Real Mom. Real Talk. Real Hustle

It’s gift guide prep season for me. Quite honestly, it’s my favorite time of year. This year’s is special in a multitude of ways.

To start, this year, I lost followers on my page, like quite a few. Yet, somehow came back with triple the crowd (& yes I fact checked this). Turns out, growth isn’t just about numbers. It’s about finding the people who actually stick around, who can relate to you and find safety in your world while having a helluva lot of fun!

The best part about running your own Instagram? You get to make the rules. No algorithms, trends, or showing up as ‘perfect’. You’ll always get me curating a space that feels real, because it is. If you’ve been here a while, you already know I’m nothing but authentic. I might not spill everything about my life online, but what I do share is 100% me, no filters (ok from time to time you do get a good filter on me for stories but it’s for your own good).

To have a space with amazing people who are dedicated, engaging and who feel a part of it, is really something special and something that fills my cup. CHS (working) Moms is full of people who want to support Moms, women and our community. It’s a space where my DM’s offer a place for zero judgment, venting, hard conversations, an unbiased friend, Mom support and advice, it’s everything. It’s a beautiful piece of work that I’m extremely proud of.

So how does that play into why this year’s gift guide is special? It’s because of YOU. It’s because you have been a part of this growth, of this page and the energy behind it. It’s because you will help support our local community whether you spend your hard earned dollars at local businesses or you share a business with a friend. You can help support women owned businesses, Mom owned businesses in what is one of the hardest years for small & local businesses.

One of the biggest perks of running CHS (Working) Moms over the past 2.5 years? Getting to know the people behind our local businesses. I’ve heard it all: the wins, the losses, the late night worries and the “we’re launching tomorrow and running on caffeine” excitement.

But let’s be real, I haven’t met a single business owner who’s thrilled about the current climate, bragging about their record sales, or satisfied with their employee retention.

So I turned to you for your feedback. I turned to my audience who will be the majority of people looking at this year’s guide. Let’s take a look at the results:

When do you start your holiday shopping? Majority of y’all have already started. To be honest, I am one of you. There are some really good sales this time of year that you just have to go after (big box stores & locally). The toys for the kiddos are already coming out ahead of Thanksgiving movie release week (I’m looking at you, Wicked: For Good). While most of the rest of you are beginning your shopping duringThanksgiving week. I’ll be right in line with you for all of the Black Friday Sales and Shop Small Saturday!

What this tells me: There’s a good group of y’all who wouldn’t mind hearing a bit of gift guide info ahead of November. This info is for you:

Wonderworks is Cameron’s favorite place to be. It’s the ultimate toy store with 3 locations: Mount Pleasant, West Ashley & Downtown Charleston. The best news? They have layaway right now. It’s super simple – pick out your items now, pay 30% up front and pay the remainder by December 15th. Perks of this: you make sure you get the exact toys your kids want AND you don’t have to find a hiding place for them for the next 2 months. For me, it helps me track my spending too. I can truly stay on budget knowing where the toy money is going and how much. Stop in, say hi & let them know Katie sent you!

What % of your $$$ do you spend at small / local businesses during the holiday season (rough estimate)? I really appreciate everyone’s honesty with this one. The top answers were split from “50-75% spent at local businesses” to “not enough.” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you do not have to spend ALL of your money at a small or local business. It likely isn’t doable for the average person.

But, being aware of where you are spending your hard earned money should be top of your list. Take a look at what is on your holiday shopping list, take an extra 10 minutes to research items and if they are found locally, shop there. Maybe you need to find gifts for teachers, coaches, etc. and you set a dollar amount per gift. Find a cute local gift shop (I highly recommend The Happy Southerner) and shop there while staying in your budget.

When shopping for gifts for others do you prefer to buy tangible gifts or experience gifts? Majority of y’all love getting experience type gifts for others. I should have taken this a step further to ask if they prefer receiving experience gifts as well. So, if you are reading this and this is you, please send me a DM! My gift guide will include experience type gifts and I cannot wait to share them with you because Moms, you are definitely going to LOVE these.

When shopping for others, who are you shopping for? Looks like y’all are shopping for everyone and I am so here for it I love getting gifts for others, it makes my heart incredibly happy. This year’s guide will include a week of Cameron’s favs and a week of my favs! Of course we will have seriously good giveaways that you’ll definitely not want to miss. Each week will include a recap on this blog with clickable links if you prefer online shopping, which brings me to my next question…

What are ways small businesses could help earn your business this holiday season? The public needs more promotional content around small and local businesses. I could not agree more with this. Partly why I do this, sometimes we just simply forget if we aren’t actively looking for it. Reminders are huge. I may talk about businesses we love a few times a month, a week, etc. but if it helps them get 1 new customer then it worked.

If you are a small business:
– Get with local creators to see what you can create together to gain interest and build energy.
– Speak with your loyal customers and pour into them.
– Ask people to share about your business.

Not everyone wants to walk into your establishment. This shouldn’t be ‘new news’ but online shopping is a necessity. I know I’m in the minority when it comes to shopping: I love going grocery shopping, I love walking around a store just because and I love getting to touch & feel items, get some sort of connection or attachment to it before I make a purchase. I’m not everyone else. There should be an easy way for people to make an online purchase, even if you only do store pick-up. It will STILL make it easier for someone to choose to purchase from your business.

Increasing your sales / promotions. People want to see sales especially this time of year. If you aren’t going to do it, someone else will. Think of doing promos around items that maybe are exclusive to your store, a rare sale on a specific product or an overall big sale. People will come in for it and since they are there, they may just buy even more things.

Can’t run a sale or promotion? Host in-store events. Get customers in the door somehow. If you are a business that features products from various makers/suppliers, invite them in: Local authors for story time & book signings, artists, designers. Other ideas: Mom shopping events, Mom night outs. Wine night? Yes, please! Support other local businesses by inviting them to your establishment. Maybe you supply a coffee bar from a local coffee biz on Shop Small Saturday. I’m full of ideas and am always up for sitting down with anyone to throw around some ideas. Send me an email at chsworkingmoms@gmail.com to start the conversation.

In the meantime, Mark Your Calendars for November 10th when the Gift Guide begins. Things you can do to help make this year’s an incredible success: Subscribe to this blog, Like all posts on CHS (working) Moms page, Comment & Engage, Give each business a follow, Share with your friends, Enter all the giveaways. Stop into a mentioned business, purchase a recommended gift and show the love!

As always, thank you all for always supporting this journey. Sending you lots of love and good energy today. Enjoy it! -Katie