We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lisa Schuster. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lisa below.

Hi Lisa, thanks for joining us today. What were some of the most unexpected problems you’ve faced in your business and how did you resolve those issues?

When I made the decision to launch an online boutique, I was under the impression that I could establish a business entity, purchase merchandise, build a website, and customers would start buying. Why wouldn’t they? I had no understanding of how customers decided to purchase from an online company. I was a small fish in a large sea of online boutiques for women. Having said that, what I began to do was lean into what I did well. I’m a people person who is typically kind and genuine. Part of my initial success has come from being a genuine person who offers brands and products that women are interested in buying and will continue to buy. For online purchases, I offer personalization with a handwritten note and small token of appreciation. I want to stand out as a caring business owner.

Lisa, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I decided to launch an online boutique in early 2021. I was looking for a way to offer apparel that would make women feel comfortable and confident at affordable prices. I initially started with Mono B athletic wear which I discovered had a nice following. I also began to offer Zenana and Love Tree products. In order to get in front of more people, I began to participqate in vendor markets. This has been a great way to allow women to see the sizing and feel of the products. It’s also given me the opportunity to see how women react to my products in person. I love to see happy shoppers! An enjoyable piece for me is now offering dog themed apparel. The excitement I see from women who are obsessed with their four legged friends and are able to express that feeling in clothing, is amazing!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I have always held a full time position and did so when I decided to start my own small business. The timing was during the pandemic when I was mostly working from home. As our crew migrated back to the office, I began to realize how much time a small business takes with a full time job and a commute to work. There have been times when I wondered if I could do it all. As my business has continued to gain traction over the last couple of years, it has taken up a lot of my time and energy. I wondered if it was the beginning of the end. What I have found is that the joy of making women feel beautful is a rewarding piece to the equation that has kept me going.

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

My website is powered by Shopify. Early in my discovery process, someone recommended Shopify and it has been the best decision for me. It has been a budget friendly way to roll out a website. it is a very intuitive product that has too many features to list. There is base pricing, but customers are able to add additional features as needed. I have added apps to my website in order to enhance its features, such as a rewards program, barcodes, and scrolling banners. I have been able to integrate Shopify with other products like social media and email blasts. I also purchased a Shopify POS hardware product and have been extremely happy with the POS process during in-person purchases. Something to note, it is still important to manage costs and read reviews of outside apps because it could easily get very expensive, or customers could purchase products that were not the best fit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.goalcrusherapparel.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goal.crusher.apparel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goalcrusherapparel/