Beans & Banter
We are Keith and NiCole Fischer, owners of The Mill in Bonduel, Wisconsin. The Mill is a coffee lounge, bourbon retailer, and boutique. But more than that, it’s a gathering place for numerous people, full of countless stories. Join us as we dissect our
Beans & Banter
The Story of Duo Couture
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In this episode, we sit down with Brad and Courtney of Duo Couture. We dive into the realities of buying inventory at wholesale markets, the logistics of shipping and storage that come with rapid growth, navigating tricky customer return situations, and the ongoing challenge of balancing a marriage with being full-time business partners.
Whether you're a small business owner or a customer, this one offers so much insight into the logistics it takes to maintain success and sanity.
Grab a coffee, pull up a chair and get to know Brad and Courtney with us!
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Keep up with Duo Couture here:
• https://duocouturewi.com/
• https://www.facebook.com/duocouturewi
• https://www.instagram.com/duocouturewi
• https://www.tiktok.com/@duo.couture
Connect with us!
Yep. I got it. Okay, so how is that? I haven't tried it yet. Give it a go. Give it a whirl. Did you make it?
SPEAKER_02Do you want me to video your reaction? Yep.
SPEAKER_00I'm gonna say yep, just because now she doesn't know. Now she's second guessing herself.
SPEAKER_03It's not my favorite.
SPEAKER_05Wait, what is that?
SPEAKER_03That's gonna make a hell of a TikTok. I'm gonna text that too.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you probably got all the syrup. I don't know what I got. It's I don't know what I got, but it wasn't.
SPEAKER_03It was very whole milky.
SPEAKER_00I did it the right way and put the milk in first. And the espresso second. And Addison guided me the whole way, so I couldn't screw it up.
SPEAKER_03She still said no. No, I don't like it. No.
SPEAKER_00Take it back.
SPEAKER_03Take a drink. I want you to take a drink. I don't want that. Just take a drink.
SPEAKER_02I have booze.
SPEAKER_03And tell me you got booze?
SPEAKER_02Do you want booze in yourself? Well, I should go back to work after that.
SPEAKER_03Can you take a drink real quick? Let's give it a whirl. And you didn't put a lot of ice in that. Supposed to be an iced.
SPEAKER_00I did put a lot of ice. We do like iced coffee. Heavy amatoes. I drank that. Maybe needs a little mix.
SPEAKER_03You made it though, right? That makes sense. This is not great advertising. Someone else made it.
SPEAKER_02I made it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, thank God.
SPEAKER_02Because I'm like, we cannot sell this.
SPEAKER_03Take the menu down now. Thank God it's just you.
SPEAKER_00Like that cookie butter looks like molasses.
SPEAKER_03It's not. Okay. Let's get rolling because they are busy and they have stuff to do.
SPEAKER_00I'm busy.
SPEAKER_03Um you are feeling close to me.
SPEAKER_05You tell me. You know George feels inside of me.
SPEAKER_03Hi, this is Nicole Fisher, and this is my husband, Keith Fisher. And this is Bean's Banter, if you don't know where you are today. And we have amazing guests today. Aww.
SPEAKER_02That's the nicest thing anybody's ever said about me. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Okay, it's Courtney and Brad from Duo Kosher. Kuture. Couture, am I saying that right? What a dumb name. You thought of the name. But why do I say kosher? You're not Jewish. You don't know it.
SPEAKER_02Not that we know.
SPEAKER_04Not today, at least.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Kosher's for Jewish people, right?
SPEAKER_02They like kosher food.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you know that, or are you just going along with that?
SPEAKER_04No, she's right.
SPEAKER_02So where you gotta watch her because she'll just make shit up so I do too.
SPEAKER_00Where did that name come from?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I like it. Um, so it's my sister and I. Um, we each have I run the boutique, she runs the custom apparel side.
SPEAKER_00So that's duo.
SPEAKER_04And yep, duo. And then I'm pretty sure he just put it into chat DBT names for sister run businesses, and that's I no, I do like it.
SPEAKER_03It's a classy name, even though I said kosher. I fucked up their name right away. And I liked it though.
SPEAKER_00I wouldn't expect anything else, to be honest.
SPEAKER_04See, I thought couture was a very I didn't think anything of that. I thought that was like a well-known word.
SPEAKER_03Why do I know that?
SPEAKER_00Like, what is that?
SPEAKER_03You see it everywhere in the movie. No, you see it everywhere in Facebook.
SPEAKER_00Well, yeah, her stuff. All everywhere. But I mean the original word. Like, what is the original word?
SPEAKER_04But the amount of people that mess up the couture part is. Do they ever say kosher like the Jewish? Oh, yeah. We've heard everything. Yeah, we've heard it all.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_04I heard one yesterday. I forgot what it was.
SPEAKER_02Never heard it once. They've never heard that before.
SPEAKER_04Never heard Jewish one. Kosher is a new one. Kosher.
SPEAKER_02People do really struggle with the name. What does it mean? Yeah, what does it mean?
SPEAKER_04Like couture, like clothing, like it's usually like a brand fashion. Like is it English? It is English, in fact.
SPEAKER_02Do you what?
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna do you know that I'm not.
SPEAKER_02All right. Is it you're gonna need to do some research and edit that part? She will.
SPEAKER_03She'll add it in. Um now that we got your name out of the way. And you're not Jewish. We are not Jewish. We don't mind if you are. No. Yeah. We like all we love everybody. We like everybody. We love everybody.
SPEAKER_02We're people, people.
SPEAKER_03Um, so what I really like about, and I don't know your sister. I don't, she's not on the camera a lot, is she?
SPEAKER_04No, she's not. Um, well, neither was I, actually. Neither of us love the spotlight, but my husband gave me a hard talk one day and said, if you want this to work, you need to be a good one. 100% right. And he is right, because that's what's I feel like helped us a lot is the social media side. And my sister Mariah is really, she's trying to make that her persona, and she's doing a really good job, but she just made her own TikTok account. And we're really trying to go the custom apparel side. So is Brad helping her with that?
SPEAKER_03Um Brad, are you are you helping her with that? Yeah, Brad's here. Can you answer that?
SPEAKER_00Um We want her to talk. Honestly, I don't blame you.
SPEAKER_02She's got a way prettier voice than I do. I'm taking the approach with Mariah of you teach a man to fish, right? He can he can feed forever. Um, so I support her, whatever either one of the girls need. I'm always like, they're both Mariah's not my wife, but I always say she's my wife, and this is my wife. Like, and I feel like you're like that. I'll do anything I can to take care of my wife and the people around me. Um, but it's also like, I'm like, you just bloom a little bit. Put yourself out there, be who you are. I don't want you to be me on TikTok. I want you to be you are TikTok. Yes, she's a paper phone.
SPEAKER_04She's like so many things. But being in front of the camera is not one of them. But she's trying her butt off.
SPEAKER_03And that's really hard in this industry. Yeah. You have like I would say in the last year or two, it got even worse. Like if you were not on social media, yep. You have to be in people's face. But it's also the most time-consuming part of the system.
SPEAKER_02People don't realize that part. They don't.
SPEAKER_03It's so it's you have to be on. You have to be on. Yep. You can't be like, and so like Justin and I sometimes be like, blah, blah, blah. Like, okay, come on, let's go. We have to do a video. We have to vibe up. Yep. Yep. And then we'll look at it where like we could tell our mood was off. Like, you know, I I totally feel it. But you would do a really good job.
SPEAKER_00I wonder if crack would help.
SPEAKER_03Crack would. That's not a bad idea. It would work the first couple times. Right. Yeah. Maybe I'll try drugs.
SPEAKER_00I mean, a lot of people just try it once. No, not really.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. It's not a thing you dabble with.
SPEAKER_04Well, you're not opening the door for that. I'm not opening it up for crack.
SPEAKER_00No.
SPEAKER_03But thanks, police chief Fisher. Just trying.
SPEAKER_02I didn't know if we were bringing that up there. Maybe people don't know that at home.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_03He's the police chief telling me to do crack, but um, and I'm his wife. So that would work out.
SPEAKER_00Oh man. Where are you guys from?
SPEAKER_04Um, I am from Wrightstown, and both Mariah and I are from Wrightstown. And then it's a beautiful town.
SPEAKER_03Can I just tell you guys that?
SPEAKER_00Was it always that so nice?
SPEAKER_04It's really getting built up. Like it's just always been like quaint, I feel like is the right word. Like it's getting so built up as far as like subdivisions and stuff like that. Money in that town. You drive through, you're like, it lacks businesses.
SPEAKER_00Very much, yeah. Very nice, like well-kept businesses. Very well-kept.
SPEAKER_04But the yeah, they're they're not getting as much as far as like like not that a town needs fast food, but there's very little restaurants. There's very little, they just open a brewery though that we've been to a couple of times. Let's keep the let's keep the chains out of there and get more. That is true. Yeah, I'm totally good. Like Dorconey style. You know what I mean? Like, let's get the vibe. Yeah. Yes. A lot of dive bars that are a ton of fun. Yeah. That gnarly cedar brewery is so fun. The vibe is always really good. The food is good. But yeah, they're they are lacking chains, which now that you say that, that's I think that's a good thing. Yeah, it's not a bad thing.
SPEAKER_02I just want to see more businesses. I want to see more healthy businesses.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, because it seems more like industrial businesses, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. They just got an ace hardware like a year ago, and I feel like that's been always packed every time I've been in there.
SPEAKER_00So what I buy there. I would love, I would love to retire and have my own hard hardware store.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god, you could do that, Keith. There's a couple vacant buildings in town. You guys were looking at starting another business, so that's a good idea. Yeah, were you guys bored?
SPEAKER_00You should say, I said retire.
SPEAKER_05Oh, yes. Yes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Um, would do you want to branch off and have another boutique anywhere?
unknownHe's a public, but I will do it.
SPEAKER_03Which one are you asking? Both of you.
SPEAKER_04Like, what are your thoughts on that? He says yes. Um, I think we would really like to. I'm the I'm somebody that I need to plan. I need to know how something's gonna look before I can like the idea. He's like, let's dive in, let's do it. There's you guys are great about the risk. Yeah. I'm I'm learning to be more on that side, but like, yeah, we eventually want to get there. We've toyed around with like Door County Fish Creek. Oh god, yeah. Yeah, that's where Nekal's from.
SPEAKER_03That's where County's from.
SPEAKER_04I know. It's so fun. We and selfishly, then we could be like, oh, gotta go to Door County for the weekend.
SPEAKER_00The store needs us. And it's really not that far from you, though. No, yeah, like hour, hour and a half-ish. Oh, really? Where we land? Yeah.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's I'm not great at geography. That's okay.
SPEAKER_04I know. I in my head, everything's an hour.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. When I start the planning, it's nothing.
SPEAKER_04Um, but your online has to be really picked up since we've really died, like dove into the social media side and like really put a lot of energy into that. The online is helping. And then obviously he made the website. The website is very easy to shop. Very easy. We have an app now, so the app is very easy to shop. I know. None of that is me. I wrote it.
SPEAKER_03You did. Damn right. What does that mean mean when you wrote it? I chat GPT and I wrote it, is what that means.
SPEAKER_02Literally, don't give me too much credit. That's awesome. We have this vision of we want to like keep the small mom and pop business or like feel when you walk in, but we want to give you the same experience that you can get when you go to Target, right? You can download the Target app, it's really easy to shop their app. It's easy to shop their website, but we want to keep the money local, right? But we don't want to sacrifice experience. So that's the goal is like. Well, you do a good job. Thank you. We appreciate that. I haven't had a good cry in a while. I feel like coming on today. Yeah, we should have too much. Not a cry. Big cry.
SPEAKER_00It's kind of our thing. People cry here. Really?
SPEAKER_02I would love to have a good cry with you guys. Yeah, we could maybe we could work that out. Can I tell you guys something really embarrassing? Oh big. Yes. Oh my god. It's okay. Tell me. So when you guys first were opening this, I would like to say to her, I'd be like, they seem really cool. Like, I want to hang out with them someday. Really? And she's like, shut up. Like, they don't want to hang out with me. We are. They don't want to hang out with us. Fast forward. Here we go. How many years? Here we are. Okay.
SPEAKER_03Can I tell you that I talk about your guys' business approach all the time?
SPEAKER_04That's crazy because we talk about your business. Shut up. We do. I'm not even kidding. When you guys started this, I feel like what year did you guys do?
SPEAKER_00There's so much ass kick and go ass kick and go. It's true.
SPEAKER_03It's I don't 2020 is when we bought the building. And I tell people you start marketing when you start, when you day you buy your business. Yes.
SPEAKER_02Yes. And you did so good at it.
SPEAKER_04Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_02Which is what I love. She did.
SPEAKER_04We always drove right past, like every time we went up north. And I swear to God, we would talk about you guys the whole way there and back. Because I would always need to stop for coffee on both ways. And I was like, I just love how they did this. And it's just like it's evolved into this. And then, like, but you guys did. You keep the like small town feel. Yep. But you're active on social media, you're doing all the other things, but people from here still get the homey. Well, thank you.
SPEAKER_02I gotta throw you under the bus.
SPEAKER_04Why?
SPEAKER_02The other day, she's telling me how she's so stressed out. She's so stressed out. She's got so much to do. She's so busy. She drops.
SPEAKER_03It was my crying day. Arlie's her brother.
SPEAKER_02She drops Arlie off at my mom's.
SPEAKER_03Lately.
SPEAKER_02What? You're kind of like that too.
SPEAKER_03Right.
SPEAKER_02My mom lives in Angelica, so just you're kind of on the way or whatever. So we drop Arlie off, or she drops Arlie off, and then she disappears. And I like text her. She's not text me back. I'm like, we need to go. Literally. That's another conversation we're gonna talk about next. Um so I'm like, I'm calling her, she's not answering. I'm like, what the heck?
SPEAKER_04I did not know.
SPEAKER_02So I track her and I'm like, because we do that. I know it's weird, but I'm like, where is she? And she's just on 29. I'm like, you dropped Arlie off an hour ago. Like, where did you go? Well, she went to the mill and she had to have some coffee.
SPEAKER_04And I'm like, It was a Tuesday, it was raining. I was like, this is what I needed in my life to be like, let's go. So you guys brought happiness to her day. Thank you.
SPEAKER_02It pissed me off because I'm like, you have so much to do. Get your back to the shop and get done.
SPEAKER_03You go to the mill or you sit somewhere. Like that's it.
SPEAKER_04It was the sitting for 20 minutes. And like I brought my computer, I like figured out the couple things that I needed to get done today, and that was me planning my day. So I knew what priority needed to get done first because it was the day of like 30 priorities, and that's what I was like, I like my to-do. I got over it.
SPEAKER_03My sitting place is brace yourself, it's a wild place, school pickup line. Yeah, I hear that a lot. I get so much to or like even like just decompressing before the kids get in the car.
SPEAKER_00She takes her shirt off and then just do you really?
SPEAKER_02No, oh yeah, that seems aggressive for like the school pickup line.
SPEAKER_00She's been she's been threatening to be like kicked out.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah, it's your movies out.
SPEAKER_03Between that and crack, you know. I just um no, but your business approach, let me tell you what is amazing and keeping shit up. What do you think about this design? When you guys come at me with that stuff, oh my god, that's him because he's a pusher.
SPEAKER_02She yells at me. She's like, Don't we just send that to the phone?
SPEAKER_03When hasn't it worked?
SPEAKER_04It has yeah, it works out. When hasn't a really good idea?
SPEAKER_03When you guys have came, they came with a box of t-shirts for our staff that said um, be kind to your buristo or enjoy your decaf.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_03Of course, we're gonna order from you. You came up to the register with our logo, uh, the little remember that. And you're like, here you go. And I said ordering from them. Yeah. And then when you came at me with the floral, the milk, that was cool. I was like, order that.
SPEAKER_02That was before I really knew you, and I just wanted you to be friends with us. So I'm like, what do I have to give this girl? So she wants to be my friend. Just give her some stuff until we're just shit. I added you on Facebook. I'm like, she barely knows me, but she's about to.
SPEAKER_03Just just buy me a bunch of shit. I got you, girl. I got you. No, but it's um, it's genius. And I said that I said that to a uh another girl that we get her to make stuff sometime. I'm like, I'm gonna tell you, they're they're genius. Like we appreciate that, but it's no different. I mean, it's a little different. It's a it's I love your approach because it's no different. I always say people need to be told what they want when they're at the menu. You know what I mean? Like looking at special today. Like, I don't know what I want. Oh, do you want her special? Yep. I don't want to think. Right.
SPEAKER_02Nobody else to think.
SPEAKER_03Do you want a crew next? I don't know. I don't know what color, I don't know what about this? Yep, order it. Right. So it's genius.
SPEAKER_02That last order you and I just did. I'm like, I'm not even gonna give her too many options. I'm just gonna tell her this is what you need to do. It's like you know me.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, less options. It's America-wise.
SPEAKER_00And you love it. We did when we built try building the house with this woman. I can't imagine. And all, you know, all the different things. Right. And you don't realize that. I want the store knobs. Like I would ask a couple questions and then I'd get it down to like two, maybe three options. Yep. Which one do you like?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And then it was so easy.
SPEAKER_03Cabinets, when we're getting our cabinets built, the lady she caught in pretty quick, and I'm like, that's too many options. So she's like, okay. I'm like, give me three.
SPEAKER_04Give me your most popular options, and I will pick one.
SPEAKER_03I like this style. Same thing with wedding dress. I think I said just show me two. Like, I don't like options, but so it's great. You guys do a great job.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. We try to be a good team.
SPEAKER_03Let's talk about your child. She's so cute. She's so cute.
SPEAKER_02She is so spongy. She's insane. I don't know. Like, I feel like everybody probably says that, like, oh, my kid is just whatever, but she's so much her and I in like the wild side. Like, she has a wild side. I don't know if you it'll come out yet today, but I definitely have a wild side. And our kid is just a hundred percent. Like, she also has a window. She's all boy, and she's not a boy, but she's all boy. Yeah. She gets okay. Tell them that story about the candle.
SPEAKER_04I took her to TJ yesterday. We can swear in here, right? I was like, okay, we needed to get out of the house. It was rainy and crappy. So I took her to TJ. And we're walking through the candle aisle, and like I was smelling them, and she was like, I want to smell, I want to smell. So I let her smell one, and I was like, What do you think? Literally, my two-year-old looked at me and she was like, Smells like. So I was like, Okay, strike one. And then a lady's walking behind me. I was like, Oh my god. And then when like two nights ago, we whenever he swears, like her and I will both yell daddy at him, like as a joke. So then the other day she said, and she started giggling, and she looks like around and she goes, Arlie. Like she was like yelling at herself. I was like, Oh my god, we are so screwed. And she's two, like it's not even like she's old enough to be like that sassy.
SPEAKER_03But so she gets away with it because she's cute. Oh my god. And yeah. And so you have all of based on like what I'm following, all of your packages are shipped to your house.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_03So and then you load them up.
SPEAKER_04Actually, usually he tracks down the UPS man because he can't wait to get all the packages for the day. So he like finds him on the little UPS app. I need one of those. And quit your job.
unknownYou should.
SPEAKER_04Honestly. And it's usually when he's like, okay, I got 10 minutes between calls. I'm gonna go find the UPS man and go get it from his.
SPEAKER_02Because I do have a full-time job as well. You do what do you do? Um, I own a elevator communication security business. It's really boring. People are like, you do that? They're like, What? Yeah, so it's called uh Bongo Technologies.
SPEAKER_03It's your business?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I just bought in this year. So it's me and two other partners. So that is my full-time gig, but supporting my wife and her business is also part of it as well.
SPEAKER_03But yeah. Okay, so you track, you stock UPS guys.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he'll stock UPS because usually it's like the bigger shipment days.
SPEAKER_03So you have do you are you at the level of having his phone number?
SPEAKER_02UPSs, they change all the time because I think nobody wants our route because they know that because you get like 20, 30 boxes at a time. Really?
SPEAKER_04When we open this door, we were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and we don't open till 10 on the other days. So we had him ship to this our house because we're like, well, if nobody's there, somebody's not gonna be there. Or like if they they usually UPS normally gets to our little strip mall thing way before 10. So we're like, it just won't work. But now we are to the verge of like needing to have somebody there because we there was one day I think we got last week like 28 boxes.
SPEAKER_03I know I was watching that. I'm like, it's insane. When I walk into the boutique and see the boxes, I want to kick someone. I know, but you're excited, but yeah, you're excited. I hope these are tagged. Yes, right. But you guys put your own tags on stuff. Yeah, you're so fancy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, it's ridiculous.
SPEAKER_04That you guys do a lot of work, it's so yeah, and we have a really, really great team now where everybody kind of knows their everybody has their their niche. Like one of our girls, Allie, just loves to tag, she can do it quick, she's in and out, she's great. So on those days, we're like, Allie, take here you go. But so yeah, it's it's yeah, and then you run out of space to put all the boxes when you've have I according to my stocking, you guys have so good you are here.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, you guys have like a storage in the back. Well, that brings up a great in like closet, but you guys have stuff hanging up, and I'm like, I need to get myself one of those. The mill was not thinking of us, obviously, when they built it.
SPEAKER_04I was literally thinking that one day when we were here.
SPEAKER_02You just gotta fit it.
SPEAKER_04Is it at your house until we don't have back stack? Yeah, it's just everything in that.
SPEAKER_03We started just recently starting, we have back stack coming in right now because we ordered all of our packer apparels coming like in a week, and we don't want to launch that quite yet.
SPEAKER_05Yep.
SPEAKER_03And Justine's like, what are we gonna do with four thousand dollars worth of packer stuff?
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, in our basements, so we can put them in totes, yep, and haul them in the basement, but our basement's a basement, right? It's not like there's crawl space basement, like so. You don't want to like have a hanger, yeah, have racks up there. So you're gonna have to leave it almost boxed up and then just unbox it in the basement.
SPEAKER_02That's the best way to do it.
SPEAKER_03So otherwise we just kind of order, and then when we run out, we just kind of pray that there's a rotation, but we don't have backstage. That's yeah, and then if you had a slow-ish week that you don't have as much room, it's just it's but it's scary as hell because like as you know, Widow's Weekend is like the busiest we ran out of so much crap, and then we had we had like nothing coming for a while. So then we're like sitting there and we're like, we need to we need to order a lot more, and that's when we were gonna organize the basement, but we don't have enough room really in there. It's full of it's full of stuff we decorations and like yeah, yeah, because you don't want to. So, what would you do if you were me? Leave it at home, use my office at home as backstock.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you want to know what I would really do?
SPEAKER_03I really want to know.
SPEAKER_02I would hook you up with a consolidated shipping company who you would still order and they would house it for you, and then they would be prepared of like when you need it, they could drop it off within like a day or two.
SPEAKER_04I didn't even know that was a thing. He just like two weeks ago. The amount of like I almost don't want to stand figures out. Yeah, he literally, I forgot what you came to me with the other day, but I was like, that is not possible. And then he was like, here's the company, here's what they do, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
SPEAKER_03And I'm like, Yeah, what what do you go to school for?
SPEAKER_02I did I um so I have a major in Google and a minor in Yahoo in Bay. I didn't go to school.
SPEAKER_03Good for you. I know, yeah, and I know some people might hate me for that, but I just goes to show like some things are you don't need it.
SPEAKER_02Right. And I'm like, I this is another topic, but like when it comes to school, I'm always like, people that go, like if you know what you want, go. I love that. Like please do it. Yep. And like the kids that need it, they need it. Where like me, I was always like at like 12, I was starting to work and I just work, work, work, work, work, and I never stopped. And that was my personality. And then I just learn stuff as I go, and I watch YouTube videos and I research, and that's just who I am. And it worked out. There's a period of my life where it didn't work out, but right now it worked out just fine. We're we're really cool guys. Yeah, I mean, he always says YouTube it.
SPEAKER_03Like every people, how do you know to do that? He's like, YouTube, yeah. Like anything here, people like, how do you know how to do that? He's like, Well, I have a construction I built homes, but like if I didn't, I YouTube it.
SPEAKER_00Uh I leg I legit YouTube how to uh refill refrigerant in a 2017 Chrysler Pacifica minivan because the God air conditioning doesn't work.
SPEAKER_03I said that to Knox last night. We were leaving Addie's baseball game. I said the AC is not working in this.
SPEAKER_00I'm I'm so this is supposed to be like our second nice vehicle, right? It's a piece of shlassing, hot air lasting. I'm like, I'm just gonna I'm just gonna get my truck done. I'm gonna get my truck done and just drive around with the windows open.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, he's an old Jeep truck. Like oh hell yeah. It's cool.
SPEAKER_00I'm just sick of it.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, he's the same way. Everything's everything you can not everything, okay. And this is where we're gonna have to put a little clause in again. Doctor, you can't Google how to be a young man. There's some things that you can't get away with. Yeah, but I mean, like when I hear entrepreneurs saying things like, I didn't. I have uh someone in my life that said they're going to school for entrepreneurs. I'm not giving, I'm not even, I'm not even joking right now when I say this. They are now having a program for entrepreneurs.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03What in the hell is that? Right.
SPEAKER_04Some of those things you just can't what a scam.
SPEAKER_00You either have it or you don't have it. Professors or those instructors are probably never owned a business.
SPEAKER_03Never owned a business. I struggle just like fat gym teachers. You know? If you know, you know. If you know, you know, everyone's had one.
SPEAKER_02Can you attest to that?
SPEAKER_03Did you? Okay. I had, but I had one, but she was a little, she had a bad knee. Yeah, a little big bone. Yeah, mine had a bad hair, just big bone. You liked her then. Yeah, she was nice. I didn't she was mean, but like I don't, I wouldn't call her, I wouldn't call her big, it just was she was bigger boned and had a bum knee. So like, and I know she had a bum knee because she had like a big should have her shorts on. They always got those scars, yeah, and they're just so dark. They are cut that out too. But anyways, um this whole section. So I can see, and I think Hans, the fire fitness dude, his some he had good pointer. He's like, I think it's good for like business side, yes, learning numbers and stuff.
SPEAKER_04Financial because that is something that no one teaches you. I still don't know. I that's his area. That's his area.
SPEAKER_03I don't know what we pay employees, I don't know what she lies to him all the time. I do not. Apparently, apparently some of them thought they're making other things, and I'm like, I didn't say that, and he was like, I didn't say that, but anyways, that's a different story. Um, but like I don't know how much money we have in our account. Like, I have zero clue. My mom yells at her all the time.
SPEAKER_02She's like, You need to know what's going on. And she's like, Brad's got it. Like, we're good.
SPEAKER_03What if you're gonna do it? I mean, if they left us, if they left us, we'd be screwed. I'd be so I would be that dumb girl.
SPEAKER_00I bet you I bet you somebody'd be just waiting to fill my shoes.
SPEAKER_03Oh, I would we would be those dumb girls on Dateline, like, I didn't see it coming. I took off my money.
SPEAKER_05Literally, I don't know.
SPEAKER_03And then we would be like, girl, you didn't even know it was in your account. You're dumb.
SPEAKER_00Here that's we're in a good spot.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00I'm not beautiful women, I'm not mad about it. I'm not mad about it.
SPEAKER_03I don't know. He'll just tell me when to ease up on spending.
SPEAKER_00That's exactly what like he'll say no unicorns this week. No unicorns.
SPEAKER_03Is that the rule?
SPEAKER_00Just the bare essentials. That means the things you need.
SPEAKER_04You have a strict and risky, we're not gone.
SPEAKER_02Yep. We've been through that stage.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Well, we make it sound like we just now we just buy whatever we want. But no. No, it yeah. There were times where I'm like, you need to scale back though. You have to tighten things up. What do you always have delivered every week? Every week I feel like you're getting uh a serum. A serum. She's always got so many serums.
SPEAKER_04You have good skin. No, she does. Like personally, I really like it.
SPEAKER_00What did you have on your face that was all over the bed this morning?
SPEAKER_02Oh, that was um that's a different episode.
SPEAKER_00No, there was like OF. What did it remind me of? They were like whitening strips almost.
SPEAKER_03Yep. Eye patches. Yep, eye patches, but you can put them on your forehead too.
SPEAKER_00Well, she must have got the steel with the blanket.
SPEAKER_03So I put some on my podcast day because I get bags. I I put one here and here and then up here. And so then when I sleep on my face, it gets a little crazy.
SPEAKER_04Where do you get them from?
SPEAKER_03I think I got those from TikTok shop. But I'll order them from you.
SPEAKER_04No, no, we don't have any. I decided I personally buy a lot of serums because I like skincare. So I do too. Before the store, he used to f at me because, like, every other day I did. Yeah, every other day there was a new serum that showed up, but because I couldn't find one I liked.
SPEAKER_00Oh, you just tried it.
SPEAKER_03I had a lady drop off and I was skeptic because everyone's giving me um beef tallow, and it's not bad. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. This lady's like, this is Botox beef tallow, and she added something, some collagen, something in it. I'm like, okay, okay. It's like you need to try it. And there was another lady, and so it's like, Oh, I've tried it. I put that stuff, not last night, so don't look at my face today. But when I put it on, remember like, oh, you're shiny. It's good. It is good stuff. It is, it's hydrating, it smells good. It doesn't smell like beef tallow.
SPEAKER_00Right. Did you suspect that it would?
SPEAKER_03Well, because beef tallow, they do. Yep.
SPEAKER_00You smell like you're wearing like ground beef.
SPEAKER_03And that's why Carl and Pete try to lick me.
SPEAKER_00I bet.
SPEAKER_03They'll like this smell that those are your dogs.
SPEAKER_00I'm surprised that wasn't licking your face.
SPEAKER_03Those are my dog's employees. Like, who are they?
SPEAKER_00Pete Pete and I slept in a closet last night.
SPEAKER_03Pete, that's his thunder buddy. So he's a hundred-pound burnadoodle and terrified. Like, but like when he's scared of thunder, it's sweet.
SPEAKER_04He's like, like it's like he's crying.
SPEAKER_03He's crying, and I'm like, Keith, he's not gonna stop.
SPEAKER_00I just want to sleep. So just 10 more minutes. You just do what you gotta get.
SPEAKER_03And then I wake up and Keith is in our closet, like bundled up with clothes, and then there's Pete, his thunder buddy.
SPEAKER_04Stop. Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00And then he followed me around.
SPEAKER_03If it was aesthetically pleasing, I would have taken a picture, but the tile was cracked and I didn't want to take a picture.
SPEAKER_00No, it wasn't right.
SPEAKER_04It wasn't you could have picked a better place.
SPEAKER_00Like I was like, I'll do better next time. Right.
SPEAKER_03Um, where were we? So you have okay, do you you don't sell serum?
SPEAKER_04No, no. We have a really great local girl that does like a lot of like sugar scrubs. She does the tallow thing, and hers are amazing. But yeah, she does like um, what do we what's our little category that like self-care stuff? Like all natural. She does have like a hyaluronic acid serum that's amazing, but we don't really do the whole skin thing. It's kind of hard to it's hard because everybody's gonna display it. Yeah, right. And everybody has their brand that they like. So trying to get people to do a different brand isn't always practical.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. That's that's really that's I know people are like, Do you want to sell our beef to? I'm like, I don't know how to display it really.
SPEAKER_04Like I could put it by the candles, but and a lot of that stuff, there's so much that goes into it, and there's so many benefits, and there's everything's so great. But if you don't know how to speak about it correctly, it like because that stuff normally can sell itself. I can't really sell it because I don't know enough about it.
SPEAKER_03And if you're not there all the time to be like this and this and this, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's a good point. That stuff is hard, but um what advice would you give new entrepreneurs that want to open a boutique?
SPEAKER_02That's a loaded question. Are they married? And is the husband and wife gonna be involved?
SPEAKER_03I I like that you guys, I know he you're not the duo, but like I think people might think that.
SPEAKER_04I think, yeah, just because he's more, he's way more okay with the camera than either of us are, so he's just okay, just whatever.
SPEAKER_03But I think people like that because people love when Keith comes on camera too. Like they are like, Oh, it's it's because it's a most dudes, not most dudes, but most dudes are like exactly, and then when you have fun guys like them, women are like, see, honey.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I love when you have Keith on camera because it makes me feel better about myself. I'm like, yes, he does it and he's cool.
SPEAKER_00They they limit my screen time. Don't worry.
SPEAKER_03The podcast is enough.
SPEAKER_00Well, ratings are dropping. No, actually, let's go back to the pretty girls.
SPEAKER_03Usually we do we do way our like views are way better when you're on.
SPEAKER_00Well, I mean, the time that you had your operation, and I that was just hilarious. That was funny. That was hilarious. And then when he was doing like the idea, I'm taking full credit for it.
SPEAKER_03As you should. This one was mine. So I think it's okay. Now, the what was the question? What would you advise would you give to someone opening a boutique? Yes, but we get off track, which is okay. But I think what I'm getting at is I think people like duo is you two, yep, yeah, and they love that it's husband and wife. I think that's effective, and then how you went to market with her, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_04He I would say I'm like probably my biggest piece of advice is to just like you just have to dive in and go for it, whether it's like the the buying piece, the social media piece, like all that stuff where you're like, Well, I don't want to do that because I don't want to look silly, or like because you know your friends and family are watching. Like those are the to tell you.
SPEAKER_03And the word the least one of your fans are the people you care most about. Yeah, pretty wild, isn't it? It's pretty wild. It's like they like you, but when you get on top, then it's not so much. It's not so they like the they like the climb, they'll support you during the climb, and then when they're like, Oh, you made it, bye-bye. And then they're like, right? Do you not notice that, or is it just me?
SPEAKER_05We do, we do, yeah.
SPEAKER_02We definitely do.
SPEAKER_03We did too. Yeah. Okay, so sorry, go on.
SPEAKER_00Do you think do you think? Um, quick side question. Do you think that owning a business together and like working so closely together has helped your marriage, made it a little bit more difficult or indifferent?
SPEAKER_02This is where it gets deep. Because this is like the conversation that we have all the time is You guys are getting divorced. We are not gonna get the big D. No, but you know, I keep having like dreams. I'm like, are you gonna I wake up and I'm like really mad at her? I feel like it's normally what the girls do that. They wake up in their mask. Yeah, but it's you, it's him.
SPEAKER_00Is this where the the other wife is?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I wake up and I look look, I'm like, what did you do last night? I'm like, as I like, that was just a dream. But no, it's it's really hard. And you guys can probably attest to it. Like it takes a toll on a marriage.
SPEAKER_04It does he he still has his full-time job, so that is one piece. So, like, my we I feel like the past couple months have been not a struggle, but they've been harder. Yeah. And just because we're just so go, go, go, and we're just we're putting everything we have into it, and then like I come home and I say certain things, and then he's the guy that he just he comes up with solutions, and so he tells me ways to fix things, and then I get irritated because I'm like, You don't want a way to fix it.
SPEAKER_00You get your no you want him to just pile on with you and complain about it.
SPEAKER_03And I don't have a job that he doesn't know about screen. Like, yes, I say that all the time. I don't want you to fix it. I want I'm looking for it's like it took me 10 years.
SPEAKER_00I figured it out.
SPEAKER_03I want you to bitch about it with me. I want you to bitch about it with it. I want you to be like, yeah, and her shoes are dumb. Yeah, just add in something, right?
SPEAKER_04It doesn't have to make sense. Instead of being like, buy her different shoes.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, well, maybe yeah, da da da. Yeah, like, no, shut up. Don't voice a reason. Yeah, yes, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So it's so hard to because I know her business because we do it together. She knows she doesn't know my business. So, like, if you asked her what I do for a living, she's like, I really don't know, but he collects a paycheck. Yeah, but like I'm involved in her. So when she comes home and she goes, Well, this happened today, I can be like, Well, just do this because I know how to fix it because I'm involved in it.
SPEAKER_04Or when he comes with ways to be like, I think we should try this, I think we should try this, then I get ticked because I'm like, I just spent my entire day trying to make this business better, and now you're giving me more advice to make it. So then I get 50, and he is VRL.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's kind of relatable, don't you agree?
SPEAKER_04Like we you have to almost set some boundaries a little bit to like we've kind of we're the business is going very well and we're very fortunate. But we were we're like, we need to we need to take a minute and come back down from we need to be husband and wife instead of just part of that. That's right. And we also started a business right when we had our first kid. So we have a two-year-old, we started a business, we just we like dove all into everything, but yeah, it's we gotta we gotta come back down.
SPEAKER_03We just had that experience. Um, I was saying how like I'm like something's something's dropping. Like I keep forgetting stuff, and I'm like, I think I'm gonna have one of our employees take over scheduling. I said, just because that is one thing that I'm like, I hate doing. And she loves doing that stuff. And he's like, Well, I'll do it. I'm like, shut up. No, I don't want your help. I don't want you to more.
SPEAKER_00I could see the writing on the wall already. Right. Like, let's face it, that is not your strong suit.
SPEAKER_03What? Anything organizing? No, no, I'm creating beauty.
SPEAKER_00This is this is the schedule, and she's like this, right?
SPEAKER_05This is mine, she's gonna share it with the bottom.
SPEAKER_00Do you know why though?
SPEAKER_03Can I tell you why? For two years, three years, because you have a lot on your plate, yes, but and then I don't need Offord, I don't know how many times because I could see it happening.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, he would she's not gonna like this very much for sure.
SPEAKER_02Like, it's not gonna like it. So, anyways, this is like looking in the mirror. Oh my god, it is so relatable.
SPEAKER_03Because he does payroll, he does everything else, and he has his full-time job, and he has like you know what I mean. So I'm like, I don't need you to be like, oh, I'll take over and I don't need anymore. Yeah, and then it's almost it's like you act like I haven't tried that.
SPEAKER_00You act like I haven't thought about well, maybe should we switch spots?
SPEAKER_03Maybe if you just have everybody just give you your schedule a month ahead of time. No, they do give you a schedule a month ahead of time, but then they change and stuff happens. Like, yeah, and I know he doesn't always say that. I'm making him out to be like dumber.
SPEAKER_00I don't know if I've ever said that.
SPEAKER_03I know, but like, but it's like it's but it felt right, it did, and it's but her shoes are stupid, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there you go.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, she can't work a Saturday, and her shoes are dumb.
SPEAKER_02It's like that TikTok, she's also ugly. Well, I don't think we had to go that far.
SPEAKER_03So my daughter sent me, she's like, Mom, this is always you. Like, she'll she'll be like venting about something. I'm like, Yeah, and she's ugly. She's like, Mom, no, that's me. Oh, I know. Oh, okay. We weren't going that far. Oh, yeah. Okay, she's not ugly. Oh yeah, but yeah, I can relate to that. It's yeah, it's and it's hard though, because it's like a like you want, it's your business, so you want to do all of the things, and you feel like giving something away to someone else to do is like, isn't this what I'm supposed to be?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, like you can't do it. Yeah, like you can't, yes. Right. We I'm not very good at giving. I still want to do everything, and then he's the practical mindset that's like, okay, we can't grow, and you keep everything on your plate, and then I get pissed because I'm like, Well, yes, I can watch me. Right. And then five things fall through the cracks, and I'm like, okay, yeah.
SPEAKER_00She just said that. She's like, we have to like release some of the things that and the things that don't matter, like because we're growing to a point where we're we can't do it all.
SPEAKER_03Well, I had to ask him, I said, what's different than last year? Because I'm like, I was so overwhelmed last week. I'm like, what has changed? And he goes, We're busier. Like double. He goes, So, and we don't have double staff now, right? I mean, today is slow. I mean, it's a bad judge of day, but I mean, like, so I'm like, I have to adjust, we have to like grow with the business. And example of you letting go is getting our decking stand. I know you can do it. No, you're not. I know we can do it.
SPEAKER_00Are we hiring that out? Is that the debate? We gotta go. It's it's almost the cost of all the material for the decking.
SPEAKER_03But do you have does you but do you have time for it? No. You don't have time.
SPEAKER_00I might make time for that. That's a lot. Yeah, when it comes to the kind of big money like that, I feel that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, if it's I feel that.
SPEAKER_03It's it's three thousand.
SPEAKER_00No, it isn't. You're lying.
SPEAKER_03Well, if we leave out the pavilion.
SPEAKER_02Well, it needs to get done. So what are we gonna do? We don't have a pavilion.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna hire him. Um well, that was that's an example of him not letting go.
SPEAKER_00And I get it, it's like a money thing, but like also I think we can be smarter about what we picked.
SPEAKER_03That's never gonna get done then. You don't have any time.
SPEAKER_02God, this is amazing.
SPEAKER_04It is literally like looking in a mirror right now. So we've had all these conversations. Exactly. Probably today, actually. Right, right.
SPEAKER_02So I'm gonna be the host. How do you guys manage it? Like being in business together. Like, are we making decisions together? Are you both having your own sometimes?
SPEAKER_03It depends on the decision. Like, I make most like hiring decisions now. At first it wasn't, it was like a duel.
SPEAKER_02But now, like you just you just know your role and you just sit in a closet with Pete.
SPEAKER_03He does, he's like, yeah, we are kind of in a row, like I don't want to say I run the mill, but I do. Yeah, but it is but he does like all the he's the guy we call for problems, right?
SPEAKER_04Oh my god. Yes, yep, this is. I'm always like that's we gotta go. The technical side, the if there's a problem, I'm like, okay.
SPEAKER_00Like, I'm always the disciplinarian.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, he is. Oh I'm bad with that. I'm so bad. I hate confrontation. I would rather be just like, you know what?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yes, you know what, yeah, Brad sucks. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00His shoes are ugly.
SPEAKER_03He's so good with disciplining.
SPEAKER_04Uh, he's better at it because he just has an approach to it that I don't have. I get so awkward and uncomfortable. I'm not good at it. I do too. It's not gonna be something that I I don't even think I could get good at it.
SPEAKER_02You could swear you're like holding a gun to these people's friends the way you're like you.
SPEAKER_04That just feels in my head. What's that? Real right now, that's like my mind doesn't know any difference between like confrontation and getting chased by a bear. Yeah, that is me.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_03I but I'm at either at a 10 or I'm your front. Like if I'm in the moment, like so, like if something's going on, I'm like, I'm explosive, which isn't great. I like I think I'm I haven't exploded on any employees, maybe one journey, journey. She's our kid, but like he's very like, okay, here's our yep, this is what's gonna happen, right? This is what blah blah blah, but you've been to training for that.
SPEAKER_04That is fair, right?
SPEAKER_03What's her maybe you guys need to go to training? I need to do some training, yeah. But I'm always like, hey, this is going on, and he's like, Okay, I'll handle it. Like, so yeah, I would say it's hard though. It is hard to do it. It's hard if we work together. If I'm doing a barista shift and he's cooking, that's not so bad.
SPEAKER_04As long as yeah, yeah, as long as we're together. She's like, Yeah, that's great.
SPEAKER_00As long as every employee, including the owner, meets expectations. Oh, that is everything runs so smoothly.
SPEAKER_03Okay, let's talk about how long it takes you to wash a blender.
SPEAKER_00Oh boy.
SPEAKER_03We have a line and he's like right now.
SPEAKER_00Oh my god.
SPEAKER_03He has the blender, and I'm watching him, and there's like we're waiting for it, he's like rinsing this blade, and that blade is still dirty.
SPEAKER_02I'm like he's actually sharpening the blades in there.
SPEAKER_03He's just so he's so like up such a perfectionist. That's why else the decking will take forever. It'll be done in a new Vietnam war.
SPEAKER_05Right.
SPEAKER_04Because he's gonna make sure like done in half the time and probably half this guy has a crap.
SPEAKER_03He's yeah, he's gonna lay all the tarp, whatever stuff down, spray it, done. I don't know.
SPEAKER_02And if you don't like something about it, you can address it with him versus telling your husband that he screwed that up. But yeah, he wouldn't, though. Keith's good at everything. Look at this place.
SPEAKER_03I guess it's freaking beautiful. Yeah, go ahead, Kami.
SPEAKER_01Uh, what training were you did you have for that?
SPEAKER_00Like, I don't want to talk about it. No, is it school street?
SPEAKER_01I was like, oh yeah, because wouldn't you have done that same training?
SPEAKER_03I wasn't a supervisor as a cop pepper. So he he's taken a lot of supervisor training and they talk about like managing managing that. You think I was a supervisor? I need supervision.
SPEAKER_00We were right in the trainings about this one.
SPEAKER_03This is what not to do. Yeah, I was I was not that type, but that was your premarital counseling. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So he is speaking of training. We were in the middle. I forget what we were bickering about the other day, about how many things I had to get done and me being stressed about it. And he has the audacity to be like, which was this was not related to anything. And he's like, Maybe you should take some leadership training. I was like, maybe you should. Was he being funny? He was dead serious. I was like, Wow.
SPEAKER_00Did you did you want to take the words out of the air as soon as you let him go? Every once in a while I say stuff and I'm like, You were so serious about it too.
SPEAKER_04I was like, maybe you should said that.
SPEAKER_02And even today, I'm just like, well, you wouldn't be so stressed if maybe you had proper training. Yeah, man.
SPEAKER_03Brad.
SPEAKER_00Brad, you were like, was that not the right thing to say? It was not the right thing to do. It wasn't no, you were doing so good, man.
SPEAKER_02I I'm just trying to be supportive.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02I mean, maybe you should educate yourself more.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god. Wow. Did you go to school for anything? Business? Yeah, we're not going to do that.
SPEAKER_04Well, I went to school, I was a PTA for so I was in physical therapy for like seven years. What? And then yeah, I know weird times. And then after, like towards the end of COVID, like I was in a skilled nursing facility. So we were still very much in COVID lockdown when like the world was coming out of it.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so your business is very nil.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. 2024. We we made the decision. I was like nine, I think I was literally like nine months pregnant. And my sister and I, my sister had just had her first baby, like six months before that. And this whole business was his idea. It was not my sister and I's idea. He's like, he's like, this would be so fun for you guys. You'd get to like buy clothes and you'd get to like it would just be fun.
SPEAKER_00Your own schedules. Oh yeah, spend more time with your children. That's what it was. That's what I sold him on. Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_04But like he he's always wanted to have a business. Like, as long as I've known this man, he has always wanted to have a business, have something that's his own. And then like we've we've dabbled in a couple ideas, and then none of them really like came to fruition. And then we have to hold what do you talk about? Well, now we do, but at the time of the boutique, we didn't really have like there was just nothing that ever came about, whatever. So, like, we literally we just had our first kids, and he's Like you guys should try this, and he made it seem so fun.
SPEAKER_02He was like thinking I had no clue what I was doing.
SPEAKER_04So all the things that you could do with it, and we're like, Yeah, let's try it. And then we started online, and then the online thing was friggin' hard, like because you're at the mercy of the internet and whatever. So we did that for a year, and that's how it came about. So it was not my sister and I being like, We need a new dream, and Brad being like, I got a dream for you. Yeah, I'm gonna give you your dream. And he like he sold it to us, and then that was our like my sister and I the whole time are like, we are not camera people, like we'd have to post ourselves in these clothes on in a couple of things.
SPEAKER_03Can I say something about that? I think that's why you're likable on the camera. It's more relatable because you like you can tell you don't love it, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03It's not like it's part like you're uncomfortable, but you can tell you're not like, oh, look at me. Yeah, do you know what I mean? Like, I'm like, I want to buy from her.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, she's like there's nothing showy about it. It's just like I love this shirt. It's like you're cute.
SPEAKER_03This is it, and you have a normal body. Yeah, you look, I mean, you look beautiful. Thank you. And I feel like everything about your like whatever you're doing by taking her picture stuff, I'm like, it makes you want to buy stuff because it's just I think if you were anything but what you're saying, it would be harder to buy from you. Yeah. I buy I I always say this, and not like I'm a sex trafficker, I buy people, yeah, not products.
SPEAKER_04The you back the people, you back the great disclaimer in it in a bit. Sex trafficker. Thank you for putting that in there first. Just in case you respond to it.
SPEAKER_00My mind would have jumped to that, right?
SPEAKER_04Literally, yes. And that's what makes it so hard to grow and like to get things like to let yourself out of certain things because like people do buy into a business when like the two owners are there every day, busting their butt. They see them on the internet, they see they see the struggles, which is like another thing I would tell people just starting, is like post your struggles, post the things that are hard because people are like that. That yeah, they're like, oh my god, that sucks.
SPEAKER_02We're real people behind this. Yep.
SPEAKER_04Yes, and that's what makes it funny almost. Like, post the bloopers, post.
SPEAKER_03I love that when you were posting the blooper, like of the camera and your daughter running through oh yeah, and you like the real life posing for me. Like, I can just see Brad loving life.
SPEAKER_04He loves this more than my sister and I combined, I think. Like he loves, oh my god. You knew I was gonna say this. I say it to you every day because he does, but yeah.
SPEAKER_03So I think if it was any other way, it wouldn't. And okay, how do you how is your brick and mortar? Like, do you have a lot of foot traffic through there?
SPEAKER_04We it varies so much, and like, but recently, like last week was our busiest foot traffic week ever. We what was going on? Oh, we made a TikTok about the Luke Holmes concert, and actually, that was his idea. I'll give him that credit. But he was like, Go do this, and mind you, it was like the day I had 12 things to do, and he's like, You should make a TikTok. And I was like, it was genius.
SPEAKER_02We took that really well too, because normally you'd be like, You make the freaking TikTok you want it done, you do it.
SPEAKER_04But and it went off like crazy. We added like I think like 70 new people into our system between Thursday and Friday, which was insane. Like the foot traffic was absolutely insane. It was the one day our assistant manager took off was Thursday and Friday. So I was like dying on the inside, but it was the best day. Um, so our foot traffic varies based on like I feel like just events going on. I feel like summers are just naturally busier because people are just out and about. Um, really drive 100%.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I can see that.
SPEAKER_02So we go live every Monday night at 7:30.
SPEAKER_03And then do you give like explain to the viewers?
SPEAKER_02Yes, the viewers.
SPEAKER_03Um, what do you like? What's the incentive for someone to watch your lives? And we're gonna plug in your info and stuff. When I say we, I mean Cameo. Yes, um, because that's the brains behind it.
SPEAKER_02We don't do that kind of stuff. So for us, it's always the concept behind the business, it was always we're gonna go live every Monday night, we're gonna stay consistent. It's always gonna be at 7:30, and that's where she's gonna show off all of the new pieces that are gonna arrive into the boutique. So she tries them on, she talks about fit, all that kind of stuff. And then her and I fight, just like we're gonna do it. We literally it's great. And that's the banter is great. That's what sold it. And I always say to people, like, you can go anywhere and buy clothes, and you can go anywhere and get coffee, right? I don't drive from Green Bay to come to the bill because I really like your coffee, but you do have very good coffee. You do have great coffee. I love you guys, I love what you stand for, I love this place. You buy people, you buy people, and that's exactly it.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, not in the trafficking way. No, not in the traffic. There's no trafficking here.
SPEAKER_02Everybody owns themselves. Yep. But like the same thing when it comes to doo, I always tell her, I'm like, you can buy clothes anywhere. Like, yeah, like we're not interested in competing with anybody. Like, like you and I, like we're competitors, right? We both sell clothes, technically. Right, but we're like, we want everybody to win, right? We don't really care. Right. Um, so anyway, so I got off on that. The lives basically are yes, so it's like two over.
SPEAKER_04And that drives traffic for the whole week, I feel like, because then we post a lot of the new pieces, which the live started out as we didn't intend to sell the pieces on the live, like we intended to just like show here's what's coming new to the store. And then like people tried to buy it. So then we came up with the whole concept of like we send invoices after the live, but reserves till this time. And that's genius, too.
SPEAKER_03Instead of people holding it for me, and then you're stuck with it, and then they never come. Yeah, they never come.
SPEAKER_04So, which that was hard. And we, you know, it's a lot of people want to try things on first, but then it sells out on the live, and so that makes it a struggle. And we get that that's hard, and but it's we've almost just created this system to it of how it works and creates demand, yeah.
SPEAKER_02And it does, it does. And we have like 200 people now weekly that watch us live, and we have about 4,000 people that watch us on the replay. Yeah, um, so like it's growing really, really cool. Um, but it's not because of the clothes.
SPEAKER_04She picks up great clothes, but it's definitely personalities, like yeah. And like you said, about like the yeah, we're technically competitors, but like I feel like every store or like every there's a couple stores in this area that we follow and that we just like like I like to see what other people are doing because it's just great feedback, whatever. But like every place has their own vibe, and like you can tell that like we get super excited about like the clothes we're bringing in, and like we get something in that we love, like you can see that through the content, you can see it through like our excitement. So, like when you start getting in the things just to like stay super trendy or stay super on brand, like you can tell that's not that person, that's not right what they really like. They're just trying to, you know. So that's kind of one thing that we've always tried to do is just like stay what were they?
SPEAKER_03Catchphrase, catchphrases, like trendy, yeah.
SPEAKER_02This is trending right now, and this is super trendy. Yeah, but like those are those are the buzz.
SPEAKER_03But it's not like, oh my god, I love this duck sweater, and like you can tell that the weirdo behind loves it. Like sweater, right? Like the quirky things, and it's yeah, but they're just doing it, yeah.
SPEAKER_02I think what the two of you do the best job of is like an outsider looking in because I really don't care about women's clothes. Like it's not my I don't know if do you dress with women's clothes? Nothing's like I typically don't either, um, but it's like you guys just find really cool stuff that's unique and it's different, but it's you're you're staying in your lane. Like you look at some of these boutiques that you could tell it's not who they are, and they're trying to dress like they live in California and they live in Chicago, and everybody be who you are in this world, you wear whatever you want, I really don't care. Um, but I just think you guys do a really good job at it.
SPEAKER_00Has have you found anybody that's tried to mimic your style?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's an interesting question. How do you answer that?
SPEAKER_04Because I have I feel like okay, so we recently recently went to a market and one of the we got to meet a lot of the wholesalers, which was really, really great. But we started talking to one of them and he was kind of just giving a backstory on like a lot of he's really good friends with a lot of the other wholesalers too. And he's like, I he ran the market and he was like, I I just gave a speech in the beginning and I said, Hey, I copy your shit, you copy my shit, but let's all just try to be really unique about it. Like, we all know that like we use each other for inspiration. Right. But there's that, but stay in your lane, yep, and let's all just respect each other. And I was like, that's actually a really good way to put it because like trends are gonna be trends, like just because so-and-so found it first doesn't mean that I can't go get it or whatever. But right when you start seeing maybe the brands or these start to be the exact same or whatever, but like that's where one thing, again, that we've tried to do, yeah.
SPEAKER_02Ways market me.
SPEAKER_03Can I talk?
SPEAKER_02Yes, do so.
SPEAKER_03It's an interesting topic. It's a very interesting topic. And I mean it with I mean it with like the the most happiest will ever, but yeah, I I don't do as much research as Justine does with clothing. Like, I'm gonna admit like that's her thing. Like, you can go into our boutique and see that Justine ordered that, Trixie ordered that Justine, right? You know what I mean? Like the style of things, which I love. Um, but she does like more of the research behind the stuff, and I always tell her I don't want to order stuff other people have, like in our area, definitely. Like, I want to try to have unique stuff. Um so I understand sometimes brands will cross, right? Yeah, but like marketing shouldn't cross.
SPEAKER_04That's fair. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Marketing writing style should not be similar. No, um, content shouldn't be similar. You should be able to read someone's stuff and be like, oh, that's so-and-so. And and that's where I have a struggle is like when you steal someone's content. Steal an idea to the to almost the exact thing, like this is my store when we opened.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03And then like hours later, this is my store when it opened. Like, what what is happening here? You know what I mean? It's like I and I'm all about like raising people up and growing with people and stuff like that. But if you start like stealing a brand that I worked really hard at being genuine with and risky, and my writing style is ostrocious, but yet it works, and people can look and be like, that's the way she writes. It works. I make it to the end every single time because I'm like, what's she gonna come up with? No, when I always read it.
SPEAKER_00When I have uh people that are like we should have a reel of words of tricks.
SPEAKER_02That was an interesting one, but I like it. I did, but I was like, oh.
SPEAKER_03Well, anyways, this is like this is my soapbox, and I thought Justine and I were would have talked about this, but I have a really hard time with that because it's like it's become you be you work hard at like you work hard at your brand, and then when you are seeing someone close by steal it stealing it, and people are constantly like, hey, screenshotting and sending it to me.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_03Uh look at this, and I'm like, I had I had to block so I don't see it because it was almost like and it really ticks you off because it does.
SPEAKER_02Like you said, you spent so much time and money enjoying it.
SPEAKER_03It's so hard. And then it's like I also gave shout outs constantly and showed up their, you know, like support, support, and then it's like, and then they would, and I'm like, oh, the whole time they were like taking Keith said she's a genius marketer, right? She's been sitting here, like, and again, it's not just about clothing, like, because it's like you you're gonna it's gonna happen, but like it's gonna cross. I mean if you started seeing Keith and I stealing your brand and like doing Monday lives, what what if we started coming into your shop once a week and uh like browsing and browsing and then like you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00And then all of a sudden our shop had all those same brands, right?
SPEAKER_02Well, I'd be like, they so they also think we're cool because we think they're like no, but you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_03Like in its brand, right? It's so it's it's hard because you don't want to seem like this is mine, but like you get it, because it's yeah, it's I want to say that though there's also the difference of like the TikTok trend, right?
SPEAKER_02Where you can tell where like a marketing video is like a trend. Yes, it's that's fine. Yes, everybody do your version of it, totally fine. Yes, but when it's the like you can clearly tell you came up with that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, the vulnerable ones, yeah. So do you have that issue?
SPEAKER_04Um yeah, yeah, yeah, we do, we do, and but like we have just tried so hard to just like be is it like too close for comfort or far enough?
SPEAKER_03Because like I don't give a if you're far away. You know what I mean? Like, but when it's what's time out, don't make me say things like that.
SPEAKER_02When we're out to you know, I don't know distance.
SPEAKER_04We we've established that your geography is not that great.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't know where a writing down is.
SPEAKER_03When when his mother-in-law, my mother-in-law, his mom were out to eat, she goes, I'm following this boutique and I thought it was you for a bit, and blah, blah, blah. See, that's not good. And I'm like, hey, Keith, hey Keith, he's like, What? And then I she's like, I don't know the name. And then and then I usually I don't want to be petty, but I'm I'm being gonna be petty right now. And um, I'm like, said the name, she's like, Yes, that's it. And I was like, I thought that was you by the writing style and all this stuff. And like, yeah, not saying his mom's old, but how does she know this?
SPEAKER_02Right, right, that's how you can tell that it's it's too far. Yes, and it's I want to go back to because you made a comment that you always plug people, and you do. Like you, you're this isn't about I want to be better than anybody, I want anyone to fail. Because everyone can do it. I want everyone to win.
SPEAKER_03I do, yeah. I do, but don't step on my dick. Right.
SPEAKER_02I will bite. You won't have to worry about stepping on mine, but I tell you what, that's where that's where I draw the line, and that's what I said.
SPEAKER_03I'm like, I am a team player, but if you start like, then it's like, you know what?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, yeah, done. Stay in your layers. Because again, it could be a full-time job coming up with all this content for a week. And we spent a lot of money on it. It's so and it's hard. It's like, I was just telling him last night, I was like, I am creatively spent. Like, I stand in the store like an hour before, and I'm like, an hour before we open, and I'm like, I need to make some content. And I just like stare. Yeah, like I got nothing left.
SPEAKER_02And I gave her a whole list of things to make, and she was like, That's not what I wanted you to say.
SPEAKER_04Well, I want like the quick, the quick fixes, and none of these are quick anymore.
SPEAKER_03When you're like putting stuff on your racks and stuff, that's to be the I need to get better at that.
SPEAKER_04You do really good at that. Just recording.
SPEAKER_03Come with me opening every if I would open with you every day by watching that. I love watching people do stupid sh. So do I.
SPEAKER_04Because people are nosy, they're like, I like to see the city.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'll just sit with drinking my coffee and like, what is she doing? She's opening today. She's opening that door again. There she goes. I'll watch it every time. I watch that lady. You're like, why are you watching her again? She sings in her car. She sings in her, she's like 70. And she has like this. I'll send you her real, but yeah, crazy wild haired. She's like pretty, and I'll just watch her. And then she was talking about her lip, um, no, her shine. You're like, why are you watching her again? I'm like, I don't know. I love her. It's entertaining.
SPEAKER_04It's just like the craziest stuff. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03But so you just keep doing what you're doing. But it you do have to be on.
SPEAKER_04You gotta be on, and you gotta feel, you know, even on the days where you're like, I feel like I look like I'm I'm not having a great day. You like, I gotta do it anyway. Yep. And then you drive home in silence.
SPEAKER_03Yep. Some days I'm like, I can't. The dogs bark, like everything. I'm like, just people don't. How do you handle disgruntled not employees, customers?
SPEAKER_04Customers. Um, we have Who are you asking? Yeah, we have different approaches.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna I'm gonna ask each of you. Okay. Since now we're gonna go. You go first, actually. I'm gonna hear your response.
SPEAKER_02I am a kill with kindness, definitely kind of guy. Oh. But you're gonna know that I know that you're wrong.
SPEAKER_04So when they come in and they He will never say, like, oh, that's so true. Oh, you're right. He will not give in. If he knows he's in the right. If we're in the wrong, like, heck yes, we were in the wrong.
SPEAKER_02But like we'll get people that will wear stuff and tuck the tags and then try to return it and that whole thing.
SPEAKER_04But the tag has like a bend to it, like it just it's sad.
SPEAKER_02So what do you do with that? How do you handle that? She takes it back in and we donate it. I usually say, Oh, this tag is really wrinkled. Like, I'm gonna have to find out which employee I'm gonna fire for putting such a wrinkly tag on the shirt. And then the customer's kind of like, well, that's interesting.
SPEAKER_04I won't profile picture had the shirt on over the weekend. But that's you must be the same one. What do you do with that?
SPEAKER_03So don't do that, people. Don't do that. Yeah, don't do that.
SPEAKER_02We yeah. But so disgruntled. Um, I yeah, I'm just honest. I try to reason with people though, too. Like if there are if there's a reason that they're upset and we did fall short, and I try to make it right. Um, I'm definitely uh I'm a politically correct person when I try to correct it, but I don't just let it go.
SPEAKER_00Killer boots, man.
SPEAKER_02I know. Do you got the same ones on? You guys are best friends. Do you want to know why I wear these boots? Because my wife, this is a whole other story. My wife, my wife is 5'10, 5'11. You are that tall. Yes. We're gonna do a stand-up podcast next. I had to go to the doctor the other day, and she's like, okay, stand against the wall. We're gonna measure you. We haven't had an updated height in a while. So I'm like, hell yeah, girl, get that date measure out. Let's measure. She's like, You're 5'7. I said, I'm 5'7. I've been telling everybody I'm like 5'10 my whole life because she's 5'11. I'm like, that means three to four years.
SPEAKER_04You've been telling me you're 5'9 for a long time, and I was like, okay.
SPEAKER_02So anyway, so I wear these boots because then I can be as tall as her. But then she wears these big heels.
SPEAKER_03So you don't, I wouldn't think you were that height.
SPEAKER_02You seem very tall.
SPEAKER_03It's the end in real life gifts off.
SPEAKER_02Thank you. If you look at pictures of her and I on Facebook, I'm always on my tippy toes. Always really?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_04You've kind of given it up in the last like six months. But like previous when we first started dating, he was very I'm like, I'm dating this hottie and she's taller than me.
SPEAKER_02I gotta like step up my game here.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, you can't.
SPEAKER_02Can't make yourself. Is there any surgery for that?
SPEAKER_04You just cannot control. I'm sorry, but this is one thing you're stuck with.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_04But um so how do you handle like I am not good at confrontation, so I will be really nice in the moment, and then I will go in the back and yeah do some or do some crying, either one. So I I am very, very nice.
SPEAKER_00Do you um do the teenage thing where you go in your room and you're like and pout, yeah. She does kind of do that actually.
SPEAKER_04Or I call him and he's like, Well, here's what happened, and I'm like, shut up for five minutes. Honestly, that's me when I get home every day.
SPEAKER_02Like, mother of We've been really fortunate though. We haven't had very many description calls. Yeah, we haven't. Like, I'm trying to think. I'm like, there's been many.
SPEAKER_03There was one lady that just recently, and I bit my tongue, and because I'm like, okay, she's going to make a big deal. And I said, if you're gonna make a big deal, okay, like can we back up?
SPEAKER_02Yep. Yes.
SPEAKER_03She comes in, beep, beep, beep, backing out, backing up. She's like, I have a return aggressively. Okay. And I had a lady, a friend of mine, like was helping me unbox and like steam stuff because she was bored. And then I had a customer who I kind of know enough that she was like giving me side eye, like, oh my god, this woman coming in with the wrong type of energy.
SPEAKER_04And I wasn't gonna win my code.
SPEAKER_03Right. So I'm like, okay, uh, you know, it's just like I should have tried it on in the story. And I'm like, oh, that's fine. I'm like, I'll put it on. Um, I'm like, are you wanting to look around or do you want me to put on a gift card? She's like, what do you mean? I'm like, was it for in-store credit? She's like, I didn't know it was in-store credit only. And I'm like, uh, and then like we have a sign right where her hand was. I'm like, well, there's a sign. I'm like, and the chick is not on the receipt. And I looked, I'm like, oh, you're right. It's not on the receipt. And then I'm like, it's good for the boutique or coffee shop, wherever you want. She's like, so I can't get I want my cash back. And I'm like, I will give you your cash back if you're gonna be upset about this and make a big deal. She's like, okay, I want my cash. Oh, and I was like, I just wanted to be like, you know what? I'm just kidding. Right.
SPEAKER_00I was only saying that to make a point. Oh no, she's like, oh, it's open you're gonna come back around.
SPEAKER_03I know, but then I was like, and then the so the lady and the other customer was like, and then the my friend at steaming's like so they're all like looking, and you could tell she was uncomfortable like then, like, because she like I think she realized she was being right, and then I just gave her her cash, and it's just I'm like, we don't have it on the receipt. He's right, she's right. We don't have it on the receipt. Did you put it on the receipt?
SPEAKER_00No, no, I totally forgot. Okay, I'll get that added to the receipt for your own.
SPEAKER_04What do you guys do with that? Um, we also made the switch to in-store credit just like not that long ago, and we've had that happen a couple times, and we do have it on our receipts, even and we've still given money back. Yeah, I mean, it's it's not worth it. It's hard, and you don't want to leave anybody or have anybody leaving upset. So that's like that's always what we tell our girls. Like, hey, if it's blame it on us until you're blue in the face, and if that doesn't work, then just give them what they want and it's gonna be what it's gonna be.
SPEAKER_03I've done it like before too, and they're like, Oh, okay. And they're like, not from the state. I'm like, I'll give you your money back, right? You're not gonna come back.
SPEAKER_04Right.
SPEAKER_03Um, because at the end of the day, you want to be fair and she it it was a new shirt. She did probably didn't want to try it out. Like, I wasn't mad about just her her delivery her approach about it.
SPEAKER_02I'm like, girl, like people that don't own a small business too also don't understand like the credit card fees of returning and whatever and like the logistics that go with it.
SPEAKER_00So and they return it when the rest of them are gone. So now you got one last one.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, what that is the worst, and then my rack looks ugly. Yeah, and then I'm pissed.
SPEAKER_02Because we can't just have one hand.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's going in the bargain rack. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04So and that's me where I'm always like, ah, but like this and this, and this is the reason why it's like that. And then he always has to look at me and he's like, Honey, people that don't do this every day don't know that. They don't, and I was like, Well, they should.
SPEAKER_02I my rule is if you can sleep at night, I can sleep at night. Yeah, so if you feel good about what you're doing right now, and you can sleep at night, that's fine. That's okay. I'll return it. And it is what it is.
SPEAKER_03Do you say that to them? Um you've said it once. It would make me feel like I shouldn't return it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. I would feel like garbage. It is yeah. I probably use that more of like anything in life. Like, if anybody ever does me wrong, and not that I would say that to them, but I always say to myself, I'm like, if they can sleep at night, so can I. Like, it's fine. Like at this $30 shirt ain't gonna break me. Right. Like, I'm fine. Yeah. That's you're you're going against the rules, and you're going against all of these other customers that follow all the rules, right? That don't complain about anything. But if you can sleep at night, so can I.
SPEAKER_01Life's too busy to care. I just don't care anymore. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So Kimmy.
SPEAKER_01I have a question. Yeah, go ahead. So it'd be for both of you. But what is the process of like Like starting a boutique, like just so people know because you're buying this and then selling it again. Or right.
SPEAKER_03You I'll let you answer that since you're yeah, the guest.
SPEAKER_04That was one thing that I feel like we knew the least about. Like you have to get approved by each wholesaler individually. And do you order the process? Do you think that's a each wholesaler or do you go through fair? We started through fair, which we had a lot of success with, but then we just like we found a couple vendors that we really like. Because you went to we went to we went to Dallas Market, which one was our first one. And then we found a bunch of these vendors. So then we started ordering more direct because a lot of them um usually can there's just expedite it. Yeah, or like then you're working with a person. So like, hey, I need this out today. Right. Um, or something like that. Or, you know, we're missing one, they give you a broken pack, whatever. So you have to get approved by each wholesaler, and yeah, we log everything into our system. We have it out there. I feel like I'm missing like a huge step. What is it?
SPEAKER_02Well, I mean, I will say, like, the the true starting of it would be, you know, you gotta, you gotta get a you gotta register with the state, right? You gotta become a legit business, we gotta start an LLC, we gotta get a resale permit. Like, there's all the legalities behind it. Um, my biggest piece of advice is definitely make sure that your name somebody else doesn't already have and it's not trademarked. Because I do see that that happens a ton of things.
SPEAKER_03No one's gonna have your name, dual kosher.
SPEAKER_02Kosher for the Jewish. Okay, there's something I really want to say, but I don't know if I can say it. We'll take it out if it's inappropriate. Her family also couldn't say kosher.
SPEAKER_03So they or no, I'm saying it. Oh, are they?
SPEAKER_02Now I'm so worried that I'm gonna say it wrong. Couture. So they call us, they call them duocoter.
SPEAKER_03On purpose or on accident? Well, now it's on purpose. We started just as like a joke and now it's stuck. So that's funny.
SPEAKER_02So if you guys want to start a business, dual cooter is available. Duo couture is not available. Not available.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I don't think your business is actually available.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, but yeah, you're exactly right. I mean, it's getting approved by all the wholesalers. Um you know, finding, I feel like the biggest part is finding a good software to get organized right off the bat.
SPEAKER_04I was gonna say finding good brands. I was gonna say something we struggled with because sometimes you get things you're like teasing. We've thrown away so many things because I was like, I don't want this to be somebody's first purchase with us. And that's what they get, and that's what they think our quality is still.
SPEAKER_03So when you say throw away, what do you actually do with this stuff? We've donated a lot of stuff. Um where do you donate? You donate to.
SPEAKER_04Um, Goodwill. Um, we actually, one of our employees um uh works with Bridge the Gap in is it Green Bay and Chano? Yep. Green Bay and Chano. So a lot of the most recent times we've actually given that to her for the program. And those people love it. And like the stuff we've donated, especially with tags on it to them, wasn't like bad things. It's still nice stuff. It's just not stuff that we wanted to sell. Like it's not, yeah. Yeah, I get it. So finding the good brands is like one of the hardest pieces because without going to a market, because Mars market's expensive, you kind of have some, you need to have some kind of I've never been to market, so I'm interested in the let's do it. He will. It's so overwhelming.
SPEAKER_00Sure. He said he would go. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04It is like the most so much fun. It's in the first time. Well, that's what I'm afraid of because of all of the options.
SPEAKER_00I don't really want to go to Dallas.
SPEAKER_04You don't have to. I had to get through my head like you don't have to hit all these vendors. Because like that's where I was where I'm like, oh my god, look at all these options. But then, like, you just have to be okay being like, find your favorite, find your next one. When's the next one?
SPEAKER_02Um Texas. There's one in Alabama going on right now. And then there's next one is in Dallas, and then Atlanta. There's one in New York, there's one in Nashville.
SPEAKER_04But you kind of gotta pick them based on your based on the vibe. Like a lot of the people that the wholesalers that we've asked, like, because we've only been to Dallas and Vegas, and then we went to a smaller one in Florida. But because we also really want to go to New York, neither of us have been. And they're like, Yeah, but if if the New York style isn't the vibe of your store, you're not gonna find a lot of it. Yeah, they don't have a lot of right.
SPEAKER_03Justine was looking into she's like, we really should go to market. And she said, What did we say? Nashville. Yep. Nashville is relevant to us, our style. Yeah, I could see that. And then another one. I don't really like Dallas. I think Dallas was really great. I want to go to Dallas. I don't know why you just poo-pooed Dallas. It's so hot, dude.
SPEAKER_02It's so hot.
SPEAKER_04Oh, and when we went in June last year, it was miserable. Inside the market center was great, but the minute you stepped outside, it's yeah, we're gonna go to one in Chicago in June if you want to get your feet wet. That's a lot smaller.
SPEAKER_02Um it's pretty small. Well, not more, no, send me info on that. I will.
SPEAKER_04It's probably more manageable for your first time because like there's just so many options, and it's so easy to spend a ton of money.
SPEAKER_03Okay, so now when you when I hear when people say that, what does that mean? Like I have to buy it that day. So or is it like the net 90?
SPEAKER_04Everything is broken up by ship dates at each each vendor you walk into, there's usually gonna have like tags on each hanger, and the color tag means the ship month or whatever. So um very few things you'll pay for that day, um, except if it's like immediate ship and they got it ready. Like we had some things that were shipping literally like two hours after we got the invoice from Vegas.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And but then, like, so you can be really strategic about it and be like, okay, I'm good for right now, but I need July ship dates really bad, or I need whatever. So, like, you're usually buying for the next season. Um, we were told that it was all for the next season, but our very first market, we bought so much stuff that was ready to ship and we didn't really realize what we were doing. We had $80,000 worth of inventory that shipped it. That got delivered in like a three-day span. We were we were not ready. You had to pay $80,000 worth of stuff.
SPEAKER_02The American Express card got hit hard.
SPEAKER_04That's what we we chose those ship dates. So, like, you there are ways around that. That will not happen to you if you plan accordingly.
SPEAKER_02But we had to dip with personal savings to pay that off. And like that, I mean that's the small business life of like we made that decision and we didn't know what we were doing.
SPEAKER_03So you're okay, right? We're fine, we're fine. You live somewhere and yeah, we have a house.
SPEAKER_02We sold it all. Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And each vendor, it's hard because each vendor you check out individually, obviously. So it's hard to recall, like, okay, what did I even buy? That's right now. So, like, that's what happened to us is we got caught up in all the cool shit.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04And all that stuff just happened to be ready to ship. So there has to be a strategy about it. A little bit.
SPEAKER_03That's good to know.
SPEAKER_04Um, yeah, yeah. But they're so fun, they're so overwhelming. You will never walk more in your entire life, but it's worth it. It's fun, it's so worth it.
SPEAKER_02And we should go together.
SPEAKER_04And you get to just like feel pieces and yeah.
SPEAKER_02Don't you want to hang out with Keith?
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_00She's like, I don't know.
SPEAKER_04She's like, I could take them or leave him.
SPEAKER_02I want to hang out with Keith.
SPEAKER_04I would say probably one of the most relevant things, though, is everything in the booth will nine times out of ten be a small. So you can see, like, okay, if it is clearly not a small, because that's the biggest struggle we ran into is all these pieces, especially for fall and winter, are so oversized that then you get stuck with all the mediums and all the largest. So you can see on the hanger if the small is clearly not a small. So that also helped us being able to be like, that sizing will not work for us, or if it's really small and it's not as small, you know. So you need that's a good idea.
SPEAKER_02But yeah. There. Now you know everything there is to know about a boutique.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_02We should start a boutique podcast.
SPEAKER_03Oh my god, yeah. Not because we don't want to, but you guys should have one. You guys kind of do it with your Monday. Boutique and banter. Boutique and banter. There's the fourth podcast. Oh, there's the fourth podcast. Do you have other questions for them? Um this was a fun one. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Did you guys have fun?
SPEAKER_03Okay, I don't know why this was so fun. You told me to wear my fun pants, so I wore my fun pants. Yeah, I said, I'm gonna get your fun pants on. I'm really bad. I should follow up with people, like, hey, reminder, we have podcasts tomorrow.
SPEAKER_02She actually reminded me, which is good.
SPEAKER_03And then he's like, Hey, we're so good. I'm like, Yep, bring your fun pants. Or I'm gonna find your fun pants.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_01What would be like another piece of advice for people that are wanting to start just a boutique? Like, what is step one? I know you mentioned like LLC registering with the state, that kind of thing.
SPEAKER_05Yep.
SPEAKER_01But um, I don't know any other advice about that. Location?
SPEAKER_04Location is huge. I would kind of going back to what we were saying, I would say like find your niche, find your groove, find what makes it exciting for you. Yes. Yes. Because people can definitely tell. Like if the clothes you're selling or whatever it is that you're selling doesn't reflect you and you're not excited about it, that shows very easily through like social media and whatever. So you need to find your find your groove, what's gonna make you unique to stand out from other people because there's there's a ton of boutiques, there's a ton of online boutiques. So, like finding what's gonna make you unique and different and stand out versus everybody.
SPEAKER_03Or to look at it and be like, oh, that's definitely duo. Because I see your stuff, and it's I all of your stuff looks like you. Right.
SPEAKER_04That's fun. I love to hear all of it.
SPEAKER_03Like, I don't ever like why what was she thinking when she ordered that?
SPEAKER_02Right, like she would never wear that.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, all of it looks like you. Oh, that is good to hear. That is good.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, so we have a we have a group.
SPEAKER_02And I feel like that advice kind of goes to like everybody who's opening a small business, right? Like, find your niche and stick to it. Like, what's your why of why you're opening this boutique or why you're opening any business, right? And stick to it and just be you. Don't be anybody else. Because that that's that's where the burnout comes from, I feel like, is when you're just trying so hard to keep up with somebody or copy somebody.
SPEAKER_04Yes, because that has to be exhausting too.
SPEAKER_02That's a full-time job in itself, right?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, and do not believe them when they say you get to pick your own hours.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, because you do not know.
SPEAKER_04That's my second piece of advice for a small business. I get to pick my hours at 11 p.m. Yeah, right.
SPEAKER_00Even then, I was when I'm crying, right?
SPEAKER_03In the closet with your dog.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Sawyer was up late gaming last night, and I wanted to tell him, hey, tell the squad that it's stealth combat tonight.
SPEAKER_03Sawyer's home from college, and they were fixing up the coffee truck late last night, and then he got home, and then he's his room's right above ours.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and he's just yelling.
SPEAKER_03Get over in the corner.
SPEAKER_02Like, he's over there. Can we take it multiple different ways?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it was interesting.
SPEAKER_00They're like, well, today's a good or it's a good time, I guess, to answer some emails.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, because here I am awake. Right. Sleep anyway. I love it. Okay, I have one more question. Go ahead. Make it a juicy one. Yeah. You never asked them one yet. You gotta ask them a question.
SPEAKER_01Oh, true. Um, I feel like your brain doesn't stop. So, like, do you have ideas for another business beyond this? I feel like this isn't it about 12.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say, you know how many times we'll like just drive by a building and be like, that should be this. Brad's we should buy that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah's go-to line. We can be anywhere. And like, you can tell when like a business really isn't running that smoothly, or like you can tell when the people working behind a counter are stressed or whatever. We will go anywhere. And Brad's like, I could run circles around this place. And he's cocky, it's so cocky, but like I feel like that's another struggle that we have is like when I when I complete everything I have to do that day, I'm like, okay, like I feel good, I feel great. He does not stop. Yeah, so like he's always 10 steps ahead of me, and that's hard to work with when that is not how your brain works. Because I'm like, you tell me we gotta keep going.
SPEAKER_00Can you imagine? And I don't know. I feel like you just got there. I literally, I was like, I just got to the finish line.
SPEAKER_02There's there's another cliff, and he's always on to the next thing. I give you a lot of credit. It is not easy, little, but yeah, he don't stop.
SPEAKER_03Can you imagine though, if you medicated that? And I and I don't think you should, and maybe you are, but like that creative mind that people want to just like harn it, like like tone her back a little bit.
SPEAKER_02Let it go. I know. I I run and like my mama left because like I've had so many ideas over the years of like I'm gonna do this, and I'm gonna do it.
SPEAKER_04Every other day there's a new idea.
SPEAKER_02Okay, well, I'm gonna shut your mic off. How do I control this? Tell me that I'm wrong first. Tell me I'm wrong. No, you're not wrong.
SPEAKER_03Exactly.
SPEAKER_02Um, but yeah, we we have three businesses right now. I mean, one of them what is three? Tell me. Um, so we have duo, we have Bongo, um, the really boring emergency communication business. That's my full-time gig. Um, and then we have a um, we bought some commercial property that we rent out. So the next phase for duo, which she's not super excited about, but I am, is the back half of our building. Um, or potentially we might put up a different building, but um, we want to move duo's warehouse to be there. So that space you've seen. So you're gonna have a ton of storage, ton of storage with like some office.
SPEAKER_04We're maxed out of space at our current space.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Because our online business is growing so much. Oh, I can really shipping like all over the US. And we're doing it all of this out of this tiny little space in Howard, and it's just not working anymore. So if we want to continue to grow and scale and all these things, then we need the space to be able to accommodate for it. So my secret to that is normally people would look for like prime real estate, right? They talk about location. Well, then you pay through the roof. Well, our building is in the Howard Industrial Park, so it's off the media. You don't need it, you don't need that location. So, like it's cheap, it's so cheap, and we are part owner in the building, so we are gonna rent from ourselves. So it's the perfect thing. But this is really it's gonna help dual kind of really branch to the next level. So we're excited. Sounds like I never do stop.
SPEAKER_03Did you ever think you were gonna blow up this big? No, and like you're a baby. 2024, March. Like you guys are very new. March 1st, 2024.
SPEAKER_04We're already needing more space, and that's kind of like when I get I get stressed very easy. That's probably my downfall. But like whether my mom or somebody will be like, you guys are less than two years old, like you're less than one year in your brick and mortar. Like, you gotta give yourself a little grace for how far you've come. And we're like, okay, yeah, that's fair. But yeah, there's the there's always there's always the next thing. And I'm gonna get and I'm gonna get it, Nicole.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I'm gonna get it.
SPEAKER_04I know it. I love it until it kills him, he's gonna get it.
SPEAKER_03We'll definitely plan on going to market because Justine said her and Scott want to go too. Oh, heck yeah. It's fun, and you almost need to like we've toyed around with like I'll probably just take a bunch of gummies and just go. Yeah, because I'm gonna need to mellow out.
SPEAKER_02They do a lot of them serve drinks there, so we don't think that they have cocktails.
SPEAKER_03I I'll drink, but I mean, like, I'm better on a gummy. Yeah, too much.
SPEAKER_00She'll go to sleep otherwise.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but I'll be a good time.
SPEAKER_04But okay, so you were gonna say we have like a groove now. Like, we both walk in, we say the pleasantries, like he will start talking to the vendors and like getting the rundown, and I just have to like shop the racks by myself. Like, we have our groove, we can be in and out of there in like probably 20 minutes if we do it right. And because it's so overwhelming. There's so many. Yeah, that's that's what I'm afraid of.
SPEAKER_03So many is like the option, and that's what Justin's like. We should get to market. We should.
SPEAKER_00I'm like, sounds like people there, yeah, like a lot of people. Sounds like you're helping.
SPEAKER_04It sounds like I know it is, it's like the best worst time you'll ever have in your life.
SPEAKER_03I'll just I'll I'll be in my own world. Yeah, I'll be spot on. I pick out will be great.
SPEAKER_04Right. Yeah, it will be it'll be an experience, but yeah, it's definitely worth uh worth it.
SPEAKER_03Anything else you guys want to share with the audience since you have some mic time? Do you want a funny story or what do you want? Oh, Keith has to, Keith has to ask you guys something, but I want your funny story.
SPEAKER_02Okay, I'll tell a funny story. So would no idea where this is going. We went to the concert. I had a couple too many drinks. At Luke Hombs. At Luke Hombs. Okay. Um, we were just dancing, we were doing our thing. You're a cop, so just I don't know if this I'm breaking any laws when I tell you this. Um, but this girl stole my drink out of my hand. She just like this girl ripped it, it dumped her my drink into hers, and I was- Everybody was spicy.
SPEAKER_04Everybody was spicy. Are you kidding me?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, so I was like, You punched her. Well, in the face. No. I didn't punch her, but I did look at her. I'm like, are you joking me right now? And she's like, you know, kind of like that vibe. I took my hand out, I slapped that drink right to the floor, and her face was like, and I don't know. I was in the bathroom.
SPEAKER_03You're lucky you didn't, you weren't oh it and punched her.
SPEAKER_04Right? I literally, I was in the bathroom, I come back, and he's like, he's telling me this story like a little kid, like he's all excited. I'm like, guess what? I'm like, what?
SPEAKER_03I would have punched her.
SPEAKER_04I'm like, and like the girl is like two feet away, and he's like, Yeah, that girl. I was like, Oh my god.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and then she didn't leave. She wanted to buy me a drink.
SPEAKER_03Well, she probably would have known you. Oh, your duo.
SPEAKER_02That's what she said. Oh, but you did, she did get a lot of that. Like, we'd be like, Oh, I believe it. They'd be like, You're the girl from the TikTok. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I would talk, I don't know. I know it's like, I don't know if I should brag about this, or if it's like I should be ashamed, but I was at Walmart and I got recognized by a lot of people too. Yeah, seeing Shano at Walmart. I love that for you.
unknownI love that.
SPEAKER_02Where else would you want to get recognized?
SPEAKER_03I know. I'm like, full Keith, I'm like, I couldn't get anything done because everyone's like, oh, I see you. You're the mill. You're the male. I'm like, yeah, yeah. I'm like, I don't know if I this sounds like I'm breaking, but I don't know if I'm a loser, but everyone knew me at Walmart.
SPEAKER_04It's proof that your social media is working. I guess that's the best way you can live.
SPEAKER_03Somebody's I'm from Suring. I come. I'm like, oh, thank you. I was at boarding house. Okay. Yes. So ask your All right, Keith.
SPEAKER_00Do you guys watch any of our podcasts? I do. She doesn't.
SPEAKER_03No, I do. It's okay. It doesn't hurt my feelings. I do girl, it's it's it's time consuming.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I don't have time to watch.
SPEAKER_02They're they're playing in my office at all times.
SPEAKER_03I can't even watch my own. Yeah. Sometimes I mean I legit I do when I'm getting ready, but okay.
SPEAKER_00Um all right. So I'm gonna ask you one and I'll ask you one.
SPEAKER_03Okay, okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_04Um there's so much lead time. Yes.
SPEAKER_00The build up. If you get if do you believe in aliens first? Oh, I'm so glad she got this one.
SPEAKER_04I can.
SPEAKER_00You can?
SPEAKER_04I can. No, that's what he's doing. I actually don't know if I do or not. Is that a valid answer? Yes, that's a good one. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay. So let's pretend you do.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_00Okay. And then Alien came to duo. Duo cooter. Duo cooter. I like that. And then you're working, they popped inside, they locked the door. And then they said, okay, we can take you anywhere in the universe. We'll actually take you everywhere in the universe over the course of the next three weeks. You'll see everything, all the secrets of life will be told, or you'll observe them, see everything. You only miss one day here on Earth. You'll be completely safe. Would you go with them?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_04What? Yeah. You? Yeah.
SPEAKER_03You kind of had me sold on that one too, because I want to see all the secrets of life. Right?
SPEAKER_04I know I love conspiracy theories, so I'm like, I could figure them all out in one day. Yes. I could I could know everything. I like you more and more.
SPEAKER_02I'm really proud of you.
SPEAKER_04Yes.
SPEAKER_02Because you don't like I could be like, we could go open a helicopter to see this. You'd be like, I don't know if I want to do that. I'm not gonna do that.
SPEAKER_04But then you're gonna go into UFO with mailing famous story that you could have told about your ideas. Normally it's like we got to this and then we go to here, and then we're gonna this isn't our show.
SPEAKER_02Let's stay in your lane. Okay, secret. It is kind of your show.
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna go. Yeah. If I could figure out all the secrets, when you said the secret, I want you to ask me that.
SPEAKER_00Your time is over.
SPEAKER_03Okay. But I would too see, like, so you're saying all like I'm just envisioning, like, okay, now here's the John F. Kennedy shooting.
SPEAKER_00Oh, but wait, wait, wait, here's the second question.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00All right.
SPEAKER_02So sweating again.
SPEAKER_00Uh, somebody comes to you and they say, I can take you back in time. We're gonna stop the JFK assassination.
SPEAKER_02Yep.
SPEAKER_00But you don't know what's gonna happen.
SPEAKER_02Okay. It's like that.
SPEAKER_00If you don't know what the future is gonna entail after that, yep. Would you go with him? He's like, I'll protect you. You will be safe. We'll get back here.
SPEAKER_03Yep. I don't know. What are you asking him?
SPEAKER_00Will will he go back in time?
SPEAKER_03Will you save JFK?
unknownOh.
SPEAKER_02Is what you're asking him? Yeah. So I could go back and save JFK.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02And then you don't know you don't know what the butterfly is added there.
SPEAKER_00Let's pretend it's me. Save you? Give you emotional here. I say Brad. Yeah. I got this time machine. Let's go back. Yeah. What did you do?
SPEAKER_03He wants to go to market with you. I'm pretty sure you'll go.
SPEAKER_00Wait, so am I going are you told me or am I saving you? You and me are going back in time. Okay. To save JFK. Saving JFK. Okay, so like it's gonna change the world.
SPEAKER_02My immediate answer would be yes. But then I think about it and I say the butterfly effect. Because I do believe in that. Of like, this wouldn't have happened if this didn't happen, this didn't happen. So I'm gonna say I probably would not.
SPEAKER_03I agree.
SPEAKER_02I'm like, uh, I'm gonna live in this moment. I can only control what I can control.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna go. I would maybe lie and say, Yeah, I'm gonna go, but I would want to watch, but I wouldn't save them.
SPEAKER_00What if I was like, all right, let's go, we're jumping in.
SPEAKER_03Do you think you and I could just like go to the bar?
SPEAKER_02Maybe instead? Let's go to the bar. Or maybe a market? Maybe market show.
SPEAKER_03I love that question though, because like if I thought about that more, I'd be like, what is the show we just watched? That about that.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, I like him as an actor. Did you watch? He has a face like this. That one, yeah, two, three, whatever it is. 1970 or 60. Yeah, whatever. One of those years. Yeah. Yeah. That was great. Was that a blockchain?
SPEAKER_05Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_03It is so good, and it's just about what he just asked you. Yeah. And who's that actor? I love him. James Franco. James Franco. Oh, I think I've seen that. It is a good show.
SPEAKER_00It's awesome.
SPEAKER_03And we're like, how did we not watch this? It's from like 2018. Yeah. And it's so good.
SPEAKER_00They are not very good at marketing, that apparently. It is such a I'm your target audience.
SPEAKER_02It is a really good show.
SPEAKER_03And it talks about like travel. Yeah, he saved travel. And then all of the bad things that happen.
SPEAKER_02Got it. So you'll like it. I would like that. I would like that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, we should. We need a new show.
SPEAKER_03So yeah. And Franco, his girlfriend or wife in there, she's gorgeous. I'm like, she's flawlessly beautiful, and she's like a perfect wife. I'm like almost like you two.
SPEAKER_00She doesn't. Yeah, like us.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00She doesn't like her because she reminds her so much of herself.
SPEAKER_03Whatever. No. When you see this, when you see his set woman, like woman from the 60s, you're gonna be like, I know what she's saying. She's just like perfect. Yeah. But, anyways, that's so nice. I really like that you guys came on, and I really thank you so much for having us. It was entertaining and informative. Don't you agree?
SPEAKER_01Yes, 100%. Well, let's do it again sometime.
SPEAKER_03There wasn't much dead air at all. Not at all. You guys are great. I usually I'm always looking at her like, okay. Well, let's wrap it up. Let's wrap this up, right?
SPEAKER_00Any more questions? Can we fill some square? Please.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. All right. Thanks guys for coming on. Thank you so much. Help me freely walk in your eyes.