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

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.

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.

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.



 

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.

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.)

You’ll also hear us discuss:

*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)

*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

What Lil does to maintain the integrity of her brand (even with locations in places as far as Japan, Russia, and… Kyrgyzstan?!)

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?)

Head to Apple Podcasts and listen to this episode of Glambition Radio now (or download it for later).

Xo,

Ali

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!
Show Notes:
*The 1997 ‘GQ’ article by Elizabeth Gilbert that put Coyote Ugly Saloon on the national map: ‘The Muse of the Coyote Ugly Saloon’

*The trailer for ‘Coyote Ugly’, the movie based on Lil’s bar (It’s available on Netflix. Yay!)