Elizabeth Hahn is the CEO & Founder of Bad Girl Productions, Bad Boy Strip and this week’s feature We Magazine for Women Interview
Tell us about your business
We provide entertainment services to bachelor and bachelorette parties nationwide. The bachelor and bachelorette party industry is booming. Right now, everyone is doing a destination bach party. When they get to their destination location, they want entertainment, activities, and weekend itineraries filled with fun. Almost all parties we service rent a fun Airbnb that caters to these types of events with specialty decor. We fill the need by supplying professional bartenders, cabana boys, butlers, and party strippers.
Please tell us what being a business owner means to you and why you became an entrepreneur in the first place?
Being an entrepreneur means building a life of total freedom and creativity. Every day, I get to choose what projects or activities I am going to do. It also means that I get to build a team to help keep my vision on track. Surrounding yourself with a good team can help your business grow. The goal is for the business to be profitable so it can support itself, the team members, and invest in itself.
What or who has been your greatest influence in business and why?
I recently joined a Global Mastermind Club with like-minded CEOs. This mastermind houses tremendous thought leaders and mentors who teach you how to grow your business. One of those leaders is Allison Maslan. Surrounding yourself with powerhouses who are living the life you want to live and who stay on course with their vision helps influence ideas and business growth and challenges you to be better every day.
What would you say is your greatest professional accomplishment to date?
I took an idea that I had in college and grew it into the successful online entertainment company it is today. As an entertainment booking agency, we book thousands of bachelor and bachelorette parties each year. We do that because of my team. My team works hard to get our online verticals into the eyes of those who need our services. I am proud of that accomplishment. I am happy to serve both customers and the talent we sign on.
What’s the best advice you have received in business that you wish to pass on to our readers?
Do your research by collecting information. When you are in the information-gathering phase, get advice and input from 3-6 different people or vendors. You never know when that golden nugget will come or when the perfect vendor fit will happen. Never go with the first one. After you have talked to at least 3-6 more people, then take that information and make your informed decision.
What is your relationship with social media?
We love social media! Socials can be used for good and can help people. Sure, we can spend too much time on social media doom scrolling. But as a business owner, I love to get myself out there and share my thoughts and ideas. Social channels are a great way for CEOs and Founders to share their messaging, vision for the company, and attract both quality talent and customers.
What is your favorite app?
Right now, my favorite app is Connect Teams. I love that we can manage bookings with that app. I also love PicCollage. I use that app to create prototypes for my design team to polish up.
What has been the most effective marketing initiatives or programs you have used to promote your business?
The most effective was taking a group of my promo models out to the street fair. The promo models were on roller skates handing out screensavers. That was the 90s, but it was still a fun time. Today, SEO, Programmatic Marketing, and Pay Per Click ads are the best ways to promote an online business.
What one thing have you learned as a small business owner that has served you well over the years?
The one thing I learned is to lead with passion and integrity. You may find competitors whose values are less than moral or perhaps even scandalous. These competitors will not last long. The companies and leaders that want to stay in the game for a lifetime, lead with passion and integrity.
How has your routine changed since covid?
I still work from my home office. Although, now my home office is on a lake with my boat out front.
What productivity tools do you use?
I use an app called Focus@Will to keep my brain focused and productive through music that trains your brain to focus.
Are there any other resources/tools that have helped you run your business?
There are many resources you need as a business. Get yourself a lawyer, a CPA, and a bookkeeper as the backbone of your business. Then get a mentor or a business coach. A great free resource is SCORE.
Do you have any new projects coming up? If so, please tell us about it.
We just launched our new website design for Bad Girl Productions, which took 3 months to launch. We also moved the bachelorette party entertainers to their own website, Bad Boy Strip. Both require a different set of marketing initiatives to help serve customers. It was a herculean task.
How do you prepare for the next day?
I read three business books a day for an hour each night and morning to stay informed on how to grow my business. I write ideas or to-do lists for the next day as I read.
What is the number one meeting you never miss (and why)?
I will never miss having lunch or dinner with my family. Family is important.
What do you do for fun/relaxation?
I go on my boat, play with my dog, go to the beach, walk on the boardwalk, and work in my rose garden.
How would you describe yourself in a single sentence?
I love building businesses to create alchemy so I can spend time doing the things I love to do.
What is Number One Business Goal you plan to accomplish over the next year?
My number one business goal is to hire a Marketing Director to help take our business to the next level. The person we find will take over my position of managing my marketing teams, will know how to implement initiatives and lead the team towards high performance.
You want to write a book on …
How to invest in your passions to create a life you love through entrepreneurship.
What is the number one book you recommend to our readers? And why?
The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. This book teaches you how to live in your Zone of Genius. By living in your Zone of Genius, you learn to spend more time doing what you love and outsourcing or delegating what you are not proficient in.
What practices or boundaries have you implemented in your personal life to create more work/life balance?
It is important to schedule time to work “on” your business instead of working “in” your business. The more I learn how to delegate, the more time I get to spend doing things I love to do. Through delegation to my team, I can stay a visionary and my team can help support that vision.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Always trust your intuition. When a business deal seems shady, trust that. When a mentor feels like the wrong fit, trust that. But, before you switch things up instantly, discuss the intuitive hit with a few close people. It is easy to get the wrong read on something at first. Gaining deeper insights on the issue, along with your intuition, will lead you down the right path.
What’s the best way for the readers of WE Magazine for Women to connect with you
You can find our work and business on www.BadGirlPro.com and www.BadBoyStrip.com , and connect and follow us on our Instagram accounts:
@ badgirlproductions2
@ badboy_strip
