Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Gossett.
Hi Summer, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My early career started when I worked for a local printing company in Rexburg, Idaho, part of the world’s largest privately held printing company. The corporation was called Taylor Corporation and was based in Mankato, MN. I started in the pre-press department and eventually took over as the manager. My success throughout many departments led me to see over customer service, pre-press, order taking, and our retail store. The experience taught me the importance of customer service, which is a vital part of the backbone of our current business. I took the opportunity to learn and eventually be certified in Lean Manufacturing and become a black belt in Six Sigma. This allowed me to speak at conferences like the Minnesota Quality Conference, where I was one of only a few female speakers. This also allowed me to be promoted to a position that led me to the company headquarters in Mankato, Minnesota. This is where I would oversee all projects related to Six Sigma, accusations, restructures, implementations, and more. I would eventually manage and oversee the corporate data team focused on Business Intelligence, Reporting, and system integrations within IT and the Project Management Department.
I have always loved photography, which is how I met my husband, Stephen. Although we worked for the same corporation (Taylor Corp), we worked in separate divisions in separate states. We found we had very similar backgrounds during a chance meeting on a company project and immediately connected. We eventually decided to marry and relocate to South Carolina, as we both wanted to be entrepreneurs and have our businesses. We took the knowledge of our backgrounds and passion for photography and started FamZing Studios. We trained photographers for our team and connected them with amazing couples on their wedding days. It allowed our photographers to do what they love: photography; while we took care of all the admin woadministrative15 years later, FamZing Studios is the highest-rated studio in the South East. 9 years ago, we developed another brand called Noveli Wedding Photography. There was a demand in the market for a different style and experience. The style was more of a high fashion lighting and posing combination, which is a challenging art to photograph. The brand’s success led us to 2 National Awards and over a dozen local and state awards. To know me is to know that Stephen and I love to travel. The different cultures, food, and people are always incredible to experience. We always take away something unique from our journeys: a decoration style, a fantastic meal, or the feeling of being a part of a cultural event, to name a few things. We also adore countries that always welcome us as humans, not Americans. As our children grew older and began their own lives, we searched for things to do that were unique in Greenville and struggled to find them. Everything new was a brewery or a restaurant concept that already existed. Greenville is our home, and we wanted to bring something unique and different that extended our travel journeys.
Through a year of research and development, Social Latitude was born. From incredible drinks, games, food, live music, and more, it is the spot for everyone. We named it Social Latitude because, after COVID-19, everyone wanted to become social again and have those interactions. Latitude means a level plane, and we believe that everyone is equal regardless of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. Watching people come in and enjoy the space we envisioned and play, listen to amazing local music acts, or have a fun date night has been such a joy. It also makes me proud that Social Latitude is a woman-owned company. As Stephen and I started the business plan, he shared that he would never be able to do this without me and felt strongly that I should hold the largest share of our company. As we continue to grow Social Latitude, I don’t ever think it will become old watching people have such an enjoyable time. Watching the culture of our staff continue to mature and seeing them have the joy of taking care of our incredible customers has made me very proud. I am excited about what is in store for Social Latitude and our employees in the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There is always a learning curve in anything new anyone tries, which can come with challenges and struggles. From being a very young person in a leadership position to navigating through poor processes that were sometimes hard to change in a large company with out-of-date practices, challenges always come up. Still, the key is learning from them and focusing on significant changes while keeping things working in practice. I’ve learned to re-evaluate things as new technology is available and implement only the changes that will be best for the business and its goals.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Social Latitude is a place for everyone to play. There are games and things to do for everyone, featuring Axe throwing with digitally projected targets, three state-of-the-art sports and golf simulators with 20 other games, and an arcade and full board game cart. Our Social Lounge features high tops and soft, colorful seating, where we host live music each weekend. We also have a full bar and kitchen with great food, which is a misnomer for a place like ours. The two things that set us apart are our food and the fact that we also have a private speakeasy in the back, in which we will be unveiling a brand new experience to be able to share it with more customers. Branding-wise, because we also own two photo/video production companies, we are very proud that although the space is mainly owned by me when you walk in, it could be part of a franchise. Our branding is very polished and consistent, and we created marketing touches throughout the entire space. You have to see it to enjoy all the wow factors we have built here, from our TVs equipped with advertising to our 40 ft marble bar; it’s a place for everyone to enjoy.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs, or other resources you think our readers should check?
I read or listen to a lot of business books. It’s always exciting to learn how other businesses got their start. All businesses start small. Most of them start from a dream and are out of the person’s garage, and it’s very cool to hear those stories and take that into account in my businesses.
Pricing:
- Sports Simulators are $50 per hour for up to 6 people
- Axe Throwing is $20 per person per hour with a max of 4 people per bay
- Arcade pricing varies
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sociallatitude.dolceclock.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sociallatitude/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sociallatitudegvl/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/100858674
Image Credits
FamZing Studios
