The Boutique ~ 1 Year Anniversary!
Good Morning Everyone!
It has been such a busy week at the office. I have barely had time to take lunch breaks! But I always make sure to do that. I either bring my lunch or go out and grab a salad or sandwich. Then I eat at my desk in my office with the door closed. I usually read while I eat (a book) and try not to touch my cell until I have finished eating. After that, I usually get on my phone and check emails. I make an effort to enjoy some quiet time during my lunch hour.
While I was on my break recently I realized that I did not discuss the one-year anniversary of the boutique! I can’t believe it has been a year already. It actually turned a year old on March 8th! I am still astonished that I made it this long. I have seen a few boutiques start last year and end immediately! It is a LOT of work! I don’t think people realized how much work it would be trying to get exposure for your items!
photo credit: Mrs. Shockley
Running an online boutique is extremely time-consuming and takes a lot of management. The setup is really hard. You have lots of registration fees, trying to find vendors, and filling out applications to shop online. Yes, you have to apply to shop on vendor websites! The vendors that I use wanted all of my business info! After all of the setup work the fun really begins! And by fun, I mean trying to get the “pulse” of your consumer. The good thing for me was that I had my blog. So I had already taken the time to build an online base.
I started this blog in 2014 and I still can’t believe that I am still going!
I love shopping for the boutique but there is a lot of second-guessing. I always have to ask myself. “Do I love this piece?” “Will it sell?” “Does it fall in line with what I am trying to build”? On and on and on. Again, there is a lot of management that goes into running an online boutique. In addition to keeping the boutique stocked there is the blog. I have to make sure that I find inspiration in order to provide content. I love my blog more than anything and hope that I can continue to do it for years to come.
photo credit: Mrs. Shockley
The last part is money. Most small business entrepreneurs don’t make a lot of money from their businesses the first few years. I am here to say that this is true. Well, GOOD entrepreneurs usually don’t pay themselves. I am not taking a salary or paycheck from my business. All of the money that the blog and boutique make stays in the business account to help support the business! I refuse to pay myself at this time. It will probably take a few years to get it to where I want it to be and that is okay! I am really trying to enjoy the journey. This is something that I have always wanted to do and I am loving every minute of it. So thank you! Thank you for reading the blog, shopping my boutique, shopping my favorites, and the LTK app. I appreciate it all!
To celebrate the boutique’s one-year anniversary you may use code “boutique10” to get 10% off of anything in the boutique! I do hope that all of you are enjoying it! Have a great weekend and Happy Easter!
That is a fabulous milestone Mrs Shockley. Congratulations, all the best and I hope you have continued success. I’ve enjoyed my purchases from the boutique very much. ???
Thank you so much Tracey for being a reader of the blog and shopper of the boutique! I do hope that I can continue.