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

Danielle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I always had an entrepreneurial mindset, but never seemed to have the idea that I could really get behind and invest in for myself. As a kid, I was playing ‘business owner’ by making and selling bracelets with my friends, selling supplies at the school concession stand, dreaming up celebrity PR and marketing businesses. I flexed creative muscles by getting into sewing and crafting and designing clothes. In college and beyond, I was interested in event planning and hospitality business majors, and pursued those along with my business degree and eventually earned MBA. I saw all of these creative people that I thought were smarter or more talented, or downright luckier than me, founding start ups and having the confidence to jump into business and I envied them. I knew I always wanted to have my own business one day, but the right idea had to come along.

My light bulb moment was purely from searching the internet, Pinterest, Etsy, and social media when I happened across the champagne cart that launched it all. I wanted it! It looked so fun, would be a blast to have a parties, and it was just cool to me. I thought, if this is something I would want at parties, others would too, right? So I bought it, and brainstormed with my husband about a rental business with it, growing and scaling up with event rentals, and maybe one day a venue. We love hosting parties and I love planning them. I felt, and I knew, that I could do this! This was my business.

The next month was waiting for the cart to arrive, figuring out how to put it together, purchasing glassware, more supplies, wondering what I might need to transport this to events? Figuring out how make my website, and take payments, drawing up contracts for my future clients, and all of the back end work. It sounds tedious and boring, but to me it was fun! I set up a photo shoot with my friends as models to get initial shots for social media, and eventually a professional photographer and venue offered to host me and do a styled shoot. I remember thinking “oh my god, they love this idea too! This is gonna work!”

After a lot more social media posting and marketing than I had expected, I finally got my first client event booked! This process only took me from ideation to execution/booking clients over the course of a couple of months, with my first event being about 6 months after I invested in the cart. Since then, I have leveraged those connections with other people in the events industry and done more, and even scaling up purchasing another display cart, backdrops, lighting and more.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I own Popping Bottles LLC, the exclusive champagne cart party rental service in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This was started from a love for a great party, strong mimosas, and event planning. The beautiful and modern eclectic vibe of the cart make for gorgeous Instagram and social media photos, and such a fun memory for you and your family and friends.

The champagne cart is currently self-stock and self-service. Bartending is available for an extra charge. We drop it off and set it up, then pick it up at the end of your rental. You or your caterer can use it for champagne, wine, or any drinks to you prefer. We can help you customize options, décor around the cart, and provide some add-ons to make it easy for you or your event coordinator. This company and employees are LGBTQ+ friendly and open to all types of events!

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

All of my funding came from personal savings. I started small, and that was on purpose. I wanted to start a business I could do while I worked my day job, that required minimal overhead but had huge return potential. My savings completely funded the initial investment, and I spent the first three years of business reinvesting all of the earnings to scale up and grow.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Social media and word of mouth is the most important way I have gotten clients. Along with some good Google/SEO optimization, I have also been reached out to for services all over the USA, and even Canada! Making a good impression on clients online, in real live via good customer service, and reaching out to business groups and local organizations has also been key to growth. Networking, whether online or in person, will win the day. It is all about who you know!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.poppingbottlesllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poppingbottlesllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/poppingbottlesllc
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@poppingbottlesllc