SDH144: When Your Crazy Idea Isn't so Crazy with Jen Glantz

What have you always been told you're good at? If it hasn't been told to you, what do people always rely on you for? Have you thought of honing those skills and creating a business from it? For Jen Glantz, founder of Bridesmaid for Hire, the answer was a solid no. When she posted her services as a professional bridesmaid on Craigslist, she just wanted to be there for brides in need of emotional support and advice leading up to their wedding day. However, in a few hours, her post had gone viral and she was contacted by hundreds of brides across the country. After a brief panic over what she had just started, and a call to her brother, she realized that she had accidentally started a business. Not only that, but she had tapped into a gold mine of a niche, and within week one of her business, she had already appeared on a TV show in Australia promoting it. Her duties as a professional bridesmaid are endless and include being a wedding coach, assistant, an accountant of sorts, and being in the wedding as a bridesmaid. But more importantly, she just wants to be there for the bride and help her gain mental clarity as she progresses toward her big day by listening to her, and giving her logical and informed advice. Listen and enjoy as we here about Jen's quirky road to accidental entrepreneurship! In this episode you will... Learn how to recognize your strengths Know how to organizing a business that fell into your lap Understand how to tailor your services based off the needs of your customer base Figure out how to calculate the worth of your services and business, and build a price point that reflects that Learn to take the knowledge you've gained as an entrepreneur, and spread it to others so they can start businesses of their own, too Know how to choose the right clientele that is in line with the purpose of your business Find out how to managing different streams of income while you're building your business INSIGHTS "It was such an accident, I had no idea that it would blow up like it did, but sometimes we have to really give faith into our weird crazy ideas and see what's going to happen." -Jen Glantz "I really did start this business because I wanted it to be a relationship business. ...I'd never started a business before, and I wasn't even sure if this was a business. It started as a service I wanted to provide to strangers who needed girl support, so that was when I learned it had to be a little bit more than free, and a little bit less than a million dollars." -Jen Glantz "I really do want to empower people to start something for themselves that makes them happy, and that is a little out of the box and different, because why not?" -Jen Glantz "I didn't want to be the kind of person that was left with nothing while building my business...I still wanted to...have my freedom of doing my own work, but still making money...through that exploration...I've really started to do things that I never would have done, that I really enjoy. And that's been really fun; having a dynamic career." -Jen Glantz RESOURCES Jen Glantz LinkedIn Jen Glantz Facebook Jen Glantz Instagram Jen Glantz Twitter Always a Bridesmaid for Hire by Jen Glantz Jen Glantz.com