BNN’s THE PITCH: Andrea Lown pitches SmartBrideBoutique.com

“Brides and bridal shops now have a place to buy and sell dresses, decorations and accessories. Andrea Lown, Founding Partner, Smartbrideboutique.com, has bootstrapped the business since 2008 but now she’s looking for $125,000 in capital to take it to the next level. ” Watch the Pitch and the Judges’ verdicts.

THE CHALLENGE: Filling a founder’s shoes, temporarily

“Andrea Lown had wanted to hire someone to take over while Leah Andrew took a shortened, six-month maternity leave. But they haven’t been able to find someone with the right skills, and who would work for only a few months, to fill her shoes. “It’s difficult to find someone who can replace the pieces of what Leah does on a short-term basis,” Ms. Lown says. While Ms. Lown is responsible for product development, advertising and customer service…” Read Article

 

The rising stars of Toronto’s young entrepreneurs scene

“On Oct. 20, 2011, the team from Report on Small Business invited dozens of enterprising owners to attend a networking event. Meet some of Toronto’s finest young up-and-comers with big ideas and grand ambitions. ” Read Profile

 

The Law of three feet

“At a past Sprout Up event, Andrea Lown, founder of Toronto based SmartBride Boutique, a wedding classifieds site, talked about “the law of three feet.” Anyone who comes within three feet of her hears about her startup idea. Whether she’s on the bus, in line for a coffee or at a party she is constantly talking about her idea to strangers and getting their feedback, even if they don’t fit her company’s target demographic of women 24 to 34 years old.” Read Article

Ecommerce Camp Toronto enables Canadian retailers to share ideas and drive online innovation.

“if a retailer doesn’t do a good job of selling their products online,  vendors may  just do it themselves. Lown referenced a Wired.com article which explained how even the sex trade has been affected by these new online selling tools. Sex trade workers have been  cut out the middle man (their pimps) by creating their own web page and Facebook pages. Lown said that because of these new online tools, “pimpin’ ain’t easy.” Read Article

Smarter choices for the bride on a budget

“When Andrea Lown was planning her own wedding, she discovered that ordering a dress is a huge challenge when you have a budget.  The upside was it gave her the inspiration to start SmartBride Boutique, an online boutique that combines the power of the Web with the experience that consumers want when shopping for a dream dress or other wedding items. The Toronto-based startup has been described as a Craigslist for weddings by providing a place for buyers and sellers to connect online.” Read Article

The Business of Savvy Brides: Her Story

“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.” Read Article

Inspiration: Why SmartBrideBoutique.com is a True Labour of Love

“I had the privilege of working with some remarkable women this summer who have shown me what it means to truly love your job. What I find so inspiring about watching Andrea and Leah work together is not only their great and often hilarious rapport with each other, but also their tireless efforts to make their company a success” Read Article

Select Appearances:

NBC Miami South Florida Today – “MacGyver Bride” (June 19, 2010)

The Morning Show on South Florida Live – “Bridal Survival” (June 16, 2010)

24H Vancouver – “Always be prepared”              (Feb 10, 2010)

Read Article

Other Mentions:

When Hustling Goes Too Far (December 1, 2011) by Nicholas Montgomery

“Entrepreneurship is a game of high stakes. Few entrepreneurs actually reach the top, but for those who do, the rewards are huge. You have to be full time. Doing it part time, even full time, won’t cut it. So you’ve got to be hustling all the time. A recent Sprouter article recently outlined about how Andrea Lown of SmartBride uses “The Law of Three Feet” to tell anyone about her startup” Read Article

The “Connector” (June 7, 2010) by Erin Bury

“Last year I met a really cool female entrepreneur named Andrea Lown who started SmartBride Boutique, a classifieds site for everything to do with weddings. I immediately admired her drive, passion, and spunky sense of humour (the title on her business card is “Married”).” Read Article

How to produce and host a live video event

“With the Royal Wedding quickly approaching, Leah Andrew and Andrea Lown, founders of Toronto-based startup SmartBrideBoutique.com developed an online webcast to kick-off their “Princess for a Day” contest.” Read tips and tricks for hosting an online event.