The Honeymooners Profile of online Honeymoon registry After I Do LLC
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Who knows if perpetual bridesmaid duty prevents a woman fromwalking down her own aisle-but who cares, if it means becoming anentrepreneur. Liana Carlson, the unhitched 28-year-old founder ofAfter I Do LLC (AfterIDo.com) came up with the concept for anonline honeymoon registry while road-tripping with a fellowbridesmaid to a wedding in 1996. Since the site went live in 1998,she's been blessing gift-givers with more memorable optionsthan the breadbox and towels she gave.
Since many people now marry at an age when they're alreadyestablished, with probably two toasters to spare, Carlson wanted todevise a way for guests to contribute to honeymoon bliss-be it withmoney toward tickets or a pre-paid breakfast upon arriving at theirdestination.
While pursuing her MBA from Southern Methodist University inDallas, Carlson, who'd worked in public relations andmarketing, took 1997 to apply lessons in controlling cash flow andconcept development toward her business plan, but it wasn'teasy. "Everything was new," she says. "All thebusiness processes, the pricing-there wasn't a model for me tobase a business plan on." Somehow, confidence got Carlsonthrough her first trade show, where she passed out brochures andfielded questions about After I Do.
But the days of running an 800 number into her home line andacting as a quasi-travel agent are over. Now fullye-commerce-enabled (with only one other employee, things like Webdesign are outsourced), the Denver company extends beyond thehoneymoon marketing packages that travel agencies offer, allowingguests to purchase and pay in a few clicks. The focus now is ongrowth (customer count has already grown from 277 in 1998 to anexpected 2,090 this year), with a large ad campaign and partneringwith reputable wedding sites as goals for next year.
