Today we’d like to introduce you to Lenora Wilkinson.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to Atlanta from Chicago after my father died of ALS. My parents were married 35 years, and my sister myself and mother both worked hard to never have my dad outside of our home while he was sick.
After he died, in grief counseling I decided to move to Atlanta and one of my very close friends had just gotten engaged. Shortly after my friend’s wedding, I had the idea for weddingsoda.com. I had been a bridesmaid 5x and every tool available was to help keep the bride organized… a huge part of the wedding is the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Although not having much money to put towards it, I raised 7k from a Facebook post to friends and family asking for funding. And so I began. A year ago I was driving for uber and lyft and almost down to nothing, Crazy how things have completely turned around for me and my business is something I’m glad I took a chance on. God is good!
Weddingsoda.com launched February 14th, 2018! We have had over 16,000 visitors to the site so far!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Explaining my site to the tech world has been very difficult. Definitely a boy’s club, most men don’t get the need for it unless they’ve been in a wedding before. Once I stepped away from pitching at tech events, I found an extremely valuable niche in weddings and women entrepreneurs. It’s cool to have finally found acceptance and interest in the wedding industry, they have welcomed me with open arms!
Also figuring out how to find investment is still a struggle for me, most investors want to see growth and large numbers, but when you are doing things on your own, it is very difficult to market like your competitors with minimal funding. I still have a full-time job because marketing is super expensive.
I appreciate outlets like VoyageATL for highlighting entrepreneurs like myself. It’s not easy but it is really encouraging when you hear stories like mine.
A lot of my encouragement comes from reading stories by Oprah, Gabrielle Union and other women that started out with the odds against them. If they can overcome, so can I, and I will.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with WeddingSoda.com – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
WeddingSoda.com is an online tool that helps the bridal team. It differs from a wedding planner because it does not focus solely on the couples needs, but their bridesmaids and groomsmen. Each participant involved knows the cost, reminders, deadlines and directions their individual tasks and roles.
It’s definitely a unique idea that’s needed in the bridal industry. I also have taken the initiative to add color, culture and diversity in all of my marketing. The world has so many diverse traditions when it comes to weddings, but in the US the industry does not echo the same sentiment.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I really have been focused on capturing the Atlanta Market so far. In the future, my plans will grow to include different countries like Africa and India. I’m super amped for what’s ahead.
Contact Info:
- Website: weddingsoda.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/weddingsoda
- Twitter: Twitter.com/weddingsoda
Image Credit:
Nevin Watson NDMoment Photography
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