Amy Hart was an elementary school teacher first, then started teaching painting classes at a friend's local store in 2016. In that same store, Amy and her friend started a line of paint by number products and sold it to stores all over the country.

She created toile (pronounced "twall") which means "linen cloth" or "canvas" in French. Amy shared it at a local flea market in the Spring of 2017 and then opened her first little shop in Tallahassee, FL in September of 2017.

When she quickly outgrew her first shop, her family then moved to Thomasville, GA where they found their new location for The Hare & The Hart. A shop with an English/Southern/French decorating style and a huge, amazing community!

It's hard work to open, run and stay creative. It's even harder when you know you need some strategic planning and "business back end skill and confidence." Amy shares how she knew it was time to step into that role in a more confident way. And she did.

Owning a retail shop doesn't come without its ups and downs. But after taking Wendy's courses, and immediately signing up for the Retailer's Inner Circle, Amy found the tools and resources and more so, the confidence to step fully into her role as CEO. Now, the back-end of her business is set up so well that she is able to hand things off to her team and be ok with it.

Full show notes at https://wendybatten.com/episode-78/