Women-Owned Business Series: Lily Womble of Date Brazen
Jul 17, 2019 brooklyn business owners,brooklyn businesses,brooklyn dating,brooklyn women-owned,carroll gardens,date braze,dating coach,lily womble,women-owned,women-owned business,women-owned business spotlight series
New Carroll Gardens resident and dating coach, Lily Womble, sat down with us for our women-owned business series and let us know how she began her company Date Brazen. Read more below about her experience and check out her photo gallery!
First tell us about your business and anything special we should know about it or you.
I started my career in the non-profit space advocating for women and girls. When I decided to leave the nonprofit world, I had no idea I would end up in the dating space. I found a matchmaking job as a side hustle for a national firm, and I didn’t think it would amount to anything except a funny story about how I applied to be a Matchmaker. A few years later, I was one of the most successful matchmakers at the company.
What I found in my work, however, was that only about 5% of clients were finding long-term success with matchmaking. They would enter the experience burnt out and overwhelmed from dating and desired a long-term solution.
Date coaching for me started as an experiment to try and give my clients that long-term solution. It was all about diving beneath the surface of their checklist and discovering what made them come alive across the table and building a strategy to find it, online and off.
This reflective and tactical work not only led to more confidence for my clients, it also meant they found better dates for themselves than any professional could find for them.
Through Date Brazen, I now provide Swipe with Intention Workshops and coaching around the country to help women build fulfilling and joyful dating lives on their own terms
Do you have any events coming up?
Yes! On July 24th I will be leading a Swipe with Intention Workshop at Lou & Grey in Flatiron.
We’re going to be shopping for the perfect first date outfit and then I will share my proven Swipe with Intention framework so that women can attract only the best states their way.
I also have another Swipe with Intention event on August 6th with Six Degrees Society at Luna in SoHo. Our next event will be in October.
Tell us a little about your background and why you feel a connection to your work.
Coming from the advocacy space working for women and girls, I feel deeply connected to my work now as a dating coach because I get to meet women in a vulnerable moment in their story.
My work is all about helping women to build the confidence, skills and strategy they need to believe in and find extraordinary love.
We’d like to know about your experience within your community. What community do you identify as being part of ? Why did you choose the neighborhood your business is located in, if you have a physical location? How have you become involved within your community?
As a solo entrepreneur I chose to work from a couple different co-working spaces for community, inspiration and support. I work out of The Wing in New York City because I wanted to be surrounded by badass women making big moves in their career and personal lives. I also work out of the Financial Gym in Flatiron. I have a membership with that company, and it has changed my financial life, both personally and in business.
I chose to make a home in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn because it’s peaceful and full of life. I needed a place to escape from the craziness of Manhattan where I do most of my work.
I’m new to the neighborhood, and I look forward to meeting my neighbors and finding ways to volunteer in that community.
What advice would you give to young women who want to start a small business?
My advice is to get really clear on your Why.
I love the Simon Sinek Ted Talk on the subject because it exemplifies what you need to know before starting a business that works and creates change.
Getting to know the Why beneath your business idea, the Why beneath who you want to serve can give you the springboard you will need to keep going when times get hard.
If your Why is solid, you’ll also be better equipped to handle the huge ups and downs of entrepreneurship. Starting a business is a tough, winding road, and your Why will guide you in that process.
Also, I’d say as much as possible surround yourself with other women building things that matter. Being an entrepreneur can be very lonely, and having a community of women to turn to in those times is key.
