Liliana Lovell, Founder of the Coyote Ugly Saloon + CEO of Ugly Inc. — Glambition Radio Episode 173 with Ali Brown

Summary: Coyote Ugly Saloon founder Lil Lovell was just 25 when she opened that first bar in New York City. And I remember hearing about it when I lived there in the ‘90s.<br> <br> It had become wildly popular overnight, known for its bartenders (and female customers!) dancing on the bar. And then one of her employees — a little-known writer named Elizabeth Gilbert (yes, truly) — wrote a fantastic piece on it when she was freelancing for ‘GQ’ magazine.<br> <br> Suddenly, Coyote Ugly was thrust into the national spotlight. Then Hollywood came knocking, and as you probably remember, the movie ‘Coyote Ugly’ came out in 2000.<br> <br> <br> <br>  <br> <br> Today on GlambitionRadio.com, Lil reveals how she went from her tiny bar to the $37M+ franchise of today, which operates 27 locations in 7 countries, with another 20+ locations in the pipeline.<br> <br> On #GlambitionRadio, Lil opens up about the realities of having a movie based on her business, and her ‘unpopular’ opinion about the dark side of the women’s empowerment movement. (She makes a powerful point here, and I think you’ll agree.)<br> <br> You’ll also hear us discuss:<br> <br> *How Lil leveraged the movie deal to build her platform and start licensing and franchising her brand (and the challenges that came with the movie’s publicity)<br> <br> *The debate about the feminism of the Coyote Ugly Saloon (detractors have called it ‘one step away from a strip club’) and Lil’s take on why that’s ridiculous and that it’s actually a powerful, safe place for women to have fun<br> <br> What Lil does to maintain the integrity of her brand (even with locations in places as far as Japan, Russia, and… Kyrgyzstan?!)<br> <br> And, I reveal to Lil why I never actually went inside Coyote Ugly. (Lil then advises me which location to start with when I’m ready to finally dance on the bar — hmmmm. Should we plan a #GlambitionRadio trip?)<br> <br> Head to Apple Podcasts and listen to this episode of Glambition Radio now (or download it for later).<br> <br> Xo,<br> <br> Ali<br> <br> P.S. I would love your review! If you enjoy what I share in this episode, please leave a review and comment on Apple Podcasts. Select ‘Listen in Apple Podcasts’ then choose the ‘Ratings and Reviews’ tab to share what you think. I would really appreciate it. Thanks!<br> Show Notes:<br> *The 1997 ‘GQ’ article by Elizabeth Gilbert that put Coyote Ugly Saloon on the national map: ‘The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon’<br> <br> *The trailer for ‘Coyote Ugly’, the movie based on Lil’s bar (It’s available on Netflix. Yay!)