Episode #150
Alisha Merrill
As A Single Mom At 20, Alisha Decided To Start Her Own Boutique & Now Manages Over 45 Employees & 6 Locations
Guest Bio:
Alisha was a 21-year-old single mother, with a quest to support her young family without sacrificing time with her baby. With little business experience and even less money to start one, she realized that she had a great opportunity to create a business with a mission she believed in.
Starting with a tiny storefront in Lehi Utah, Alisha began by working with other consignment sellers, so that she could offer her customers a wider range of initial products. Learning from what sold well and what didn't over those first few months, she began buying her own styles and pieces for the store.
While the first year of business with no employees to help her was extremely hard, Alisha was committed to her dream of empowering women through the clothes they wear. Through talking to her customers, and seeing what wasn't available from other boutiques, she continued to search and sell eye-catching styles that weren't available anywhere else.
The first store blossomed into a second, and soon she was hiring other employees and managers who were aligned and passionate with the vision of Bella Ella Boutique. Two stores grew into six and then continued to grow into a nationally recognized women's boutique online.
Today Bella Ella Boutique's team has grown to over 50 people while offering hundreds of individually selected boutique styles online and in stores.
Show Notes
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Introduction (1:38)
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Passion for being an entrepreneur (3:15)
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What started the drive for Bella Ella Boutique (5:35)
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Slow startup and keeping motivation (8:15)
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Working hard until it grew (10:54)
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Hiring husband as CEO and working together (11:35)
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Being a mother and expecting another a child (14:56)
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Dealing with and managing knock off brands (19:33)
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Inventory issues and decision making (22:45)
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Building a brand (24:15)
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