We were lucky to catch up with Jenna Reece recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jenna, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

The idea to open my own boutique came to fruition shortly after losing a longtime position due to the COVID shutdowns. I had been in the retail industry on and off for almost 10 years, and I decided that this was the time to either go all in, or find a different path. In the fall of 2020 I launched my online store, Maggie M Boutique, named after my daughter, Magnolia Marie. I was so surprised to have had the positive response that I did to my new business! As far as getting the behind the scenes details figured out, a few close friends of mine are also owners of small businesses in the area, so it was incredibly valuable to have their guidance on everything from how to apply for a business license, to figuring out where to order merchandise from. After a successful fall and holiday season, I continued to sell online while also participating in the occasional outdoor market in the spring and summer of 2021. Every time a customer decided to purchase something, it helped to solidify that I had made the right choice in owning my own boutique! In the fall of 2021, a year after launching my online boutique, I decided to apply for a “Holiday Pop-Up” program that Downtown Colorado Springs had at the time. This program helped match vacant downtown storefronts with business owners that were interested in taking that next step on the path to opening a brick and mortar location. To my surprise, I was chosen as one of only 3 shops to be a Pop-Up for the season! With the help of my incredibly supportive family and friends, I was able to open and operate my own boutique! During this time, I was introduced to a commercial real estate broker. This relationship proved to be very important, because after the Pop-up program had ended, I was hooked on finding the *perfect* spot to move my business into! After looking for a spot for about 3 months, I found the perfect one for my boutique in Old Colorado City. Settling in, opening up, and continuing to love the business I have created has been one of the best adventures of my life!

Jenna, 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?

My name is Jenna Reece, and I am the owner of Maggie M Boutique located in historic Old Colorado City, just outside Colorado Springs, Colorado. We carry young contemporary clothing, candles, bath & body items, gifts, accessories, cards and everything in between. Maggie M is more than just a store, it’s a lifestyle boutique, where you will find items that you never knew you needed!
At Maggie M, we focus on bringing in clothing and gifts primarily from Women Owned and/or Colorado Owned businesses. As a woman, I feel like it is incredibly important to support other woman owned businesses because when women succeed, we all do. I also have two little girls, and I feel like it is my responsibility to show them that there really are no limits, as long as you keep trying.
We just celebrated out 1 year anniversary in our brick and mortar location, and I am so incredibly proud of making it this far! I can not wait to see what the upcoming years have in store for us at Maggie M.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Social media is something that I had struggled with in the beginning. I caught myself obsessing over how many likes each post was getting, and trying to keep up with what “the algorithm” was requiring at the time. It turns out, having genuine connections with people grew my audience WAY faster than anything. While I was out doing markets in the spring & summer, just having a conversation with customers or potential customers seemed to garner more of an interest in my social media than just posing bout the new tees that arrived. Taking pictures of customers (with their permission of course), having myself or my employees in posts, telling a funny story, being GENUINE. Those posts tended to get a better response than anything! People can follow any big box or chain store to see perfectly posed models, but they choose to follow you for a reason.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Since my boutique is so small, we often have a very limited staff working, especially during the slower parts of the year. Something that took me a while to figure out, was how to make sure everyone was still excited to be at work. One this I focused on was scheduling. I make sure that I personally work with each of my employees on a regular basis. We talk about what is new and exciting in their lives, what’s new in the store, how things are going etc… then if there is any sort of issue, I can try to catch it before the issue becomes a problem.
My love language is gift giving, so I also love to have snacks or little treats for my employees as well! I think it makes them realize how valuable they are to my and the business, and it also makes me feel good.

Contact Info:

• Website: shopmaggiem.com
• Instagram: @shopmaggiem
• Facebook: facebbok.com/shopmaggiem
• Other: tiktok- @shopmaggiem