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Locally Owned
Her Personal Struggle Turned Into Resilience and Empowerment - Macie Fulmer Owner Of Grateful Lotus
00:41:54
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- [00:01]
A
Okay, so picture this. You walk into a boutique, right? And it's not just, you know, racks of clothes and accessories. It's this magical feeling of warmth and connection. And you feel like you're stepping into a giant closet. Only it's not a closet. It's kind of like a Narnia thing. And you look around and wonder and it smells so good. Well, that's the vibe that Macy Fulmer has created at Grateful Lotus, her women's clothing boutique in Helena, Alabama. She's with me today and we're going to talk about her entrepreneurial journey of going from basement to boutique. And trust me, this is way more than just a business story. She's going to share how she turned a personal struggle into a relatable mission. And why her approach to retail is resonating with so many women. Maci, why don't you tell the folks a little bit about yourself?
- [00:51]
B
Hey, I used to be a teacher and I was a dyslexia tutor. And then when Covid hit, I lost my tutoring jobs. I had quit teaching in like 2011 and I was a marketer and I lost all my jobs. And so I've been doing Grateful Lotus for three years. I started the first year in my basement. I did a bunch of pop ups around town, and then I'm going on my two year anniversary at the store.
- [01:19]
A
Fantastic. And Grateful Lotus is a clothing retail store for women?
- [01:24]
B
Yes. I have women's size small to 3 XL. I have gifts as well.
- [01:30]
A
So you went from being a schoolteacher to being a marketer to having a clothing retail store just for women?
- [01:36]
B
Yes.
- [01:37]
A
How did you pick that?
- [01:39]
B
Well, I think I always wanted to do that. And I have an art background. Like I used to draw and paint. And I think of dressing yourself is you get this kind of artistic flair. You get. You have a blank canvas when you start out and you get to just have fun with it. And I don't know, it hits my creativity. I love doing that. I love dressing and just going out and looking nice. I started that.
- [02:07]
A
Yeah. That's interesting because what I found was there's an impression that people have or perception maybe that business owners are these type A personalities and they're on the far right. They're not at all creative. They're all about numbers and business. And I found that a lot of business owners are very creative. To start a business, it's you're creating something so a lot of you have.
- [02:32]
B
To visualize it first. That's what I have to do and that's what I do. When I get up and I am, I'm getting ready. Like I visualize, I'll put things together in my head of outfits and ideas of what would look good and then I'll go try it out. It's like being a kid and playing dress up for the rest of your life. I have human Barbie dolls. I never got to quit playing with Barbies. They're just live Barbies now. It started me doing this for myself, but it really was like a heart centered way to start this. I, after having a child, I went through this sweatpants purgatory phase where that's all I could fit into were sweatpants. And I gained weight. I was so unsure about myself. My first, my first child, she was premature. So I'll never forget one of the NICU nurses told me, because you get quarantined for six weeks or until the due date of your child, she told me, don't stay around in your pajamas. Like get up, get dressed, put on makeup and interact with the baby and do your thing. But don't stay in your pajamas all day long and your hair up in a bun. You'll feel like crap and you'll get depressed. What did I do? I stayed in pajamas with my hair in a bun and I got depressed. I didn't feel good about myself with her cuz she was preemie. I'd lost the weight pretty easily. But your body changes, it's just you're flip flop topsy turvy, like you're heavy on top now and you're all the things. I won't go into the gory details, but your hips are spread, you can't wear your pants. So you're wearing elastic waistband pants all the time. And it's not fun, it's not what you want to be. But any of the moms out there listening, listen to whatever your nurses tell you, just get dressed. And if you can go out and be with other humans. But I didn't have that pleasure so I had to stay at home with her. And I know how I can connect to a lot of women that go through these phases where you gain weight and you have nothing to wear. You don't want to go and buy anything because you always say I'm losing weight and I don't want to buy anything, you know, until I lose weight. But that is probably the worst mindset to be in. It's because then you have nothing to wear in the moment. You are right now with the weight on you. So you always want something, you always Want to feel good about yourself. And a new outfit where you're confident boosts your confidence. It tricks you into thinking, wow, okay, look at me.
- [05:10]
A
And it's not stretchy pants.
- [05:11]
B
Yeah. And it's not stretchy pants. I'm actually wearing real clothes that fit me. And I'm living in this moment right now, not in the future. And I'm not saying go out and buy a whole new wardrobe if you're trying to lose weight, but have a couple of outfits that are new and fresh and you feel really confident about. And you can do capsule wardrobes where you have, like, more tops than pants or just a couple pairs of pants and a couple tops, and they all intermatch. And some jackets you just. And I'm really good at doing that at the store, so you'll have to come in. I wish I could dress you, Dave. I can't.
- [05:45]
A
Yeah, people have tried.
- [05:47]
B
I can, but I don't have your clothing at my store. It's only women's clothing.
- [05:53]
A
I'm a T shirt and jeans kind of guy.
- [05:54]
B
Yeah.
- [05:55]
A
Yeah, it works for me. Yeah, it's simple.
- [05:58]
B
So, yeah, you just throw it on again.
- [06:00]
A
I feel like guys are lucky like that, though. Well. And you can live your whole life in T shirt, jeans, and all the.
- [06:05]
B
Women that are listening to this, a lot of the designers, they design the clothes for the women. So if it's an Italian designer, they're going to design the clothes for the body shapes of the Italian woman. If it's a Chinese designer, they're going to design the clothes for the body shape of a Chinese woman. So know that when you're buying your clothes.
- [06:25]
A
Yeah, no, I bought a bathing suit off of Amazon and it was from China. And being from China, it. They're pretty small there, so it was like buying a Speedo. I never wore that bathing suit.
- [06:37]
B
Yeah, a Speedo. Yeah.
- [06:40]
A
That's never gonna happen.
- [06:42]
B
Never gonna happen. I feel like that was popular in the 80s, wasn't it? Speedos. I saw a lot.
- [06:46]
A
It was always a bad choice. Maybe over in Europe, but it's still a bad choice over there. So walk me through how you got started. The five minute version of this is how you started. This is where you're at now. Give me. Give me that journey a little bit.
- [07:04]
B
So I started in my basement. I. Like I said, it was after Covid, and I wasn't a marketer for long. I just did some marketing for a local restaurant. And like I said, I was tutoring dyslexia tutoring. And when I Lost all those jobs during COVID I was like, what am I gonna do? So I had some time to think about it and I did. I had always wanted to. First off, you always go into business to make money. That's of course. But I had more of a heart centered approach to this and being a woman. There's so many times where we don't feel good about ourselves. Some of us, we're there, we're confident, we're straightforward and I feel like it's just like a peaks and valleys kind of thing. Everybody goes through their peaks and goes through the valleys and we need to help each other. So many women that are there for us and there's some that are not. So I just wanted to be that space where if you're honoring yourself, you can continue to honor yourself and be at my store. And if you're not, I want to help you honor yourself. And I've always had this, I don't know, thing where even in the grocery store or wherever I go, I have people that'll come to me and I guess maybe I have a mom energy or something or just like a really easy energy. People just talk to me and they'll.
- [08:21]
A
That's how I met you.
- [08:22]
B
It was at the grocery store where they just talked to me and they'll unload their problems or not unload. They're just know that I'm a safe space, that I'm not going to judge them or go. I'm not going to go and tell a bunch of people their business. I kind of got that, took that and I was like, wow, I need a. There needs to be a space where people feel safe to just come and talk. And retail therapy is a thing. That's why a lot of women do that. Come, you go and shop to get your mind off of things. But if you do need to talk about some things, you need a safe space. And sometimes you don't want to pay for a therapist. Why don't you let your local boutique owner be your therapist and you can have a cute outfit to double up on making yourself feel better. Like I said, I noticed that people always, they felt safe and comfortable with me to tell their problems.
- [09:15]
A
You know, during COVID a lot of us had time to think about our jobs and our lives and the directions things were going. And after experiencing Covid and postpartum depression, Macy didn't just think about all that, she did something about it. She really keyed in on a need and what she called that collective sweatpants purgatory era where she sensed that so many women deal with body image and self doubt and just wanting to feel good again and she was right there in it with them. And instead of letting those feelings hold her back, she turned them into this driving force behind Grateful Lotus. It's like she realized that if she was going through this, others probably were too. It's so smart and so vulnerable and she turns that into a business strategy. But it's her business strategy because it fits who she really is. And I feel like that's what people really want. We all long for a connection on a personal level and she offers that and that's how she builds trust and loyalty. She shows up for her business as exactly who she is in the rest of her life.
- [10:22]
B
There's more to just selling clothes or just selling items or things. So I started in my basement. I did that. I started in March 2021 and this is not a 5 minute version. Sorry about that.
- [10:38]
A
We can edit.
- [10:40]
B
So I, I started in my basement and I did a bunch of pop ups around town for the.
- [10:46]
A
What's a pop up?
- [10:47]
B
Okay. So it's like we're like this weekend I'll be at buck Creek Festival October 11th and 12th. So it's where you go and you set up just like a little miniature version of your store and you, you sell your items at the pop up and it's awesome. Energy is. I love interacting with people. Covid was not my friend because I'm such a people person and I, I need people. I thrive off interacting with people. It's just if when you're doing a pop up there's, it's like I said, like the Buck Creek Festival, any fall festival, you just go set up a miniature version of your store and sell your items.
- [11:23]
A
Yeah.
- [11:23]
B
And it's just such high energy and it's just go and you don't stop. And I love it. I love that. So I started doing that and I did a bunch of pop ups around town. But so I started doing that for about a year and then I went looking around for stores and I found a couple stores and I had this like panic of I'm really going to do this. I'm really going to do this. It's just I had to get over that anxiety and I have anxiety and I deal with it. I don't take medicine or anything like that, but I just naturally, I've always tried to naturally deal with my anxiety. I have taken medicine in the past, but I've came to a space in my life whereas I want to do this more holistically and naturally as possible.
- [12:05]
A
So was the anxiety more of. Because anybody would be anxious when you commit to a lease on a retail store and you. Oh, I know the bills that go along with that. So that would be.
- [12:17]
B
Well, you just don't know if you're gonna make it or not.
- [12:19]
A
When I went from just me and working out of my home to actually renting a building for my business, it, yeah, it was a scary move.
- [12:29]
B
And I don't know if females handle it, if we're, I don't know if we handle it differently than men, I don't know. But I was so nervous and it was just a big move for me just being a female and opening my own, my own business because I had not done this before, I hadn't done anything of the like. And I gained the following from doing the pop ups around for that year. And then I guess it was a year and a half. I did the pop ups and then I did the World Games and that was end up. I ended up doing really well there. So I'd saved a bunch of money from the World Games.
- [13:03]
A
Oh yeah, downtown you set up like a pop up.
- [13:06]
B
I was there the whole week and I did really well. And we had a lot of support down there. That was amazing. So I checked out some spaces. The first space I wasn't. I prayed a lot. I pray a lot. And when I prayed one time, I know this kind of gets in the. I don't know, but I saw, I prayed, should I do this? And I saw yes in the trees. The branches said yes. And I was like, okay, I'm going to do this. And then maybe it was not my imagination. I saw it and so I went around looking for stories.
- [13:39]
A
It doesn't work. Those trees lie to me.
- [13:43]
B
It was, I think it was just, it was God. God, he speaks to us like this all the time.
- [13:49]
A
What I love is that she not only prayed for an answer from God, she literally saw an answer spelled out in tree branches. Most of us would have ignored that if we even let ourselves see it at all. But she really is disciplined in her intuitiveness and I think that's a big thing that helps her. She didn't need some big blue shaft of light to shine down on the answer. She knew that that was the sign that she was asking for and she didn't hesitate. And if she hesitated, I don't think she would be where she is today.
- [14:23]
B
And looking for the stores. I had told my neighbor and my neighbor actually owns a shopping center in Helena. So I'd found a space and then I kept going back and forth. It was just the right direction, but I don't know if it was the right space. And then he approached me. I had told him I was looking at spaces. And then he approached me like a week later and told me that he had a space available in his shopping center. And I was like, how about that? So I was. And I was still nervous pulling the trigger, saying yes and sure, I went back and forth and then I said yes. And then it was all, God. After that. It was amazing how things went. Boom, they all lined up. So I'm in the. He. The shopping center that he owns, a hardware store. So I'm in the hardware store signing the lease for the space I'm about to rent. And then I see a friend from high school and he is a contractor now. He does construction. And he. And I'm telling him, I'm like, yeah, I'm gonna rent the space down there. It's amazing. And he was like, well, if you need any work, let me know. And I was like, actually. I was like, actually, I do. And he was like, all right. So we exchanged numbers and I think.
- [15:44]
A
I know how that goes. You were finishing up your pop up and I said, hey, do you need some help? And three hours later you did.
- [15:52]
B
You helped me with the Buck Creek Festival. It's a lot setting. Setting up a small store, you guys. So don't take advantage of those people. Would they do a pop up. It is so much work. You have no clue. So with the. My friend Aaron, he. He was like, do you need any. If you need anything, let me know. And I was like, yes, I do. So he went and looked at the space and he called his friend. And then I was doing vintage market days at the Finley center that weekend. So I didn't really have time to get things together in my. This was like end of September ish or something like that. When I was doing vintage market days, it was probably around like September 27th and I wanted to open by October 15th because I'm crazy and thought two weeks was ample time to get all this going. But anyways, enough of that. Aaron came down there and he looked at the space and I was like, I need a painter because my husband was going to paint the space. And I. We had really. It has really high ceilings, there's vaulted ceilings. And I was just like, meh, maybe you shouldn't. Maybe you should get this done. And there was like a couple electrical things and just. I needed some things. Done. And my husband was building me a cash wrap, and he was building the dressing rooms and the. So he helps me so much, but sometimes he bites off more than he can chew. And I was saving him from the painting as well as the cash wrap and the dressing rooms. We go down there and he was like, yeah, I'll have a guy here Saturday. In which the day I was going to be gone anyways to paint. And I was like, okay. So then I had a week. And that was the hardest part, I think, was picking out the colors. But I ended up doing something neutral. He. And then he helped my husband hang this sign. One of Aaron's workers. And then, I mean, it just all lined up. Like, everything lined up perfectly. Like, all the walkthroughs from the fire department, from the fire marshal. Just every. The sign, like, it was down till, gosh, the day before or something like that went before I had a sign. I wasn't sure if I was actually gonna have a sign. And it, like, it was crazy. Like, it went, boom. There's the sign there. And then they were like, oh, and by the way, we made you one for the back of your cash wrap. And I was like, oh, yeah, you guys are awesome.
- [18:24]
A
You know, it's easy to think that we can get things done quicker and more efficiently with apps and social media platforms and they have their place, but not for everything. You know, it's not always about LinkedIn or some program or app or a networking event. Sometimes those valuable connections come simply from nurturing the relationships that you have. And Macy is approachable and genuine, and that draws people to. Who want to help her succeed. And a valuable lesson in this is that people in our lives really do want us to succeed. I mean, sure, there's those people that are jealous and maybe feel threatened by us, but most people want us to do good and flourish.
- [19:05]
B
But everything went like that. It was just like there were so many little mini hiccups that I couldn't stress about that I didn't have time to stress about because there was so much to do. But I opened on October 15th of 2020. It went fabulous. It was amazing. The whole community showed up and it was amazing. Grand opening.
- [19:26]
A
Oh, that's great. Yeah.
- [19:27]
B
And it was, you know, getting to that point, though. It was. There was a lot of. You had. I had to let it go and let God. That's the only way that it happened was let it go and let God.
- [19:40]
A
Yeah, yeah. So do you. You've got this. I could see where your faith really is. Something that helps you during that kind of stressful time, but on a day to day basis. So you get into this because it's. Part of it is there's a lot of creativity and getting clothes for women and keying in on how they're feeling and how it makes them feel. But you've got a business to run. How do you balance that? Or do you feel that creative side of you gets lost? Or how do you just.
- [20:10]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [20:11]
A
How do you keep it?
- [20:13]
B
Not perfectly, because I'm also a mom, so there's that internal struggle with that too. Right now I'm in this space of growing and I know that I need more growth to. Because I, it's. I met. I go to the store and I'm like, okay, I want to do this. I want to research some marketing things. And then, oh, I got to take out the trash. Or I need to dust this or I need to steam this inventory. I need 15 of me.
- [20:45]
A
Yeah.
- [20:46]
B
So I'm in this space right now. So I'm still a baby business. My two year anniversary is October 19th of 2024. So that's what. I haven't put it out yet, but I'm gonna announce it tomorrow. But I'll do like a Simpson shop that day. But no, I don't do it perfectly. I just do what I can and try to do the best I can. And that's all you can do, I think. Yeah, I try to do the best. I'm picking out things not just that suit me, that I, but suits my clientele because I'm a servant to them. This is a service to others kind of mentality that I have.
- [21:21]
A
Yeah, yeah, you have to have that in any business, really.
- [21:24]
B
A lot of times you get people that come in and they don't want you to help. And I'm just like, oh, this is what I love to do. Let me help you. I want to pick out your clothes, I want to dress you. I love doing this. But. And you just. It's a lot of reading people too. You have to read because some people do not want help.
- [21:41]
A
Yeah.
- [21:43]
B
And you just respect it and you're like, okay, I'm here. Because it is so much fun when you get a bunch of girls together that try on clothes and you're like, okay, that looks good. That doesn't look good. Let's change this up. Let's see how this works. Yeah, it's just fun.
- [21:57]
A
Yeah. Yeah. And there's, there's a certain level of trust and intimacy that probably goes along with picking out clothes because it's an expression of who you are. And so you're gonna have to share that with somebody who's saying, hey, let me help you. And maybe that's difficult for some folks.
- [22:14]
B
And I totally see that.
- [22:15]
A
Yeah. So you. You love doing that?
- [22:17]
B
Yeah, I love the art of spontaneity. That's where I thrive. I think if it's spontaneous encounters or that's where the miracles happen. That's where God's miracles happen.
- [22:30]
A
Yeah. Yeah. It's. I guess if you live without much, like, expectation of how things are supposed to go, it's. It's a lot easier to be spontaneous.
- [22:40]
B
You. You always have to have, like, this loose outline of where you're going. It always starts with the vision in your head of what it's supposed to look like. And. But the thing is that I. And I've learned with my anxiety, I can't get so stuck on the how. That's God's part. Sometimes my how is not the how, and you have to be okay with that, but being flexible like that, really? But yeah, you just have to let go and be flexible. And I'm really good at being flexible. In some situations, I can be very flexible and just let it run off my back.
- [23:18]
A
Yeah. It takes a certain amount of humility to be that way too.
- [23:22]
B
Yeah. And I think the discernment of what's important right now is that's key is figuring that out. What do I need right now? And I think that if people can see beyond all the things that they have, just doing one thing at a time and then it falls into place.
- [23:43]
A
It'S great and necessary to have goals, but achieving goals is all about taking the next step. And I love how even though she can't see the top of the mountain she's climbing, she trusts that the direction she's going is right and just keeps taking the next step.
- [23:59]
B
I remember setting up the inside of the boutique. Getting started was the hardest part on, like, where to hang things. I didn't know where to put my racks or where to put my fixtures on the wall. And as soon as I got started and I just started, it flowed from there. It wasn't even. It was. Just went, yeah, there you go.
- [24:19]
A
Yeah. Nobody's telling you what to do. So, yeah, sometimes that's difficult to get the ball rolling.
- [24:24]
B
There's like a succession of steps that have to happen. And it's not you, it's God's steps. God will just guide you. You just have to do it.
- [24:34]
A
Yeah, yeah.
- [24:35]
B
You just have to walk.
- [24:36]
A
Yep. Yep.
- [24:37]
B
Yeah, it is. And two, like you said, having expectations. You want people to shop and come and see you or whatever, but just having more of a grounded approach. Not have this big euphoric.
- [24:50]
A
Yeah.
- [24:50]
B
Expectation of things just maybe slow or big dreams. Start small. There you go.
- [24:57]
A
Yeah. Yeah.
- [24:58]
B
You gotta crawl before you walk.
- [25:00]
A
Yeah. I. When I started my business, I didn't really even. One, I didn't know what I was doing, but two, I didn't really have this great vision for it. I didn't know if it was going to be just me, if I was ever going to have employees. But then as things, you know, got going, I realized, yes, I want to have employees. And then I realized, wow, this is really important because I'm providing jobs for people and this is how they support their family. And so it grows.
- [25:25]
B
And so it just grows naturally.
- [25:27]
A
So from where you started to where you are now, where would you like it to go?
- [25:31]
B
I want to grow my online.
- [25:33]
A
So you do a lot on social media. I notice you put some videos up on TikTok, Instagram. Are you doing that?
- [25:39]
B
Yeah, I do Instagram and Facebook and TikTok.
- [25:43]
A
How does that work for you? Are you finding that it?
- [25:45]
B
Yeah.
- [25:45]
A
Well, that's a pretty big difference.
- [25:47]
B
So it does. Everybody wants to see what you have in the store. And I added an app this year. That was one of my big things. That was scary, and I didn't really know what I was doing, but I added an app to my. I have a website and an app. But, yes, everybody wants to see what you have on social media, and they want to see it on a human. How it looks and how it wears and if it's comfortable or if it's good quality or all the things.
- [26:16]
A
Right.
- [26:16]
B
To make sure that's for you. And I'm short, so I. A lot of petite women. I'm only 5:1, so a lot of petite women can look at something on me and say, okay, that fits her like that in the length. And because petite pants are the worst. If you're short, finding pants is the worst. It is. I feel like when I was shopping before I owned a boutique, all the pants were so long. I just never could find anything.
- [26:44]
A
Yeah.
- [26:44]
B
To fit me. Right.
- [26:45]
A
You always walking on the pants.
- [26:47]
B
Yeah. And then you would. I would tell myself, I'm gonna go get this. Him. I would never go get this. And then I actually tell my. Like, the customers that come in and if they'll. If something is not fitting them right, or if I do have a longer pair of pants that they want and they'll tell me they'll go get it hemmed. I'm like, I don't want you to buy this unless you do that. Because I know what it's like having that bag sitting your trunk or whatever saying I'm gonna go get this hemmed. And you never do it. Yeah, you just waste your money. You just bought that to go get it hemmed and you never wore it.
- [27:18]
A
When your business strategy is centered around this more tactile approach of you being approachable and creating that human connection and having this magical boutique, the thought of building an online presence that projects that is such a challenge. It takes a whole different set of skills. But she is figuring it out. I've seen her stuff on social media and it looks looks professionally done and that's not easy. Social media is a full time job. But her approach makes so much sense. She figured out how people need to experience her content on the platforms that she uses, which I think is mostly TikTok and Instagram and creates videos for that platform for that audience. She uses video to show her audience the outfits. And she doesn't just show them, she shows them on herself and on other people so that they can see how they really fit and how they feel. And you know, she even offers advice like, hey, you might want to get this hemmed if you're petite. And you know, it's like she brings this personal stylist experience to her online presence. So when somebody comes in your store, what do you want the experience to be like for them?
- [28:31]
B
Oh gosh, I just want them to have fun and know that I'm there for them. I'm. If whatever they need, if they're looking for something in particular, I'm there to help them and serve them and feel safe that I'm just not going to sell anything that you're to you that you don't love or I'm going to be honest with you that does not look good on you or I like this better.
- [28:53]
A
Really? You'd be that honest with them?
- [28:55]
B
Say I tell people I don't if I didn't like, I don't like that. Yeah, yeah. I would want somebody to tell me if I go into a store and I'm shopping and you have X amount or actually too and I ask people what their budget is. That's really important. You need to have a budget. I always have in my head I visualize a number I want to spend when I go out shopping and I try to stay and I tell people to get stay like fifty. I do a fifty dollar curve like over or under. But yeah, I ask people what their budget is, how much they want to spend, if they, if it's for a gift or for themselves. But yeah, but that's the experience. I want them to have to know that it's safe and I'm going to be honest with them. If I think we can find something better, then let's find something better. And I hope people like the honesty because I would want somebody to be honest with me. I guess I'm doing unto others is what my motto is.
- [29:51]
A
She redefined customer service that is perfectly tailored to who she is. In a world of the customer is always right. It's pretty bold to say things like that doesn't look good on you or I think you can do better. But it works because she's not trying to be someone she's not. That is who she is. And people can see through bs. So they know that when she's saying those things, it's coming from a place where she really cares about them and wants them to get an outfit that really works for them, not because she's trying to sell them something more or more expensive. It's kind of like that saying people aren't going to remember what you said, but they'll always remember how you made them feel. And like you set up your store and obviously it's not for everybody. It's obviously not for guys, it's for women. But in particular, like who's going to come in there and go, oh, I love this place.
- [30:46]
B
Probably I have like teacher fashion. So probably 30 and up. Okay, it was my range. But honestly every you wake up and you're a different version every morning. Like some days I want to look nice and some days I want to wear sweatpants or like nice sweatpants or whatever and a T shirt. So every day is different. So you want to have different style clothes for every day that you are here? Yeah, but I would say 30 and up and I have a lot of like unique pieces too.
- [31:18]
A
Yeah, I've been in there. It smells really nice in your store too.
- [31:21]
B
Thank you. I probably myself on that. My store does smell really nice and it's very like calm and yeah, it's just, it's aesthetically pleasing.
- [31:31]
A
There's even a cat.
- [31:33]
B
I took her home and now no store cat. She's a home cat now and she's amazing.
- [31:40]
A
So what do you think? You obviously have been very successful. You started doing these pop from your basement to doing pop ups to Having a retail store to opening. You're thinking about opening another location. What do you think is your key? Like what?
- [31:56]
B
Just keep going. Honestly, like, I think in anything. Have you ever heard somebody say, oh, I could do that, but did you. But that's kind of it. Just do it and see God's plan for you. Whether it's this is it, or there's something else. You know, you just go with the flow of where life brings you and just keep going, do the things. And this was a really hard, big thing for me to do, but I did the thing, and I'm just gonna keep going and see where this unfolds. And. Yeah. Just actually doing it. And this year, with it being election year, everybody has said retail is down. And it is. And it's hard. Gosh. Because when you're just like, oh, my. Like, I'm only two years in a store, and then, boom, you're seeing all this growth and then it stops, you get nervous. But this is the time right now where you make it up in the fall. So we'll see how it goes.
- [32:59]
A
Yeah.
- [33:00]
B
And I'm gonna be okay with whatever happens.
- [33:04]
A
Yeah. That's a great attitude. And. And sometimes it's helpful, you know, to picture or to really just have the mindset that you're gonna make money, but you're probably not going to make money on everything that you do and just be focused more on what you're offering your clients and how you're offering it and the experience that they're having that you're creating for people.
- [33:29]
B
In my being, I have this. It's like a scale or something is what I visualize inside of me. And it's taking and giving, like giving back and taking. Or am I giving enough? And if I feel out of balance in giving and taking, I can feel it inside of me. And I know, well, I need to give more. But I've On. I'm always heavy on. On the giving. That's good. I try and keep it as balanced as possible because it is. It's a. You can't over give.
- [34:01]
A
Yeah.
- [34:01]
B
Or you'll go out of business, but you try. It's just a. You just have to feel it. You have to feel it inside. Whether it's. And it's not necessarily giving in to my customers. It's giving back to the community or volunteering or things of that nature. It's. Or, I don't know, just in whatever way you can give.
- [34:24]
A
Yeah. Yeah. I think that you have a responsibility to yourself, but also to your employees. To be profitable so that they can make a good living and support their families. And so you have that responsibility. But yeah, anytime I saw a way that I could add value without it really taking a whole lot more time or costing a whole lot more. But I had access to give clients something that they didn't have access to, and it really could just add value to the transaction. Those are always nice. Those are always big wins. To find ways that you can just give and just add value without it having to take away from anything else. You've got some plans to open another store eventually.
- [35:10]
B
I don't know if it's happening. I don't know when it's happening, but it will happen eventually.
- [35:14]
A
Yeah, yeah. You'll obviously have to hire some folks for that.
- [35:19]
B
I'll just have to intuitively do it and make wise choices and I'll. I know I'll be sent the right people when the time is there. I have this on my phone and it says, come to a place where you expect that whatever you need will come to you whenever you need it. And it's Abraham.
- [35:35]
A
Yeah. If you don't have it, then you don't need it. I think a lot of that is just putting some things in motion with.
- [35:42]
B
Faith, that that's exactly what every day is with the store. It's like you have to trust that God's going to send people to you. I have to trust that if God wants me to do this, and I pray every morning that his will be done and not just my own. So if this is his will, then this will continue. If it's not his will, then it won't. I have completely surrendered to that, that if this is what he wants me to do with my life, then this is what I'm going to do.
- [36:14]
A
I gotta say, Macy's faith is a huge part of her story. And she's so open and natural about it. What she prays for, how she prays for guidance, how she trusts that things will work out. It's beautiful, it's powerful, and it kind of makes you want to trust the timing of your own life. It's that faith that everything's going to be okay in the end. And you really do feel that energy coming from her. You know what's interesting is that I noticed that this happened so many times over the years when I had my company was I would put a lot of work and effort into a certain idea that I thought, oh, this is going to be a great marketing idea. And I'd spend money getting things printed up and getting them mailed out or whatever it took to do it, and it wouldn't hardly do anything. But then maybe the guy that printed it up told someone, and then that person was a huge client. So I just learned that whatever good you put into the world, it does come back. It feels like it may not come back the way you think it is.
- [37:18]
B
Exactly.
- [37:18]
A
But it does just put that out there.
- [37:20]
B
I was like. That was doing sales. Like, sometimes if I do a sell, it does nothing. But then, like you said, I started doing these little gift cards and I had 15% off. And I went to Gosh. I was going out and handing them out. And then I went to Tazeky's to get me and my mom lunch. And I met a lady there and I gave her one. She came in the very next day. I wasn't there. I was off at some event with my daughter, and she came in the very next day. The next week. She brought another friend. It's just. So I put all this out. You do all this work on social media. And then I just meet a lady in Taziki's and she's brought me three customers. Customers.
- [38:04]
A
Yeah.
- [38:05]
B
So it's. It is. It's exactly that. And if you see it as a marathon and not a sprint, I think that's a good mentality to have where you're just like a local establishment, where you've been there and that sometimes that's hard. And that's like the losing. The whole euphoria of opening a business. It's the more grounded approach.
- [38:27]
A
Yeah.
- [38:27]
B
Okay. Some days you're gonna have one customer. Some days you're gonna have. The store is going to be bustling and it's gon gonna. It's gonna be full of energy.
- [38:37]
A
Yeah.
- [38:37]
B
And other days it's not. You just have to accept those things as it is.
- [38:41]
A
Yeah. If you get. If you're this type A personality and you really want to get into business for. Because you got this plan of how you can make it profitable and it's going to be great. There's certainly a lot of businesses like that and they do fine. But if you. If you're in it because you more like where you've got this creative side where you want to help people find what they're comfortable in and feel confident in themselves, and you feel like you can create that and offer it to people, it's you.
- [39:12]
B
And just like I said, the whole therapy part, the retail therapy, having women feel safe to talk to me or if they need. Not even if they're buying anything. But if they. That is the. That is my favorite part is when I have somebody come in and they just need to talk. I love that part of it.
- [39:30]
A
Yeah. So you can trust that the sales are going to happen and when the other.
- [39:36]
B
That's what it's there for. God's gotta. God's helping me figure out the sales stuff and putting the people on my path to help me build my business. But I am there for these people to come and talk to me. And if they need to talk to me, I want to be there for these women or whoever. But that is my favorite part. But yeah, I want to make money, but it's like my mission.
- [39:57]
A
Yeah. Yeah. And I think it makes it a lot easier on the days when there's. The sales aren't happening like you want them to, but you're still creating this environment and this experience for people. That's fantastic. And that's not gonna change.
- [40:11]
B
I hope not. Anyways.
- [40:13]
A
Yeah. That's what you got into it for.
- [40:15]
B
But exactly like, like I said, you got. You go into this. It's not like I. I don't wanna make money. Of course I wanna make money, but I wanna help people. Is. It feels so good to help people. It really does.
- [40:26]
A
Yeah.
- [40:27]
B
I love just that feeling of just if somebody needs me, then I'm able to be there for them.
- [40:35]
A
Yeah. This has been a great interview. I enjoy talking to you. You got such a great personality and great energy. Yeah. So how can people find you?
- [40:45]
B
Okay, so I am Grateful Lotus on Facebook and Grateful Lotus LLC on Instagram and Tick Tock and I have an app, Grateful lotus. And then grateful lotus.com is my website and then I am. My address is 127 Ace Place, Helena. I'm in the same shopping center as Helena Hardware and Helena Doghouse. So that's easy landmarks to find me.
- [41:11]
A
Yeah. All right. This has been great. And look forward. I'll pop in again and see you.
- [41:16]
B
Okay, Sounds good.
- [41:18]
A
All right.
- [41:18]
B
Macy. Sure.
- [41:21]
A
So Macy has this unique recipe for business that's one part creativity, one part vulnerability, one part honesty. That is all natural ingredients baked in a faith in God. And it comes out in this beautiful experience every time that you want to savor and go back for more. If you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to hit that subscribe button so you won't miss all the valuable insight and solutions you'll find here at Locally Owned. I'm your host, Dave Pastor. Thanks for listening.