We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Adkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I always had entrepreneurial spirit and was at a small home office space in West Ashley, SC when I expressed the idea of mobile spray tanning in a bus to a friend of mine. I said “If the spray tan service is performed inside of your home how is it considered mobile”?

The next day I came up with the name Monaco Mobile Spray Tanning which is now known as Monaco Glow, LLC.

Fast forward, 21 days later I flew to Dallas, TX as I had the amazing opportunity to purchase a pink ice cream truck. I was blessed enough to purchase the truck from an angel of a man, funny enough named Ay-men. Two friends came along, one of which taught me how to drive the ginormous E-350 bus given I had never driven a truck before. This was just the beginning of the Monaco Mobile Spray Tanning journey.

I drove it back from Dallas to Charleston SC nonstop totaling an 18 hour drive. It was still surreal and I had not yet grasped that there was no manual on how to build this business. I am actually pioneering something no one has ever done. I began to look at this bus and essentially the entire endeavor as my child. It needed attention daily. There seemed to be constant dilemmas and issues. The challenge of remodeling the ice cream truck such as plumbing, finding the right contractors, the cost of material, mechanical issues, to actually building the business. This included trying to get licensing, marketing to try and get clients, and all of the other challenges it takes to build a business. I soon realized how difficult this was going to be for one woman to do on her own.

Ashley, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So many unforeseen issues began to occur that it was overwhelming, but I never gave up. Therefore, since I had so many hometown connections in KY, I drove the truck back home to Ashland to seek reliable contractors and mechanics. This was extremely helpful and I began to realize how loyal and supportive my friends and family were of my dreams.

Being a natural redhead I could never tan well in the sun and would always freckle so for 12 years all I did was spray tan. Even with experience of spray tanning, I still needed certification so in the mist of all the chaos I traveled to Charlotte, NC and got certified by the Aviva Labs Spray Training.

I hosted spray tan parties in my hometown area. However, my paramount realization was when I hosted the Texas Roadhouse/Monaco Mobile Spray Tanning collaboration party. In the middle of Winter, I spray tanned 10 men and women back to back in less than four hours in the Texas Roadhouse parking lot. Everyone was incredibly thankful with their results. They were able to have a cocktail and dinner, then hop on the bus outside, get a spray tan, and then go back inside looking like they just left the beach. Everyone was amazed at how innovative the concept was, including myself.

It makes me feel grateful inside to make people feel more confident about themselves. Which is something I clearly understand being freckled skin natural redhead myself. This is why I started this entire venture. As a friend said to me prior to starting this, “the girl who only see’s beauty in every woman found a way to make them feel even more beautiful.”

After all of my fine-tuning and learning curves, I was finally ready to take it back home to Charleston, SC. Less than a year later, I now focus on wedding festivals, events, collaborating with salons, local and national companies, and more so, the opportunity to make all women feel more confident.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing. I gave complimentary spray tans to women who worked in to cosmetology industry so they could spread word of where they got their glow. I also joined and hosted women owned business events and collaborations to gain brand awareness and recognition.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In October of 2018, I was waking up out of a 6 day induced coma in ICU.

I suffered what is called SUDEP. (Sudden Unexpected Death of Epilepsy) The survival rate of SUDEP is 0.008%.

I have always been frightfully insecure about this but now I realize it’s actually my biggest strength.

Doctors said if I survived, there would be a 90% chance I will have chronic brain damage.

God said, Nope. not yet.
I came out of the coma asking for a Pumpkin spice latte.

6 months later I graduated college, then pioneered a business concept, and then created a patent-pending product.

I like to think “Guess again”

My whole family and my friends DROPPED EVERYTHING and drove 500 miles to be with me.

Out of everything they are my board of directors and my biggest achievement.

My point for this post is that you never know someone’s story or what they have endured.

It’s important to celebrate anyone and everyone for ANYTHING they’re doing, from a roof over your head, raising kids, a notable award, to entrepreneurship.

You have the ability to achieve anything you want! Execute your goal with conviction, courage, and determination!

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Contact Info:

• Website: www.monaco-glow.com
• Instagram: @monacomobilespraytanning
• Facebook: @monacomobilespraytanning
• Twitter: @monacomobilespraytanning
• Yelp: @monacomobilespraytanning