughout the day to make myself tired by 9.30. So I was in bed by 9.30, and I bet I was sleeping before 10 o'clock, which is pretty early for me.
Speaker 2:But here's what happened I was up by 3.30 and couldn't go back to bed, completely wired to go, because I had had six hours of sleep, even though I like seven or eight, but I had six hours of sleep and I was like I know I'm not falling back to sleep, so I'm going to get up.
Speaker 2:And I was like I'm I know I'm not falling back to sleep, so I'm going to get up. And I did. I was up at four and I just made myself go all day and a little bit, you know, extra coffee throughout the day, whatever it was to keep myself energized. And then I think I crashed that night at 10 30 and I'm now I'm still back on my schedule of like 1130 to seven or whatever.
Speaker 1:I tried, but I'm just.
Speaker 2:I'm not wired that way.
Speaker 1:Yeah, here is such a perfect example of how every single person is just completely wired differently. Yeah, and there's no right or wrong way. It's how your body handles X amount of hours of sleep. Like I was talking to, we had an individual who's a part of the Sotheby's Real Estate Network. He lives down in Nashville but he's got family in Wisconsin so he'll be visiting a couple times per year and he came up here to visit with us. We went out for lunch, um, on Monday and we were talking about health and wellness and he's like listen, I, six hours of sleep is really my sweet spot. I should I know I should be getting more like and there's something with like bio rhythms, I think is like they both, joe husband and this guy, sean Tate.
Speaker 1:they coach with the same individual and that individual had been talking on his podcast about biorhythms.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:And how you should like, typically get seven to eight hours of sleep, like that is normal right, yes or average anyways, and Sean's like, but literally, if I get six hours of sleep, I am ready to go for the day like ready to go and I am good. And this guy, allison, like I know I'm, I'm like I've derailed the train, a little bit like we're on a tangent but, I promise it's kind of full, it'll come full circle.
Speaker 1:He's 58 years old and he I literally thought, for the amount of time that I've known him, I just found out he's 58. I thought he was our age. I thought he was like 40, wow.
Speaker 2:So I'm like you just keep doing whatever you need to be doing and if that's been working for you Well and.
Speaker 2:I had a I used to have a teacher, and this was in um middle or junior high. She, every night, and her husband was the same way four hours of sleep, that was it. And if they ever got more than four hours of sleep they didn't feel very well and it was just how they were wired. And all I could think about, as I was becoming an adult of, like you know, I like my seven, eight hours I thought, man, how much could I accomplish if I only needed four hours of sleep? Seriously Right, I could run 16 businesses if I only needed four hours.
Speaker 2:I mean, think about it, you could go to bed at midnight, be up at 4 am or 9.30 and be up at 1.30.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, think about that If you only had to function on four hours of sleep. That's wild. But you're right, everybody is different. Everybody is, you know, and you figure out what works for you. Now, some mornings I am up at five and I just can't sleep, or I got to bed earlier or whatever it might be. And honestly, and my daughter is somewhat the same way, like she gets up before school, she makes herself breakfast. I mean, she is like very much into her mornings, her peaceful time, and sometimes, when my son and I are up with her, when she's up really early, she's like what are you guys doing?
Speaker 2:You're, you're you're wrecking my routine here. No one else is supposed to be up. I want my quiet time, you know. So there is something to be said about a very peaceful morning Totally To being up earlier seeing the sunrise. I mean it can be really beautiful. That's my cup of tea.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I really, really, really enjoy that. I've got a pretty regimented routine down, like five, five, 30. I'm up and either getting my strength training in or going for a walk, and it's so cool, I mean the summer is a little bit of a anomaly, right, because the sun is already, like it's already risen.
Speaker 2:So but you know it's nice because there's like hardly anybody else that's out at that time, and no matter what is going on in your life or the world, or whatever there, nobody can take away a peaceful morning right, like it, there's something very calming and a great way to start your day that way. I mean, even on my run this morning, I mean it was it wasn't sunny, but it was obviously kind of overcast, but even when it started literally pouring I was like it's still really beautiful outside.
Speaker 2:Like I actually love the rain. I don't want to live in it 365 days a year, no, but a rainy day every once in a while. I think it's beautiful and it kind of just cleanses everything.
Speaker 1:I think that's the whole purpose of it right, yeah, yeah, just cleanse everything God's like here you go, Just clean Clean it yes. And make everything green. So we were talking about how you're harmonizing this with you know, and, and how that has kind of ebbed and flowed. And so have you, have you experienced, you know you've, you've obviously seen some really major success with all of this, um, but through all of it, what have some of the valleys looked like?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Because you mentioned like I can turn the train around pretty quickly, but we're human Right and there are those days.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:That it just something's not clicking Right. Absolutely, absolutely.
Speaker 2:Right, Absolutely. So there was one. So, speaking of getting ready for trade shows, of like selling my items to boutiques or whatever, I was prepping to get ready for a trade show and I had hired a company I don't think they're in, I know they're not in business anymore, but I had hired a company outside of the state of Minnesota. I don't want to get into any more details, just in case. I don't think they're in, I know they're not in business anymore, but I had hired a company outside of the state of Minnesota. I don't want to get into any more details, just in case I don't want to offend anyone or whatever. But I had hired them to somewhat help me figure out the wholesale process along the way.
Speaker 2:I mean, I had pretty much been self-taught about fashion, design and whatever, but the actual business side of wholesale I didn't know a lot about it. So I hired this company to kind of help guide me throughout this wholesale process and also even sourcing fabric or a pattern maker, because when you design your own clothes you have to have some. I mean I was sewing some of the clothes but I wasn't sewing all of them and I certainly wasn't making pants and zippers and whatever. So just to kind of connect me to the right people or kind of the right process. So they kind of more or less filled in the gaps for me and they were actually really incredible at a lot of things.
Speaker 2:However, when I was working on getting ready for this trade show to sell to boutiques, I was planning for a season let's just say I was planning for fall and winter. As I'm going throughout this process and, granted, now, I've put a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of resources into making this happen.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I was maybe three weeks away from this trade show when I found out it was the selling season for the opposite season I had closed for. So right, so yeah, right. Just the look on your face right now, right, like, think about that panic moment. All of a sudden I had prepped for fall and winter and this was a spring and summer show. Now the show itself didn't say like, oh, come shop for this season. It was just, it's a clothing trade show and I didn't know enough at that time to think ahead.
Speaker 2:I just thought, oh yeah, I'm sure this is what they'll be, shopping for, just based on what I know of a retail calendar, and I was off, and I was off by an entire season, which is, I mean, anybody working in the retail world, even myself.
Speaker 1:I'm laughing inside my head right now, skin is crawling.
Speaker 2:It's completely backwards, right, and it's not to say that people wouldn't necessarily have bought my things, but they're not necessarily. It's not top of mind and most stores, most places obviously, are on a budget. So unless my stuff is going to blow them out of the water, they're not going to buy my things because they're looking for the other seasons right now, right, yeah. So I called the company I had hired that was, you know, kind of helping me through this process and I said I just realized something, is this true? And they did the research and they're like, oh yeah, you should have been prepping for this. So I said I need to let you go, I will call you back. And I hung up the phone and my kids were sitting at the kitchen table and I literally just started sobbing like uncontrollably because I had already been somewhat stressed because this is the first time I'm doing this.
Speaker 2:I don't know what I'm doing. I kind of well, I kind of knew what I was doing, but like I mean, this was a big thing to like, have all these clothes ready all the time, all the money going into it and all, and it's like three weeks away and all of a sudden I can't present it, I cannot be at this trade show with these items. So now not only have I put all my time and money into it, I can't do anything with it for like six months, because it's going to be another six months before there's anyone is going to start looking at this collection for this season.
Speaker 2:So talk about a valley Like. That was a low of of a like and my kids saw me completely break down because I couldn't. I couldn't hold it. I mean, it was like the damn broke and everything, just whatever my kids were like mom, are you okay?
Speaker 2:what's happening? And I just said mom needs a moment. And so I don't know. I honestly don't even know. But I went in some other part of the house and I just let myself sob because I just was like I have to let this out and it's okay that the kids saw me cry. I mean, yeah, it's life Like kids can't always see you crying, but they can't always see you happy either.
Speaker 2:And they have to see the ebbs and flows of life. So I can't. I remember pulling myself back together and I came down and and the kids kind of were a little wide eyed like what happened, mommy, and I was like here's exactly what happened. I planned for this and I planned for the wrong thing, and it's just a lot of time and money. Everything's going to be okay. I will figure this out, but I'm just really sad about it right now.
Speaker 2:So I just need to allow myself to be sad because that's how it's going to, how I'm just really sad about it right now. So I just need to allow myself to be sad Because that's how it's gonna, how I'm gonna get through this, you know. So that is probably the biggest one, but it was a big one, it was a very big one. And then, of course, when I had everything ready to go, that's when COVID hit. So again, yeah, I mean my first show six months later was March of 2020. And then another big, huge valley just I mean literally I think it was like March 16th or whatever that Saturday or Sunday was was my first trade show. And, of course, the person running that trade show, with all of us vendors that were going to be there in brands- they were like, yep, it's not happening.
Speaker 2:And again lots of tears, and so again just kind of like, okay, we're pivoting again. So big big valleys, big ones, and there's been some little ones too where I mean, I think, with any business. There are times like my office in my house is where my boutique is run out of. There are times where I close those doors and I'm like I'm done, I'm not doing this anymore, I am not doing this anymore, and it'll be like 6 pm at night and then I'll wake up the next morning like I'm so blessed to be able to do this.
Speaker 1:This is the greatest thing, seriously you'd have a lot of broken hearts if that were the case.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're so sweet, thank you, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm going to grab my phone here real quick because I'm listening to a podcast that was suggested to me by my lovely husband and I was taking some notes this morning from it on my walk. And, by the way, walking and trying to take notes on your phone is not recommended.
Speaker 2:I've actually tried to do that, and now I just try and do my Apple Watch without my phone because it allows me to not take notes. But, sometimes on my walk or my run, I come up with some really great ideas. It's so true, it's the movement, I think yes, and kind of freeing our mind of all the other things that are going on in life and, like I said, it allows for some space for some new things to come into our brains right.
Speaker 1:By the way, too, I'm going to carefully read through this, because I was trying to voice text it, oh yes. My voice text was not working very well. Oh yes, um. So he or my gosh, I'm totally brain farting. On his book title. I have it here somewhere.
Speaker 2:I was going to say I'll kind of, otherwise it might be in the other room, but anyways, he's.
Speaker 1:he's on this podcast with Chris Williamson and they're talking about like being engaged in, like having friendships, and how we've really gotten away from that and how that has really pushed us away from purpose. Yeah, as well. And Chris asked Simon this question about, like the people that you are talking through these low points and catastrophes, like what are they saying about having gone through that? And he was like point blank yeah, it sucks to be going through these catastrophes and these low points and these crises, but secretly, we're going. I'm glad that it happened. Yeah, do I want to go back there?
Speaker 2:No, no Right.
Speaker 1:But I'm glad it happened, because this is what has come out on the other side of this, yes, and I thought, wow, that's so beautiful.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:It really is points. To excuse me how unfortunately we have to go through those low points, those valleys, the mud, the ick in order to grow and blossom and really embrace becoming a different version of ourselves or reclaiming a different kind of coloring of ourselves.
Speaker 2:Unfortunately, unfortunately, and there's that saying out there too, and I don't know if it's an actual quote or whatever it is, but you rarely it's something about you rarely learn when everything's going well, right, because if everything's going well, it's basically rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat rinse and repeat yeah, If, which is great, there's nothing wrong with that, and the majority of your business probably thrives off of that. But when you make mistakes, that is where your key learnings are.
Speaker 2:And even I also think those really low points or valleys Also. I mean, that was a low point in my business, but it has also taught me about low points just in my personal life or my career or whatever. It might be that I survived that so I can survive this, like whatever. You know what I mean, and or vice versa or vice verse yes, yes. So yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I mean, I don't know that any entrepreneur, any business, has ever gone through something without having uh, the valleys, right, I mean that's that's how you learn, and not only that, but like your business, you know you might have everything figured out as a business owner, but guess what? The universe is changing, or your customer base is changing, or you know. I mean it's kind of going back to the shoes, like not everybody's walking around in high heels anymore like they used to. So now these companies, shoemaking companies, are pivoting, like yeah, we still need to make some heels because some people still want those and we still need them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's still a niche for it. For sure there is. And but what are the people are also wearing these cute little sneakers or athletic shoes or sandals or whatever it might be. So it's also pivoting that way to what the world and everybody else is doing.
Speaker 1:So you are speaking to pivoting too, which I was going to ask you the question from when you shared about that first, like with the event, the expo, or whatever.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, the trade show.
Speaker 1:The trade show, thank you. So how did you pivot in that moment? I'm dying to know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so well, there I was with all these clothes in the wrong season.
Speaker 2:But you're like I've got to do something I've got to do something with these, and then, of course, I had, then I was going to be in the trade show and then COVID happened, so then it then again. Now I've been sitting on these clothes for almost a year, right, and but the thing is, is the clothes that I designed and mostly picked out yes, there's some trendy, fun things in there, or but a lot of things I designed, um, were fun and kind of a little bit trendy, but also classics, like nothing that's going to go out of style in six months, you know. So, even though I had those clothes still a year later, I I still felt very confident with them, and so I thought, well, I'm going to start an online store and these are going to be the first clothes that I sell and I'm going to use that to fund to buy wholesale items.
Speaker 2:So that's what I did. And then, with COVID, though, like my pattern maker stopped making patterns and the fabric trade shows were no longer happening, and you know. So that's also why I pivoted to wholesale, because it's not that I couldn't have still designed it, just would have been a lot harder. And at that moment I'm like I've had a year of sitting on these clothes that I've designed, trying to make a wholesale business out of this.
Speaker 2:the universe is kind of telling me a little something different, right? So I'm going to listen and so I'm going to sell and start buying wholesale. And guess what buying that wholesale piece like if I would have sold to boutiques? Yes, I'd be partnering and getting to know business owners and store owners or whatever, but by buying the wholesale, that started me doing pop-up events and my site and meeting people like you and getting to know, like, yes, I love these jeans or no, I'm looking for this and you don't have anything like this. Great, I'm going to start looking for that.
Speaker 2:So just, I mean that's my favorite thing is working with my customers one-on-one. There's nothing I love more, and I don't know that I would have done that as a wholesale business. Maybe I would have still done direct to consumers as well as businesses, but it really just shifted me to not do wholesale and going direct to customers and it's been so fabulous so far. So again, it's kind of like that was two big, like valleys, yeah, but I mean the peaks that have come out of having to pivot both of those have, I mean I can't even, you know, start to express how grateful and blessed I feel with having them.
Speaker 1:It's so interesting. I just had this thought about how, as an outsider perspective, we never know the true, like what individuals actually go through in order to get their business to where, like I would have never known without asking and being curious about what your actual story is and you sharing also cause you did share about that experience of winning this contest and like what the contest was and where that landed you and where you're at now.
Speaker 1:Right, Like I had some, but all I keep thinking about is from a vast majority of the guests who have been on the podcast. They talk so much and so frequently about this pivot moment and how they thought this is the directionality of where the business was going to go. But actually this is the direction. It went instead in it and it turned out beautifully.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:It really did, and so you are truly speaking to that right now. And I as the outsider for this story, for your story, I'm like it's so incredible. You know, I love what you're doing with online boutique and I would have never thought like, oh, she had all of this other stuff that was.
Speaker 2:this is a trajectory of where everything was going to be. Yeah, that didn't go well, yes, right.
Speaker 1:And it didn't go. And it didn't go, well, for a reason.
Speaker 2:Yes, right, yes.
Speaker 1:You're speaking to the universe. You're saying like all of the signs were pointing me in a completely different direction.
Speaker 2:I just had to listen. I had to listen and kind of go with the flow because, as business owners, I think to a certain degree we are all control freaks because we have to be right. I don't know that you can be a business owner and not be a control freak to a certain degree, because we want to control everything right. We want to control like I want to do this and it's going to go this way and I want this much sales and I want this and I want this. And life doesn't work that way.
Speaker 2:You can have goals or processes or whatever that might look like but, you have to be open to pivoting and and it's interesting, because in college I had to do a paper, or I can't remember it was, I mean and it's been, uh, several years since I've been in college.
Speaker 2:I'll just say that but I'll never forget there was a paper I had to do in a retail merchandising class because that was my major, on what a store should be doing differently and why and I'm not going to say the store, because they're still in business, but I did an entire paper on what I would do differently if I own that store and I often that paper kind of opened me up. Doing or having that experience of writing that paper really opened me up to. I kind of always am thinking that way Like how can I make?
Speaker 2:it better, it's going great right now, but how can I make it better? And there are stores that that have gone out of business, that I'm like, oh, if I could have gotten my hands in there like I wanted to write an entire business plan and I'll just say one store. This isn't the store that I did, but do you remember the limited?
Speaker 1:yes, okay, loved loved the limited right.
Speaker 2:They had a lot of my money at many different times because I loved them. Like the work pants, like the styles I mean, that was usually my go-to store for a lot of things. But I would say in the last few years before they went out of business, I could see that they weren't keeping up with the trends. They weren't. They were having the same sales they had had for the last five years. You can't do that in a store. I mean you can maybe pick your top five, 10 bestsellers. Keep those going.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:But you got to pivot with the rest. Otherwise you're and I could see it, because I remember the first time going walking through the limited and I didn't buy anything and that was like a first and I thought it's because they're not shifting and maybe they don't want to.
Speaker 1:They're not pivoting.
Speaker 2:Maybe they don't want to, maybe their grand plan is to be done in a few.
Speaker 2:I mean right, and at some point in time it sometimes businesses are just ready to be done, they've run their course, they're ready to be done, and I don't know the limited story, but, man, if I could have gotten in there and worked with whomever I'd have been like please, let me work on your marketing plan, cause I would have loved to have kept that store in business and I had. I mean, I even wrote my own plan for them in my own head on a run one day. I was like, if I would have, if I could have saved that company, this is what I would have done and they you know, but just yeah just pivoting and, honestly, there are times where I've often thought about like putting myself out there as a consultant for stores of like that you've.
Speaker 2:You've got to continue to pivot, I think, in order to stay in business and thrive.
Speaker 1:Alison, you know, you should do that. I just think of it as so much fun. But you're lighting up too. Oh yeah, oh yeah, just like getting in there and being yeah, and it and it doesn't have to be the style of store that I have.
Speaker 2:It would be. You know cause I'm a marketing major that I look at things that way. I mean, there've there've been a couple of my friends who have started their own businesses and as soon as they tell me about it, I'm like I can't help it, I don't.
Speaker 1:you never asked me for a marketing plan, but here's all my marketing ideas, because I can't I can't fall asleep tonight until I tell you all of this. I just have to share this with the listeners because that that second time when we, you and I, had the opportunity to just have this really beautiful one-on-one time together.
Speaker 2:Yes, after everyone left.
Speaker 1:After everyone left. I adored it, alison, oh, so did I. But what I? What stuck with me the most from that time together and just having this one-on-one time as I was walking out, I think I like just mentioned something about where I saw everything going with the podcast yes, in Mompreneur Couture, which I just shared all about that vision with everyone at the podcast anniversary event and you were like let me know if you want to sit down, let's get some girls together, we can sit down and we can just kind of vision out some of this stuff.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I was like really, oh, yes.
Speaker 1:And you you were like yeah, and I kind of like chuckled like ha ha, Okay, Sounds good. And then I really thought about it. I was like, yeah, I do need to do that.
Speaker 1:Yes, I do and I was thinking about it this morning too, like I need to do that and it stuck with me and to kind of come full circle to what I was talking about here with that podcast with Chris and Simon and how they're talking through friendship, right isolation and try to do things by yourself or have this firm grip of control on everything, you go into a deeper despair, yes, and that's not okay.
Speaker 1:And you have to rabbit hole of yes, and I was in no like, by no means that position. Yeah, I matter of fact, I was on the opposite side of kind of like okay, I'm going to do this event and this is what it's going to look like, and I have people who are backing me up that want to see something like this, like want to see me follow through on it, yes. And want to help you and want to help me. Yes, Right.
Speaker 1:Yes, and I think that we need to find more of that for people, which is why I want to do what I'm doing and why I'm doing what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:And you're amazing at it. I mean your event was. I mean you could tell everybody wanted to be there. I mean the hue of everybody in pink and the flamingos, I mean it was magical, it was absolutely magical.
Speaker 1:By the way, I got feedback on the garden party casual. One of the pieces of feedback from the survey was very confusing. I'm like, okay, duly.
Speaker 2:And now you know right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, everyone loved the pink, though, so that was good oh absolutely Go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 2:I was going to say when you and I were talking and I remember our conversation, when you told me about this idea and I said yes. I would love to help you and let's get a group of women we can help you out. When you were talking about that just now, I just got chills thinking of it, because the thing is, is women, I think we are reluctant to ask for help or think that we need help sometimes, and once you start to put things out there, it's amazing what can happen.
Speaker 2:And there's power in numbers, right? So all of a sudden, if you have two people in a room versus just you, or you have five people in a room versus two, I mean there's power in numbers. And there are, even at your event, the panel that you had, just those four women up there. In themselves was incredible. Their stories and what they're capable of, and that is what is so amazing. And going back to Stacey's networking group, that we, where we first met, I mean the power in that, room.
Speaker 2:I just left that power in that room. I just left that Well, not left because it was at my house, but after everyone left, I was left with this just overwhelming like feeling of power, that of like look who was in this room? And we all connected and we're all wanting to help each other. And I also think that even someone that does your same thing, as far as maybe somebody else has another podcast, or I've also obviously met other boutique owners.
Speaker 2:Yes, are they competition? A little bit? Yes, but you should be in your own business for your own reasons and therefore remove any notions that you think anybody else is your competition. You are not in competition with anyone else, except for yourself, except for yourself. So keep on your path for your business. Don't worry about the competition. Yes, compare to whatever, maybe get inspired, maybe whatever, but don't diss them or don't whatever, because there are events I do for my boutique where I'm actually partnering with other boutiques and we're all buying from each other and praising each other and lifting each other up. It's how it should be. It's how it should be and there's power in that.
Speaker 1:There really is and as you're talking through it, I'm just reflecting and going why isn't there more of that? And that's really what I want this community for mompreneurs to look like is like ain't nobody got time for the bashing or bringing people down or talking behind people's backs. Nobody's got time for it. Set it aside, because that's your ego and nobody cares.
Speaker 2:Nobody cares, work harder, absolutely. And the people that are going to bash or talk behind your back or that sort of thing going to bash or talk behind your back or that sort of thing even the older I get, the more I don't have time for those people. I just and I don't want them in my space because life can be difficult as it is. We don't need that extra stuff in our. You know what I mean the extra noise and the drama, the drama, yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, we're just going to put it like yes, over to the side, it goes to the side. I love that you brought this up and that is something that I think most of the listeners need to just grasp really tightly to. Yes, is that piece of advice that you just gave? Yeah, like, literally, grasp tightly to that, seek out the people, like. I'm pretty sure this is not. This isn't new advice or news. It's the power of surrounding yourself with amazing individuals who are smarter than you and be in those room.
Speaker 1:Be, in that room with them, because that's going to lift you up.
Speaker 2:Yes, it really is yes, absolutely. And the thing too is like, based on what you just said and also kind of what I was saying about you know, have be friends with your competition, lift each other up or whatever. Friends with your competition, lift each other up or whatever. I always want a few stores or a few boutiques to be better than me, and here's why because if it makes me be better totally and it inspires me and it like Kate Spade, she is the reason I became a designer in the first place.
Speaker 2:I mean she is my, she was the reason I I mean because the bags and the clothes and the little jackets with the bows, like. Everything about it was amazing and I adored her line and still adore everything of Kate.
Speaker 2:Spade adored her line of, and still adore everything of, kate Spade, um, and I always want that line to be better than anything I do, because it's inspiring and it keeps me motivated and it keeps me better, you know. So, yeah, do I ever want to be like the top designer in the top boutique? Sure, that would be amazing, but I'm always looking for someone that's better than me, because it makes me better and it makes me thrive to, you know, reach the next goal or whatever it might be.
Speaker 1:So what I keep thinking about too. As you're saying this is, as you're doing that and you're aspiring to like what Kate Spade has done with her line, and I I agree. I have my go-to light pink Kate Spade bag. That is like tried and drew. Yes, and I've got lipstick all over the inside of it, but I don't care, it doesn't matter. That is my go-to one that I that I grabbed cause it's easy and it's flattering and it goes with pretty much everything, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay, where I was going with this is, as you're you know, early stages, infant stages of building out what their boutique or fashion line or, you know, designing whatever sort of line that they like.
Speaker 2:you're inspiring somebody else by being inspired over here, which is really really cool, yeah, and thank you for pointing that out, cause I never really thought about that until you just said that, and it is interesting because I've actually had a couple of boutique owners Um, one is just starting out and one has been in business for a while and they have approached me and have said I want to be where you are, I want to be doing what you're doing and I have mimicked my displays, like I haven't copied you, but your displays are always amazing and I want to be known for amazing displays and I want to you know. So I I'm always like flattered to hear that, but, like you saying that right now, like, yes, I hope that I am inspiring people. And when I, when it came out that I lent my second collection landed in Macy's and Beverly Hills, the Star Tribune did an article on me and and the do you have that thing framed?
Speaker 1:It is, it's in my book.
Speaker 2:Yes, and I have like 25 extra copies.
Speaker 1:I love it I want a copy. I'm serious.
Speaker 2:Next time I see you I'll give you a copy.
Speaker 1:I'm going to brag about you See my friend.
Speaker 2:Well, and it's funny because I hired a photographer and a model for that collection even before it had won the contest. And as I won the contest and the newspaper is going to do an article on me, all of a sudden it dawned on me I'm like I need to give this model a heads up that she's going to be all over the newspaper Because obviously they put in a picture of me, but a lot of the pictures were of my model of the, because they are the ones modeling the clothing. Um, so I reached out to the model and I said I just want to give you a heads up that you're going to pretty much be all over the newspaper. You know, next week or whatever.
Speaker 2:Um, so that was really funny. But yeah, I had a lot of people, even when that article came out, like I had one guy reach out to me and he said wow, I'm not even, I'm not in fashion, I'm not in designing clothing. I'm in a completely different business, different industry. But your story was so inspiring to me because I think he was actually going into finance. But he's like I'm looking to start my own finance company. I don't feel like I know what I'm doing, but I feel like I know enough to start and your story has completely inspired me to just go for it.
Speaker 2:So just stuff like that that I mean completely not industry related, but just the fact that I inspired people to do that. And then I actually had a young girl come up to me at one of my events and say you've inspired me to maybe want to do fashion design someday. I didn't think anybody could do it in Minnesota. I thought you had to be in New York or California. You know one of the fashion.
Speaker 2:States but you've inspired me because you, you know, whatever. So those stories are still there, Um, and I don't necessarily give myself enough credit all the time that I am inspiring people, you know so much credit. So you've helped remind me of that.
Speaker 1:You just continue being humble right, like and I think that there is something to be said about that too Allison, it's like, it's beautiful how humbled you are. Like you, you're so humble about it, and that's really cool too.
Speaker 2:But I know sometimes we, we look to all of this and go wow, yeah, and I think, sometimes I know for a fact, sometimes, yeah, and you probably feel the same way too, like you're not giving yourself enough credit you know and I not at all and I feel I wish there maybe this is I don't between you and I can help people, even ourselves, like, how do we allow ourselves to give ourselves enough credit sometimes?
Speaker 2:Because life moves fast, right, and if you don't stop and give yourself enough credit sometimes, you that's. That's a big part of the journey that I think we're missing out on. You know, um, when I was featured in the newspaper, one of my girlfriends did call me and she was, I mean, she was literally sobbing for me and I wasn't even in tears, I mean I was just. I mean I was excited, don't get me wrong. I was celebrating and excited, but she literally called me, crying, and she's like you, like this is incredible and you're not. I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit, I don't think you've realized what you've accomplished, and you know, and she and, but her phone call made me realize like, yeah, maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit every once in a while you know to.
Speaker 1:I know what it is. I think I've got a well, I know part of why this is the case, and this is because you and I are very similar that we just want to keep going going going. It's just kind of a part of our DNA. Yeah, like we got to have the house clean and we got to do this and we've got to have this in place, right, and that's because we're wired that way. It's hard to like slow down and actually like relish in what is happening.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 1:Because the other side of that, too, is you're like okay, well, what's next?
Speaker 2:Yes, oh yes. How do I keep coming from this? And you?
Speaker 1:know, just keep stacking all of this and there is something about having to actually slow down means that you have to do this reflection. And I think sometimes, if I'm going to think about it from my perspective, that means, if I'm going to reflect on it, that I've got to actually think about the good and the not so good. Yes, yes, exactly.
Speaker 2:And that's where you can learn Right and the not so good. Yes, yes, exactly. And that's where you can learn right, right and when you reflect, it helps shut your mind down a little bit. It kind of pulls out some of the noise that you're not allowing space for, and that's where you can allow space for the good stuff. Right, and yes, and I took a personality test years ago, it was through work, and one of my top five is I'm futuristic.
Speaker 2:So, I'm constantly looking in the future, which is great because I can kind of see.
Speaker 1:It was Clifton, wasn't it?
Speaker 2:Clifton Strength, yes, yes exactly, which is why I think, going back to our conversation about the limited, I'm like I already see in a few years, this company is not going to make it because they're not pivoting to their customers. They're not pivoting to what's happening in fashion and retail and the consumer that's walking into their store every day. I could already see it, and so that's also like in my own business. I'm like I already know where I see myself in six months, or in this is where I want to be in a year, or this is whatever. In six months, or in this is where I want to be in a year, or this is whatever. But, like ask my kids, there is a checklist on my island at any given moment with 55 things on it and I might knock 10 of those off, but then 15 more are going to get added.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I never want to, or I'm. I do my best to not miss anything with the kids. So if I have the choice between knocking 10 things off my list especially if five of them are for my business, or going to my son's speech event, there's no question where I'm going to be. I'm going to be at my son's speech event right.
Speaker 1:This is called prioritizing, Prioritizing, right.
Speaker 2:So some of that too, you know, like some of the things I wanted to accomplish in the last two months. It has been kind of an insane couple of months for me.
Speaker 1:It's the summer.
Speaker 2:It's the summer and I just sent my son to Argentina for a foreign exchange program and getting him ready for that and, yeah, you know, wrapping up a dance season for my daughter and now she's starting another one this week, and so some of that stuff too takes time, and you know, and we can't, we're not wired. Even though I don't sit very well, we, as humans, we're not wired to go 24 seven.
Speaker 2:You can't you know, so some of the downtime I have, which is hard for me, like the downtime I have, like I want to sit outside and enjoy the birds and the flowers and maybe just read a magazine or do a crossword puzzle even though there's 50 other things I should be doing, but I'm trying to have some downtime and allow myself some of that, Do you?
Speaker 1:feel like that is what a form of self-care looks like for you. Yes, okay.
Speaker 2:And I'm trying to get real better at that. I'm trying to get better at self-care, because I tend to go and go and go.
Speaker 2:And then I don't know that I've I've kind of put myself over the limit until I maybe get sick, or or mentally I can't even think about anything anymore because I'm so mentally drained, or mentally I can't even think about anything anymore because I'm so mentally drained. Yeah, so I'm trying to do more self-care. Um, and then the older we get, to write like it becomes more of a thing, and so, yeah, just trying to allow myself to do that.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm going to ask you this follow-up question, then, which is if you could wave the magic wand of what self-care would idealistically look like for you. What would it look like?
Speaker 2:Oh, I've thought about that. It's funny that you asked that, because just in the last few months I was talking to a girlfriend of mine and we were talking about how, growing up on Sundays for me, we went to church and we went to brunch and then we didn't really do much else because it was it was God's day, sunday, I mean, and I grew up in North Dakota so you couldn't even shop on Sundays until, like, I was in high school or maybe after I even left high school.
Speaker 2:You couldn't shop, and so you and I use shopping as an example, cause that's probably where I would have been Is at the mall.
Speaker 1:It's me too. Yeah, I would have been at the mall.
Speaker 2:But it was God's day.
Speaker 2:It was a day of rest you know, and talking to my girlfriend about that yeah, you can't, you can't help some of the things, the activities that are happening with your kids on Sundays, right, like, yeah, I'm not going to not go to something on Sunday because it's whatever, but I'm trying to maybe get back to that a little bit where, if we don't actually have anything on a Sunday, could I have a day of rest? Could I have? Maybe I knocked two things off my list, two or three instead of 15. And maybe those two or three are the big ones, like the ones that I will feel really good about if I can get them done and allow the rest of the day to be whatever it is, just allow the date of ebb and flow as it's supposed to, versus trying to control every minute of every hour. And the way that I've also started to maybe allow that to happen a little bit is kind of going back to your question from a little while ago of, like, how do you do it all, being a mom and an entrepreneur and a day job, and I set a timer, and that has been a big game changer for me. So, because we're all like, oh, I'm like, let's just say I want to add more things to my site and send out an email. Okay, I do that.
Speaker 2:Well, all of a sudden, I get a text from a friend. Oh well, that's funny. Oh, she sent me an Instagram thing. Oh, that was cute. Oh, now I'm in Instagram and four other things popped up. Oh yeah, that was funny. Oh, that reminded me I was going to send one of my brothers this because it reminded me of him. Oh yeah, I should call my mom and dad. Do we have our vacation plans planned for the holidays? Or, all of a sudden, I am off in some other planet and it's an hour and a half later and I have not really accomplished anything. So, by setting a timer 20 minutes, a half an hour, an hour, depending on what I want to accomplish, it is phone is turned over. What I want to accomplish, it is phone is turned over. The only reason I will answer it or whatever, is if it's one of my kids. They get priority, otherwise it is heads down. There's no going on Instagram, there's no whatever. It is heads down, and that has been a game changer.
Speaker 2:It is amazing what you can accomplish in 20 minutes or even an hour if there are no other distractions.
Speaker 1:So 100% yes, there is realities. And actually I've got this, my productivity planner Ooh, which literally Okay, I might need to get one of those Speaks exactly to what you're talking about, okay, and it's all about, like, setting the priorities for for the day, and it can be three to five priorities yes you might have the whole list and, believe me, it's on the left hand side of the page.
Speaker 1:it's um, what are you grateful for today? What's your intentionality for the day? Part of the page has like, literally from six o'clock in the morning until like nine or 10 o'clock at night, like scheduling everything out. Yeah, and then your top priorities, like here are my three main priorities. Like I've got to get these done today.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Secondary and then additional.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh. And then on the other side of the page as you open it up.
Speaker 1:It's just like kind of like lined paper, yeah, and so I literally write everything out on there and then take the top things to focus on and put it in. Yeah, and you set timers for yourself. I'm not. I'm human. I'm not perfect at this.
Speaker 2:Right, oh, no sorry.
Speaker 1:As the summer has really gotten in a full swing. I am as far away from that as possible. Yeah, but it's setting a 30 minute timer for yourself to see how much of that first priority you can get done. Yeah, and you gauge like, oh, I think I can get this done in like two or three 30 minute segments and you just cross out like how many times it actually takes you to get done telling me about that and explaining how it works. Going back to like if I could wave my magic wand.
Speaker 2:What does self-care look like? It's maybe having Sundays with nothing on my to-do list. If I have that productivity planner, guess what. I'm going to try and plan everything on the six other days and maybe something will fall into Sunday. Right, like life isn't life ebb and flows. So maybe something will fall on that Sunday, but I can do everything I can to try and plan nothing on Sunday and maybe going it. Maybe every once in a while I will have a Sunday where I don't. I don't have to do anything because I got it all done on the other six days.
Speaker 1:You could just challenge yourself. I got it all done on the other six days. You could just challenge yourself right, challenge yourself to like. You know, I'm going to try it this week.
Speaker 2:Yes, oh.
Speaker 1:I did it.
Speaker 2:Okay, let's try it for another week.
Speaker 1:Okay, I did it All. Right, you know, you just kind of keep pushing the envelope a little bit more, right, all right, I did it, I did it, I did it Great.
Speaker 2:Or even if it's a day where I know I've got this going on, or maybe it's even a Saturday.
Speaker 2:I know I'm going to be here and here and here. There's no way I'm pretty much going to get anything else done. So maybe everything else shifts, Maybe on Sunday becomes my day of you. Know, I do need to do some things on Sunday in order to have my Saturday all for this event or this or my daughter's dance competition or whatever it might be so our church challenged us to incorporate in a Sabbath time period and and what was really great is that in doing this challenge, they didn't say it had to be on a Sunday.
Speaker 1:Right, they were like when is it going to work for your schedule? And so what we did for our family is we challenged ourselves, Um, and and I set this because with real estate and that other business, yeah.
Speaker 1:Clients want to go out and look at houses and and then there's negotiation of deals and stuff that are happening, and that's sometimes happening on Saturdays and sometimes it's happening on Sundays. But I was like typically Saturday evenings to like Sunday noon timeframe, not a lot of stuff was happening and so I literally was like that's going to be our Sabbath period. So from Saturday after dinner until we got back from church on Sunday right around noon, no technology like we were doing, we were engaged with each other. How were we focusing on? Like building that relationship with God, and that was our Sabbath time period.
Speaker 2:I love that and I really want to get back to it. Yes, I love that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's. It's interesting that you bring that up, and that was it was interesting, challenging ourselves, and we did it and it was really nice. We did it earlier this year and it was really nice. And I will say there is rewards to you when you set intentionality, things like that in place. God, the universe, like you, are rewarded because we are not built to work 24, 7, 65 and a half Exactly. We're just not Exactly. We should rest.
Speaker 2:Because and then that's where things start to align better, right, like you said, the universe. You get those rewards because all of a sudden, you've allowed yourself that time, like you said, no technology, family time, whatever that looks like, and things are, you know, planned out in the planner and whatever, and I mean even just your mind, right, like if you know, like today you have four things in there you want to accomplish and you accomplish those. You're gonna be like great, and then, as it starts to even become more like that over time, it just frees your mind up versus I don't know about you, but everyone's fault. I'm just. I walk around half the time just worried, like, okay, I want to get that done. How am I going to get that done? Yep, okay, I'm going to do that. Oh, nope. Now my friends invited me to go jet skiing. Yeah, I really want to go jet skiing.
Speaker 1:I have got to show this to you. I am I rarely ever do this, but I'm going to do it. I am popping on to social media because I've got to show you this. This is literally what motherhood feels like to me sometimes. That's what it feels like. That's literally like I feel like. I'm like, yeah, wait, oh, over here, over here. Oh my gosh, oh what the kids over here, maddie's over there like oh, I gotta do this for the podcast. Oh, I forgot about this for the podcast.
Speaker 1:Like I literally yeah sometimes feel like that, but something like the productivity planner. To get back to a little bit of a serious note, yeah, so incredible. It has been game changer for me and it took a couple different planners, like I did the bullet journal for a while. Yep, I've heard of that one which was a good start for me.
Speaker 1:It was a really good start, yeah, but I migrated to this and my sister-in-law actually she was my secret Santa and she gifted this to me and I was, like you know, pretty darn set on the bullet journal. I was like it's working, Like why upset the apple cart? And then it literally was coming to up to the start of the new year and I was going to have to make a choice, Like am I going to get another bullet journal or do I just use the thing that was given to me complimentary?
Speaker 1:as a gift, so I was like all right, I'm going to commit to it. I haven't even looked back at the bullet journal Like this is exactly what my life and brain needed.
Speaker 2:And I'm so happy I'm going to make my. If my kids don't listen to this entire podcast, I'm going to make them listen to the last few minutes because my daughter it's funny, she's called me out on a few times. She's like Mom, you're just kind of constantly all over the board You're like in 55 different things right now and I'm like, I am because I'm trying to uphold, like keep our household afloat. I'm trying, I've got my career during the day.
Speaker 2:I've got my business, which is also another career. I want to make sure I make it to your things. I want to make sure I make it to everything that Jaden needs to. You know my son and um and also maybe have a little bit of time to you know self-care and take our dog for a walk.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I am in 50, but I actually, to a certain degree, I thrive in it. I love having you thrive in the chaos? I thrive in the chaos a little bit, but it needs to be a little bit more organized.
Speaker 1:I need organized chaos right, okay, so we're going to start to land the plane here and I want to speak to your lovely daughter as she's listening to this part of the podcast like honey, just wait until you potentially have your own children and you'll totally understand. In the back of my head, I'm like one day. I hope she says oh now I get it, I understand understand.
Speaker 2:And now I and I understand, and I'm going to make my mom listen to this part of the podcast too. I now understand too my mom sometimes was going crazy just to try and keep everything afloat Right, and that's just keeping things afloat. That's not even necessarily accomplishing a ton of things on top of just keeping everything afloat Right.
Speaker 1:So, oh yeah, that could be a whole podcast, okay, okay. So I had two questions back from when we were talking about Kate Spade. So first question as, as a fashion designer at heart and you own your own boutique, is it challenging, like you've got this love for Kate Spade right. Do you have some of stuff from her lines partnered with the stuff from your boutique? Or are you like I've got to just like own this, like I am only wearing stuff from my boutique or accessorizing from my own boutique?
Speaker 2:Okay, that's a great question that you're asking, because I am a mix of all sorts of fashion.
Speaker 2:So, I can take an $8 tank top from Target and a pair of pants from my boutique with a Kate Spade bag and I'll feel like a million bucks. So that is my ultimate type of styling that I do. Is my ultimate type of styling that I do? I would say a lot of my styling, like what I'm wearing today, is from my boutique. Yeah Right, so a lot of it is, and it's taken me a couple of years to get very confident in what I buy for my boutique because I used to kind of try and dabble in different types of styles and I would take a chance on things that I didn't really feel great about, but I would buy them anyway to sell, and that was all.
Speaker 2:that's all the stuff I always have left over. Anything, I second guess is some of the stuff that doesn't sell very well. So, and I think that's not to say that you're never not going to have I mean, you walk into any pretty much retail store or boutique, there's always a sale rack right, there's some stuff that like maybe didn't sell as well.
Speaker 2:It just didn't sell as well or people change their minds or whatever it might be. So not to say that you can always get rid of that. But I've just become more confident in my customer on what I'm bringing to them and what they're looking for. And if somebody doesn't necessarily love color or ruffles or love to be kind of trendy, they're probably not my customer If they only want to be in athleisure stuff every single day and not be kind of a little bit more fun dressed or something with color whatever feminine, yes then you're probably not my customer and that's okay, and but that's taken me a couple of years because it it's goes back to that saying like, if you're trying to serve everybody, you serve nobody, you know?
Speaker 2:So, um, but I do have a lot of people who you know whether it's at the events I have at my house or pop-up events or charity events or whatever that have come up to me that have said you are like my favorite boutique to buy for to buy from, and that then I know I'm doing everything right.
Speaker 1:You are. You're knocking it out of the park. Oh, thank you, at least for me because I'm a, I'm a mix for, for my fashion sense, personally, like I always want to have classic staple pieces, yes, but I like to inject color. I like to inject the feminine side of things. Yes, I think my husband um husband has shared this with me a time or two. He's like I just love when you kind of wear a little mix of athletic yeah, because I am an athlete at heart.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, it's part of who you are. Yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, excuse me, as I come I like, have a little tickle yeah, a little tickle, but you know it's. It's a mix, and what I love about your boutique is I get to play in that really feminine part of like. It's just always been like.
Speaker 1:I've always loved the ruffles and the lace and color the color, yes, and especially in this particular season of life, when I am interviewing women for a podcast that's talking about reclaiming your hue and flamingos and the pink like. So. This was formerly Maddie's nursery, oh, and now she's got the room next door and this blush color of the wall is like I think that that is truly like always and forever going to be a favorite. And then the Kelly green color too, oh yes. And they're complimentary.
Speaker 1:Yeah absolutely so. When I tried on the pink pair of pants, I was like, oh, I actually could do this. Nope, we're going to wear the khakis, the khaki colored pants. I should say but I love what you're doing with the boutique and it's incredible. And my other follow-up question, speaking of your daughter, let's talk about the name of your boutique too, and where that originated from the origin.
Speaker 2:So I remember rocking her to sleep. So she was I mean, she was little obviously, and I was at the time I was just starting to kind of think of starting my own business fashion design.
Speaker 2:And I was trying to think of what I was going to name it. I knew I wanted maybe part of my name or whatever, and I mostly go by Allison, but I have had friends that call me Allie and so I was rocking her to sleep one night and her name is Madison and people kept asking me after she was born are you going to be okay if people call her Maddie and I?
Speaker 2:said yes, I think Maddie's just as adorable as Madison. So I said whatever she wants to go by will be perfectly fine. So I was rocking her to sleep one night and I was in my head of like. So I was rocking her to sleep one night and I was in my head of like, what, what name do I? What? What should I name my business? And or, and and right above her crib was her name, madison, and I was looking at it and I thought, yep, and people are, I'm going to be okay with people calling her Maddie.
Speaker 1:And all of a sudden I was like that's it, it's Allie Maddie, because it shortens my name and hers, and that's that's where it yeah, it's so, it's so sweet and she's listening to this right now and she's probably like maybe a tad bit embarrassed, but at the same time of course she's a 14 year old girl, of course she's embarrassed, but sometimes that's kind of fun when I know I can embarrass her. It is kind of fun every once in a while you know she, she can look back at some point and go wow yeah, that's so cool. I had a boutique partially named after me.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely, and she's actually helped me make some decisions on things. If I'm like I am, I'm struggling, should I do this or this? And then she'll say do this, I'm like okay, well, what better person, who?
Speaker 1:what better person than a girl at that particular age, where, like, that's where the trends lie primarily like most are aiming towards that. There's a an age range right, and then a lot of us just adopt it from there. Exactly. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Speaker 2:I might be completely off base on that, but it's it feels like for sure.
Speaker 1:Like I'm looking back at some of the girls who are walking around here in Edina and you know, we've got some friends that live just a few blocks away and they've got a 11, almost 12 year old and then a 15, 14, 15 year old Like I think there's just a few years apart and I'm literally looking at the trends and what they're wearing and I'm like is that, is that? Is that it? Right, right, because that's what I was wearing back in, like the nineties.
Speaker 2:I know, I know, and then also just the very like athleisure, little lululemon shorts and a tank top or whatever it is. But and even though that's okay, maybe for them to wear to school or to dance or whatever. But I mean it could change or shift, but when they are going to work someday, my guess is that's not what they're going to be wearing no right they I mean so it'll be interesting to see.
Speaker 2:But I thought there it'll be interesting to see what that generation ends up going into work but I know I'm hoping they keep the ruffles and the colors and the you know, know, let's just, let's just ensure that that's the case and keep purchasing stuff from your to keep that going.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we've been slowly landing the plane. A couple of final questions to wrap everything up. The first question is what's a piece of advice that you would give a younger version of yourself knowing all that you know now?
Speaker 2:Yeah, To just more or less, I think, believe in yourself. Have the confidence that, no matter how it ebbs and flows, if you have the confidence, everything's still going to turn out just as it should.
Speaker 2:Belief and confidence, belief and confidence and it's like I even tell my the women that come and shop from me. They're like I love this top, but I don't think I can pull it off. I don't normally wear this color. I don't normally have big a ruffle on my sleeve, don't normally wear this color. I don't normally have big a ruffle on my sleeve and I it's what I tell them like 75% of being able to pull something off is the confidence to wear it. And all of a sudden their eyes just light up. Oh, you mean, if I can just have the confidence to put it on, I'm going to look okay in it.
Speaker 1:I'm like you're going to look more than okay in it.
Speaker 2:So it's honestly, it just comes back. Just have confidence, you know and it's not to say that everything's going to be perfect, because it's not, but it'll help you through it. You know, and I would also tell myself my younger self too, like, or anyone wanting to start a business whatever you do, make sure you're passionate about it, Because when the, when the low valleys hit, if you're at least passionate about what you're doing, even or believe in it, that's what'll get you through it. You know, like the, the day that I realized that I was planning for a trade show in the wrong season, I mean, that's almost catastrophic to a certain degree, but I I have enough.
Speaker 2:Pat, like that is not going to stop me from making this a success.
Speaker 1:You know, I I had another woman on the podcast pretty early on and she and she said something very similar in the same vein, but also she goes and some listeners might hear this and go. Absolutely not. But I do think that there's relevance and truth to this, that if all the money were to go away, would I still want to do this.
Speaker 1:All the money were to go away would I still want to do this, and if the answer is yes, like hands down bar none, like hell yes or hell no Absolutely. If it's a hell yes, then you better do it. Yes, oh, absolutely.
Speaker 2:I mean, and the thing is, unless we all start walking around naked, I'll always have something that somebody needs. That's also part of it, right, I mean? And there is billions of dollars worth of clothes out there. So it's not that I'm not going to do it, because, well, why are they coming to me? Because they can go somewhere else. I am in it because I, I believe in myself and I, I believe I have something that there are a lot of women that want. And again, if I had to do it for free, would I do it Absolutely. It is ingrained in me, it is, it has been a part of me ever since I can remember, you know. So I mean people when I was younger. They were like you were just a walking fashion plate. You know Cause I?
Speaker 2:loved putting together outfits and loved doing. You know what a compliment too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, you answered my other question, and so um the last question. You made it all the way through.
Speaker 2:You did great.
Speaker 1:You even came with your notes and you didn't even have to use them. That's incredible, right? I always like to say, like nobody knows your story better than you do right. So, you've knocked it out of the park. How can people get connected to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so people can get connected to me through my site, which is alimadicom A-L-I-M-A-D-Icom. You can email me through the site, you can follow me on Facebook and you can find me on Instagram, and I'm always open to meeting, connecting with people and whatever that looks like, and even helping people start off, however they can. I'll probably have a marketing plan an hour later after we meet for their business, because that's just how I'm wired as well. I love it.
Speaker 1:I am so honored that you took the time to come. I know that we're kind of squeezing things in so that we can jet off to other parts of our daily schedule, and I'm with you on that too. But thank you, yeah, I just adore you. And this is so fun, and I even got a pair of pants.
Speaker 2:Well, and the feelings are mutual because I adore you as well and I'm so happy you're part of my life now, and not only as a friend but in our business journeys together, and I'm just honored that you had me on your podcast.
Speaker 1:I want to. I want to just throw something out to the listeners as a little teaser to that. I think that there is an area of opportunity here for us to do some sort of collaboration outside of what we're doing with the podcast right now.
Speaker 2:So I'm I'm all in, stay tuned, stay tuned.
Speaker 1:We're going to just dangle that little carrot out there for the listeners Perfect. Thank you so much. I hope you have a great rest of the day.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Um, we'll be chatting very soon. Sounds wonderful. Thank you again for having me. Yeah, you're welcome. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoyed this episode and know of any inspiring mamas who are powerhouse entrepreneurs, please help connect them with myself and the show. It would mean so much if you would help spread this message, mission and vision for other mompreneurs. It takes 30 seconds to rate and review. Then share this episode with your friends Until the next episode. Cheers to reclaiming your hue.
