Meet Erika Boger

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

Erika, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
As a small business owner, wife and mother burnout is something always in the back of my mind. With today’s economy, online sales competition, ever changing rules and regulations relating to the medical side of our business, supply chain issues, et cetera, the list could go on and on. The thing I have learned that has helped a lot to not only avoid burnout but also not get overwhelmed either is prayer and staying organized. In most cases, of the 15 challenges facing us today, 13 of them will still be there tomorrow. Categorize, prioritize and accomplish. Do the best with what you have and know your limits. Everything is not important and some of it you have to choose to let go of.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
The past few years have taught me a lot. We have seen a shift in our customers to the negative as far as their outlook on life as a whole. We are in a unique position that allows us to spend a lot of one on one time with our customers. We are an old school “sit & fit” style shoe store so no one comes in and grabs a pair of shoes to put on themselves. We sit with them and talk with them about their life and their needs. This gives us the opportunity to not only share God’s love with them but hopefully to encourage them see the good. Our staff is trained and very knowledgeable about the products we carry and how they can help make our customer’s lives better. In a lot of cases we can start with someone who is not in a very good mood and by the end they are happy and laughing. When we see this it reassures us that we are fulfilling our purpose and duty to our community.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
The three skills that have helped me the most are being organized, having effective communication and problem solving. The advice I would give to anyone starting this crazy small business owner journey is to stay calm. Easier said than done, I know. When you stay calm and plan out your options and next steps you really can see things more clearly, move forward and succeed.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Inflation. This is impacting everything from copy paper to materials for inserts to shoes and shopping bags. Our number one goal is to not pass this increase on to our customers so we are trying to cut back on things that aren’t as important and use alternate options where we can.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Sarah Hedden Photography

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