Welcome to the new year! On the first episode of 2026 Ashley Alderson is joined by Sara Burks for a big-picture retail conversation that every boutique owner needs right now!

Retail is changing fast — and 2025 proved that "business as usual" isn't enough anymore. With reports showing 15,000+ store closures, Ashley & Sara unpack what really happened, what retailers got wrong, and how small businesses can build a stronger, more profitable plan for 2026.

In this episode, Ashley and Sara walk through the six layers of retail (the proven Retail Bootcamp framework) and share what to double down on in each one — from customer clarity and CEO focus, to product profitability, team leadership, sales strategy, content planning, and modern marketing that actually works today.

You'll learn:

• How consumer behavior is shifting: time, trust, and emotional connection

• How the six-layer Retail Bootcamp framework creates a strong, sustainable business from the inside out

• Why trying to be "something for everyone" is a losing strategy

• Why 2025 saw 15,000+ stores close (including major big-box brands)

• What successful retailers are doubling down on in 2026

Join The Boutique Hub

Retail Bootcamp

____________________________

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

In today's Five Minute Friday, I'm officially inviting you to join me for The Best Year Yet Challenge—our biggest free training of the year.

Planning a new year shouldn't feel overwhelming or leave you burned out by March. Instead of chasing perfection or setting goals that fade fast, this challenge is all about creating a clear, realistic, and actionable plan for 2026—one you can actually stick to.

Over three powerful days (January 6–8), we'll review the past year, map out what truly moves the needle, build profitable systems, and create a marketing plan that works now—not six months ago. This is about small, imperfect, consistent action—and doing it together, in community.

Today's Episode:

• Why most New Year goals fail by March—and how to avoid that trap

• How to focus on the 20% of actions that drive 80% of your results

• What to expect from each day of the Best Year Yet Challenge

• How to turn big goals into clear, measurable, team-supported action plans

• Why planning beats perfection every single time

📅 Join the Best Year Yet Challenge

Best Year Yet

Join thousands of retailers who've transformed their business with The Boutique Hub.

🛍️ Join The Boutique Hub

____________________________

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

As we close out 2025 and step into a brand-new year, this episode isn't about pretty planners or lofty resolutions — it's about the behind-the-scenes work that actually sets your business up for success.

In this solo episode, Ashley Alderson walks you through the five critical areas every retailer must review before the year ends so you're compliant, organized, profitable, and positioned to lead — not just hustle — in 2026.

From money and inventory to operations, goal-setting, and leadership, this is your practical, no-fluff checklist for finishing the year strong and starting the next one with clarity, confidence, and peace.

You'll learn:

• How to close out your money & accounting properly (and why your accountant should be a strategic partner, not a once-a-year contact)

• Why year-end inventory counts are non-negotiable — and how they impact taxes, markdowns, and open-to-buy planning

• Where hidden costs live inside your apps, subscriptions, and operational expenses

• The importance of systems, processes, and community — and who you should (and shouldn't) be surrounding yourself with in the new year

• How to set better goals using leading vs. lagging indicators so your plans actually turn into results

Join The Boutique Hub

Best Year Yet

____________________________

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

As we head into 2026, one thing is clear - the gap between average retailers and top performers is widening — and it has nothing to do with effort.

In this Five Minute Friday, Ashley Alderson breaks down what the top 10% of retailers do differently right now, and why those decisions are positioning them to grow and scale while others feel stuck. Hard work isn't the issue. Strategy is.

Ashley shares the four key differences separating high-performing retailers from those struggling to gain traction — and how you can start applying these shifts immediately as you plan for the year ahead.

You'll learn:

• How building systems before you need them changes everything

• Why top retailers operate like CEOs — not reactive entrepreneurs

• What it really means to use AI as a strategic partner (not a shortcut)

• Why customer retention is outperforming reach and visibility

• The retailers winning in 2026 aren't guessing. They're operating with clarity, data, and intention — and you can too.

🛍️ Join thousands of retailers who've transformed their business with The Boutique Hub.

Join The Boutique Hub

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

If you're getting ready to plan 2026 and want clarity—not chaos, this episode is for you.

Today, we're planning your entire year in 26 minutes. This is not a to-do list episode. This is a guided planning session designed for you to pause, reflect, write things down, and make intentional CEO-level decisions about what stays, what goes, and what actually moves your business forward.

Grab your planner, notebook, or favorite gel pens — this episode is meant to be paused, rewound, and revisited as you work through it.

You'll learn:

• How to define what you want your business to feel like by the end of 2026

• The exact reflection questions to review 2025 before planning forward

• How to identify the ONE thing that could change everything next year

• How to reverse-engineer your revenue goals using leading indicators

• How to reclaim time through systems, automation, and delegation

Links & Resources:

Best Year Yet

Retail Bootcamp

Traffic Calculator

2026 Retail Planner

🛍️ Join The Boutique Hub

____________________________

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

As we close out the year and head into a new one, it's time to get honest.

Most businesses won't fail in 2026 because of the economy — they'll fail because they're still operating like it's 2019.

In today's Five Minute Friday, I'm breaking down the four biggest mistakes I saw retailers make over the last year — mistakes that are quietly costing you time, money, margin, and momentum. If your business feels busy but not profitable, chances are one (or more) of these is holding you back.

You'll learn:

• What winning retailers will do differently in 2026

• The shift from "pretty branding" to real customer relationships

• How ignoring cash flow and margin creates long-term stress

• Why underutilizing AI and automation is no longer an option

• The dangerous gap between sales and actual profitability

🛍️ Join thousands of retailers who've transformed their business with The Boutique Hub.

Join The Boutique Hub

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

In this episode, Ashley sits down with Allie Falcon to unpack what it really looks like to build a recognizable brand rooted in story, style, and grit. Allie shares her journey from ranch life and handmade leather goods to manufactured apparel, wholesale growth, and a showroom at Dallas Market Center.

They talk wholesale growth, brand consistency, and what successful boutiques do differently when they market brands with a story. Plus: Round Top with Junk Gypsy stories, pricing strategy, learning to say "no," and the legacy Allie hopes to leave.

You'll learn:

• Why cohesiveness matters more than random "good products" when building a line sheet and wholesale presence

• How to move from handmade/custom work into a more sustainable model without losing your creative identity

• What boutiques do best when they market story-driven brands (and why displaying collections together matters)

• How wholesale can stabilize a business when social algorithms shift

• Two key business lessons: price for future wholesale now + know when to say no

Join The Boutique Hub

Best Year Yet

Allie Falcon:

Website: Alliefalcon.com
Instagram: @alliefalcon
TikTok: @alliefalcon

🛍️ 10% off with code BHub

Alliefalcon.com

____________________________

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube

In this Five Minute Friday, Samantha Conner continues our market conversation by diving into the actual product trends hitting trade show floors right now — and more importantly, how they apply across every retail category. From apparel to home + gift, children's, and even western, today's trends are crossing categories faster than ever.

You'll learn:

• The bold color trends coming for 2026

• The rise of faster trend cycles (every 8–10 weeks) and how to keep up without overbuying

• How cost-per-wear and cost-per-use are driving smarter buying decisions

• How pop culture moments are shaping what customers want next

• Why quiet luxury is fading and maximalist, personality-driven style is back

🗓️ Download the 2026 Tradeshow Calendar: 2026 Tradeshow Calendar

🛍️ Join thousands of retailers who've transformed their business with The Boutique Hub.

Join The Boutique Hub

Ashley Alderson: Instagram

The Boutique Hub: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TikTok | YouTube