Hi Ya’ll!
I’m Kristina Gann

I AM A BLOGGER, ONLINE BOUTIQUE STARTUP COACH, AND BUSINESS OWNER!

I went from working an unfulfilling job every day to creating a thriving business that has allowed me to have financial freedom and live a life I love. Now my passion is helping other aspiring boutique owners gain the confidence to change their lives forever.

I went to school and spent all this money on a degree I would never use. I always thought my passion was in healthcare, but as I got farther and farther into school, I found that I truly didn’t love it.

 So now what do I do?

 I began working unfulfilling jobs, never making more than $17/hour. My previous job had me working over 40 hours a week. We were so short-handed that I rarely got a day off, and even when I wasn’t at work, I was on call till almost 10pm some nights.

 I was just an acting store manager for a clothing store…….

 I couldn’t do it anymore. I was making little to no money, I never saw my family, and my mental and emotional health were on a downward spiral.

 So, I quit. No plan. Just quit.

I WAS WHERE YOU ARE NOW. STUCK.

Let’s go back to February 2020.

I was working a decent job in insurance when my husband and I just got the keys to our first ever home, that we had just finished building.

Then the unthinkable happened….

Two days after we took possession of the house, our entire downstairs flooded. Everything was destroyed.

They failed to complete our final plumbing inspection, which would have caught the construction debris blockage in our pipes.

 Just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, COVID hit, and the world shut down.

 Here we were, with all our belongings in our garage, the entire first floor completely ripped apart, and now we were facing a worldwide pandemic.

I was forced to leave my job so that someone was at the house while it was being fixed. We lived there now! We couldn’t just open the house to whoever and whenever.

 The next few months were the hardest months of my life. I was living in a construction zone, I couldn’t work, we weren’t able to go anywhere anymore……..there was just no escaping it. 

Due to delays created by the pandemic, our house was not completely fixed until August 2020. Luckily however, things were starting to open back up again, so I was able to go back to work.

 While all that time being at home was hard, it was not wasted. It was during this time that I decided that I wanted to take my future into my own hands and start my own business!! It took months and months of research, but I was able to design, create and launch my very own online boutique!! 

I was so excited and so proud of myself!! I had so much force driving me to succeed. I felt unstoppable. That was until I was……..I was stopped dead in my tracks. 

Two weeks……just two weeks after I launched my business, the store manager at my work decided she was going to leave. Thus, I was thrown into the acting store manager position, and it completely took over my life.

 I had no time to breathe let alone run a business. I stopped posting to social media, I wasn’t buying inventory, and sales came to a halt. I just watched as my dream slipped away from me.  

Then one day it hit me like a ton of bricks! I could not believe that I was allowing someone else to control my life. To control my happiness. I wouldn’t allow myself to be taken advantage of anymore. I waited for the closing manager to come in, I handed her my keys, and told her I couldn’t do it anymore and I walked.

It was hard at first,

going from two incomes down to one, but my husband supported me 100%. I devoted all my time and energy back into my business and now it is thriving, and I am back in control of my life!

 I know how terrible it feels to be stuck. If I can help even one person feel like they can take control and change their future, then that’s all I could ask for.

 I have given myself the life that I thought I could only dream of. Now it’s time for me to help others do the same.

Get To Know the Lady Behind the Blogs

 Midwest Girl Takes on the Southwest!

I was born and raised in a small rural town about an hour outside Chicago, IL. I spent many summers as a kid in Arizona visiting my grandparents. While we loved the vacations, it was really hard not seeing them the rest of the year. When my youngest brother was born, they decided that the distance was too much for them too, and they packed everything, sold their house in Scottsdale, and moved to the frigid Midwest.

 It would be 18 long years before I would ever see Arizona again.

During those years, my grandparents both passed, my parents split, I finished school and got engaged. My fiancé and I were in desperate need of a fresh start. So, we packed up and moved to Arizona with nothing but the cash in our accounts.

Moving to Arizona has been the most challenging, but most rewarding thing I think I have ever done.

 It has kicked us on our butt countless times, and we had serious thoughts about moving back. But we couldn’t let everything we worked for go to waste. 

So instead of giving up, we tried harder.

 Almost 5 years later and we have gotten married in one of the most beautiful places in the country, took a chance and built our first home, and I’ve become a mom to the two most amazing fur babies anyone could ask for. I have created not 1 but 3 successful business, and I am finally living the life that I had only been able to dream of before.

 

That’s Just Who I Am!

I am the oldest of three, with two younger brothers. I know what you all are thinking, the only girl, wow you must have been spoiled a lot! ABSOLUTELY NOT! I was the example setter. I was the one that had to have all my ducks in a row and lead with strong morals and integrity.

 Looking back on it, I know my parents just wanted the best for me. Now, they are part of my biggest support system. Everything I have today, I have them to thank for. They have molded me into the hard-working individual that I am. I have big dreams and I am not easily swayed from them.  

Thankfully, God has placed an equally strong-willed person in my life.

Tragic Story Turned Romance Novel

Kelby was a family friend that I had known for years. He raced motocross and was a volunteer firefighter with my brother.  

Unfortunately, Kelby’s will would be tested like it never had been before. There was a terrible accident during a pre-race lap that left Kelby with a major spinal injury.

 Due to weather conditions, they were unable to fly him to Chicago, which was the closest hospital that could handle his injury. He was back boarded and driven by ambulance 4 hours to Chicago. Once there, it was determined that he had fractured his spine in numerous places and was told that there was a strong possibility that he would never be able to walk the same again.

He didn’t have much of a choice though, his back was unable to support itself anymore, so surgery was the only option. Two rods and twelve screws later, he made it through surgery and all we could do now was wait.

 I was overcome by this intense need to be with him while he was in the hospital. Anytime I could be there I was. Even if it meant sitting for hours in his room while he was in and out of sleep due to the heavy medications he was on. This tragic accident brought two very unlikely people together and marked the beginning of an unbreakable bond.

From the very beginning, our relationship has been built on being there for each other through the worst of times. I know it sounds cliché, but it has always been our reality.

We have endured so much together, but we have always come out stronger than before.

I would like everyone to know that Kelby has made a full recovery, and while he will never race again, he does enjoy getting back on his bike and riding around for fun.  His hardware will always stay with him, which makes  going through airport security quite entertaining these days.

The Chaos Twins: Tootie & Bubba

I promise you these are nicknames, not their real names!! We aren’t that cruel.

Their true names are Remington and Barrett.

Remington is the sweetest little piece of pie you will ever

meet, and she is also incredibly smart.

She is part German Shepard and part Australian Shepard, so you know that duo together is the makings of a mastermind!

 She came to us when she was about 5 months old. Her original owner was moving out of state and couldn’t take her with. If we didn’t take her, she would have been surrendered to a shelter. I ABSOLUTELY wasn’t going to allow that to happen, so she became a part of the family.

 She loves people and other dogs, but nothing trumps ball time or playing in the water. She is completely off leash trained and has an impeccable recall. She also knows how to find home and alert for help if anything were to happen out on a walk. Smart little cookie she is.

 As for the nickname……..she toots when she runs up the stairs, so we started calling her Ms. Tootie Bootie…….we are terrible, I know….

I wish I had an equally amusing story about Barrett, but his is much sadder.

We decided that we wanted to get Remi a companion, so we started looking on the shelter sites. We came across this handsome young Belgian Malinois that had been in the shelter for close to three months. We knew we had to meet him, so we set up a time to take Remi down to see him.

 When we arrived at the shelter, we were told that no one had come to see him the entire time that he had been there. My heart shattered. They said that because of the type of dog he was and the reputation that they had, no one was interested in him.

 He was also found wondering the streets of Phoenix, and that he was most likely dumped by his previous owner. At this point I just wanted to cry!

 When I first met Barrett, you could just see it in his eyes, all he wanted was to be loved. He was the sweetest boy and he got along with Remi so well. We didn’t even need time to deliberate, we knew he was coming home with us!

He has been with us for about 8 months, and is just the most incredible dog ever. He definitely has his quirks, but what dog doesn’t. Even as I type this now, he is curled up under the desk sleeping peacefully on my feet.

I couldn’t ask for better dogs. These two really are two peas in a pod!

I Have a Passion for Interior Design

When I am not working on my boutique or writing blog content, you can find me scheming up new projects or designs for my house. I swear, my husband runs every time he hears “so, I was thinking about what to do with this space”.

But I can’t help it!!

God has blessed me with a very crafty man, and I have no problem keeping him very busy.

I wouldn’t say my taste is for everyone, but it has become a true extension of myself.

I always joke that black is the only color I need in my house, and its TRUE!

I have numerous black accent walls, black kitchen cabinets and black bathroom hardware. But mixed in with all that are beautiful earth tones. My husband has built incredible custom wood furniture, we have live plants everywhere and unique touches of stone.

It has always been my dream to buy and flip houses, and who knows, maybe someday we can.

I Can Get Crafty Too!

I remember walking through Hobby Lobby one day with my mom, and I saw this really pretty macrame wall piece. I told her that I wanted to get something like that for the house and she said “you don’t need to buy that! I can teach you how to make them yourself!”

First, I didn’t realize that these were such a big thing back in the 60’s and 70’s, and second, I had no idea my mom had such a hidden talent!!

Fast forward a couple months and I had my very own Etsy shop selling all kinds of macrame piece. I picked up on it so quickly and I couldn’t get enough of it.

I had the opportunity to do a couple large custom pieces for some of my customers.

The coolest thing by far though, was being asked to design numerous pieces for a hotel restaurant in Scottsdale. I was one of only 5 people they asked to participate. While I didn’t end up being chosen for the job, the opportunity to work with a business like that was incredible!

This was my first real taste of being a business owner.

I am so excited for you!

This journey you are about to embark on is going to be a hard one, and you are going to be tested like never before. JUST REMEMBER! You have me to help you through every step pf the way!

I want to see you succeed, and I will do everything in my power to hep you do that!

XO - Kristina G.