Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Buckley
Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Like many others, Emily and Emily moved back to Charleston in 2021 when their work shifted online. Working remotely, they felt disjointed from the local community and economy, and wanted to figure out a way to get more involved. They were inspired by the countless creative, self-starters in this city, and were pleasantly surprised to find that many small businesses were female-owned and operated.
Next came the lightbulb moment: if we connect interesting and like-minded women (no matter if they are remote or local workers, entrepreneurs or big company folks) and have them focus on the local business scene, great things will happen.
So we started a social club. We’re not an accelerator, a paid membership organization, or a class. The only goal is to have fun and get inspired. We like to refer to it as a ‘How I Built This’ podcast meets girls night out.
We started it 2 years ago in August 2022. We continue to host monthly events that continue to sell out.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Its been fairly smooth. At the beginning it required a lot of networking and convincing people to participate. We had to communicate the vision, as it was really just a concept to start. There were other organizations at the time too, so we got a lot of “doesn’t this exist? or “have you heard of this group?” However, we felt like what we wanted to create was so unique so we tried not to get discouraged.
Today, speakers, spaces, refreshments, etc. are almost 100% inbound. We have an active community of over 200 women that attend events frequently. Almost all of our events sell out.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Emily & Emily are both business professionals. We created Magnolia Labs as a side gig and a passion project.
Emily B: Emily is a CofC grad and a start-up veteran. She’s spent over a decade growing small companies in the food & wellness space into industry leaders. Her most notable venture was Freshly, where she was an original member and led their brand & product teams in a $1.5B sale to Nestle. A couple years later, feeling the entrepreneurial itch, she quit her job and started her own consulting agency to help many more founders achieve market success. Currently she is the SVP of Brand & Innovation at Wild Alaskan Company and still advises start-ups on the side. Magnolia Labs gives her an opportunity to support other female founders, particularly those in CPG/ecomm.
Emily S: Emily is a CofC graduate and advertising professional with over ten years of experience building and running strategic partnerships with companies like American Express, Microsoft and Amazon. After 6 years at Meta/Facebook and a decade in NYC, she’s working remotely in Charleston with her husband and Goldendoodle, Wallace. She’s passionate about connecting and empowering women both locally and in the workplace.
Given that we both work online, we used Magnolia Labs to connect to the community.
How do you think about happiness?
Emily B: I love to build things. I am an entrepreneur at heart. I also enjoy connecting people, and connecting with people, particularly over good food and wine.
Magnolia Labs was part altruistic, part selfish. While I wanted to help the community, I also simply wanted to make new friends and connect with like-minded people. And that is exactly what I have gotten out of it.
Good people, great ideas, fun atmospheres.
Its takes the mundane out of Wednesday’s !
Pricing:
- $15 a ticket that covers drinks and snacks. We make no money off of Mag Labs. We intend to keep it that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.magnolia-labs.com/about
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magnolia_labs_chs/
