Boutique Chat

What happens when you find the one product that can completely change your business?

For Java Maglasang and with his wife Serena, of The Farmhouse, it was a collection of wooden arch frames that took their business to an entirely new level. But the product was only part of the story.

Java joins Ashley Alderson to share how they nearly doubled their boutique business by combining strategic Facebook advertising, intentional inventory planning, stronger e-commerce systems, and consistent content creation.

You'll learn:

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4 important Shopify product details that impact Google categorization.

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Why going LIVE can impact both online and in-store sales.

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Why home and gift boutiques have a huge opportunity in e-commerce.

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Why the most successful boutique owners build systems before they scale.

Join The Boutique Hub

Java Maglasang & The Farmhouse:

Instagram:@shopthefarmhouse

Website: https://www.thefarmhouseaz.com

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Boutique Hub Black:

🔗 Boutique Hub Black

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Your sales are down. Your website seems quiet. Orders aren't coming in. And suddenly, you're questioning everything about your business.

Before you panic, take a breath.

Every retail business experiences slow sales days, weeks, and even months. But what separates successful boutique owners from those who struggle isn't whether they experience slow seasons. It's how they respond.

Ashley Alderson shares her 4-Step CEO Reset to help you stop reacting emotionally, understand what's actually happening in your business, and take strategic action when sales slow down. Instead of immediately reaching for discounts or making decisions out of fear, learn how to use your numbers, identify opportunities, and create momentum when your business needs it most. Remember: Panic is loud. Strategy is quiet.

Join The Boutique Hub

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Are you leaving boutique sales on the table because your email marketing isn't doing enough work for you?

Ashley Alderson sits down with Lyndsay Rinere, Boutique Hub Black coach and former boutique owner, to break down how boutique retailers can use email marketing to drive sales, build customer relationships, and automate more of their marketing.

After growing her family's boutique business, Lyndsay discovered firsthand how powerful technology, personalized emails, and automated customer journeys can be. Now, she helps other retailers put those strategies to work in their own businesses.

You'll learn:

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The 4 essential email flows

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How automated emails can generate sales without constant manual effort

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Email subject lines that get opened

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Email marketing benchmarks: open rates, click-through rates, conversions, and unsubscribes.

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Using AI to improve your marketing

Join The Boutique Hub

Learn more about Boutique Hub Black

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

One of the biggest mistakes boutique owners make is treating inventory like a launch-day event instead of a long-term sales opportunity. You spend time ordering, unpacking, steaming, photographing, and promoting new arrivals—then move on to the next collection while the last one sits on the racks.

In this episode, Digital Boutique Co breaks down how to build an intentional inventory lifecycle that helps you sell more of what you already own, market products more effectively, and avoid unnecessary markdowns.

You'll learn:

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How to build an inventory marketing plan before new arrivals hit your website

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Why you shouldn't rush to discount products after launch day

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How organic social media and paid retargeting ads can work together

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Ways to use styling videos, outfit pairings, product details, and live sales to move slower sellers

Join The Boutique Hub

Digital Boutique Co:

Website: https://www.digitalboutiqueco.com Instagram: @digitalboutiqueco

What happens when a natural disaster destroys your boutique, your inventory, and the business you've spent years building?

For many independent retailers, rebuilding isn't as simple as filing an insurance claim. Flooding, hurricanes, and other disasters can leave business owners without the resources they need to reopen—and entire communities can lose the local shops that help make them special.

Ashley Alderson sits down with Patrick Keiser of Heart on Main Street, a nonprofit dedicated to independent retailer resiliency, to discuss how the organization helps small businesses recover after disasters through financial grants, wholesale product support, and hands-on rebuilding projects.

Patrick shares what recovery has looked like for retailers in Asheville, North Carolina, and Texas Hill Country, why insurance may not cover everything a business owner loses, and how the wholesale community can play a vital role in helping independent retailers get back on their feet.

You'll learn:

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Why independent retailers are often overlooked after natural disasters

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The devastating impact disasters can have on small businesses and local communities

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How Heart on Main Street helps retailers rebuild and reopen

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How participating in Pink Friday helps support Heart on Main Street

Join The Boutique Hub

Patrick Keiser & Heart on Main Street:

Website: https://www.heartonmainstreet.org

Grant Application: grant application

Instagram:@heartonmainstreet

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🛍️ Join the Movement - PINK FRIDAY!

Pink Friday Map 👉 PFMap

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Are you investing thousands in inventory but hesitating to invest in the education that could help your boutique grow?

Samantha Conner is back to shares two powerful takeaways from recent markets that could change how you approach your retail business: investing in education that pays you back season after season, and creating experiences that make customers want to stop, connect, and shop.

You'll learn:

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Why education is an investment, not an expense

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How to evaluate a coaching program

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Why traditional sales approaches can push customers away

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How customer activations build relationships

Join The Boutique Hub

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Pink Friday isn't about having the biggest sale. It's about giving shoppers a reason to choose small businesses first.

So how do you make Pink Friday work for your boutique without sacrificing your profit?

Ashley Alderson and Sara Burks break down Pink Friday, the movement helping small businesses get shoppers through their doors and onto their websites before the big-box retailers take center stage.

You'll learn:

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How to organize a boutique crawl and collaborate with local businesses

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Creative online event ideas, giveaways, scavenger hunts, and live sales

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How to turn holiday shoppers into loyal, year-round customers

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How to plan ahead for a holiday season with more profit and more peace

Pink Friday is about supporting small first, building community over competition, and reminding shoppers why independent businesses matter. Participation is free, and retailers can access resources to help plan and promote their events. Ready to participate?

Join The Boutique Hub

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🛍️ Join the Movement - PINK FRIDAY!

Pink Friday Map 👉 PFMap

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Which fashion trends should you actually buy for your boutique—and which ones could leave you sitting on unsold inventory?

After walking the runways at New York Fashion Week, Samantha Conner breaks down the fashion trends shaping Fall/Winter 2026 and Spring/Summer 2027, with practical advice to help boutique owners make smarter buying decisions.

Samantha shares a simple - BUY, WATCH & TEST - framework to help you evaluate upcoming trends, protect your open-to-buy budget and choose inventory based on what your customers actually want.

You'll learn:

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The biggest fashion trends coming for 2026–2027

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How to use accessories to test a trend before investing heavily

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Why you shouldn't replace a bestseller too early or copy another boutique's buying strategy

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Which trends to test carefully, including low-rise denim, sheer clothing and micro-minis

Join The Boutique Hub

Fashion tells you what's coming, but intelligence tells you what will sell. Don't buy every forecast color or chase every viral micro-trend. Know your customer, review your sales data and decide what to buy, what to watch and what to test.

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

What happens when the platform driving 90% of your sales disappears overnight?

Ashley sits down with Dana Hicks, owner of LimeBerry Designs, to share the real story of losing her biggest sales channel and rebuilding her business from the ground up.

Ashley and Dana talk about surviving a business crisis, the importance of not putting all your eggs in one basket, learning to focus on profit instead of just sales, and what it really takes to keep showing up when things get hard.

You'll learn:

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The story behind LimeBerry

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Rebuilding through retail, wholesale, and marketing

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The power of community, coaching, and showing up

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Getting 1% better every day

If you're building a business, this is a reminder that the goal isn't just to grow—it's to build something strong enough to keep going when things don't go according to plan.

Join The Boutique Hub

Dana Hicks & LimeBerry:

Instagram:@limeberrydesigns & @limeberrywholesale

Website: https://www.limeberrydesigns.com

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🛍️ Learn more about PINK FRIDAY!

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

What should you post today? That might actually be the wrong question.

Instead, ask: "What do I need to sell today?"

Your inventory should help determine your marketing strategy. In this episode, Sara Burks breaks down how boutique owners can stop posting just to stay active and start creating content with a purpose—based on where their dollars are actually tied up. From fresh arrivals and high-demand products to excess inventory and merchandise that simply needs to leave, each category requires a different approach.

You'll learn:

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Why your inventory should determine your marketing

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Why "sale, sale, sale" can lose its impact with customers

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Ways to bundle, restyle, rephotograph, and reposition products

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How to identify the products that need attention right now

Join The Boutique Hub

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

How much revenue are you losing from customers who were ready to buy—but never finished the purchase?

In this episode, Ashley Alderson sits down with Jake Inman from Redo to break down one of the biggest opportunities in ecommerce: converting more of the customers you already have instead of constantly chasing new traffic.

You'll learn:

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Why abandoned carts represent a major opportunity for boutiques

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How Redo's Recover tool uses human SMS conversations to reconnect with shoppers

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How customer responses can reveal "why" shoppers abandon their purchases

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The conversion rates Jake says Redo typically sees from recovered carts

If you're a boutique owner trying to increase online sales, improve conversion, recover lost revenue, and get more out of the customers already visiting your website, this conversation is packed with practical ideas.

Join The Boutique Hub

Jake Inman & Redo:

Instagram:@redo_hq

Website: https://redo.com

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Corky's Footwear:

🔗 https://corkysfootwear.com

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Are you taking enough photos when you shop at market?

Jacob from FAVES breaks down the 5 reasons boutique owners should take photos at market — and why documenting what you see and buy can make a huge difference long after you leave the showroom.

5 Reasons to Take Photos at Market:

1. Remember What You Bought - (Keep a visual reference of the products, styles, and details you selected.)

2. Avoid Duplicate Styles - (Compare what you've already purchased so you don't accidentally buy two pieces that are too similar.)

3. Curate Your Merchandise - (See how different pieces work together and build cohesive color stories and collections before they arrive at your store.)

4. Preview Products to Your Customers - (Use your market photos to start creating excitement around new arrivals and give customers a preview of what's coming.)

5. Educate Your Team - (Capture important product details like fabrics, buttons, pockets, lining, colors, care instructions, and other features your team needs to know.)

Join The Boutique Hub

Try FAVES:

Website: https://thefavesapp.com Instagram: @thefavesapp

What happens when you take over a 48-year-old boutique—and realize the business has to change?

In this episode, Megan Healey joins Ashley Alderson to share her journey from corporate retail to legacy boutique owner. After discovering The Boutique Hub through this very podcast, she went on to purchase Different Strokes for Little Folks.

Megan shares how she had to learn how to stop treating the store like a hobby, trust the numbers, reduce inventory, build better systems, and still protect the heart and authenticity that made the business special in the first place. And her impact goes far beyond the store. Megan is helping bring local businesses together, working to strengthen her community through collaboration, events, and economic development.

You'll learn:

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Leaving corporate retail to become a business owner

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Taking over a 48-year-old legacy boutique

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How small businesses can work together to grow their local economy

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Why customers buy the feeling—not just the product

Join The Boutique Hub

Megan Healey & Different Strokes For Little Folks:

Instagram:@differentstrokesforlittlefolks

Website: https://differentstrokesforlittlefolks.com

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She Profits Now:

🔗 https://www.sheprofitsnow.com

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Should you open a second boutique location—or go bigger with your online store? Before you expand, there's one thing you need to check first: are your business operations actually ready for growth?

Sara Burks breaks down why boutique owners can get distracted by exciting new opportunities while overlooking the systems that keep the business running. A new storefront, new inventory, or bigger online presence can sound like the next step—but if your money, people, inventory, time, and management systems aren't working efficiently, expansion can simply make existing problems bigger.

Think of your business like a car: the destination might be exciting, but you're not getting anywhere without gas in the tank and air in the tires.

You'll learn:

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Why your business operations are the foundation for growth

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How to evaluate your money and debt before expanding

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Whether your team and management systems can handle growth

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How "shiny objects" can distract you from problems that need fixing

Join The Boutique Hub

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

What does it actually take to stay in business for 30 years?

Ashley Alderson sits down with longtime boutique owner Anna Rodriguez, My Forever Cowgirl, for a full-circle conversation about building a business in Western fashion, surviving vendor shows, knowing your customer, and creating a brand people remember.

Anna shares the lessons she learned from decades on the road — from trial-and-error at shows to building a powerful denim business, creating unforgettable customer service, merchandising massive booths, and eventually bringing her daughters into the business.

You'll learn:

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The origin story behind Anna's 30-year retail business

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How she turned Western fashion into something fresh and mainstream

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What decades of vendor shows taught her about choosing the right events

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Why you don't need to fear your competition

Join The Boutique Hub

Anna Rodriguez & My Forever Cowgirl:

Instagram:@myforevercowgirl

Website: https://myforevercowgirl.com

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Try Timing:

🔗 https://www.timingfashion.com

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

What can a 43-year retail veteran teach us about the future of boutique retail?

Lou Spagna, Chair of the Board of Advisors at DigitBridge, spent 43 years in retail running companies ranging from 20 stores to 1,000 stores. After experiencing the Boutique Hub Summit, he shares what surprised him about the boutique industry — and why he believes boutiques play an important role in the modern retail ecosystem.

You'll learn:

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Why boutiques can offer what big chains can't

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The surprising relationship between e-commerce and brick-and-mortar

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What Boutique Hub provides beyond buying

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The most important lesson he learned in 43 years of retail

Join The Boutique Hub

👉 Learn more about Digitbridge:

Website: https://digitbridge.com Instagram: @digit_bridge

Are your systems actually helping your business grow—or are they quietly holding you back?

As retailers add Shopify, brick-and-mortar, wholesale, live selling, TikTok, Etsy, marketplaces, and multiple fulfillment channels, the technology behind the business can quickly become a mess.

Ashley Alderson sits down with Justin Low, Head Operator at DigitBridge, to talk about modern commerce, unified data, automation, AI, multi-channel selling, fulfillment, and the operational problems that can cost retailers time and money. Justin explains why having multiple systems that don't communicate can create hidden inefficiencies—and why getting your data and operations unified becomes increasingly important as your business scales.

You'll learn:

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Why multi-channel retail is becoming essential

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Why growing businesses eventually need to rethink their technology

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The hidden cost of disconnected systems

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How unified commerce can simplify operations

Join The Boutique Hub

Justin Low & DigitBridge:

Instagram:@digit_bridge

Website: https://digitbridge.com/

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Try Apptile:

🔗 https://apptile.com

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Should you open a second location—or go all-in on online?

Before you expand, Sara Burks is here discuss four things every retailer needs to assess: your customer, your why, your time, and your passion. Too often, retailers expand because they overbought inventory, found an available building, or simply feel like they need to grow. But expansion without a plan can create bigger problems instead of bigger profits.

You'll learn:

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How to know if your customers actually want another location

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Why overbuying inventory is NOT a reason to expand

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The questions to ask before going online

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Why "less is more" can be a powerful growth strategy

Join The Boutique Hub

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

What can you really build with just $3,000?

Madison Johnson-Hurt started Ivory Road Boutique at 21 years old with $3,000, grew from a bedroom business into a storefront, expanded into a 3,000-square-foot location, and built a customer base that now reaches far beyond her hometown. But her growth didn't come from simply buying more inventory.

Madison built her business around strong margins, knowing her customer, strategic collections, organic TikTok content, and becoming the face of her brand. Madison shares the lessons that helped her grow sustainably—and the mindset shifts that changed the way she runs her boutique.

You'll learn:

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The importance of protecting your margins

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Building a business around community, purpose, and service

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How TikTok brought thousands of new eyes to her website

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Learning to have confidence as a young business owner

Join The Boutique Hub

Madison Johnson-Hurt & Ivory Road Boutique:

Instagram:@shoptheivoryroadboutique

Website: https://ivoryroadboutique.com

Very G Shoes:

🎁 Join the VIP Wholesale Group on Facebook and use code PODCAST for 10% off your opening order.

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Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

Are you waiting too long to transition your boutique from summer to fall?

The summer-to-fall flip isn't just about swapping out tanks and shorts for denim and jackets—it's about changing the entire shopping experience so your customer is ready to buy what comes next.

In this episode, Joell from JR Visual Design breaks down exactly when and how to make the transition, from your store layout and fall product placement to styling, accessories, décor, windows, and those last-minute store improvements that can set you up for your biggest selling season.

You'll learn:

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When to make the summer-to-fall transition

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How to completely refresh your store layout

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Where to put summer clearance

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What store improvements you should make before holiday

Join The Boutique Hub

JR Visual Design & Merchandising:

Website: https://www.jrvisualdesign.com Instagram: @jrvisualdesigns