We recently connected with Erika Hefler and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Erika, thanks for joining us today. One of the most important things we can do as business owners is ensure that our customers feel appreciated. What’s something you’ve done or seen a business owner do to help a customer feel valued?
It may not seem like much, but every guest that shops at my boutique receives a handwritten note from me with their order. Whether it’s a simple thank you, a little story behind the item they purchased, or a special discount code, I want guests to feel the love and appreciation I have with every single order that comes through. Customers are SO important, without them my business simply wouldn’t exist; so, if that means I need to spend an extra 5 minutes to write a note to make them feel valued, I will do it a thousand times.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Erika Hefler and I wear so many different hats. I am an army wife, a mom of two beautiful babies and a boutique owner to name a few.
Honeycrisp Boutique has been a dream of mine for many years and it acquires its name from a special place in my heart. My husband and I met in high school, and just down the road from his parent’s home is an apple orchard. Every fall, his family and I would go to Tanner’s Orchard, enjoy a warm, apple cider donut and pick a large bag of our favorite apples, which if you haven’t guessed, is Honeycrisp!
Fast forward eleven years, it is more of a challenge to get back to Tanners. My husband is active duty with the United States Army. Being a military family requires our small family of four to move around occasionally and call many different destinations home. However, my husband has always been supportive of me and making sure I know my dreams aren’t to take second place to his. Having the option to sell clothes online allows me to be home with my babies, watch their milestones unfold and still feel like Erika. Sometimes I work peacefully in the quiet hours of nap time and sometimes I pack orders with a cowboy hat on, fighting imaginary monsters! It’s the best of both worlds and for that I’m extremely grateful.
When I have an event or occasion coming up it’s my ultimate goal to find the perfect outfit. One that not everyone will find and one that makes people stop and ask where it’s from. That’s exactly what I do when I shop for my boutique. I strive for my selection to be unique, affordable and the perfect option for my guests. I picture the mom posing for special family photos, a guest at her best friend’s wedding and the fashionable aunt at her annual family reunion. When guests scroll my website, I want the love and passion to come through without question.
Honeycrisp apples will always be special to me and my family and it’s my hope that Honeycrisp Boutique will help my customers create core memories in their life as well.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Working from home can be a blessing and a curse. It’s so easy to get caught up in the constant distractions of playtime, house chores, and chaos. I launched this business when my first baby was 4 months old, We had just moved into a new house, we were sleeping on an air mattress and the only furniture we had in the house was two racks of boutique clothes ready to be sold. The army is constantly throwing curve balls in our life and although this wasn’t the original plan, I stuck with the launch date and I showed up. Right then and there, I had to pivot my mindset to ALWAYS show up. When the chaos comes knocking and the choice to put it off seems non-negotiable, in the end it will always pay off to show up.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
To care what others think. I am a people pleaser, through and through and this is a hard lesson to unlearn. I’ve always tried to make everyone happy, not just in my business but in life. Will some people think it’s annoying to listen to me talk about clothes for hours? Maybe. Will a handful of people think the hot pink dress is loud and obnoxious? Probably. Will some people complain prices are too high? Most likely. There will always be someone who has something negative to say, someone who is rooting against me and that’s okay, because those people don’t pay my bills. I have to stay true to myself, to my business and know that my audience will come.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.honeycrispboutique.com
- Instagram: @honeycrispboutique
- Facebook: Honeycrisp Boutique
Image Credits
@kaitlawphotography @tayherbstphotography @twinjordy @twinreilly