PHOTOS BY BRODY WHEELER
Recently Rochester Woman Online was abe to sit down and talk to the creators behind the incredible new venue in the South Wedge, Urban Euphoria for our all new She Hustles Talks women entrepreneurs insert. The dynamic duo of Jnicolle Glover and Charletta “Char B” Broome is something you can feel as soon as you walk in to this historic venue. Perfect for events, photoshoots and so much more, these ladies are creating a space like no other in the heart of Rochester. Here is what they had to say, and you definitely won’t want to miss any of it!
Jnicolle Glover
Tell us about Jnicolle Glover and Char B. What are your backgrounds and how did you guys meet?
Char and I come from similar backgrounds. Life-long Rochester residents, we grew up in the same zip code on the city’s west side and shared several friends in common. We didn’t meet, however, until 2018 when I started doing stand up comedy. I was a brand new comedian and Char, having over 8 years of experience in stand-up instantly became my mentor when we were booked on several shows together. We’ve been a team ever since.
What did you do before starting your business together?
Before Urban Euphoria, we did what all adults do. We worked for someone else.
What made you decide to create your Urban Euphoria together and become entrepreneurs?
It seems to others like a decision. But it feels to me when I hear that question, like someone is asking me, what made you decide to wake up today? It’s really not a question that I can answer. We are bringing to fruition that which is meant to be. It’s wasn’t a decision as much as it is a calling.
Tell us about Urban Euphoria. How was it created? What is the concept behind it? What made you decide to open this venue during a pandemic?
Urban Euphoria LLC is a lifestyle brand. Our flagship is our Venue which resides within the historic Jonathan Child House. We offer our grand ballrooms for private booking to celebrate all occasions and honor our loved ones. We host corporate events, concerts, vending functions and pretty much anything else you can think of. Our brand caters to a sophisticated consumer and we provide personal, concierge-level customer service to our guests. The pandemic gave us an opportunity to be still & collect our thoughts. Working in the public sector, we had to make some decisions about what the 2nd half of our careers may look like& what we wanted the 2nd half to look like. We both love entertaining and we were both suddenly out of work with this opportunity sitting within reach.
What makes you hustle?
I believe that initially, we hustled for success, to increase our wealth and to retire early. But we’ve received so much love and support during our journey, I think we hustle now largely because we provide a valued service that people need. We have a growing following, return customers, social media fans who look for us regularly. We love our city and we love being a safe place for people to enjoy themselves. So atp, we’re hustling for the people!
What are some of the things you find help you to be a successful business owner in creating your brand?
What I find most helpful, personally is that I am No. 1 never afraid to ask and No. 2 Never afraid to say No.
If you had to pick one just one that you would consider your “specialty” what would it be and why?
If I had to choose, I’d say my specialty is creating our marketing & promo. effective and increases our footprint. I follow the analytics available to business pages on the socials and Im able to identify trends, find ways to drum up engagement, etc.
If you could interview one of your mentors who would it be and what would you ask them?
Nikki Giovanni- I wouldn’t ask her. I would tell her that her poetry got me through some of the most tumultuous times in my life and I would thank her.
Have you found social media to help or hinder you in promoting your event space and business, especially during the pandemic?
Social Media has been nothing but helpful, especially during the pandemic.
What have you found to be the most successful in marketing your business and who is your ideal audience?
The most successful marketing thus far has been a successful event. The attendees of any event love good service, love the atmosphere and come back to book their own reservation! Our ideal audience is the consumer willing to pay for quality service and also willing to share their experience with others.
What challenges have you faced this year and how have you overcome them?
I find one of the biggest challenges to be the “red tape”- all of the compliance and legalities that go along with owning a business. It’s a lot- more than most people even consider, I’m sure.
How do you balance your entrepreneur life with friends/family that don’t understand the challenges you experience?
Balance?! Haha! Good one. I don’t know if I’ll find balance during this first year. I would consider this a pretty front-loaded deal. As the business continues to grow and succeed, I’ll be able to hire more staff allowing me to find this balance you speak of. 😉
What do you do for encouragement or to be motivated ?
I find motivation in the encouraging words of others, in the data analytics that show growth, in the smiles of happy patrons.
Jnicolle tell us about what you do and how you created your brand.
Visual art & design are my passion and has been since a very young age. My eye for the aesthetic is what my brand hinges on. Our brand is based on a collection of images that I created years ago while taking an art class at MCC. Over the years, I’ve recreated these images over and over in different mediums. They’ve always existed in my own world. Once we gained this platform, I was able to translate the art into a brand.
What makes your business unique and stand out from others?
The obvious answer to this question would be our venue- the elaborate, ornate mansion that Urban Euphoria occupies. But the less obvious would be our unique approach to the service sector. For each event, the booking party becomes our family. We work closely with them to ensure execution of their vision & we cater to any needs or requests before, during & sometimes even after their events.
What are some of the pros and cons of being a female entrepreneur, especially in 2021?
Con- So many people underestimate us.
Pro- So many people underestimate us!
Where do you see your business growing in the next year? three years?
Within the last month, our reach has grown 118% and we’re booked out for months- well into the fall of 21. I believe that if we stay focused, skys the limit for UE!
Where did you come up with the name Urban Euphoria?
I’ve been drawing and writing the same UE for over a decade and it organically just became a logo. It sounds strange but it’s true. A few years ago,. I developed a line of lotions & oils and wanted to use the UE logo. I wanted the brand to sound luxurious and represent me. When we acquired our venue space, it just seemed like a natural fit. We’re right in the middle of downtown and Euphoria is a perfect description of the feelings we want our patrons to experience. So it was decided. And here we are. ☺️
Do you have any helpful advice to someone interested in starting their own business?
Don’t wait until you know you can do it. That day May never come. Do it as soon as you realize you’re worth the risk.
What would you say are the positives and negatives about being business partners?
We compliment each other. Although I’m a stand up, I’m still relatively introverted while Char is the opposite. I bring the people in, she keeps them entertained. I dress the room, she brings the band. This dynamic works for us.
If you needed to start it all over again tomorrow and you had just one thing to change, add or subtract, what would it be ?
If we had to do it all again, I would of course add more start-up money!! There’s never enough money. But I think every entrepreneur has felt that way. Other than that, I wouldn’t change a thing.
What big plans do you have for the future of Urban Euphoria?
Think Martha Stewart meets Oprah meets DJ Khalid. We’re taking the governor off and headed to the top. There is no limit to our success.
Charletta Broome
Tell us about Jnicolle Glover and Char B. What are your backgrounds and how did you guys meet?
My background is a Youth Advocate. I’ve dedicated 25 years old my working career to working with young people. I’ve been with Hillside Family of Agencies since I began. I worked as a residential counselor and assistant supervisor for 14 years. I’ve been an advocate with Hillside Work -Scholarship Connection for the last 11 years. I also ran a small daycare for 20 years.
Jnicolle and I met while doing local comedy in November 2019. We met at an open mic.
What made you decide to create your Urban Euphoria together and become entrepreneurs?
I believe for both of us, it was a lack of opportunity for us as comedians. And the pandemic hit,” I remember Jnicolle saying I’m not going back to nursing”. I’m like, Oh, ok. I’ve always been one to take risks, again, I had a daycare business, I owned a salon for 6 years, and never did hair a day in my life. I have to say I was a little scare of this move because of the pandemic, I wanted to wait until actually April of this year. Jnicolle was pretty much like “I don’t do nos”
Tell us about Urban Euphoria. How was it created? What is the concept behind it? What made you decide to open this venue during a pandemic?
Well. Again the concept came about when we had all this time on our hands. We thought of an idea. The opportunity presented itself, and we went with it. The actual name came about after trying to decide with to name our space. Jnicolle, who also is an artist, showed me some of her works months prior, had these sketches, and this stamp or her signature of UE. Well, fast-forward, we ran out of options for names, I’m like “hey, why not use your Urban Euphoria signature”. It just made sense. When you look where the space is located. We’re in the heart of downtown, kinda urban vibe.
What makes you hustle?
For me, I’ve always have been a hustler, I’ve been working since I was fourteen, I’ve always had multiple jobs, and I think it’s innately in me. I come for a lineage of strong women. The women in my family have always been go-getters, that’s what I saw.
What are some of the things you find help you to be a successful business owner in creating your brand?
Having a business model. Keeping the clients 1st.(treating them like I want to be treated as a consumer) being innovation, continually evolve ( what’s next, how can we do better?) Being in the “know”. Having a strong social media presence. Being consistent.
If you had to pick one just one that you would consider your “specialty” what would it be and why?
I would have to say for me, a social butterfly, I love the people always knew I knew people but not to this extent. The camera is always rolling; people watch you.
If you could interview one of your mentors who would it be and what would you ask them?
Oprah for me. I would ask her despite all her challenges, trauma, and shortcomings, what makes her go on.
Have you found social media to help or hinder you in promoting your event space and business, especially during the pandemic?
I think social media has done both. I mean. It’s definitely where people spend most of their time. It gets the word out fast, and you can see what the people want, or are lacking. The hindrance comes from your ideals being lifted or duplicated. Actually, the pandemic helps us. As a private venue, we were able to serve customers that weren’t able to go to the big name venues due to COVID restrictions.
What have you found to be the most successful in marketing your business and who is your ideal audience?
Both having some knowledge about marketing. I went to school for business, and marketing was probably my best course. Knowing your “Niche” Jnicolle has mastered visuals to a science. She’s able to create videos, watch our web activity. She knows about insights, where we’re positioned on the web, how many times people click our sites.
What challenges have you faced this year and how have you overcome them?
Financially funding everything on our own. Having the ability to bring people on board. Our business begin post-COVID, which for funding was before February, we actually begin in June, so even for PPF loans and grant monies, we didn’t qualify.
How do you balance your entrepreneur life with friends/family that don’t understand the challenges you experience?
It’s tough. I think they get it. My friends and family have been major supporters. The pandemic has made it kind of easy to understand because we’re all kinda of feeling it, not being able to go and see people like we use to.
What do you do for encouragement or to be motivated ?
For me, I think it’s hearing people say “Hey, I hear y’all doing your thing” the text messages, inboxes, the “pop ups’ from friends and families, and definitely, the consumers after an event. The comments they leave, by referring others, and the smiles. We help create memories.
Char B tell us about what you do and how you created your brand.
Sheesh. I started comedy back in ’93. Kinda on a dare. I went to an open mic. People always told me I was witty. I was given an opportunity to join a contest. I’m sure I didn’t win. I thought you just got on-stage and told Knock-knock jokes..yeah, no! I didn’t have a set, but I had what people call “Stage presence”. The people paid attention.
What makes your business unique and stand out from others?
I gotta say the location, location, location. There are tons of event spaces, but nothing like UE. Its modern, chic, classy, you name it. I think outside of the structure; we pride ourselves on customer service. We’ll entertain anything in good taste.
What are some of the pros and cons of being a female entrepreneur, especially in 2021?
I can’t say there are any for me… We kick ass! I’m not worried about anyone else. There’s enough for everyone. We all have the same 24 hours, what people choose to do with their time is on them, we’re focused on improving ourselves and UE.
Where do you see your business growing in the next year? three years?
I see our business reaching other audiences. We don’t wanna just cater to one demographic, we wanna hit the masses. I think we’re doing that now. We’re inclusive in our planning.
Do you have any helpful advice to someone interested in starting their own business?
If I had to give any advice to someone just starting out, I say, “just do it” The vision came to you for a reason. Know you target, and shoot. Get a mentor, study your competition, be ok with making mistakes, and be ready to re-adjust. Never stop learning, or improving.
What would you say are the positives and negatives about being business partners?
I would definitely have to say knowing what you do well. I know that Jnicolle does get with sales and marketing. She gets the people in the door. I try to keep them entertained while they’re here. I work well with numbers, logistics, and the moving pieces of the business. Inventory, supplies, having enough employees. I wouldn’t say negatives, but we all have our own idiosyncrasies. I may forget to put a trash bag back in the garbage can (actually, I don’t forget, it’s a method to my madness) but, that sets her off. I’m borderline OCD. I wash and bleach everything. I also tend to ask a lot of questions, it drives her bonkers, but it drives me bonkers too, because I need to know…. However, whatever our hang-ups, we’re a united front when any customer walks through the door.
If you needed to start it all over again tomorrow and you had just one thing to change, add or subtract, what would it be?
If I needed to start over again tomorrow, what would I change, add or subtract? Maybe, my ability to focus strictly on UE. I still work a full-time and part-time job. There’s not enough hours in the day. I wouldn’t work.
What big plans do you have for the future of Urban Euphoria?
What I’d like to see for UE, is expanding, not only in terms of the building, but the brand. We’ve already started a t-shirt line. So, definitely merchandise. Maybe, UE as a franchise. Like maybe in different states. Same business model, different locations. I’d like to expand the brand to wine and spirts, and more live entertainment.
