I get this question all the time! Surprisingly, on paper it’s really not that hard to start a business.  It’s the time, stress, energy and cost of wine that gets put into it that’ll get ya.  The state of South Dakota makes starting your own business pretty simple. All you really need to start making money is a resale tax license, an idea, and money!

My boutique started out with an idea and $8,000. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur from day one.  So being pregnant with my first baby I knew I couldn’t leave her 4 days a week, to be a flight attendant. That really gave me the push I needed. I knew it would be A LOT of work and time, but it would be better than leaving her for days and missing the milestones of her first year. We had also just moved to this adorable new town and I realized if I wanted to get started and get some experience, this was a great place to try my hand at it.

Plus, I REALLY like to shop, so if I can buy stuff and make money off of it….way more fun! (my husband will happily agree with this too)

My next step was to find a retail space. There was an abandoned building next door to the coffee shop that needed a LOT of work, but thanks to my handy father in law and hubby I KNEW we could make it happen. It had high ceilings, a good layout and a great location. Plus, I could have coffee any time of the day, total bonus!

So I started by choosing a name, and then started scouring the internet for product, which turned out to be pretty easy. There are markets all over the US that have thousands of options. I started by buying what I really liked and I stuck to a price point that I thought would sell. We opened our doors 3 months later.

If anyone of you reading this knows me, I have no patience. When I want something I want it RIGHT NOW! There is no patience in me, none….at all! This drives my husband absolutely as he likes to call it “bat shit crazy”. This is one of our biggest fights in our marriage. I see it as, I just know what I want, how I want it, and I wanted it yesterday.   So we had a baby, I got an idea, remodeled a store and filled it, all in three months.  It got a little dicey there for a while and I had a few breakdowns, but we opened our doors on September 15th, 2010. It has been a CRAZY roller coaster and I have made 1,000’s of mistakes since then, but I have also learned, ALOT.

My First Store – 2010