WEBVTT 00:00:00.580 --> 00:00:03.359 Welcome to Leveling Up with Lindsay, the podcast 00:00:03.359 --> 00:00:05.540 where we dive into leadership, small business, 00:00:05.580 --> 00:00:08.160 and everything in between. I'm Lindsay, your 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:10.519 host, and the proud owner of White Pony Boutique, 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:13.619 a space created to empower women, build confidence, 00:00:13.720 --> 00:00:16.280 and foster meaningful connections. Whether you're 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.059 an entrepreneur, a mom, a friend, or someone 00:00:19.059 --> 00:00:21.820 just looking for a little inspiration, this is 00:00:21.820 --> 00:00:24.920 your space to feel seen, supported, and inspired. 00:00:25.120 --> 00:00:28.100 Join me as we share stories, strategies, and 00:00:28.100 --> 00:00:30.500 a little bit of life's chaos while While navigating 00:00:30.500 --> 00:00:33.060 what it truly means to level up in starting a 00:00:33.060 --> 00:00:35.539 business, relationship, and personal growth. 00:00:35.859 --> 00:00:38.799 So grab a cup of coffee, get comfy, and let's 00:00:38.799 --> 00:00:42.939 level up together. What does it really take to 00:00:42.939 --> 00:00:45.179 create a customer experience that people remember? 00:00:45.700 --> 00:00:48.460 One that feels thoughtful, personal, and done 00:00:48.460 --> 00:00:51.039 right. Today I'm sitting down with a woman at 00:00:51.039 --> 00:00:53.320 the heart of our operations to talk what it means 00:00:53.320 --> 00:00:56.899 to show up, even when it's hard, and keep working 00:00:56.899 --> 00:00:59.990 towards excellence. Welcome back to Leveling 00:00:59.990 --> 00:01:02.469 Up with Lindsay. Today's guest is someone I depend 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:05.530 on every single day, not just because of her 00:01:05.530 --> 00:01:07.810 role in operations and shipping, but because 00:01:07.810 --> 00:01:10.650 of her ability to grow through change, lead with 00:01:10.650 --> 00:01:13.829 calm, and keep showing up with heart. Autumn 00:01:13.829 --> 00:01:18.269 Bacchus. Hold on. I see your last, it's Bacchus. 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:20.890 And you're like, no, it's Bacchus. Yes. Yes. 00:01:20.890 --> 00:01:23.790 Okay, fine. One day. I grew up with the Bacchus. 00:01:23.890 --> 00:01:26.650 Yeah. And my mom calls me Buccus. So it's just, 00:01:26.650 --> 00:01:29.640 you're doing better. Thank you. Autumn is one 00:01:29.640 --> 00:01:32.420 of the key reasons why Peony continues to evolve, 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:35.060 especially as we work towards an even better 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:37.379 customer experience across the board. In this 00:01:37.379 --> 00:01:39.560 episode, we're talking about what it really takes 00:01:39.560 --> 00:01:42.120 to create that experience, why it matters to 00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:44.799 both of us so deeply, and how we're continuing 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:47.500 to fight for what we love in a challenging season. 00:01:47.900 --> 00:01:50.680 So welcome, Miss Autumn, here on the podcast 00:01:50.680 --> 00:01:53.599 again. Good to be back. You guys are definitely 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:57.599 going to listen to us laugh, listen to us get 00:01:57.599 --> 00:02:00.939 probably emotional. We laugh, we're emotional, 00:02:01.560 --> 00:02:04.079 we're very passionate about the work we do, so. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:07.560 100%. I'm excited to talk to you. Me too. So, 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:09.599 Autumn, you've been such a steady presence here 00:02:09.599 --> 00:02:12.120 at Wake Peony and your role has grown so much 00:02:12.120 --> 00:02:15.360 over the years. Can you share where you started 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:17.599 again? Let's remind everybody what your role 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:19.599 looked like then and what it looks like today. 00:02:19.919 --> 00:02:21.740 Yeah, actually, it's super funny. I was talking 00:02:21.740 --> 00:02:24.439 to your daughter Haley today and I was talking 00:02:24.439 --> 00:02:25.680 about dental hygiene. She's like, that's what 00:02:25.680 --> 00:02:27.259 you did? And I'm like, yeah, that's how I started. 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:29.620 She didn't realize I was a dental hygienist before 00:02:29.620 --> 00:02:32.280 this. And I actually started here part time due 00:02:32.280 --> 00:02:35.659 to some injuries that I had sustained. So when 00:02:35.659 --> 00:02:38.479 I started here, I was a first full -time employee. 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:41.780 As this business has evolved, we've been just 00:02:41.780 --> 00:02:43.960 kind of figuring out what white peony needs at 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:46.860 that time and where I felt like I could coming 00:02:46.860 --> 00:02:49.319 from a medical background to where I am now. 00:02:49.319 --> 00:02:51.199 It's been a true journey, but I had to start 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.340 where I could start. In the beginning, I started 00:02:53.340 --> 00:02:56.280 with customer service because I could talk to 00:02:56.280 --> 00:02:58.729 people. I can handle those kind of situations. 00:02:58.949 --> 00:03:01.389 And so that's kind of where I was able to start 00:03:01.389 --> 00:03:03.710 from the beginning. And of course it's evolved 00:03:03.710 --> 00:03:07.009 from there, but I think it's really developed 00:03:07.009 --> 00:03:10.219 from. the beginning of the customer service and 00:03:10.219 --> 00:03:13.400 into diving a little bit deeper into white peonies. 00:03:13.580 --> 00:03:15.680 I agree. There's one thing in the beginning, 00:03:15.759 --> 00:03:18.120 you know, very quickly, if we saw this in the 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:19.979 other episode, but very quickly, I knew you were 00:03:19.979 --> 00:03:21.840 not going to just be in shipping. And I love 00:03:21.840 --> 00:03:24.360 the passion that you have for everything you 00:03:24.360 --> 00:03:28.219 do. Number one is customer service. I love every 00:03:28.219 --> 00:03:31.020 day when I am working in one of our locations 00:03:31.020 --> 00:03:34.659 and autumn comes in and is like instantly fills 00:03:34.659 --> 00:03:37.159 the room with enthusiasm, helping anyone who 00:03:37.159 --> 00:03:38.500 walks of the North, no matter what she's doing. 00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:41.439 It is incredible. But your response like with 00:03:41.439 --> 00:03:43.379 customer service online, you know, digitally 00:03:43.379 --> 00:03:45.800 and in person, everything about it was awesome. 00:03:46.199 --> 00:03:49.659 So I was like, okay, I think I found a match 00:03:49.659 --> 00:03:52.520 that I don't know that I've found for a very 00:03:52.520 --> 00:03:56.379 long time of someone who can help me persevere 00:03:56.379 --> 00:03:59.250 through finding. about how we can make this better. 00:03:59.330 --> 00:04:01.189 And it isn't just like a checklist kind of thing. 00:04:01.189 --> 00:04:03.569 Like I want you to have an order quicker. I want 00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:08.050 to do more orders. No, we genuinely want to make 00:04:08.050 --> 00:04:11.050 someone feel heard and seen and connect with 00:04:11.050 --> 00:04:13.469 them. And I will say that's why White Peony is 00:04:13.469 --> 00:04:15.250 different. And our mission is just different 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:16.970 together. A hundred percent agree with that. 00:04:17.089 --> 00:04:18.790 I think also, you know, being behind the scenes 00:04:18.790 --> 00:04:20.930 and being upfront with your customers, I think 00:04:20.930 --> 00:04:22.810 that also gives you kind of another viewpoint 00:04:22.810 --> 00:04:24.949 of the people that we serve every single day. 00:04:24.949 --> 00:04:27.129 You can look behind analytics and those types 00:04:27.129 --> 00:04:28.939 of things. of things and that's very helpful 00:04:28.939 --> 00:04:31.810 but at the end of the day these are people just 00:04:31.810 --> 00:04:33.790 like you and me that are looking for an experience. 00:04:33.990 --> 00:04:35.990 I agree. And you know, we're going to talk a 00:04:35.990 --> 00:04:38.629 lot in this episode about situations and stuff 00:04:38.629 --> 00:04:41.589 at white peony, but I do challenge you if you're 00:04:41.589 --> 00:04:43.230 starting to listen to this and wondering if you 00:04:43.230 --> 00:04:46.589 should continue to do so because I come from 00:04:46.589 --> 00:04:49.529 customer experience background in every job that 00:04:49.529 --> 00:04:51.629 I've had leading up to now, even from little 00:04:51.629 --> 00:04:53.610 Lindsay working at the state fair with my grandparents, 00:04:53.629 --> 00:04:56.490 that's where it all began. And so little did 00:04:56.490 --> 00:05:00.069 I know I've made this kind of my lifelong mission. 00:05:00.439 --> 00:05:03.620 And at my previous financial institution, they 00:05:03.620 --> 00:05:06.500 created a role. that was customer experience 00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:09.139 where I oversaw the branches and worked really 00:05:09.139 --> 00:05:11.240 closely with the branch managers and their teams 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:14.740 to fine tune what the customer experience looked 00:05:14.740 --> 00:05:19.019 like. So this isn't just about white peony and, 00:05:19.019 --> 00:05:21.639 you know, a clothing store. It is about so much 00:05:21.639 --> 00:05:23.800 more. So what we're going to talk about, I hope 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:26.620 that you can take little takeaways in your business 00:05:26.620 --> 00:05:30.519 and level up and really look, be very mindful 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.779 of what your customer or your one -on -one or 00:05:33.779 --> 00:05:35.879 even your team is going through. You're really 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:37.779 the one who keeps wheels turning behind the scenes. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:40.819 I obviously rely on you so heavily for so many 00:05:40.819 --> 00:05:43.279 things. You carry so much responsibility from 00:05:43.279 --> 00:05:46.120 operations to shipping. And while we're not pushing 00:05:46.120 --> 00:05:49.060 thousands of orders a day right now, we're treat 00:05:49.060 --> 00:05:52.079 every single order as if it's the only one we're 00:05:52.079 --> 00:05:54.620 going to get. It really does matter. Yes. I know 00:05:54.620 --> 00:05:57.300 you're in a season of intentionally slowing down 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:00.579 to focus on the details. And I love that so much. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:02.959 Your team is already so strong when it comes 00:06:02.959 --> 00:06:05.980 to organization. I can see the way your follow 00:06:05.980 --> 00:06:08.160 through continues to make a difference. for your 00:06:08.160 --> 00:06:10.920 team, our team, and the community. You're building 00:06:10.920 --> 00:06:13.139 something really solid, Autumn, and it definitely 00:06:13.139 --> 00:06:15.839 shows. I'm really glad that I read all this beforehand, 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:17.639 because that would have been a moment for tears, 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:19.819 okay? So I had to read through this a couple 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:22.100 of times, but thank you. I do appreciate that, 00:06:22.100 --> 00:06:24.240 and I think with a customer experience and kind 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:25.600 of what we're talking about and slowing down, 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:28.019 it's the intention behind it, because truly I 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:30.579 think about this all the time in a world of fast 00:06:30.579 --> 00:06:34.220 fashion and cheaper products. you know getting 00:06:34.220 --> 00:06:37.040 there in two days like what's gonna set us apart 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:39.920 makes a difference because there's so many places 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:41.620 that you can shop so many great places so many 00:06:41.620 --> 00:06:45.259 great clothes but I think the experience is exactly 00:06:45.259 --> 00:06:48.600 what sets us apart and coming from a person for 00:06:48.600 --> 00:06:51.860 me as a woman who shopped previously as well 00:06:51.860 --> 00:06:56.079 and had body image issues and has been a lot 00:06:56.079 --> 00:06:59.509 of different things, shapes and sizes. I hated 00:06:59.509 --> 00:07:01.810 shopping. And I tell you this all the time that 00:07:01.810 --> 00:07:03.730 come in. I'm like, I used to just like instantly 00:07:03.730 --> 00:07:06.350 sweat getting in that fitting room. And if someone 00:07:06.350 --> 00:07:08.509 walks in and I can just make them feel better 00:07:08.509 --> 00:07:10.529 than when they arrived, that means something 00:07:10.529 --> 00:07:12.870 like each one of us has the ability to influence 00:07:12.870 --> 00:07:15.709 the next person. And you have no idea how much 00:07:15.709 --> 00:07:18.050 that can mean to one single person and what that 00:07:18.050 --> 00:07:19.910 effect. I couldn't agree with you more. And I 00:07:19.910 --> 00:07:21.790 don't know if it was kind of like our generation, 00:07:21.810 --> 00:07:26.160 but I always go back to like, Let's take it even 00:07:26.160 --> 00:07:29.100 further. I always joke and it's the truth. I 00:07:29.100 --> 00:07:31.980 get my shopping. Love a shopping from my grandmother 00:07:31.980 --> 00:07:33.600 when we were little. We had the best time together. 00:07:34.120 --> 00:07:35.759 But growing up, there were some insecurities 00:07:35.759 --> 00:07:38.620 that came to surface. I hated gene shopping. 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:41.480 Gene shopping was the worst. This is crazy, but 00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:43.980 I actually got a little depressed after trying 00:07:43.980 --> 00:07:47.019 to gene shop because I hated all the options 00:07:47.019 --> 00:07:50.079 and I felt terrible. And it was too much and 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:51.899 everything was too rigid. We dealt with this 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:55.019 all the time. And low rise. Don't come back low 00:07:55.019 --> 00:07:56.560 rise. So I'd bring my best friend to go. with 00:07:56.560 --> 00:08:01.100 me. So anyways, if you would have asked me 10 00:08:01.100 --> 00:08:04.540 years ago, if I was here at White Pony sitting 00:08:04.540 --> 00:08:07.939 with you and our mission was to sell clothing, 00:08:08.279 --> 00:08:11.180 I'd be like, liar. Silly goose. I do love clothing 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:13.560 and I always said I wanted to create my own clothing, 00:08:13.720 --> 00:08:15.279 but I don't know that I knew we were going to 00:08:15.279 --> 00:08:17.939 be here today. And the coolest part about this 00:08:17.939 --> 00:08:21.120 whole entire business, and I hope that is a message 00:08:21.120 --> 00:08:24.100 to everyone. Actually, clothing is like the second 00:08:24.100 --> 00:08:26.279 best part of it. The clothing is almost like 00:08:26.279 --> 00:08:28.040 the extra. That is our mission. That's what keeps 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:30.120 our lights on. That's what keeps us talking together. 00:08:30.259 --> 00:08:33.720 I have realized like even when I was going to 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:35.440 start white peony and you go through all the 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.100 works on the website or on the like state website 00:08:38.100 --> 00:08:41.019 to create your EIN and yada yada. I was like, 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:43.559 I know marketing. Thanks to my previous career, 00:08:43.559 --> 00:08:46.620 I worked hand like side by side with our marketing 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:48.639 director at the time. And I was like, I have 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.679 a really good take on what we need to do and 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:53.360 we need to figure out how we're gonna stand out 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:56.159 different. And I was like, hmm, I don't even 00:08:56.159 --> 00:08:58.379 know what I'm doing. How am I gonna pick a reason 00:08:58.379 --> 00:09:00.639 that we're gonna stand out? And I'm kind of going 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:02.649 through like... I wouldn't say midlife crisis. 00:09:02.649 --> 00:09:04.889 Is that like a midlife? You know, my littles 00:09:04.889 --> 00:09:07.490 are getting a little bit older at the time. They're 00:09:07.490 --> 00:09:09.529 still so young. And I'm like, I don't even know 00:09:09.529 --> 00:09:11.029 who I am. And that's kind of why I started the 00:09:11.029 --> 00:09:13.570 business, right? And I'm like, hmm, yep, don't 00:09:13.570 --> 00:09:15.629 know. How the heck am I going to be different 00:09:15.629 --> 00:09:17.429 from everyone else? And there's more and more 00:09:17.429 --> 00:09:19.269 and more boutiques popping up, but I don't know. 00:09:19.370 --> 00:09:22.259 I was like, you know what? Lins, this is on your 00:09:22.259 --> 00:09:25.000 heart. I feel like I believe in faith and I'm 00:09:25.000 --> 00:09:27.080 like one foot in front of the other. This is 00:09:27.080 --> 00:09:29.759 where we're gonna go. So I was like, how are 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:31.879 we gonna be different? Every single step that 00:09:31.879 --> 00:09:34.360 I've taken, every moment that Autumn and I have 00:09:34.360 --> 00:09:36.320 had together, every moment that I've had with 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:39.779 our team, every event that we've had, every person 00:09:39.779 --> 00:09:41.960 that we've had the opportunity to meet, I'm like 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:45.860 it's connection. I was built. like made as a 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:48.059 little girl to connect people. That's actually 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:49.580 my favorite thing in the whole wide world. So 00:09:49.580 --> 00:09:50.860 like my mom always jokes around when you have 00:09:50.860 --> 00:09:52.460 a birthday party, Lindsay was like, mom, can 00:09:52.460 --> 00:09:53.919 I have like four friends? She's like, they'd 00:09:53.919 --> 00:09:57.320 be 20. And I was like, and actually when my kids 00:09:57.320 --> 00:09:59.100 do that now, I'm like, I can't even be mad because 00:09:59.100 --> 00:10:02.259 I totally get it. But I am here to connect people. 00:10:02.759 --> 00:10:05.440 I love connecting people, whether it's a customer 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.019 in the store to a different business owner or 00:10:08.019 --> 00:10:11.059 different store, or whether it's our team. I 00:10:11.059 --> 00:10:13.100 think it's pretty freaking awesome. Actually 00:10:13.100 --> 00:10:16.019 two of our newest. employee is who we heard at 00:10:16.019 --> 00:10:18.559 the same time, Emma just posted, she's like, 00:10:18.620 --> 00:10:20.299 thank you, white peony for giving me one of my 00:10:20.299 --> 00:10:22.159 best friends. And I'm going to look over there. 00:10:22.840 --> 00:10:24.879 But it gives me the chills. It's so special. 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:28.720 And what you're talking about with like how customers 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:31.879 walk in and how they feel, we are 1000 % on the 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:33.899 same page. And it's so freaking cool because 00:10:33.899 --> 00:10:36.100 it comes genuinely from our heart. So you can 00:10:36.100 --> 00:10:37.980 say this sounds cheesy and everything, but it 00:10:37.980 --> 00:10:43.259 is 1000 % are true. True heart like it is our 00:10:43.259 --> 00:10:45.820 reality. I was just gonna say it's authenticity 00:10:45.820 --> 00:10:49.059 customer service isn't faking it. It's Truly 00:10:49.059 --> 00:10:52.419 putting yourself in that customer's shoes and 00:10:52.419 --> 00:10:54.659 knowing how you want to be treated and how you 00:10:54.659 --> 00:10:56.360 want to be respected and how you want To feel 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:58.580 in that moment. So I think sometimes it just 00:10:58.580 --> 00:11:01.039 takes that one second where you just have to 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:03.440 lead with an authentic heart Absolutely for me. 00:11:03.440 --> 00:11:06.980 It's always always always on my mind You know, 00:11:06.980 --> 00:11:09.820 I'm thinking about it when someone walks in the 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:12.440 store, when I read a message on social media 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:15.139 or we get an email. I even watched someone walk 00:11:15.139 --> 00:11:16.799 through the door and kind of try to put myself 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:19.700 in their shoes. I don't want someone to just 00:11:19.700 --> 00:11:22.360 shop with us. I want them to feel something from 00:11:22.360 --> 00:11:24.240 us. And we made that very clear from the very 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:26.799 beginning. And that only happens when we slow 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.600 down enough to pay attention to the details. 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:32.139 And sometimes that is really, really hard. I 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:33.919 think one of the biggest shifts for us this past 00:11:33.919 --> 00:11:35.659 year has been realizing that doing something 00:11:35.659 --> 00:11:37.700 really, really well doesn't mean doing it fast. 00:11:37.919 --> 00:11:40.580 And I think that goes back to even before this 00:11:40.580 --> 00:11:42.860 year, you know, especially with different economy 00:11:42.860 --> 00:11:45.820 swings and all of that. It means truly doing 00:11:45.820 --> 00:11:48.980 things intentionally. You've been such a part 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:51.500 of that shift, honestly. What has it felt like 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:53.940 for you to slow down and focus on quality over 00:11:53.940 --> 00:11:56.559 speed, would you say? So it was funny actually 00:11:56.559 --> 00:11:58.340 reading this because that was something that 00:11:58.340 --> 00:12:00.279 I would have never thought someone would say 00:12:00.279 --> 00:12:03.299 about me just because I am a bulldozer by nature. 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:05.899 I say this all the time. I bulldoze my way through 00:12:05.899 --> 00:12:08.539 life. Like I get things done. I have a goal. 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:10.039 I'm going to set it. I'm going to accomplish 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.580 it, stay out of my way. And one of the things 00:12:12.580 --> 00:12:16.120 with also working is I am somebody that I always 00:12:16.120 --> 00:12:17.940 call myself a dog. I'm like, oh, I just want 00:12:17.940 --> 00:12:20.320 someone to say, good job. You did that. I love 00:12:20.320 --> 00:12:22.799 lists. I love all those things. So like for me, 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:25.519 getting all of the lists accomplished and doing 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.039 those, that brought me, made me feel fulfilled. 00:12:28.670 --> 00:12:31.570 And coming into this, and especially now with 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:33.970 the economy the way that it is, there's more 00:12:33.970 --> 00:12:37.549 intention in every aspect of everything at every 00:12:37.549 --> 00:12:40.870 moment. And with that intention comes slowing 00:12:40.870 --> 00:12:44.350 down, thinking of strategy, really putting your 00:12:44.350 --> 00:12:47.590 mind working rather than just bulldozing your 00:12:47.590 --> 00:12:50.029 way through the task list every single day. And 00:12:50.029 --> 00:12:51.830 I think it matters and it means something. And 00:12:51.830 --> 00:12:53.789 I, again, would have never thought I'd be at 00:12:53.789 --> 00:12:56.070 that point, but I think it's opened up a lot 00:12:56.070 --> 00:12:58.350 because I'm trying to slow down in all. aspects 00:12:58.350 --> 00:13:00.669 of my life. We've said this a billion times, 00:13:01.009 --> 00:13:02.649 but I'm going to kind of elaborate a little bit 00:13:02.649 --> 00:13:04.649 further, but it's like working smarter, not harder. 00:13:04.970 --> 00:13:08.269 Yeah. Easier said than done sometimes, especially 00:13:08.269 --> 00:13:12.149 when you're, you know, a new business and you're 00:13:12.149 --> 00:13:14.169 going through those growing pains and you're 00:13:14.169 --> 00:13:15.730 trying to figure out, I always tell the girls 00:13:15.730 --> 00:13:17.730 this, you know, like it's different when it's 00:13:17.730 --> 00:13:20.570 your own business too. So I'm here to try to 00:13:20.570 --> 00:13:23.789 like, Because for me, if things are slower or 00:13:23.789 --> 00:13:26.090 things are down, I'm like, what do I got to do? 00:13:26.090 --> 00:13:27.690 I got to run, run, run, push, push, push. And 00:13:27.690 --> 00:13:29.330 it's like, no, no, no, you're doing opposite. 00:13:29.470 --> 00:13:31.629 You have to focus on your people and you've got 00:13:31.629 --> 00:13:34.830 to focus on connecting with those who follow 00:13:34.830 --> 00:13:37.590 you and those who shop with you. So it has been 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:40.009 such a lesson throughout this whole journey. 00:13:40.210 --> 00:13:42.029 And if I can give advice, I mean, obviously I 00:13:42.029 --> 00:13:43.970 don't own the business, but kind of seeing where 00:13:43.970 --> 00:13:46.450 everything is. I always say this when I always 00:13:46.450 --> 00:13:48.629 worked somewhere new, you kind of have to put 00:13:48.629 --> 00:13:51.899 in the work before. you earn that respect or 00:13:51.899 --> 00:13:56.019 you earn that rest time okay and I'd say for 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:58.360 new anyone who's starting a business it's going 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:00.139 to be chaotic and you're going to be running 00:14:00.139 --> 00:14:01.580 around you're going to be doing lots of things 00:14:01.580 --> 00:14:04.200 but just know that you're setting yourself up 00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:06.200 for those moments where you do have the opportunity 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:09.919 to slow down strategize really fine -tune the 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:12.210 things because at first you have to You have 00:14:12.210 --> 00:14:14.309 to kind of put in that work, the lay down the 00:14:14.309 --> 00:14:16.889 ground work, but then it comes all the fine tuning 00:14:16.889 --> 00:14:19.190 where you put all the strategy behind things 00:14:19.190 --> 00:14:22.740 and that's when it takes off. Again, so I'll 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:25.360 piggyback with that and just kind of a takeaway 00:14:25.360 --> 00:14:27.720 for someone who's looking to open a business 00:14:27.720 --> 00:14:30.019 or run a business. You know, I've always said 00:14:30.019 --> 00:14:33.039 like, this looks pretty from Instagram, but listen, 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:35.899 I hope that this podcast kind of brings more 00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:38.840 insight to the true behind the scenes, all the 00:14:38.840 --> 00:14:41.440 awesome, the people, the hearts, but the real 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:44.000 work and the sometimes hard. So in the beginning, 00:14:44.269 --> 00:14:47.529 My story is not short of I've always talked about 00:14:47.529 --> 00:14:50.809 this and you can relate or you can Speak to this 00:14:50.809 --> 00:14:52.429 too in the beginning when you came on board, 00:14:52.470 --> 00:14:56.330 but my goodness I definitely had put in seven 00:14:56.330 --> 00:15:00.629 days a week and between the two jobs I Honestly, 00:15:01.070 --> 00:15:03.909 I was just telling this to Emma I would work, 00:15:03.909 --> 00:15:06.970 let's see, I'd come in before I had to go to 00:15:06.970 --> 00:15:08.549 the credit union at the time. So I'd probably 00:15:08.549 --> 00:15:10.470 be up at like five, spend an hour and a half, 00:15:10.629 --> 00:15:12.389 maybe two hours at the boutique, go to the credit 00:15:12.389 --> 00:15:15.470 union. That was like a 40 to 60 hour work week, 00:15:15.710 --> 00:15:18.529 depending on what it was. And then at night I 00:15:18.529 --> 00:15:21.629 would sometimes not get into my bed until 1 a 00:15:21.629 --> 00:15:24.639 .m., 2 a .m. And if I were to get five hours 00:15:24.639 --> 00:15:27.019 of sleep, that was lucky. That was a good day. 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.360 And so I did that for a whole year. And is that 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.360 healthy? Absolutely not. And in hindsight, if 00:15:32.360 --> 00:15:34.279 I were to do it again, would I do that? Probably 00:15:34.279 --> 00:15:37.559 not. So there are lessons. There is necessary 00:15:37.559 --> 00:15:40.679 hustle and perseverance for sure. But every step 00:15:40.679 --> 00:15:42.500 of the way and bringing on people, you learn 00:15:42.500 --> 00:15:45.899 very quickly that yeah, there is work to be done 00:15:45.899 --> 00:15:48.919 and you have to have grit. And Autumn, you too, 00:15:49.179 --> 00:15:51.220 you and every single person on our team, Emily, 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:55.240 mom, Mindy, every single person, you've got to 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:57.720 have some grit to throw down when we need to 00:15:57.720 --> 00:16:01.480 hustle, right? But I think as one year goes by 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:03.179 or like one foot in front of the other, you start 00:16:03.179 --> 00:16:06.059 to realize that I've always been a strategy mindset. 00:16:06.519 --> 00:16:08.679 I don't want us to just post something to post 00:16:08.679 --> 00:16:10.639 it. I want it to have meaning. And that was hard 00:16:10.639 --> 00:16:13.840 for me to try to express to everyone. You know, 00:16:13.860 --> 00:16:15.159 in the beginning, I didn't even really know what 00:16:15.159 --> 00:16:17.259 I was talking about, but I was like, no, we have 00:16:17.259 --> 00:16:19.000 to think about it. Like we're not just posting 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.120 a picture. We've got to think about it and what 00:16:21.120 --> 00:16:23.090 it means to someone. And that was a bit of a 00:16:23.090 --> 00:16:25.549 challenge. But I think even to this day, when 00:16:25.549 --> 00:16:28.490 we opened actually St. Joe, that was a bit of 00:16:28.490 --> 00:16:30.830 a hustle lesson learned for me. That was a lot 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:34.009 of emotions, two different locations and a whole 00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:37.830 bigger team. But I would say right now, this 00:16:37.830 --> 00:16:41.700 is our year two of being The slower year last 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:43.860 year, 2024 was hard. We said we were never gonna 00:16:43.860 --> 00:16:46.600 have that again. 2025 here we are. Same thing. 00:16:46.980 --> 00:16:48.820 So yes, it's been a little bit of a struggle, 00:16:48.840 --> 00:16:52.220 but I think in the slow times is you do have 00:16:52.220 --> 00:16:55.519 to have grit and get through and pivot. However, 00:16:56.340 --> 00:16:58.779 it's the details that we focus on. We're actually 00:16:58.779 --> 00:17:01.799 taking a deeper breath. The least amount of anxiety 00:17:01.799 --> 00:17:04.859 I think I've ever had. I know we have right now. 00:17:04.990 --> 00:17:08.250 the best team we have ever had because of all 00:17:08.250 --> 00:17:10.230 the little details and that has mattered. Now 00:17:10.230 --> 00:17:13.150 we're able to sit down and strategize. I have 00:17:13.150 --> 00:17:16.849 never had this high level of conversations with 00:17:16.849 --> 00:17:19.190 each person on our team. And that's everybody 00:17:19.190 --> 00:17:22.509 from our amazing retail staff to our new social 00:17:22.509 --> 00:17:26.269 media leads to our executive team. And man, it 00:17:26.269 --> 00:17:28.970 feels good. And I think piggybacking off what 00:17:28.970 --> 00:17:31.369 you're saying, And I tell this to Lynn's all 00:17:31.369 --> 00:17:35.289 the time and she is working on it, but she's 00:17:35.289 --> 00:17:38.410 in progress. But in these moments of hustle and 00:17:38.410 --> 00:17:40.890 in the time when you're putting in the effort 00:17:40.890 --> 00:17:42.930 and you've got the grit and this is what I tell 00:17:42.930 --> 00:17:45.569 anybody in business, you celebrate every small 00:17:45.569 --> 00:17:48.029 win. Because if you're not enjoying the journey, 00:17:48.369 --> 00:17:51.509 what is the point? Because when it comes down 00:17:51.509 --> 00:17:53.940 to it, I always tell Linda, I'm like, so when 00:17:53.940 --> 00:17:55.200 do you feel like you're going to be successful? 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:57.339 What does success look like? You were the first 00:17:57.339 --> 00:18:00.279 person to ask me that and it really was eye opening. 00:18:00.359 --> 00:18:02.740 Let's say you reach that number, that goal. There's 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:04.900 no mariachi band at the end of that saying you 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:07.200 won and then you're done with life. You're still 00:18:07.200 --> 00:18:08.920 moving forward. So if you're not enjoying the 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:11.420 journey as you reach that goal, that goal's not 00:18:11.420 --> 00:18:15.500 going to mean as much. Yeah. I would say We're 00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:17.680 getting real deep here. But I would say 2024 00:18:17.680 --> 00:18:19.700 was a little bit of a heart, like leading up 00:18:19.700 --> 00:18:21.259 to that. From the moment we opened our St. Jill 00:18:21.259 --> 00:18:23.599 location has been nothing shy of incredible. 00:18:23.859 --> 00:18:26.339 This community, the customers, everything are 00:18:26.339 --> 00:18:28.200 beautiful stores, I call it. But the economy 00:18:28.200 --> 00:18:32.150 has... Definitely had some crazy flip flops and 00:18:32.150 --> 00:18:33.849 that's been a little interesting to navigate. 00:18:34.750 --> 00:18:38.210 And one thing is I will give to anybody listening, 00:18:38.329 --> 00:18:40.049 and I'm going to talk about this on a later episode 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:43.029 to lean on your people, man, and surround yourself 00:18:43.029 --> 00:18:44.910 with really good. I have a business mentor that 00:18:44.910 --> 00:18:48.450 I set in 2024 turned into my therapist. And the 00:18:48.450 --> 00:18:51.009 biggest thing is you're not alone. I did feel 00:18:51.009 --> 00:18:52.809 very lonely building a business really quickly, 00:18:52.829 --> 00:18:55.890 but as Autumn and I sit here together, this is 00:18:55.890 --> 00:18:59.509 the perfect example of you as a business owner 00:18:59.509 --> 00:19:02.890 are not alone. I would look to Autumn and our 00:19:02.890 --> 00:19:04.630 executive team as being my partners. And I've 00:19:04.630 --> 00:19:06.029 talked about that from the beginning, but there's 00:19:06.029 --> 00:19:09.150 just some, you know, some personal battles, like 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:11.549 along the way that you're like, how can I do 00:19:11.549 --> 00:19:13.130 better? What can I do for everybody else? Yeah 00:19:13.130 --> 00:19:17.369 to Autumn. So I think through all of this, I'd 00:19:17.369 --> 00:19:22.519 say customer experience. is so critical in slowing 00:19:22.519 --> 00:19:26.279 down, fine -tuning those details, even if business 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.240 is slow to like look back and reflect. Use that 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:34.119 time wisely. Use the time wisely. And even though 00:19:34.119 --> 00:19:37.039 it's slower, let me tell you one thing, everybody 00:19:37.039 --> 00:19:40.059 listening, if we have a slow rain day or snow 00:19:40.059 --> 00:19:43.220 day here in Minnesota, we are not sitting down 00:19:43.220 --> 00:19:45.579 or at a computer is what I'm going to tell you. 00:19:45.920 --> 00:19:49.839 We are moving because we're going to unlock the 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:52.640 secret sauce. We're here to figure out how we 00:19:52.640 --> 00:19:54.700 can connect to their people more. And then it's 00:19:54.700 --> 00:19:58.220 to lean in onto our team. So yes, we've had to 00:19:58.220 --> 00:20:00.240 pivot many times this year and many times last 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:02.680 year. The economy has definitely made things 00:20:02.680 --> 00:20:05.880 a lot harder for any small business. And I think 00:20:05.880 --> 00:20:07.380 many listening could probably speak to that. 00:20:07.519 --> 00:20:09.440 There's not an extra dollar just sitting around, 00:20:09.559 --> 00:20:11.920 but we're here just showing up. We're working 00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:14.099 so hard behind the scenes because we love what 00:20:14.099 --> 00:20:17.769 we do. and who we do it for essentially. So autumn. 00:20:18.299 --> 00:20:20.599 What has this season felt like to you? So I'm 00:20:20.599 --> 00:20:22.279 going to curious a lot of the operational weight, 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:25.599 especially leaning into you are my go to like 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.119 conversation. You know, everyone on the executive 00:20:28.119 --> 00:20:32.160 team truly feels like family to me, but everyone 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:35.579 has such a responsibility. And for those listeners 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:38.319 too, I also hope you realize like small business 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:42.059 who maybe some just think we're a clothing store, 00:20:42.099 --> 00:20:44.799 you know, a storefront, some small town. We are 00:20:44.799 --> 00:20:47.400 definitely not. I am so fortunate to have six 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:52.109 full. time executive leaders here that are hearts 00:20:52.109 --> 00:20:56.250 in our community, their moms, their wives, their 00:20:56.250 --> 00:21:00.609 dog and duck owners. Ducks, yes ma 'am. And I 00:21:00.609 --> 00:21:03.369 mean, literally they're selflessly given back 00:21:03.369 --> 00:21:05.029 in the community every chance that they can get. 00:21:05.309 --> 00:21:08.269 They're at sports every other day. They're leading 00:21:08.269 --> 00:21:11.230 a team of incredible. I think we have 16 now 00:21:11.230 --> 00:21:15.579 total. our entire team and so it's a big big 00:21:15.579 --> 00:21:18.859 deal. So I'm so blessed to have a team of executives 00:21:18.859 --> 00:21:22.339 and you guys know I'm pretty open book and I 00:21:22.339 --> 00:21:26.039 lean on you guys for a lot of like advice or 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:29.359 ideas or we don't sugarcoat when the times are 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.220 tough and we like you said celebrate when we 00:21:32.220 --> 00:21:34.539 have little teeny wins and great big wins and 00:21:34.539 --> 00:21:36.799 have so much fun with it. But like what are you 00:21:36.799 --> 00:21:39.859 feeling during this season? Yeah, so that was 00:21:39.859 --> 00:21:42.839 a great question. And right now the times are 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:46.619 harder. life that we're living. But I think it's 00:21:46.619 --> 00:21:49.380 really important to understand that we can't 00:21:49.380 --> 00:21:51.960 live in that scarcity mindset because if we only 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:54.240 allow ourselves to play the victim in all of 00:21:54.240 --> 00:21:56.940 this, we're not allowing ourselves to dig deep 00:21:56.940 --> 00:21:59.759 into like what will work for us. And honestly, 00:21:59.759 --> 00:22:02.019 from the beginning, we are always been more than 00:22:02.019 --> 00:22:05.279 a boutique, more than just clothes. And so that's 00:22:05.279 --> 00:22:07.140 when we start diving deeper into the connection 00:22:07.140 --> 00:22:09.119 pieces where every single customer that walks 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:12.220 in this door matters because they're also feeling 00:22:12.220 --> 00:22:15.779 that same feeling. And I think huge things for 00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:18.819 me when it comes to that scarcity mindset where 00:22:18.819 --> 00:22:21.039 the numbers aren't exactly where we want it to 00:22:21.039 --> 00:22:24.039 be. And yes, analytics will take us a ways, but 00:22:24.039 --> 00:22:25.920 also you never know with that connection that 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:28.519 one person could change the trajectory of something 00:22:28.519 --> 00:22:31.960 else. Couldn't agree more. The other big thing 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:34.740 is changing your mindset from that victim or 00:22:34.740 --> 00:22:37.259 that scarcity mindset to becoming an overcomer 00:22:37.259 --> 00:22:39.960 because in the hard is when you learn the best 00:22:39.960 --> 00:22:42.680 lessons. So when things kind of turn around and 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:46.119 pivot, you even have a better mindset going into 00:22:46.119 --> 00:22:49.099 it. Just knowing where to kind of lead yourself 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:51.380 forward. Gosh, I cannot agree with you more. 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:53.420 And you know, there's been some up and down since 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:55.819 the beginning of business, but 2024 was like 00:22:55.819 --> 00:22:59.079 for me, where anxiety struck a peak and there's 00:22:59.079 --> 00:23:00.920 little things building up to that. But I think 00:23:00.920 --> 00:23:03.799 for me, I didn't really know like this is such 00:23:03.799 --> 00:23:07.400 an economy swing. I mean, yes, COVID. Yes, there's 00:23:07.400 --> 00:23:10.279 other things. But this one, this was different 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:12.539 because I just don't know that we knew where 00:23:12.539 --> 00:23:13.880 the light at the end of the tunnel was. Like 00:23:13.880 --> 00:23:16.279 I couldn't see where the end was. And that was 00:23:16.279 --> 00:23:20.109 scary. the realization of what little teeny move 00:23:20.559 --> 00:23:23.059 could like make or break your business. I'm scared 00:23:23.059 --> 00:23:25.539 that absolute, excuse my language, hell out of 00:23:25.539 --> 00:23:28.019 me. And I care so deeply about you guys. And 00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:31.500 I put so much pressure on my shoulders of making 00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:33.920 sure that this is successful because I want to 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:36.079 create a space, not only for customers, but for 00:23:36.079 --> 00:23:39.859 employees that is a safe, flexible, very value 00:23:39.859 --> 00:23:42.680 driven business. Which that is so funny because 00:23:42.680 --> 00:23:44.500 I was going to lead into this next statement 00:23:44.500 --> 00:23:46.200 of saying, well, we're talking about customer 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:48.680 service and our customers that we serve. I think 00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:51.240 it's treating your customers just like you with 00:23:51.240 --> 00:23:53.519 your coworkers. I think that's exactly. We're 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.880 all family. We're all here. We're all humans. 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:58.359 We're all wanting the best for each other. And 00:23:58.359 --> 00:24:00.400 it's delivering the experience for not only, 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:02.339 like I said, your customers, but the people that 00:24:02.339 --> 00:24:03.680 you work with every single day, because that's 00:24:03.680 --> 00:24:05.140 going to change the trajectory of how they're 00:24:05.140 --> 00:24:08.039 going to treat people. So, you know, one thing 00:24:08.039 --> 00:24:12.680 that I definitely, I actually find it very interesting 00:24:12.680 --> 00:24:15.259 and something that I haven't really talked about 00:24:15.259 --> 00:24:18.420 this for a little while. And Ultimately, there's 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:21.420 a name to like my mind when it comes to customer 00:24:21.420 --> 00:24:24.240 experience. Well, first of all, for anybody listening, 00:24:24.680 --> 00:24:26.880 again, whether you're a leader somewhere, whether 00:24:26.880 --> 00:24:29.519 you're working within a business, whether you're 00:24:29.519 --> 00:24:31.500 a business owner, you're never going to sell 00:24:31.500 --> 00:24:34.640 900 articles of an item, a t -shirt or anything 00:24:34.640 --> 00:24:37.180 like that, because that doesn't matter to people. 00:24:37.619 --> 00:24:40.609 It is about the experience. And I don't care 00:24:40.609 --> 00:24:42.849 if you're at a financial institution. I don't 00:24:42.849 --> 00:24:45.089 care if you're making food or serving food at 00:24:45.089 --> 00:24:49.049 a restaurant, whether you're in a gas station. 00:24:49.190 --> 00:24:51.769 I mean, look at QuickTrip and their experience 00:24:51.769 --> 00:24:55.029 is outstanding. I'm going to give a huge shout 00:24:55.029 --> 00:24:58.700 out to Shields to hear because. I think they 00:24:58.700 --> 00:25:01.819 run a phenomenal business from an outsider. I 00:25:01.819 --> 00:25:04.460 have had people that work there within the business 00:25:04.460 --> 00:25:06.819 and from a shopper. I actually, I always say 00:25:06.819 --> 00:25:08.599 there's like three places that I shop and that's 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:11.019 at its way, Peony Shields and maybe the grocery 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:15.099 store. Honestly. I have a couple of people that 00:25:15.099 --> 00:25:17.519 I know that work that probably say, yes, we see 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:19.779 her all the time. But anyways, it's because of 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:22.160 the experience because I know that like you're 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:24.759 going to treat me the best. I know that customers 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:27.240 always come first, but one thing I haven't really 00:25:27.240 --> 00:25:31.140 put a phrase to in a long time. When I think 00:25:31.140 --> 00:25:34.799 of every single day I'm managing the shipping 00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:37.400 team, the retail team, you guys are, but it's 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:40.000 in my head constantly. You know what it is? It's 00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.319 journey mapping. So in wherever you're working, 00:25:45.039 --> 00:25:47.480 think of your customer experience or the journey 00:25:47.480 --> 00:25:51.339 map. So I'm thinking when someone walks up to 00:25:51.339 --> 00:25:53.500 the building, what does it look like? So you 00:25:53.500 --> 00:25:55.559 guys will see me at the boutique like shaking 00:25:55.559 --> 00:25:57.099 out rugs and picking up little things because 00:25:57.099 --> 00:26:00.359 it matters and matters it matters and then when 00:26:00.359 --> 00:26:03.319 you walk in the door Like what do you see? What 00:26:03.319 --> 00:26:05.920 do you smell? What do you hear? Everything from 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:08.920 how the clothing I want a clean very organized 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:12.180 store clean clean clean clean I'm a crazy about 00:26:12.180 --> 00:26:14.680 the clean and like different things from like 00:26:14.680 --> 00:26:16.779 how we're gonna greet someone in a dressing room, 00:26:16.779 --> 00:26:19.329 but you also have to journey map everything online 00:26:19.329 --> 00:26:22.230 too. So every experience from ordering, journey 00:26:22.230 --> 00:26:25.329 map for the website, you journey map from the 00:26:25.329 --> 00:26:28.309 moment order ships out and so on and so on. Like 00:26:28.309 --> 00:26:31.450 you can break it down with your business. What 00:26:31.450 --> 00:26:34.210 I would recommend is you take every area within 00:26:34.210 --> 00:26:36.309 your business and you journey map. You can do 00:26:36.309 --> 00:26:38.589 it. We've done kind of strategic planning kind 00:26:38.589 --> 00:26:40.950 of on a wall. We've done it kind of like, you 00:26:40.950 --> 00:26:42.210 know, you can put it on the wall or it's like 00:26:42.210 --> 00:26:44.289 a strategic planning session. You're going to 00:26:44.289 --> 00:26:47.289 do this specifically customer experience journey 00:26:47.289 --> 00:26:49.089 mapping. I just want to give like an example 00:26:49.089 --> 00:26:51.789 of even my husband works for, I want to go outside 00:26:51.789 --> 00:26:54.210 the walls here at Waipioni and think of somewhere 00:26:54.210 --> 00:26:56.490 else. And I could name 10 places I'm looking 00:26:56.490 --> 00:26:58.769 at and our neighbors, but let's say my husband, 00:26:58.930 --> 00:27:01.849 even with journey mapping, he does exterior work, 00:27:01.849 --> 00:27:04.410 you know, and you could do it for that company 00:27:04.410 --> 00:27:06.619 as well. if you're a leader on the team or working 00:27:06.619 --> 00:27:09.640 within or maybe not a manager, you can still 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:12.059 be a leader. Okay. Even if you just started working 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:15.740 and you're only there for a month, you are a 00:27:15.740 --> 00:27:18.240 leader. So what I would recommend for everybody 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:21.299 is to kind of be mindful, sit in a place and 00:27:21.299 --> 00:27:24.420 think about customer experience from the moment 00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:27.569 they walk in the door. every single little teeny 00:27:27.569 --> 00:27:30.829 detail that they touch, see, smell, hear, doesn't 00:27:30.829 --> 00:27:34.309 matter to the very end till they leave. And ultimately, 00:27:34.750 --> 00:27:37.849 right, your goal is to make them leave a great 00:27:37.849 --> 00:27:40.349 review for you or, you know, give good feedback. 00:27:40.509 --> 00:27:43.509 But your also goal and you're not doing it right. 00:27:43.589 --> 00:27:46.130 If you say your ultimate goal is like for a sale 00:27:46.130 --> 00:27:49.430 or something, that is not right. It is literally 00:27:49.430 --> 00:27:52.349 about connecting with someone and you're going 00:27:52.349 --> 00:27:54.410 to get that. because you're going to level up 00:27:54.410 --> 00:27:57.369 your experience. Experience, experience, experience 00:27:57.369 --> 00:28:01.529 always matters. And I always, always say, and 00:28:01.529 --> 00:28:03.670 this is good and bad for all perfectionists out 00:28:03.670 --> 00:28:07.170 there. She's recovering. If I'm working through, 00:28:07.309 --> 00:28:10.569 I don't think I'm recovering. Let's be real. 00:28:11.069 --> 00:28:14.750 But I'm like, I cannot stand the phrase, that's 00:28:14.750 --> 00:28:16.569 good enough. If someone's like, that's good enough. 00:28:16.670 --> 00:28:21.440 I'm like, ooh. It will make her cringe. And actually 00:28:21.440 --> 00:28:23.680 I've purposely said that to myself sometimes 00:28:23.680 --> 00:28:26.119 just to like see what happens. Can I walk away? 00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:29.460 Probably not. I'll be back for that. Literally. 00:28:29.740 --> 00:28:33.440 We just had actually this exact example happen 00:28:33.440 --> 00:28:35.380 last week and it's one of those things behind 00:28:35.380 --> 00:28:37.559 the scenes nobody really sees or hears any of 00:28:37.559 --> 00:28:40.759 these things. But we wanted to make the experience 00:28:40.759 --> 00:28:44.200 of the purchase from fulfillment to information 00:28:44.200 --> 00:28:47.039 for where the people's bags or your pickup or 00:28:47.039 --> 00:28:50.240 delivery. And we were having some customers give 00:28:50.240 --> 00:28:52.539 us some feedback. And finally, I was like, I'm 00:28:52.539 --> 00:28:54.299 just going to deep dive. I want to see what they're 00:28:54.299 --> 00:28:56.740 seeing. So I'm getting screenshots. I'm communicating 00:28:56.740 --> 00:28:58.839 with Emily in marketing. And I'm like, all right, 00:28:58.859 --> 00:29:01.640 this has to change because we want their experience 00:29:01.640 --> 00:29:03.940 to be better. We don't want them left confused. 00:29:04.039 --> 00:29:07.960 We don't want them left to think we're not thinking 00:29:07.960 --> 00:29:10.059 of them or seeing them because it does matter 00:29:10.059 --> 00:29:11.920 to them. They need to know these things. I agree. 00:29:12.019 --> 00:29:14.200 And so I mean, there was a whole day of coding 00:29:14.200 --> 00:29:17.160 and all the things and now it's been so much 00:29:17.160 --> 00:29:19.079 better, but you take these small things when 00:29:19.079 --> 00:29:21.519 you have a couple people mention something, it 00:29:21.519 --> 00:29:22.980 really makes your wheel spin and you go, how 00:29:22.980 --> 00:29:26.000 can I make this better? And I will say we've 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:29.140 been constantly working on process improvement 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:31.720 from day one. Maybe someday I give a list of 00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:33.779 all the things that we've changed. I actually 00:29:33.779 --> 00:29:35.339 don't even think I could get through a year, 00:29:35.339 --> 00:29:38.539 but the thing is we care and I encourage you 00:29:38.539 --> 00:29:41.220 to care. care about what the heck your good or 00:29:41.220 --> 00:29:43.380 bad feedback on what your customers do. Is it 00:29:43.380 --> 00:29:46.279 going to be perfect every time? Absolutely not. 00:29:46.859 --> 00:29:50.599 But are we working tooth and nail to get it right 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:54.500 or make it better? We are. And actually sometimes 00:29:54.500 --> 00:29:56.960 you're going to have systems that tie your hands 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:59.960 up or, man, we went through a heck of a time 00:29:59.960 --> 00:30:02.759 with our mobile app that was horrible for a hot 00:30:02.759 --> 00:30:05.380 second. Ours is so good right now. But even then 00:30:05.380 --> 00:30:08.259 there's still improvement. So when the economy 00:30:08.259 --> 00:30:10.180 is a little slower, take the time. And even if 00:30:10.180 --> 00:30:12.279 you have a slow, if the economy is great, great. 00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:14.380 If you have a day that's a little slower, use 00:30:14.380 --> 00:30:18.299 your time wisely to deep dive a little bit into 00:30:18.299 --> 00:30:21.019 this process improvement, this better experience, 00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:23.819 a better experience. customer is going to lead 00:30:23.819 --> 00:30:27.619 and open so many doors, you cannot even imagine. 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:31.480 Absolutely. I think 100 % with that being said, 00:30:31.640 --> 00:30:33.859 when you think of customer experience, word of 00:30:33.859 --> 00:30:37.619 mouth travels farther than a billboard, than 00:30:37.619 --> 00:30:41.380 a... brochure than a flyer on the wall. When 00:30:41.380 --> 00:30:44.519 people say, I had such a great experience at 00:30:44.519 --> 00:30:46.900 white peony. And that's when the discussion happens. 00:30:46.900 --> 00:30:48.740 And that's when you talk about it. And because 00:30:48.740 --> 00:30:51.099 everyone wants that connection piece. People 00:30:51.099 --> 00:30:53.000 can buy clothing anywhere. I was going to say, 00:30:53.140 --> 00:30:54.799 there are times where you don't have the right 00:30:54.799 --> 00:30:57.319 size for, you know, we get that every so often. 00:30:57.579 --> 00:30:59.559 Oh shoot, I wish you had. There are times where 00:30:59.559 --> 00:31:02.500 we can't solve a problem, but you better believe. 00:31:02.599 --> 00:31:04.980 And I would hope that people walk out the store 00:31:04.980 --> 00:31:07.240 and feel that we gave it our all and tried. And 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:09.339 not only that, but like, Like genuinely one want 00:31:09.339 --> 00:31:10.960 to kind of get to know you a little bit more 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:13.480 and you might just want to walk in and out in 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:14.900 peace and quiet on your lunch. And that's okay. 00:31:14.960 --> 00:31:16.660 I always tell my team and check on everybody, 00:31:16.759 --> 00:31:19.720 but some people just need to like a safe space 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:22.539 to just like release. So let's give them the 00:31:22.539 --> 00:31:24.579 space that they need. And then there are sometimes 00:31:24.579 --> 00:31:26.839 you're like, I need help. I have the wedding 00:31:26.839 --> 00:31:29.880 tomorrow. And then I'm like, we're all hands 00:31:29.880 --> 00:31:32.259 on deck. So we're here to pivot kind of as you 00:31:32.259 --> 00:31:36.519 wish, but I would say, gosh, we definitely want 00:31:36.519 --> 00:31:39.049 you. No matter if we can solve your problem or 00:31:39.049 --> 00:31:40.789 not, we want to make sure that you feel heard, 00:31:41.349 --> 00:31:44.609 seen. I would challenge anybody that is either 00:31:44.609 --> 00:31:48.450 an employer or the employee, and truly when it 00:31:48.450 --> 00:31:50.390 comes to the customer service experience and 00:31:50.390 --> 00:31:52.630 bringing this all back around, that at the end 00:31:52.630 --> 00:31:54.710 of the day, one, remember that they are humans 00:31:54.710 --> 00:31:57.039 just like you and me. But I want you to always 00:31:57.039 --> 00:31:59.160 think what's one step further. It's not just 00:31:59.160 --> 00:32:01.319 the checking on them once. That's not what it's 00:32:01.319 --> 00:32:03.759 about. It's just that one extra step where you 00:32:03.759 --> 00:32:05.880 notice something they're wearing, where you notice 00:32:05.880 --> 00:32:07.819 what they're looking for and ask them what they're 00:32:07.819 --> 00:32:10.259 looking for. Maybe it's an event. That one step 00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:13.279 further can make a huge difference. Mic drop. 00:32:14.160 --> 00:32:18.240 And I am so proud of you. So much. And from the 00:32:18.240 --> 00:32:21.170 best. I literally could not. even say that better 00:32:21.170 --> 00:32:24.210 than you did. That is so true. What I do know 00:32:24.210 --> 00:32:26.609 is we're going to fight tooth and nail to keep 00:32:26.609 --> 00:32:28.769 building this business, but not just for us, 00:32:28.809 --> 00:32:31.569 but for our community. And to anyone listening 00:32:31.569 --> 00:32:34.349 at White Peony, if White Peony Boutique has ever 00:32:34.349 --> 00:32:38.029 made you smile, inspired your confidence, or 00:32:38.029 --> 00:32:42.069 brought you joy, that's the reason that we, Autumn 00:32:42.069 --> 00:32:44.400 and I, and our entire team keep going. For someone 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:46.799 listening, maybe you're managing a small business 00:32:46.799 --> 00:32:49.200 or a department or maybe just trying to level 00:32:49.200 --> 00:32:52.240 up with what you do. What is your advice to them 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:54.559 though, even further for creating a strong customer 00:32:54.559 --> 00:32:57.339 experience when you don't have a huge team or 00:32:57.339 --> 00:33:00.039 a huge budget, what would you say? I think truly 00:33:00.039 --> 00:33:03.240 for training for that purpose, it's leading with 00:33:03.240 --> 00:33:05.059 an authentic heart and really what that means 00:33:05.059 --> 00:33:07.279 because It's about conversations that you have 00:33:07.279 --> 00:33:10.539 with people. It is not a transaction. It is so 00:33:10.539 --> 00:33:12.799 much deeper than that and realizing that you 00:33:12.799 --> 00:33:14.720 treat everyone that comes in here like your own 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:17.420 family, your friends, your hosting, basically. 00:33:17.500 --> 00:33:20.599 Yeah. And have that mindset of hosting a party 00:33:20.599 --> 00:33:23.920 every single person that comes in. I agree. And 00:33:23.920 --> 00:33:26.440 be authentic. It's got to genuinely come from 00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:29.200 the heart. You can't fake it. There are days 00:33:29.200 --> 00:33:30.619 where you're a little tired. You got to, you 00:33:30.619 --> 00:33:32.380 can fake it till you make it with an extra coffee 00:33:32.380 --> 00:33:35.119 or an extra shot of espresso or two. We do our 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:39.000 best. But honestly, you've got to be very genuine 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:40.960 in who you are and what you bring to the table. 00:33:41.319 --> 00:33:43.900 That was a freaking awesome conversation that 00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:46.579 I had with Benjamin Barrett that changed the 00:33:46.579 --> 00:33:49.819 trajectory of his whole career. And he's like, 00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:51.660 you just said, Lynn's be yourself. And that's 00:33:51.660 --> 00:33:55.240 so true. So true. But that's kind of everything 00:33:55.240 --> 00:33:59.220 with us, how we make our customers feel and what 00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:00.779 we want them to feel when they walk in the door. 00:34:00.779 --> 00:34:03.799 It comes so genuinely from our hearts. And I 00:34:03.799 --> 00:34:05.900 hope that you can take a moment and just kind 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:07.779 of sit in that yourself wherever that means that 00:34:07.779 --> 00:34:11.079 you are. Absolutely. Consistency doesn't mean 00:34:11.079 --> 00:34:13.519 we're never going to mess up. It just means we're 00:34:13.519 --> 00:34:15.579 going to care enough to fix it, right? Learn 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:18.159 from it or do better next time. Even if we had 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:20.320 the best event, the best market that we've ever 00:34:20.320 --> 00:34:23.039 had, this is not a negative thing. And I remember 00:34:23.039 --> 00:34:25.039 Autumn you being like, Linz, we just had the 00:34:25.039 --> 00:34:26.639 best damn event. Cause I'm like, okay, what do 00:34:26.639 --> 00:34:27.760 we learn from it? You're like, what do you mean? 00:34:27.880 --> 00:34:29.659 What do we learn from it? It was awesome. And 00:34:29.659 --> 00:34:32.099 I'm like, no, but there's always little tweaks 00:34:32.099 --> 00:34:34.039 and little things that we can like learn from. 00:34:34.099 --> 00:34:37.119 And I think being mindful and walking away and 00:34:37.119 --> 00:34:39.500 just... saying, how could I have done better? 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:41.920 And that is not the perfectionism talking. And 00:34:41.920 --> 00:34:43.940 sometimes when we screw up, maybe it is, right? 00:34:44.380 --> 00:34:47.760 But learning from the good moments and the moments 00:34:47.760 --> 00:34:49.679 that could be adjusted a little bit. Like a compliment 00:34:49.679 --> 00:34:52.760 sandwich. Say one good thing, one thing that 00:34:52.760 --> 00:34:54.639 could have done better and end with a really 00:34:54.639 --> 00:34:57.000 positive ending. Oh my God. You know? A compliment 00:34:57.000 --> 00:35:00.019 sandwich. A hundred percent. And I think again, 00:35:00.300 --> 00:35:04.619 it'll just feel better that way. I love it. Well, 00:35:04.639 --> 00:35:06.800 Miss Autumn, thank you for showing up, not only 00:35:06.800 --> 00:35:09.269 for our team. but obviously for our customers. 00:35:10.010 --> 00:35:13.250 But you lead with strength and humility. You're 00:35:13.250 --> 00:35:15.710 a huge part of why our experience keeps getting 00:35:15.710 --> 00:35:17.889 better and better. And I'm just really proud 00:35:17.889 --> 00:35:20.789 of the work that you've done, really proud of 00:35:20.789 --> 00:35:22.869 the work that you've done with our team and with 00:35:22.869 --> 00:35:25.170 our customers. And I'm so grateful that we're 00:35:25.170 --> 00:35:27.630 doing this together. Friends, great customer 00:35:27.630 --> 00:35:30.269 experience doesn't happen by accident. They happen 00:35:30.269 --> 00:35:32.590 because people like Autumn wake up every day 00:35:32.590 --> 00:35:34.829 and choose to make them happen. If you've ever 00:35:34.829 --> 00:35:37.420 showed up with white peony, Thank you. And if 00:35:37.420 --> 00:35:39.760 you love a small business now is the time more 00:35:39.760 --> 00:35:42.599 than ever to support them. Tell a friend, leave 00:35:42.599 --> 00:35:45.380 a review, share their story. It matters right 00:35:45.380 --> 00:35:47.659 now more than you ever know. And we're forever 00:35:47.659 --> 00:35:52.539 grateful. Thank you for listening. If you found 00:35:52.539 --> 00:35:54.900 this information helpful, please share it with 00:35:54.900 --> 00:35:56.920 a friend. If you're looking for more information 00:35:56.920 --> 00:35:59.320 on the topics we covered, please head to the 00:35:59.320 --> 00:36:02.429 show notes below. And if you wouldn't mind leaving 00:36:02.429 --> 00:36:04.989 a five -star rating in review, this would help 00:36:04.989 --> 00:36:07.670 this mission and our journey to get started. 00:36:08.050 --> 00:36:10.789 Let's make today and every day an opportunity 00:36:10.789 --> 00:36:14.289 to level up. Until next time, keep dreaming, 00:36:14.610 --> 00:36:17.250 keep striving, and keep making a difference.