On this weeks' episode, Emily interviews one of her Mastermind clients, Andrea Rahal. Andrea's story is both unique and inspiring because, unlike many of Emily's students, she doesn't own a traditional clothing boutique. A graphic designer and photography major, Andrea had always dreamt of building a place to display and sell both her creations and other local artists. Her love for handmade and letterpress products inspired her to open a boutique where beautiful gifts can be displayed and loved by the customers of Inkwell Modern Handmade. Andrea shares some of the mindset and business practices that she continues to implement that have helped her build a successful boutique over the last nine years.

Connect with Andrea: 
Instagram & Facebook: @inkwellboutique & @inkwelloriginal
https://inkwellboutique.ca/
https://inkwelloriginals.com/

RESOURCES:
My FREE Facebook Community: bit.ly/trucktribe
FB Ads in a Weekend: https://bit.ly/FBadsinawknd
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SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website: http://www.BoutiqueTrainingAcademy.com
Instagram: @stylishandsuccessful
Facebook: /stylishandsuccessful
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BUSINESS INQUIRIES:
email: hello@stylishandsuccessful.com

411: What it's like to Own a Handmade Gift Store with Andrea Rahal

Looking to start or grow your boutique business? Tune in to Emily Benson's podcast! With 18 years of retail experience and a no-nonsense teaching style, Emily shares strategies and interviews experts to help you succeed. Whether you have a brick-and-mortar, online, pop-up, or mobile boutique, this podcast provides valuable insights to boost your business. From owning a mobile boutique called The Fashion Truck to being Associate Merchant for Girls' Accessories at Abercrombie & Fitch, Emily has turned her success into your success. Don't miss out on the secrets, tips, and best practices to grow a 7 or 8 figure boutique business.

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Are you ready to make this Black Friday your most successful yet? This episode will help you to prepare for Black Friday as a product-seller or retail business owner.  We are half way to Black Friday! That’s right, at the time this episode is published we are only 6 months away from this pivotal time of year for product-sellers, and while it might feel a bit early to be thinking about Black Friday, as a retail business owner, product seller, or boutique business owner, the time to start preparing for fall inventory and promotions is NOW!  Black Friday is a great time of year to gain new customers, build brand loyalty, and make some money. Learn how early planning can maximize your sales and give you a competitive edge. I have some really great success strategies for small retail business owners in this episode.  Check out my Black Friday Masterclass! Want to make more profits year over year in your product-selling business?

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Do you want to make more profit from your products in 2024? I’m breaking down three secret ways to discover profitable products in 2024, tailored for boutique owners, wholesalers, and retailers.  ➡️ Get all the details and sign up for Profit Power Tools here If you’re a product seller who has had your business for a number of years and are doing well, but you want to generate enough profit to quit your 9-5 or hire someone, and get back to being calm and creative in your growing business - this episode is for you! I’ve had clients come to me worried they have to close down their business because they are so in debt and can’t see a way out. But within just 12 months, I’ve helped them get out of the debt and put cash in their bank account.  I’ve helped product sellers make 7% more profit year over year, or as much as $88,000 more profit in 8 months without using ads or relying on more sales. I’m going to walk you through some of those changes in this podcast episode.  ➡️ Ready to increase your profits in 2024 and beyond? Get all the details and sign up for Profit Power Tools here Mentioned in this episode: Join Profit Power Tools today!  Join Profit Power Tools today! Profit Power Tools

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Your Boutique Can Be Profitable: Everything You Need to Know About Profit Power Tools Big news! Today, I'm sharing my excitement about my new Profit Power Tools program and its why it's a game changing program for boutique owners, wholesalers and independent retailers.  ➡️ Get all the details and add your name to the waitlist here! • Introduction to Profit Power Tools program: Are you a product business that makes sales but is struggling to become profitable? Profit Power Tools is the solution to help businesses understand their financial data and make strategic decisions to improve profitability.  • I share my own experience honing my financial capabilities and the impact of generational attitudes towards women and money. I highlight the significance of financial literacy for women and the different challenges they may face in managing finances. • I provide a detailed overview of the launch plan for the upcoming program, with the opening and closing dates, the live teaching schedule, and the availability of waitlist bonuses. ➡️ Get all the details and add your name to the waitlist here! Mentioned in this episode: Join Profit Power Tools today!  Join Profit Power Tools today! Profit Power Tools

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11:45.1 We did what we wanted.  We did it pretty professionally and we did it with like a level of class and style where people took us seriously. 11:58.2 We had access to these amazing creative tools, professors who really pushed us, who gave us Tons of access and free time to play and explore with our art. And like our minds were just so rich. And I think you and I, and our whole friend group, we were all just like reveling in this. 18:36.7 I need to get in to see a client. I need to convince them that what I have to offer is a value. I need to find out how to make it a value to them because Sometimes they're not advertising in with my brands or sometimes they don't believe in the types of things I'm talking about. 18:52.4 So it's a process of getting in, building awareness, making sure they understand what I'm offering, and then trying to find those fits, you know, trying to find that right fit for my clients are all for it.
21:51.0 One of the reasons I want to have you on is because you and I are the type of people were just like, we have this idea and we're going to go for it and we're going to put the blinders on. We're not going to ask for permission. In fact, like we didn't even think that we needed to ask for permission, let alone even like, you know, skip that part. It was just like, no, we're going to do this and we're going to do this.
28:00.4 follow that gut, follow your intuition, follow your thought, follow your, you know, and there's so much of that that like, that's where the magic comes out of.
31:17.6 There's so much heaviness, I think that women are still carrying and processing just from that,  that you need good girlfriends, sisterhood. You need that so bad to be able to function, to be able to function and come out of this with any kind of head on your shoulders to get through any sort of day to day functionality.
33:29.9 Owning those choices, you know, as a woman and being informed and being involved in guiding those choices gives you so much agency and so much more freedom than I think it allows. It also allows me as a business woman to operate with a lot more levity. 
34:31.0 Our dynamics and the systemic structures that have been built are not really afforded the luxuries to women that may have been afforded to men in the past when they were the breadwinner, right? 
35:12.5 Because you are commission based in your ad sales, right? So very, very similar to a boutique in that you kind of never know what's coming, but you kind of do, but like one day you're making a ton the next day you're like, Darn that deal fell through. Very dry seasons. And then there's like Q4, which is bananas, right? Which is very similar to how retail works, right? 
36.24.7 there's so many things right that'll pull you off track so many little stressors so many flare ups, whether it's a, you know, client you didn't close or it's a sale you see walk out the door, you know,  It can be, it can be really demoralizing.
37:18.0 Go back to your toolkit and what works for you instead of going down the, let me beat myself up over what a loser I am because that sale didn't close.
38:30.2 If you can master a rebound, you can master the game. And that's what it's all about is not letting that little ops offset
40:35.0 The reality of us sitting here is we are very powerful women. We have created a lot of wonderful things in our life. What's to say that cannot continue.
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Want to watch this on YouTube? Click here to go to my YouTube Channel Want to sign up for Reels for Retail? Click here to learn more and sign up. Buy The Ultimate Boutique Handbook on Amazon Buy The Retail Mindset on Amazon Mentioned in this episode: Join Profit Power Tools today!  Join Profit Power Tools today! Profit Power Tools

411: What it's like to Own a Handmade Gift Store with Andrea Rahal

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