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Listen "From At-Home Spray Tans to 30+ Locations with $1000: How Courtney Claghorn Built SUGARED + BRONZED"
Episode Synopsis
In this episode, Bora chats with Courtney Claghorn, co-founder of SUGARED + BRONZED, who reveals how she transformed a humble apartment-based spray tanning service into a thriving beauty empire with over 30 locations across multiple states. Starting with just $1,000 in initial capital ($500 each from her and her co-founder), Courtney shares the remarkable journey of bootstrapping a business while maintaining a full-time job in fintech.
What You'll Learn:
- The exact moment Courtney knew she had product-market fit and decided to quit her stable job
- How they acquired their first customers using creative marketing techniques and built a loyal client base through referrals
- Their strategic approach to location selection and expansion, from a small upstairs space to prime real estate in Union Square, NYC
- The power of intuition in real estate decisions, even in the age of data-driven algorithms
- Their journey from using third-party products to developing their own product line and the challenges of timing the launch during the pandemic
- Practical insights on pricing strategy, including how they identified and filled a market gap in premium beauty services
- Marketing evolution across different platforms, from pre-Facebook era to modern digital strategies
- Key lessons on scaling a service-based business while maintaining quality and brand consistency
Perfect for entrepreneurs who want to understand:
- How to validate a business idea while keeping your day job
- When and how to make the leap from side hustle to full-time business
- Strategic approaches to expanding from one location to multiple markets
- The balance between intuition and data in business decision-making
- The challenges and opportunities in transitioning from a pure service business to a hybrid service-product model
Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your existing business, Courtney's journey from bootstrapped startup to beauty industry leader offers valuable insights for any entrepreneur's playbook.
What You'll Learn:
- The exact moment Courtney knew she had product-market fit and decided to quit her stable job
- How they acquired their first customers using creative marketing techniques and built a loyal client base through referrals
- Their strategic approach to location selection and expansion, from a small upstairs space to prime real estate in Union Square, NYC
- The power of intuition in real estate decisions, even in the age of data-driven algorithms
- Their journey from using third-party products to developing their own product line and the challenges of timing the launch during the pandemic
- Practical insights on pricing strategy, including how they identified and filled a market gap in premium beauty services
- Marketing evolution across different platforms, from pre-Facebook era to modern digital strategies
- Key lessons on scaling a service-based business while maintaining quality and brand consistency
Perfect for entrepreneurs who want to understand:
- How to validate a business idea while keeping your day job
- When and how to make the leap from side hustle to full-time business
- Strategic approaches to expanding from one location to multiple markets
- The balance between intuition and data in business decision-making
- The challenges and opportunities in transitioning from a pure service business to a hybrid service-product model
Whether you're just starting out or looking to scale your existing business, Courtney's journey from bootstrapped startup to beauty industry leader offers valuable insights for any entrepreneur's playbook.
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