Today’s guest is a dear friend and fellow business owner, Ashley Alderson. Ashley shares her journey from working in economic development to starting an online shopping mall for boutiques and how her vision evolved to become a community and education platform, focusing on community instead of competition. Ashley’s company, The Boutique Hub, has grown worldwide, serving about 55,000 stores in 8 countries. The discussion touched on the importance of community, the challenge of instant gratification, and the value of failure and resilience. Ashley also shared a personal story about overcoming a business partner’s betrayal and emphasized the importance of setting boundaries and managing time effectively. In this episode, Steph and Ashley also discuss the issue of burnout among small business owners and the impacts of the pandemic on individuals and communities.