Finding Her Passion:
Leah Andrew and Andrea Lown wanted to have their (tiered) cake and eat it too. While planning their own weddings they were curious how they could create their perfect day without breaking the bank.
Since they both have backgrounds in marketing, initially Leah and Andrea planned on working together as marketing consultants but after a few successful projects together and a mutual interest in creating dream weddings at a reasonable cost, the two came together and founded SmartBride Boutique, a comprehensive classifieds site targeting brides-to-be around the world.
Their Story:
While planning their own weddings, both ladies noticed that as soon as they mentioned the word ‘wedding’ to vendors like caterers or florists, the price automatically doubled. That planted the seed making Andrea think about how to get more out of a wedding budget.
When she returned from her three-month honeymoon to Southeast Asia in 2007, she wasn’t ready to go back to a corporate job. “I started knocking the idea of SmartBride Boutique around. In February 2008, I surveyed more than 500 Canadian women about the idea of buying and selling pre-owned wedding dresses. Everyone LOVED the concept which was reason enough for me to push SmartBride Boutique from idea to reality.”
From their previous work together, Leah knew that their personalities and complementary skill sets would be the beginning of a successful joint venture. “My love for small business made this a no-brainer when we talked about formalizing our partnership. Andrea was working on launching SmartBride Boutique and her passion for perfection was obvious, and her enthusiasm about the concept was infectious.”
“As a duo,” notes Andrea, “Leah and I are very balanced in expertise and temperament. She provides nothing short of exceptional service and attention to detail to her clients. I knew she would bring the same work ethic and genuine approach to the business.”
Making it Happen:
“A lot of our growth comes from word of mouth,” the ladies pointed out. “We are always out meeting new people and touting the benefits of SmartBride Boutique. This means not only more people listing their dresses for sale, and more brides-to-be looking for their dream dress, but new partnerships, bartering for services and PR.
“For example, we just partnered with Windfall. They host three bridal warehouse sales and seven appointment days each year. Now you can view hundreds of dresses available at Windfall warehouse sale online at our site, helping Windfall to drive more brides to their sample wedding dress sales and giving the brides the opportunity to have a sneak preview of the inventory before showing up the day of.”
Their Mission Statement:
SmartBride Boutique’s mission is to provide a boutique atmosphere where past and present brides can connect to buy and sell wedding related items via a simple and easy online user experience.
Together the ladies of SmartBride Boutique have created a wedding resource where brides of all income levels can have the wedding of their dreams within their budget through online classifieds and other wedding related services.
The Challenge:
For Andrea and Leah, the biggest challenge of running a small business is that there is never enough time in the day. To-do lists tend to grow faster than you can check things off of it.
“The challenge actually lies in adjusting our expectations of ourselves,” say the partners. “In 2010, we’re working on maintaining a healthier work/life balance and praising ourselves for the incredible amounts of work we do complete, even if it’s not everything.”
Hopes for the future:
The original SmartBrides themselves have a series of goals for their business and themselves. “A cool office space, you know, the kind with big windows and an exposed brick wall. And new Dutch-style commuter bikes to help us get to said cool office would be great.”
They look forward to continue building a great company with passionate people in an amazing work environment. Ultimately, they can’t wait to enjoy a vacation home in France!
Their advice to you:
Leah encourages young professionals to look at every job and task ahead as an opportunity. “You just never know when those experiences and skills are going to come in handy. For example, as a product manager at AOL, Andrea was tasked to produce five music videos having no experience or background. Her knowledge of the video editing process was invaluable when we produced our own series of “Obsessed with the Dress” videos.
Andrea advises to choose a path based on what you’re passionate about. “Whatever it is you do, you better be excited and willing to share it with everyone who comes within three metres of you. Whether you’re waiting in line at the grocery store or attending a networking event.”
Now that gives new meaning to ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’. Actually, more like something green – the money you’ll be saving!
Visit http://www.smartbrideboutique.com/ to make the most of your budget to create the perfect wedding and to check out the “Obsessed with the Dress” video series, log on to www.smartbrideboutique.com/owtd
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