We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Emily Ramirez a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about your team building process? How did you recruit and train your team and knowing what you know now would you have done anything differently?
Not only did I have a team from day 1 of opening BABS Comedy Club, but I don’t think I would have had the desire to start this business or the stamina to push through the opening day if not for my team. The people who started on the ground floor with me were my fellow cast members, producing partners, and friends. We all met over the course of working different venues in Chicago and Chicagoland and when our “home” theatre closed down, I felt it was the sign I needed to go about building a new stage for them. The reason why my team is so valuable is because not only are they strong comedians, they’re all accomplished producers. I knew as a new business owner in my first weeks of operation, things may slip through the cracks. And I knew my team would have enough knowledge of the comedy world, passion for their craft, and loving support of me and my vision to be able to pick up the ball if it ever got dropped. Beyond that, they’re true friends who I have already experienced many highs and lows with. There is no dollar amount that can be placed on a person who you know you can trust in your absence to do the right thing and carry themselves with kindness and integrity in the face of struggle. When recruiting new people, I want to have a very clear view of the person they are and how they handle various circumstances. If you have a long term vision of building a community amongst not only your team, but your patrons, you have to surround yourself with the people who believe in playing the long game with you.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I am the sole owner/operator/talent booker/improv and sketch director/accountant/workshop creator/everything in between of BABS COMEDY CLUB. I produce weekly free events like and Open Improv Jam and a Standup Open Mic for the performing-curious, as well as a professional standup showcase with new lineups every week, and a few weekly improv shows featuring my rotating cast of 20+ improvisors. As a performer with a background of 10 years as a professional ballerina, and Equity-card carrying musical theatre performer with a Broadway tour on her resumé, I brought a lot of performance and production knowledge with me when I moved to Chicago to throw myself fully into comedy. Once I began writing, performing, and directing my own comedy shows, I noticed a stark contrast in the polish and professionalism of many comedy venues. Communication was bad, expectations of the artists were low, production value of shows was spotty and unpredictable. Beyond that, the comedy world which started out being entirely male-dominated, had become a very siloed world where our options as artists were to either hit up open mics at dive bars where a woman feels anything but safe, or contain yourself to mics that only catered to your specific demographic which limits our ability to know how our humor will strike a paying audience of mixed races/gender expressions/sexuality. Many improvisors perform in shows at renown improv theaters where patrons gladly pay for their tickets, not knowing that money won’t make it back to the artists themselves. Aspiring standup comedians are often brought up guessing the path to success while bookers and casting directors make it a mystery about what they look for in an artist. I wanted to create a comedy club that was safe and welcoming to ALL people to coexist in, where I as the booker would always be there to watch the open mics and offer input and advice or answer questions. My approach is encouraging and mentor-based, so people know they can come in as an unfinished product and work up to getting their first paid opportunity. I’m proud to pay every single performer who steps on my stage for a paid show. Comedy can be risky, contentious, upsetting, offensive, and everything in between. Creating a safe space to find one’s voice is an important part of the creative journey, but I believe I’ve made it possible to let people explore all corners of their comedy while also guaranteeing that the people in the audience know they’re safe and cared for. My favorite way of describing this is “everybody is safe, but nobody’s safe,” meaning all humans who walk through my doors have the right to respectful and fair treatment, but I’m also going to keep the mood perpetually light with some playful razzing!
Additionally, comedy clubs typically guarantee their financial health by requiring a 2-drink minimum (and under-paying the talent). When I created my business model, I tried very hard to find a way around either of those concessions. What I ended up with was using my (and my wonderful husband’s) sweat equity to purchase the building the club was in so that we could use our experience in building restoration and construction to do our own buildout/maintenance on the space. We have 2 tenants upstairs in the building and we live in a small apartment above the club as well. This has obviously added the title of “landlord” to my job description, but it’s allowed us to save an estimated $150k in costs associated with opening a new business. While I haven’t made money on the business in our first year, the business model has allowed BABS COMEDY CLUB to support itself with the money it makes on shows and SAVES on a lot of the other things.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
I have found that every time I’ve invested in myself, I’ve made returns. That was the inspiration behind me using my own 401K to invest in the opening of BABS COMEDY CLUB. I also raised $9k in an interest-free crowdsourced loan, and we raised the rest of the money through the sale of our previous home which we had restored ourselves and sold for a decent profit. Additionally, I used a lot of salvaged building materials or restored equipment for the initial buildout. I’ve found it was wise to bring attention to 2 things within the community: 1) this is a woman-owned business and 2) we’re doing this whole thing ourselves. Even for something like a comedy club, I believe people like knowing they’re investing their money and spare time in a business or model they believe in. My regular patrons have said many times that they choose my club over others for those reasons above all else. As a feminist who believes in total equality for women, I initially shied away from hanging my hat on being woman-owned, but the reality is the journey here is STILL fraught with constant underestimation and gate-keeping. So if people want to support me more for that, I should let them!
What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?
I get feedback all the time that people love the vibe in my club and they always feel very welcome. While I know many business owners and specifically comedy club owners like to stay in the shadows during operation, I am nearly always available to welcome in patrons, chat with them about the business, joke around with them, and give them free comedy advice if they ask for it. Most of my growth has been through word-of-mouth, which I’m very proud of. While I know that investing thousands of dollars in marketing would guarantee a faster initial growth in my clientele, I’m ok with building up slowly through the good words of our patrons and performers. Every decision I make is with long-term success in mind, even if it means underselling my own product in the short-term if I know I won’t be able to deliver in the way a client wants, as in with our venue rentals or when I’m solicited for corporate entertainment opportunities. If I don’t feel confident that I’m the best fit to provide what you’re looking for, I won’t take the gig and I’ll even offer suggestions on other avenues to explore. To me, that is true customer service.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.babscomedyclub.com
- Instagram: @babscomedyclub
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/babscomedyllc/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-ramirez-639724366/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@BABSComedyClub
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/babs-comedy-club-forest-park?uid=Fn97PVlcqqQNqU4IO4U_cA&utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)
Image Credits
Mia Haley, Danny Reyes, Stephen Garrett