In this episode, John Ryan sits down with Stephanie Hackfort, the dynamic owner of Top Loft Clothing. Stephanie shares her journey from her childhood in Carroll to founding a successful boutique. Find out how her career at Wells Fargo and a passion for shopping sparked the idea for her thriving business. Plus, enjoy some amusing anecdotes from Stephanie's recent Florida vacation!
John Ryan (Host) :
This is Must Know People. I'm John Ryan, and we're excited about today's guest, of course, on our podcast, because I always wanted to do a podcast about the women business owners here in Carroll. As we had a radio station advisor years ago that said, man, Carroll is just loaded with great women business owners out there. And so I thought, well, let's dive into that subject a little bit. Stephanie Hackford, the owner of Top Loft Clothing, is with us here. So Stephanie, first of all, back from vacation, nice, rested, relaxed, ready to go.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I'm here.
John Ryan (Host) :
Where did you go? You went to Florida in the summertime.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes.
John Ryan (Host) :
Why would anybody in their right mind go to Florida in the summertime?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know... It was a girls trip. So super, super fun. Spoiled the girls. One of my daughters, I guess. And yeah, I don't know. But, you know, it was less busy. So that part of things was really nice. There were no lines.
John Ryan (Host) :
It's because there's more heat and humidity down there than there is here.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
And, you know, the worst had a blast. I had so much fun. But there are little bugs down there. They're called no-see-ums. And I got bit like crazy. And I think I'm allergic.
John Ryan (Host) :
Worse than the little black bugs we have around here?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes. Because you literally can't see them. I'm scratching Florida off my vacation list now. I was the lucky one out of, like, all the seven to just have a horrible reaction to those. But other than that, great time.
John Ryan (Host) :
Great time, great time. So you're ready to roll for this. Are you ready to talk about women in business and things like that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I think so. You know, it's so exciting. I was excited to hear from you. We are so fortunate to have a lot of great women business owners in Carroll. So I'm excited to chat about that.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, well, let's start with the very beginning. You grew up in Carroll, right? Your maiden name was Janning, is that right? That is correct, yeah. Okay, talk about growing up in Carroll. What was it like for you?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
My childhood was so much fun, and that was one of the reasons we decided to move back after we had kids. I grew up on the south side of town near Southside Park, kind of was able to run around town. We always talk about the summer, how it's different now for our kids. They're so scheduled out versus, you know, my mom and dad went to work, and we were kind of left to run around town and have a good time.
John Ryan (Host) :
I bet your mom and dad never drove you anywhere. You were on your own for transportation?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, we were walking everywhere, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Now that doesn't happen, it seems like. That is correct. So what was your first paying job? Do you remember that when you were in high school, I assume?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Did you go to Carroll or Kemper?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I went to Kemper. Okay. Graduated from there in the year 2000. But my first paying job, besides babysitting, would be I worked at Walmart. I worked at Walmart when it was where like Pizza Ranch is now.
John Ryan (Host) :
Mm-hmm.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
in the health and beauty area. And then I also helped out by where they sold the CDs. CDs were really big.
John Ryan (Host) :
I vaguely remember the old Walmart store. It seems like eons ago that it was there.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I can see the layout of it in my mind right now. It was a great learning experience. I actually really, really liked working there.
John Ryan (Host) :
What was it like to work there? Did you like it, not like it? What was it about that job that you liked?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It was neat working with people of all different ages. So being my first job, having people work next to me that could be my grandparents' age, but then other high schoolers and whatnot. So it was neat. I learned a lot. The thing I looked forward to the most was running the cash register and learning how to do that. So I just learned a lot about responsibility, checking it, clocking in, clocking out.
John Ryan (Host) :
Working with people of different ages forces you out of your shell a little bit. I think that's great for a young person to go out and be around people that are not their age, not their same background, and so you kind of learn a little bit.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, and it's neat because a lot of those people are still there today. So when I go through there, I don't know if they remember me at all, but I remember things about them and what I might have learned from them. They're like, we've seen so many of you pass through here, but...
John Ryan (Host) :
So who was the early influence in growing up around here in Carroll, aside from your parents? Parents are always a huge influence, but who else was out there that really had a big impact on you?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, gosh, that's tricky because I was going to say, you know, it was my mom and dad for sure. And just like my surroundings, my grandparents as well. We have a lot of entrepreneurs in our family, Janning Tile and Ceilings. And then my mom's dad ran Denny's for quite a while. If you remember the Denny's chicken and coleslaw and that. So just kind of the hardworking mentality and the entrepreneurship that kind of just was what I was surrounded with. Sure. How about teachers?
John Ryan (Host) :
Which teachers made an impact for you? My mom and dad were both teachers, so I always love to find out who influenced you there.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Gosh, that's a tricky one because I feel like we were blessed with so many awesome teachers. Mr. Sexton, I don't know if you're familiar with Mr. Sexton, but he was so great. Just his... His presence at Kemper was awesome. I really, like, a GP for Spanish was great. We were able to do the Spanish club back then, or the Spanish trip, so that was fun to be able to go to Mexico with her. But really, and then in college I had some great professors, too, so a couple of those also stick out.
John Ryan (Host) :
I would have thought you were a third-grade teacher because, you know.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, yeah, yeah. Come on.
John Ryan (Host) :
I'm leading you into this room. Tell me what was special about third grade.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, well, I'm trying to remember that right. It was in second or third grade when a lot of the schools started combining. So my husband, Matt, grew up in the Dudham-Willie area. And so when their school came to Kemper, that is when I first met him.
John Ryan (Host) :
Second or third grade?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Second or third grade. Now, we weren't together.
John Ryan (Host) :
When did you actually start to date? Fourth, fifth grade?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know, okay. That was much later. Okay. Yes. We were very good friends, but didn't start dating until after college. Is that right? That is correct.
John Ryan (Host) :
Did you guys go to the same college or just stay in touch?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
We just stayed in touch. He was always just somebody who was always a really good friend of mine. So we just kind of stayed in touch. And I would come back to Carol every so often. And he was one of the first people I called. And somebody said, why aren't you guys... dating each other and we're like, I don't know. Why aren't we?
John Ryan (Host) :
So when did you guys actually start dating? It was after you were done with college, you said?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
After I was done with college, I'd say probably like 2006, 2005, 2006. So we graduated high school in 2000. And then so like five years left of that. You went to where? I went to AIB in Des Moines. So it is no longer here. But it was a business school and I really loved... I didn't know what I wanted to do after high school. Actually, I thought I'd go in to be a hairstylist or something like that. My parents really encouraged me to take some business classes. And if you want to do that, that's great. But learn business first, and then that way you can take those classes and learn how to be a hairstylist. You can open your own place and kind of run from there. Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
That's always great advice. I mean, for anybody. So you didn't know early on that you were going to run your own business.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, no, no, no. You know, so going to AIB, all of our classes were kind of in the morning, which allowed for us to work after. Basically after lunchtime. So I was lucky enough to get a job at Wells Fargo. They hired me on. I was one of the only or the only person that worked part time for them in the department that I was in at the time. So kind of did some of the grunt work, the filing and copies and things like that.
John Ryan (Host) :
Started at the literal bottom.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Literal bottom. But I really learned a lot, too. That is intimidating. It was very intimidating for me to go into such a big office space, not ever seeing anything like that before, but I really learned a lot. And so then I, after class was over, I go to work there and I come back to my dorm apartment and most of my friends and roommates were gone. going to their job at that time so once four o'clock hit at wells fargo most people were going home so i ended up getting a second job too so i i did a lot of school and a lot of work but i had a lot of fun as well so balanced it all out there um but i actually end up staying with wells fargo for 15 years oh really so that was something i think might surprise people
John Ryan (Host) :
Wells Fargo in Des Moines?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Wells Fargo in Des Moines, yeah. So I worked downtown Des Moines and then we kind of moved offices around. The last place that I was with was the one by Jordan Creek.
John Ryan (Host) :
So you mentioned there was a lot of college professors that had an influence on you. What did they do to influence? What made that impression?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know, one of the coolest, there was a Mr. Clark, and anybody that went to AIB would know who I'm talking about. But he was my marketing teacher, and he brought in business professionals from the Des Moines area to come in and talk about what they did and kind of just more in-depth look at business of all sorts of... of levels and he was, you know, just one of those people you meet that made you feel better and everybody has value and he was positive. And, you know, if you were having a bad day or something like that, they just he just really, really was influential.
John Ryan (Host) :
So you go to AIB, still no idea that you're going to be owning your own business eventually. What did you think you were going to be doing? I mean, just was there any sector that you thought you're going to be in?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Aside from hairstyle and things like that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, that went away right away.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Why?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I just, I don't think I had that talent. Like, I thought I would, I don't know. It just went away. Once I started taking some of the marketing and advertising classes, my sights were set on going into advertising. I really wanted to do that. I really wanted to work at, there was a place there called Craigie Newell. I don't even know if they still exist, but they did all the billboards and magazines and things like that. So my goal was to work for them eventually.
John Ryan (Host) :
Got that marketing bug, man.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yep, got the marketing bug.
John Ryan (Host) :
That is a oddly addicting business.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, yeah. I love marketing. I'm so changed.
John Ryan (Host) :
Because I'm in the radio, and that's my aspect of it, and copy and all that other stuff. Most people can't stand it. I love it. It was so interesting to me. So that's really what I thought I would be doing. We could geek out and talk marketing all afternoon.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
But we are going to move on here and talk about the business. You settled on, first of all, you and Matt get married. You still don't own the business yet.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Correct. Yeah. So we got married and I talked him into moving to Des Moines. You know, once I moved there, I'm never coming back to Carroll. We're going to live here and we're going to build our life.
John Ryan (Host) :
Was he a Carroll County guy through and through?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah. Yeah. He was working here and it kind of, you know, once he got to Des Moines, I think he really liked it there too. We were in the Waukee area. So we got married in 2007. We dated, I think, about nine months before he decided to pop the question. So quick, but we knew each other forever.
John Ryan (Host) :
You guys rushed right into everything.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Right. So yeah, so we lived in Des Moines for a little while, and then we moved to Carroll, decided to make the move to Carroll when our oldest was starting kindergarten. So thought, you know, if we're going to do it, if we're going to give it a whirl, like, now's the time.
John Ryan (Host) :
So move back to Carol just because of your daughter. But first, truly.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So we had gosh, she would have been starting kindergarten. Then my second daughter would have been probably like two or three years old.
John Ryan (Host) :
So why? When did the business come in? When did you decide I'm going to start my own business? Because that is such a huge leap of faith.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Right. Well, thank you. It really was an interesting process. So working with Wells Fargo, I worked in the mortgage side and I was a manager. And then when we started tossing around the idea of maybe moving back home, I thought, oh, I'm just going to stay with them. I've been with them for 15 years. I'm going to look for a job within Wells Fargo that I can work from home. So I went into business analyst role and basically job. I shadowed people doing their jobs to help them make process improvements to their jobs. So we would write requirements. See, you know, just I just sit there like you wouldn't know I was there. And we'd write requirements for new automations. Anyway, so we do that. And I started traveling an awful lot doing that. So I'd be gone a week at a time, and the next week Matt would be gone a week at a time, and we thought, this is just not going to work. So in the meantime, the downtime, I was kind of tossing around side hustle ideas, and I came across something that's like, open your boutique online. I'm like, I could do that. Like, I love shopping. So I... And we were sitting in our living room one night, and I said, what do you think? I'm going to start my own store. And I did. And within probably about five minutes of making it live, I had a sale online. I thought, oh, my gosh.
John Ryan (Host) :
The addiction started right there.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
This is great. So, you know, doing that part of, like, helping with the automations and requirements for system building with Wells Fargo, I really learned a lot about website building. And I was able to – I love doing that. Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
And it was fairly early, you know, websites were still, they weren't as complex and as cool as they are now.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Right, right.
John Ryan (Host) :
I mean, it really refined them very, very quickly.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It was pretty simple then. Yeah. It was funny because there was some parts within building the process where I'm like, this isn't going to work. And I'd call the host and I'd say, like, their helpline. And I'm like, okay, this should do this when this happens. And they're like, what did you do in your past?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So, it was kind of fun because the website host that I use, we really worked together. It was an interesting relationship. Well, it's funny.
John Ryan (Host) :
Everything you've said so far is leading you up to everything you need to open a brick and mortar store and own a business and things like that. So, you were just going online at that point.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Just going online. Just a side hustle. Side hustle, no big deal.
John Ryan (Host) :
What were you selling? I mean, where did you get the inventory?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, so I figured that all out. My biggest, everything's figureoutable. If you want to do something, you can do it. You just have to figure out how to do it. And so that's kind of how I grew up. My mom would take apart VCRs when they break and figure out how to put them back together. Most people can't program the clock on those things. I mean, I wouldn't attempt to do that. So I just did a lot of research and figured it out. I honestly didn't have anybody I was able to go to to ask those questions. There was a couple boutiques in Des Moines that I really looked up to, and I talked to a couple of those ladies there. But a lot of people don't want to share all their secrets, so figure it out on your own.
John Ryan (Host) :
So what exactly did you sell?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So women's clothing, strictly women's clothing, boutique clothing.
John Ryan (Host) :
Where did your inventory come from?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So just different wholesale websites. And then I started going to market and finding, you know, more specific brand names, but I did a lot of, you know, shopping and looking at tags and okay, how do I reach out to that company to see if they'll send me their stuff? And so I was kind of just winging it and, and it was working.
John Ryan (Host) :
It's very controllable. You didn't probably overspend if you couldn't, you know, you put out a certain amount under the business and saying, let's see how that goes.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
That was the goal. So I started small. I'm like, I'm just going to have a few shirts and then, you know, but you have to buy in a book for the most part, like a few of each size or whatever. to get a good deal and so I do that but yeah it was it was really fun it was really fun and then the business just started growing and so it came to the point where you know people think I was gonna do it kind of on the side no one's gonna know who Top Loft is and I'll just kind of be behind the scenes where people started figuring out who it was and I was really enjoying it so I get people reaching out to me and wanting to try things on and coming to her house and my husband was like I don't know who's in our bedroom right now trying on clothes. This isn't going to work. But you've got to knock on every door in your house before you go in. Yes, I'm sure there's a lot of ladies who have seen a lot of my house.
John Ryan (Host) :
So Top Loft, where did that come from? You started early. That was the original name of your online store.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
That is right. So the name came from truly sitting on... My husband and I were sitting on the couch, and I was looking up, and our daughter's bedrooms are all on the... Second floor of our house, the loft area, there's a loft they all hang out in. And so there was already an Ann Taylor loft. So I was like, I just feel like this comes from like, that's where my heart is. That's who I'm passionate about. You know, the biggest part of my life is right up there in the loft.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Top off.
John Ryan (Host) :
Well, that makes total sense. Now, every business name has a story. I just never knew where that one came from, so I was very curious about that. So where did the transition into a brick-and-mortar store in Carroll? Were you selling new clothing and that was all you sold in there, or were you selling vintage clothes and things like that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Sure. So it was all new clothing. So once Matt basically kicked me out of the house, we found a spot on Thomas. We found a spot at Thomas Plaza. So I thought, oh, that'll just be my warehouse. And I'm not really going to have business hours. It'll just be if someone wants to try something on there. There it is. But I'll ship out of there. That lasted probably maybe a week. And I ended up taking. Yeah, I people saw me down there and I was like, you know, maybe I should just, you know, I took some PTO and I'm like, I'm going to be open for a week and see how this does. And I ended up at the end of the week saying, I think, I think I need to make the transition, which is very hard to do.
John Ryan (Host) :
A whole week.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
A whole week. Waited one week. Five days or seven days for the week.
John Ryan (Host) :
I want to know. So you open up the business and things, I mean, you really haven't hit any snags, any problems to this point, right?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
No. I mean, things were going great. Thomas it's so neat. We call it like the business incubator. It's the best place to start a business.
John Ryan (Host) :
I feel like, um, a lot of businesses start down there.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah. Yeah. And it's cool. Um, after I moved out, I think it was a Jenna bug baby boutique and she has been doing wonderful things, you know, out of that spot too. So it's just, it's neat to see, but yeah, no snags, things are going well. So two years into that, my lease is up and I start looking for a place to actually purchase. So,
John Ryan (Host) :
Were you into the business full-time out there? You'd quit Wells Fargo?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I was into it full-time, yeah. I quit probably a couple weeks after moving into that Thomas Plaza space. So that was a big jump.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, how big of a leap was that for you?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I mean, I lost my safety net, right? So being with Wells Fargo for 15 years, it was pretty... pretty safe for me, I thought. Which, looking back, I think it was the best thing to do. There was a lot of interesting things going on in the mortgage industry, and that's the sector I worked in. So it was nice to kind of get out of that. But I wanted to be more flexible as far as my time with the kids and things like that. And if it works, it works. And if it doesn't, it doesn't. But let's give it a try. You only live once.
John Ryan (Host) :
Did you have the kids at the store all the time?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes. Yep.
John Ryan (Host) :
Put him to work a little bit.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
A little bit. I remember having like a baby, a little baby pack and play there. I was pregnant when we bought the building that I'm in now, which used to be John's Bakery. So my mom worked at John's Bakery when she was in high school. So it was kind of. Kind of full circle, sort of.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, I love the old pictures of downtown, Carol. Everybody knows when you said, oh, it's the old Jung's Bakery.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Everybody kind of knows what you're talking about. Oh, it's so funny. When I first opened up, people come in. They're like, oh, it smells like those Long Johns. All the renovations?
John Ryan (Host) :
This isn't nostalgia. It's just coming out of the woodwork out there. So at what point did you hit any rough spots? I mean, were there any? It didn't rub until now. It doesn't sound like any.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, I mean, so then we renovated that space. It was, like I said, I was pregnant when we bought it. I remember my husband tearing down walls, and we had my youngest Vivian and a baby carrier in there and stuff. It's got the space all done, and And for the first few years, it was great. Business really changed for us when COVID hit. And I would say that probably changed for a lot of people. So that was one of the biggest. That year was very interesting. And then almost it was the year after that things got a little bit trickier.
John Ryan (Host) :
And so you mean just after effects of being shut down?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, being able to get inventory, a lot of the vendors I ordered from didn't have as much or it was just hard to get things. And then, you know, people's purchasing habits changed quite a bit, too. So that really changed the brick and mortar shopping for us.
John Ryan (Host) :
Absolutely. So you had to do something in reaction to that.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
What did you do? So that was another, I mean, that was a big pivot moment for us. And I talk about pivoting all the time. And I think of like Ross Geller off Friends, the whole pivot the couch thing. Pivot, pivot.
John Ryan (Host) :
I know exactly what you're talking about.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes, that's one of my favorite scenes.
John Ryan (Host) :
My wife loves that show and loves that episode specifically.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, so it was a big pivot moment. And again, I hate to call my husband a cheerleader, but he really has been the biggest do it. So I came to him and I said, I'm having so much trouble getting inventory. Maybe I should just start making my own. And he was like, what do you mean by that? I was looking into these new machines and whatnot that were basically like a screen print machine, but it's different. And I said, I think I really should start doing some of this myself and control my inventory. Maybe I do only made-to-order stuff, and then I reduce the cost of things. So he said, do it. And I was like, really? Yeah. This is an investment. And that was really, you know, the biggest investment that I put into the business because everything just was really easy right away.
John Ryan (Host) :
Was it a huge, like, I'm keeping myself awake at night kind of investment?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know, it's funny, kind of, but... Like just learning, learning the new machinery, learning new systems. But I love it. And that was it's funny because I'm like when I worked with Wells Fargo, you know, it's more like nine to five type situation. I work more than I ever have, but I love what I do. And so it's doesn't seem like it doesn't seem like work.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah. So you transitioned. You got a lot of like sports items. You got licensed to carry different things. So what are you all licensed to do? I know Carol Kemper, you do a lot of those.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Do a lot of Carol Kemper. We do the merchants, the Carol merchants. And then, you know, we do have this some of the university stuff in the store. I don't make that myself. I don't I don't plan to get licensed in that. We get that from another place here in Iowa. So it's it's semi-local. But a big, big part of our business has been working with other businesses, both big and small.
John Ryan (Host) :
Which explains why we're recording here at Wasted Grain today over the lunch hour. It was your choice to record here.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes, yes. They've been awesome to work with. So what we've been able to do is kind of solve for a need in some business cases where they want to be able to allow their customers or employees access to their branded gear, but maybe not stock a whole thing. warehouse full of inventory so it's been you know anything from like a small business to larger businesses that are wanting to you know have somewhere for their employees to buy new new branded gear so we've been able to build build websites and that's like my background at Wells Fargo has really helped me with that and building and creating new really cool websites for them to kind of solve that need so
John Ryan (Host) :
Do you still sell any of the stuff you're buying from wholesalers, or you just stop that completely?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I pretty much stop that completely. So that has totally changed. That was the tricky part. I really loved doing the women's boutique thing. Got a pick between the two, and so this is where we're at now, and it's been awesome.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, you kind of reduced it down, went local, and you flourished with all that stuff. So how many businesses are you working with as far as making their T-shirts, things like that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So currently I have, I think last count was 102 different stores set up. So that's kind of our, you know, we have people that would come in and do family reunion things or a small business that just wants, you know, a dozen or more shirts. And then we've got very large corporations. that we do bulk orders for too, but the stores that are open constantly, I think we're at 102.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, so you're not relying on your retail business as much as you are doing business to business.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Business to business, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
What's the weirdest thing anybody wants you to put on a t-shirt?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I have had to say no.
John Ryan (Host) :
Can we ask that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I only once, and I, yeah, I can't say it on this podcast, John. I think I might get in trouble.
John Ryan (Host) :
Well, you can tell me later on that one. Talk about how time consuming. Like I said, you love what you do, but it has to take a big chunk of your time. I mean, give me your daily schedule. What time you wake up in the morning? What's your routine? What do you do?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So I'm not really a morning person. I'm trying to be. I joked after I stopped working my 9 to 5 or 7 to whatever. I used to get up really early when I worked for Wells Fargo. I'm like, I'm retired now. I don't have to get up. I'm not retired. I get up around 6.30 maybe if I'm lucky. I like to have a cup of coffee, work out. And then... head down to the store and so i'll usually what time do you usually head down once the kids are gone to school yeah yeah typically once the kids are so our retail hours we open at 10 so i'm there before then i usually don't get down there till probably around nine or so and then yeah and then i work but you know the flexibility part is nice i am a night night owl so a lot of times i just love to stay up late with my computer on my lap and and work away so how many employees do you have I have like five or six high school girls that are working for me now. And then I have a handful of friends and family that work kind of on the side or after hours.
John Ryan (Host) :
And everybody to cover as busy as you are. Yeah. So that's kind of the perfect balance.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know, efficiency is key. So it's kind of been, you know, at first it took a while to figure out what works and find those efficiencies. Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
You started down at the Thomas Plaza. How welcoming were people as a new business owner and as a woman business owner?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Incredibly. When I opened my doors at the Thomas Plaza, just the community in general. So people like people and people generally, I mean, they want to like people. They want to support businesses. And so I felt like the community was very welcoming and other business owners were. I feel like the vibe is like community over competition. Everyone wants to see everyone do well. If my neighbor's doing well, I'm going to do well. So that aspect was great. And then, you know, the chamber and the chamber members and everybody involved in that has been wonderful.
John Ryan (Host) :
Any roadblocks that you saw that were kind of thrown up as saying, you know, I'm not saying just specifically women, but any roadblocks that you felt as a woman business owner?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I can't think of anything off the top of my head that was a big roadblock. A learning experience for me was just being in the retail world was totally different because that wasn't something that I had ever really done before. But no huge roadblocks that I can think of. Everybody was very supportive and helpful.
John Ryan (Host) :
So if you weren't running like the business you were now, do you think you'd still be owning a business?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I think so.
John Ryan (Host) :
And what kind of business would that be? If you could start all over again and say, I'm going to get into this business. I want to be there.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, gosh. I feel like this is what I'm meant to be doing. It's funny. So we talk about manifesting things that happen. I came across a worksheet that I did when I was a little kid, and it was a picture of a business on Adams Street. And it wasn't the same business that I'm in now. But I was like, oh, my gosh, I wonder if like I totally forgot that that was something I wanted to do when I was a kid. So I really do feel like I'm where I should be. I love working with other business owners. I love helping people. So but I mean, I think a coffee shop would be super fun to run. I would love to work at like a little boutique on the beach somewhere someday.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah. A little surf shop or something like that. Surf shop would be great. What was the biggest barrier for you to start a business? What was it?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I think just myself, having confidence. And that was one thing I think maybe women more so than men too, that whole imposter syndrome feeling where you're not adequate or a little insecure. So the biggest hurdle was truly just having confidence in myself to... to do it.
John Ryan (Host) :
Have you always been a confident person? Because you strike me as a very confident person.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
No, no, not at all. I would say I'm a very introverted extrovert. I love to be around people, but I'm kind of more on the quiet side.
John Ryan (Host) :
I don't know if my friends would agree with that, but I feel that way. But I feel like you'd get comfortable very quickly in that crowd. So talk about the other relationship you have with the women business owners around town. Do you guys kind of really associate together a lot or do you share a lot of things?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, you know, I feel like we're all here for each other. We have like a Facebook message group every once in a while. We'll bounce ideas off of each other. Honestly, everybody's so busy. I think we'd love to get together for coffee and talk, but it's just everybody's so busy. So there is a retail committee through the chamber that some of us will see each other at. But yeah, I mean, I work... I work closely with a few of the ladies in either providing their business with goods, and one of them helps sew items for me when I need patches sewn on hats and things like that. So it's been really great.
John Ryan (Host) :
Is there a lot of brainstorming with them about, here's what I kind of want to do, but I can't figure out how to do it, that kind of thing?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
A little bit of that. Yeah. And usually that's just off the cuff. If I run into somebody in the grocery store or something like that, it's like, hey, I've been thinking about doing X, Y, Z on this site or, you know, things like that. And so just having people to bounce ideas off of that think kind of the same way you do has been really, really nice.
John Ryan (Host) :
Now, you mentioned you really haven't hit too many big bumps in the road. COVID was a bump for everybody, of course. Yep, yep. But do you feel like you're successful? You're obviously running a successful business, but how do you define success? And do you see yourself as being successful yet?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It's crazy. Cause I, I was just thinking about this the other day and, and I, yes, but no, like I, from the beginning, you know, being like, oh, this is going to be a side hustle to then what it was and now what it is and continuing to pivot with the challenges along the way. I would like to say I'm successful, but I, I really excited for what the future holds. So I don't think I'm even close to, to where that might be, but I think it's important to look back and be like, look, like you should be proud of yourself.
John Ryan (Host) :
Best days are yet to come.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Best days are yet to come.
John Ryan (Host) :
So talk about the weekends and how do you balance having a retail business and family and all of that stuff. It's tough for any business owner for that.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh gosh, yeah. I used to work a lot on the weekends. I kind of have taken myself out of the retail like working in the front of the retail store is what I call it. Uh, I really have awesome help. So I try to keep my time down to the weekdays. Although like when the kids are still in bed Saturday mornings or what, you just kind of find the time to do what needs to be done. I mean, the emails never stopped coming in. The phone calls are always there. So it's just kind of working around their schedule more than anything. A lot of times we're in the road, you know, on the road to baseball or not baseball games. I'm thinking of the baseball. Yeah. Merchants and stuff. Merchants and stuff. But on the road to, you know, the girls' basketball games or volleyball games and things like that. And I'm working in the car. And it's just normal. And I think, you know, it's cool for the kids to see that too, you know.
John Ryan (Host) :
Does it ever stop? Do you ever stop thinking about it as a business owner?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Um, there's times. Yeah. I mean, where my husband will be like, all right, put the phone down or whatever. But, um, yeah, I, I, I've been learning to shut things down. Yes. That is hard. It's hard. And I would say like my workout working out is like my, my, my me time. So I've really found that to be very mentally healthy. Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Do you sit and watch TV while you're doing that or do you listen to music and things like that?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Listen to music.
John Ryan (Host) :
Just so you can just kind of zone out a little bit. I did ask the person that told me I should talk to you about this to give me a little comment about you and things like that. And here's kind of what they said. They said, I believe Steph is a good role model for other women in business. because she's successfully started and grown her small business and through top loft she contributes positively to the community supporting other small business owners engaging in community initiatives she's respected not just in business but also as a community leader do you see yourself as a community leader that is so sweet um that is what i tried to be i think you know there's
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It's hard, I think, as any working parent to try to balance that work-life balance. And there's truly, I think there's no balancing it. You just do your best. And so trying to be there where you feel like you're needed. I love to network with other businesses and other people in the community. And some weeks it works out really great and sometimes it doesn't. So just trying to find the time to do what, you know, trying to find the time.
John Ryan (Host) :
When it doesn't work, does that eat you up a little bit?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
A little bit, yeah. I mean, there's always somewhere to be, and there's always more you can do. And so that's tricky, but just do your best.
John Ryan (Host) :
Do you feel like pressure to be almost perfect sometimes with things?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, I think we're all our harshest critic, you know? So, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
How do you deal with criticism? If somebody criticizes something, is it something that's going to eat you up and kind of just be with you for a little while?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Totally. And I wish I was not that way. Um, I think, you know, it, it does. I'm, I'm beginning to be better. I'm starting to be better. Yeah. Um, but yeah, I think that's okay too, because with, with that criticism, whether, you know, a little bit of it might be true or some of it's just somebody is reading you totally the wrong way. That's fine. And everybody, not everybody's going to like everybody, but you know, um, yeah, it does build, build up that thick skin and just keep being you.
John Ryan (Host) :
so what what advice would you give first any any woman out there listening right now saying who's thinking about making that leap to start a business do they want to emulate you kind of start with that little side hustle and then grow it from there or just jump in both feet oh gosh um you know i feel like honestly that
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I hate to tell somebody, like, don't just jump all in, but I think the side hustle teaches you a lot. Kind of like if you are passionate about it, do you really like this? And it kind of gets your feet wet. So I think that's what I would probably encourage somebody to do. Owning your own business is hard. It's a lot of hard work. It's very time consuming, but it's also extremely rewarding. And so it's finding, you know, is that what you're passionate about? So if it's something totally new, get your feet wet. See if you really do like it.
John Ryan (Host) :
All right, so we're going to have a few quick questions here. Okay. Oh, by the way, the person that nominated said, by the way, she's a real hoot.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I'm a hoot. You're a hoot.
John Ryan (Host) :
Oh, dear. So what show have you recently binged? What TV show?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, I just started watching, okay, so I just, I would say Suits, but I just started watching Your Honor on Netflix. It just came out, and it really tied me in. I started watching it on the airplane on the way to Florida, and I jumped out of my seat during the first few minutes.
John Ryan (Host) :
Suits was a great one.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Suits was good.
John Ryan (Host) :
First couple years, awesome.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Are you a sports fan?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes.
John Ryan (Host) :
What teams?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
um because i scoped out your facebook you've been kansas city cubs and baseball and things like that so big chiefs fan i became a football fan mainly because my i have two brothers and my father my dad um are big football fans and one likes the vikings and one likes uh green bay packers so i'm like i'm gonna try to find a different team so i picked the chiefs and i got really lucky it because this was right before they became really good. So I don't know if they like that so much. Timing is everything on all that. Exactly.
John Ryan (Host) :
I'm a Vikings fan. We've suffered long enough.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Uh-huh, right?
John Ryan (Host) :
What's your least favorite food?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, I really like everything. Nobody likes everything. Come on. Yes, for sure. I don't like spaghetti. Really? Oh, gosh, no. I literally do not like spaghetti. What is it about spaghetti? It's those noodles. I don't... If you make spaghetti with a different noodle, I'd be okay. But, yeah, I can't. I cannot. Ever since I was a kid. I don't think I've known. And my kids, I've never made them spaghetti, so they may be deprived.
John Ryan (Host) :
It's kind of like saying you hate pizza. There's something wrong with that.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It's strange. I know. And I love pastas. Do you? Spaghetti noodles.
John Ryan (Host) :
Oh, okay. What clothing style do you wish would make a comeback?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Ooh. I would say, oh, this is tricky.
John Ryan (Host) :
Well, you know what's coming next. Which one shouldn't come back?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah. What style? Yeah. So maybe you can roll them into one question. I would say, gosh, I'm thinking like when I grew up in like the 80s, 90s, like the grunge and baggy, like I remember, it's interesting now having, you know, teenage daughters and they wear smaller clothes. I grew up wearing like big baggy clothes. There's a happy medium in there somewhere. I just don't know what that is. So the grunge look, out. I'd say that's out. What would you bring back? I kind of dig the 70s, like the flare jeans, which I think are kind of coming back anyway. Hippie clothes? Hippie clothes I think are kind of fun.
John Ryan (Host) :
Are you a hippie at heart?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
No, I'm definitely not. So I don't know. That's tricky. I'm very basic. I feel like my style is kind of just basic fashion.
John Ryan (Host) :
So would you rather go to an event where you dress up a lot or one that you wear sweats to or something?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Not a big sweats girl either. I would like to go somewhere where I could wear jeans and a white tee. That would be my comfortable attire.
John Ryan (Host) :
What's one habit you're trying hard to break?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, probably, oh goodness. That's a tough one.
John Ryan (Host) :
Yeah, it is.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
I probably have a lot of bad habits. Yelling at my kids. No. Well, that's on them. It's summertime. They clearly deserve it. I actually don't think I yell at them too much. No. That's, I don't know.
John Ryan (Host) :
Don't really have one. Okay.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah. Gosh, you stumped me.
John Ryan (Host) :
Music preferences.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Everything. Everything?
John Ryan (Host) :
Give me some artists.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh my gosh. Okay. So I grew up on like 90s hip hop. So I, you know, like Tupac and Snoop and Salt-N-Pepa. So I love that. I like to work out. to that kind of music usually, but I also am like a big Morgan Wallant, like the new country, I feel like the new country is a lot of what the 70s classic rock was, so I kind of grew up with that, my mom would take me to concerts and stuff, so I like to listen to that as well, but also like the 80s, like fun pop music, yeah, so all over.
John Ryan (Host) :
I always give Rainy grief because she's also a 90s, you know, loves 90s hip hop and said, we're going to be in the old folks home someday. You're going to be with your walker going down the street and, you know, to Salt-N-Pepa.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yes, yes, I mean. Stuff like that. She'd get a fist bump from me.
John Ryan (Host) :
I'd be more the ACDC, more the classic rock kind of stuff like that. But what's the worst job you ever had?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
to tasseling did you i did only one summer are you sad to see that that's gone away i don't know if anybody did tassels anymore i don't know if they do i was trying to explain to my kids what it even was and how early we'd have to wake up and how like you know the the condensation that would be on and just how miserable some of those mornings were but it was a good life experience
John Ryan (Host) :
Bad jobs teach you a lot more than good jobs can sometimes.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
That is right. That's right. An air-conditioned environment is nice.
John Ryan (Host) :
For sure. They did make good money.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
That is right.
John Ryan (Host) :
That's what everybody said. They hated the job. I never did it myself, but they loved that. So what makes you smile?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, my kids. Yeah. Seeing them do what they like to do.
John Ryan (Host) :
And your kids right now are what age in their names?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
So Charlotte's my oldest. She's 16. And then we have Alex, Alexandra. She is 13. And Vivian is 8.
John Ryan (Host) :
And Matt is totally outnumbered at home.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
He is. And we have a female chocolate lab, too. So he just, poor guy.
John Ryan (Host) :
I interviewed Sean and Shelly Heluska, and they're, Sean's in the same boat.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
He's like, I got three girls, a female dog, a wife, and he's like, I'm just totally outnumbered. He just has to go along with whatever they decide.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
You know, but I think he was meant to, Matt was meant to be, I mean, I'm sure he would love a boy, but. I think he was meant to be a girl dad. He just really, he does a good job.
John Ryan (Host) :
I had a girl and loved it. Every minute of it. She was in dance, she was in all that stuff, so I was a dance dad for a long time and did it all and absolutely loved it. Tell me something about Carol that you tell other people outside of, they don't live here. Why you live here, why you want to be here.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Um, for the community and the, it's a great place to raise kids. I don't regret it at all. Moving our family here. I think it's just been really awesome. Um, safe, comfortable. Uh, yeah.
John Ryan (Host) :
Your first podcast is in the books.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Oh, my goodness.
John Ryan (Host) :
How was it?
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
It was okay. I think we did okay. Did I do okay?
John Ryan (Host) :
You did fantastic. You did great. Thank you for having me. I appreciate you doing this because, like I said, I didn't really know you very well. I interviewed for like three minutes one time years ago with CYP. Yeah. I had no idea. I'd never really talked to you before.
Stephanie Hackfort (Guest) :
Yeah, I've never done a podcast. I didn't really know what to expect, but I appreciate you having me, and it's been great chatting with you.
John Ryan (Host) :
All right, Stephanie Hackford once again is our special guest. We're recording this at Wasted Grain. Her business, Top Loft Clothing, does a lot of business with Wasted Grain, so that's why we're here this afternoon. So we appreciate them hosting us for that. And this is Must Know People. Keep on listening for more episodes at carolbroadcasting.com.
