🚨 Retail Bootcamp Enrollment is Open!
Limited space & last chance to lock in at the current price! Don't miss out!

Small Business Blog

Empowering Entrepreneurs, One Blog at a Time.

All Blogs

2025 Wrapped: The Boutique Hub Community by the Numbers

2025 Wrapped: The Boutique Hub Community by the Numbers

From thousands of daily conversations to millions of podcast downloads, 2025 was a powerful year for The Boutique Hub community. This recap breaks down the biggest wins, trends, and milestones—and shows how retailers can turn that momentum into a clear plan for an even stronger year ahead.

Read More

Five Minute Friday: The Trends Taking Over Trade Shows Right Now (And Why It’s Working)

In this Five Minute Friday, Samantha Conner continues our market conversation by diving into the actual product trends hitting trade show floors right now — and more importantly, how they apply across every retail category. From apparel to home + gift, children’s, and even western, today’s trends are crossing categories faster than ever. You’ll learn: The bold color trends coming for 2026 The rise of faster trend cycles (every 8–10

Read More
Sales Tax & Nexus Simplified

Sales Tax & Nexus Simplified

Sales tax and nexus can feel like one giant headache — but it doesn’t have to be. If you sell across state lines, even online, you’re expected to collect and remit sales tax based on where your customers live… and those rules change constantly. Understanding when you’ve triggered nexus (and in which states) is the key to staying compliant and avoiding costly penalties. This guide breaks it all down in simple terms, so you can finally feel confident about what you owe, where you owe it, and how to stay ahead of it.

Read More

#741: How Working With Sales Reps Elevates Your Retail Business

Retail buying doesn’t have to be overwhelming—or lonely. This week, Ashley sits down with Angela Schmook (Roadrunners, Reps Are Local Too) and Kelly Bristol (Just Gotta Have It, GHTA leader) to reveal why your local sales reps might be the most powerful, underused resource in your business. Fresh from the GHTA Conference in Park City, they break down how reps support retailers far beyond taking orders: helping with events, securing

Read More

Five Minute Friday: The BIGGEST Trade Shows Trends Every Retailer Must Know!

Today, Samantha Conner kicks off a two-part Five Minute Friday series breaking down the lifeblood of every retail business: inventory. And to understand inventory, we’re taking it all the way back to where it begins — trade shows and markets. In Part 1, Samantha uncovers the biggest 2026 trade show trends every retailer needs to know, whether you’re selling apparel, home and gift, children’s, western, or anything in between. With

Read More

#740: Retail Predictions for 2026 and How to Make It Your Best Year Yet

What if 2026 could be the year you finally stop spinning your wheels and actually run your boutique like a CEO? In this episode, Ashley sits down with “Retail Professor” and denim twin, Sara Burks, to unpack their biggest retail predictions for 2026—from AI and Meta’s new Andromeda algorithm to niching down, live selling, and building a content engine that actually works. Ashley and Sara share what they’re seeing across

Read More

Five Minute Friday: Merchandising That Moves Product Faster

Great visual merchandising doesn’t just look pretty — it sells. In today’s episode, Director of Partnerships & Education, Sara Burks shares how great merchandising goes far beyond pretty displays. It creates emotion, inspires discovery, increases average order value, and helps customers see themselves in your products. She breaks down how to design purpose-driven zones in your store, use lighting and height to influence buying behavior, and create an environment that

Read More

#739: Inside the Rise of a Western Lifestyle Powerhouse: Rodeo Quincy

Today, Western fashion designer and Rodeo Quincy founder, Quincy Eldridge joins the podcast to share how she turned her unique, hand-painted rodeo style into a nationally recognized fashion brand. From designing boots with Ariat at 18 to running four sales channels, four NFR booths, and now her first Las Vegas fashion show, Quincy opens up about grit, growth, family, and building a business with heart. Now preparing for her biggest

Read More

Five Minute Friday: Turn Scrolls into Sales with Live Selling

Why is live selling exploding — and why does every retailer need to be doing it? In this Five Minute Friday, Sara Burks dives into one of the biggest shifts happening in retail right now — live selling. Live selling is becoming one of the most powerful ways to build trust, increase conversions, and reach more customers without adding more hours to your day. So, whether you’re nervous to be

Read More
2025 Wrapped: The Boutique Hub Community by the Numbers

2025 Wrapped: The Boutique Hub Community by the Numbers

From thousands of daily conversations to millions of podcast downloads, 2025 was a powerful year for The Boutique Hub community. This recap breaks down the biggest wins, trends, and milestones—and shows how retailers can turn that momentum into a clear plan for an even stronger year ahead.

Read More

Five Minute Friday: The Trends Taking Over Trade Shows Right Now (And Why It’s Working)

In this Five Minute Friday, Samantha Conner continues our market conversation by diving into the actual product trends hitting trade show floors right now — and more importantly, how they apply across every retail category. From apparel to home + gift, children’s, and even western, today’s trends are crossing categories faster than ever. You’ll learn: The bold color trends coming for 2026 The rise of faster trend cycles (every 8–10

Read More
Sales Tax & Nexus Simplified

Sales Tax & Nexus Simplified

Sales tax and nexus can feel like one giant headache — but it doesn’t have to be. If you sell across state lines, even online, you’re expected to collect and remit sales tax based on where your customers live… and those rules change constantly. Understanding when you’ve triggered nexus (and in which states) is the key to staying compliant and avoiding costly penalties. This guide breaks it all down in simple terms, so you can finally feel confident about what you owe, where you owe it, and how to stay ahead of it.

Read More

#741: How Working With Sales Reps Elevates Your Retail Business

Retail buying doesn’t have to be overwhelming—or lonely. This week, Ashley sits down with Angela Schmook (Roadrunners, Reps Are Local Too) and Kelly Bristol (Just Gotta Have It, GHTA leader) to reveal why your local sales reps might be the most powerful, underused resource in your business. Fresh from the GHTA Conference in Park City, they break down how reps support retailers far beyond taking orders: helping with events, securing

Read More

Five Minute Friday: The BIGGEST Trade Shows Trends Every Retailer Must Know!

Today, Samantha Conner kicks off a two-part Five Minute Friday series breaking down the lifeblood of every retail business: inventory. And to understand inventory, we’re taking it all the way back to where it begins — trade shows and markets. In Part 1, Samantha uncovers the biggest 2026 trade show trends every retailer needs to know, whether you’re selling apparel, home and gift, children’s, western, or anything in between. With

Read More

#740: Retail Predictions for 2026 and How to Make It Your Best Year Yet

What if 2026 could be the year you finally stop spinning your wheels and actually run your boutique like a CEO? In this episode, Ashley sits down with “Retail Professor” and denim twin, Sara Burks, to unpack their biggest retail predictions for 2026—from AI and Meta’s new Andromeda algorithm to niching down, live selling, and building a content engine that actually works. Ashley and Sara share what they’re seeing across

Read More

Five Minute Friday: Merchandising That Moves Product Faster

Great visual merchandising doesn’t just look pretty — it sells. In today’s episode, Director of Partnerships & Education, Sara Burks shares how great merchandising goes far beyond pretty displays. It creates emotion, inspires discovery, increases average order value, and helps customers see themselves in your products. She breaks down how to design purpose-driven zones in your store, use lighting and height to influence buying behavior, and create an environment that

Read More

#739: Inside the Rise of a Western Lifestyle Powerhouse: Rodeo Quincy

Today, Western fashion designer and Rodeo Quincy founder, Quincy Eldridge joins the podcast to share how she turned her unique, hand-painted rodeo style into a nationally recognized fashion brand. From designing boots with Ariat at 18 to running four sales channels, four NFR booths, and now her first Las Vegas fashion show, Quincy opens up about grit, growth, family, and building a business with heart. Now preparing for her biggest

Read More

Five Minute Friday: Turn Scrolls into Sales with Live Selling

Why is live selling exploding — and why does every retailer need to be doing it? In this Five Minute Friday, Sara Burks dives into one of the biggest shifts happening in retail right now — live selling. Live selling is becoming one of the most powerful ways to build trust, increase conversions, and reach more customers without adding more hours to your day. So, whether you’re nervous to be

Read More