Rachel Heckmann: Running a Profitable Online Shop

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Rachel Heckmann is the owner of The Rachel Allene Shop, where she sells a range of hand-lettered and hand-drawn products. She’s a big believer in finding joy in the small things, and her products are intentionally created to spark joy and uplift women. 

It was such a joy to hear Rachel’s story and we covered a lot of ground in this conversation: from quitting her day job without a plan to staying profitable in an economic downturn to navigating different seasons of business and motherhood. 

Press play for the full interview or keep reading below!

The Drive of Entrepreneurship

Fresh out of college, Rachel dove headfirst into entrepreneurship. “I wanted to report to myself. I don’t like having someone else dictate how I spend my time,” she says. “I was always a good worker, but I didn’t love having jobs.”

So she quit her unfulfilling day job and tried a handful of creative businesses. Photography turned to calligraphy, which grew into hand-lettered products. Rachel launched The Rachel Allene Shop in the golden age of Instagram and her following grew quickly.

As she created new products, she paid close attention to what people bought. If a product didn’t sell, that was valuable information about what her customers didn’t want. “I viewed all my failures as market research.” 

Building a Strong Community

From the beginning, Rachel focused on building a community around her brand. “I never wanted to build a business without heart or without connecting with my customers.”

That dedication to serving her audience paid off – by the fall of 2018, The Rachel Allene Shop had branched into new products and glassware, and Rachel’s community loyally followed along. 

The Ups and Downs of Growth

After a major growth year in 2020, things have slowed down a little since. With three kids, Rachel’s time to work on the business has shrunk. At the same time, the costs of goods has increased, while an uncertain economy means people are spending less overall.

Rachel says what helped her get through a difficult year in 2023 was talking to other business owners – especially those who have been in business for longer. Her fellow entrepreneurs help her keep things in perspective.

“It’s very rare that you grow bigger every year. It ebbs and flows. I called last year my gap year because I did what I could do and let that be enough.”

Use Your Business to Fund Your Life

“Money is probably the most toxic relationship I have in my life,” Rachel says. Managing the financial side of her business has always been stressful, but what’s helped her the most is to remember that money comes and goes. “You can’t let it control your entire life.” 

Following The Blueprint Model’s principle of defining enough, Rachel sets attainable goals for how much she needs to sell each month. Then she takes it a step further by thinking about what that money will do for her family, like fund a trip to Disney World.

“This business is creating things for life. It’s not just money in, money out. There’s more meaning to it.”

Pricing Online Shop Products

As a product-based business, Rachel’s prices are always shifting. “Product shop profit margins are tough.” The economy takes a dive or the post office raises its shipping rates and she needs to recalculate. 

In the early days, her husband’s salary covered their living expenses.  Everything Rachel made went back into the business. Now that The Rachel Allene Shop contributes to their household income, she has to be intentional about making profitable products.

Her advice to other shop owners would be to factor in the cost of goods and the time you’ve spent perfecting your craft – all those hours add up to a higher-quality product.

Adjusting to Life as a Mom and Business Owner

As a mom of three kids, Rachel has less downtime than she did when she first started her business. Now it’s all about finding small windows of productivity. 

A regimented schedule helps. Rachel keeps a detailed to-do list for everything from meal planning to unloading the dishwasher – something she never used to do before having kids. But less time thinking about what needs to be done gives her more time to focus.

The Balance Between Contentment and Ambition 

As for the shop, Rachel says any time spent away from her kids has to be worth it. “The further I go in business, the less I do. Nine years in, I’m doing the least I’ve ever done.”

Working fewer hours required a serious mindset shift. She still has big goals for the business, and it hasn’t been easy to set those aside. “It felt like failure…but I’ve accepted that this is such a short season of my life when I have small kids and I don’t want to have regrets.”

Everything is a Season

When her kids are older, Rachel knows she’ll have more time for her shop and hobbies again. For now, she’s focused on enjoying this season of life, because that’s all it is: a season. 

Remembering that everything is temporary helps Rachel get through the hard times and appreciate when the good ones. In the meantime, she says: “My worth is not determined by how much I’m working or how much my business is growing. Who I am is enough regardless.”

More from this Episode

To hear the full story and more about Rachel, press play on the player above for the full interview or click here to download the transcript.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

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Rachel Heckmann

Rachel Allene is a mom of three, wife, and online shop owner. She is a big believer in finding joy in the small things and loves to encourage others to look for the good. Her online shop showcases a range of hand lettered and hand drawn products that are intentionally created to spark joy, encourage hearts, and help women focus on truth. Through her products and online presence, she hopes to connect with women and help them feel seen, loved, valued, and welcomed. 

When she’s not slinging snacks for her three kids or working on her business, you can typically find her with a random gluten free treat she’s whipped up and a good book, a Bravo TV show, or a load of laundry that needs to be folded. She loves hosting gatherings in her home, spending time with loved ones, and being outdoors.

CONNECT WITH RACHEL:

Website | Instagram

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