Photo Credits: Credit: Abby Skye Photography
Mindi Linscombe has a passion for education.
The 43-year-old entrepreneur started her career as a teacher (high school and elementary Spanish plus adult ESL at a junior college). Even after switching to bridal in 2008, education remains a dominant theme throughout her business life.
Not only does Mindi provide a ton of educational resources to brides, including checklists, templates and even a magazine, but she puts significant effort into training staff, records two podcasts and coaches other bridal store owners. These elements work together to allow her award-winning 17-year-old boutique to excel.
“Becoming an expert educator has been one of the keys to my success as a business owner,” she says. “There were many years that I felt all I was doing was training but it has tremendously helped me with developing a team, an experience, a brand.”
Unexpected beginnings
The idea for Something New took root in 2004, when Mindi was shopping for her own wedding dress.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. She encountered two polarizing types of shopping days: The first, a beautiful set of stores filled with stiff customer service and demeaning attitudes. The second had great service but were lacking in aesthetics, filled with dingy looking decor and outdated merchandise.
“So I said, well why can’t it be both?” Mindi says. “And I set out to solve that problem.”
Her goal was to create the best brand in the industry, where clients were welcomed with open arms, uniqueness was celebrated and great product existed in a beautiful setting.
Mindi, who had a master’s degree in education, had been teaching full time. She was 27 when she created her business plan, and opened her store on January 5, 2008, her 28th birthday.
Initially, Something New boasted 900 square feet, one bridal dressing room and two tiny overflow dressing rooms. Inventory was a mixture of everything, and her marketing strategy involved a Yellow Pages listing, bridal shows and building relationships with vendors and the community.
“I went hard core at networking,” Mindi says. “Everything was extremely organic those first three years.”
She also focused on learning how to sell dresses, relying on her ability to explain things well.
“I think the people who are great at education are great salespeople because brides have to understand what they’re buying,” she says. “So, I used my education experience to explain purchases and somehow it worked.”
So well, in fact, that Something New busted through its sales goals. Even though Mindi’s business plan called for moving at five years, at three years, she needed more room.
In 2011, Mindi moved to her second location, a 3,000-square-foot store in a strip center where she’d ultimately stay for nine years.
“That would be my season of learning,” she says. “Because once you know how to sell something then you’re like ‘ok what am I buying so I sell the right things at the right price point?’”
She educated herself on ideal margins, good brand partners, traffic building and supplying product customers want. She also learned how to build a team and created Standard Operating Procedures that could be easily replicated.
Ultimately, Something New did a lot of business in that 3,000 square feet. In 2019, it expanded again, breaking ground on Mindi’s dream location, which was designed and built from the ground up.
The two-story building boasts 20,000 square feet, 10,000 up and below. Something New occupies the second floor and rents out the first floor to business tenants.
They moved in January 2020, right before COVID hit.
“Which,” Mindi says, “was actually an absolute blessing in disguise.”
Not only were they able to complete construction before prices shot up during the pandemic, but when they reopened following the lockdowns, they didn’t have to limit guest count due to having plenty of space for customers to socially distance.
“We were attracting brides from all over the state because we were one of the few places you could go,” Mindi says. “When we opened back up, we were crazy busy!”
Thriving through simplicity
Today, despite its tremendous growth, Something New is simpler.
“Which is crazy because usually you think bigger equals more complicated,” Mindi says. “But we actually have more simplified processes.”
In addition to having many SOPs in place, they no longer do in-house alterations much. While they’ll still accommodate rare circumstances, they’ve honed in on the niches they’re best at – brides, moms, prom and tux.
“We’re not trying to be all things to all people,” Mindi says. “We’d rather just be the best (in certain things) then continue to scale and do more of that.”
They don’t sell online, either, with the exception of store-branded merch.
“The experience we’re selling is come in, let us help you pick out a dress for your special day with one of our trained stylists, celebrate you and then you take that gown home or order it,” Mindi says.
Bridal represents about 70% of business, with everything else totaling 30%. Appointments and walk-ins are welcome; ultimately about 15% of brides walk in while about half of prom girls elect to.
One unique aspect of Something New is that half of a bride’s journey happens before she ever gets to the door.
“I think with most bridal stores, you call, make an appointment, then your journey begins,” Mindi says. “For us, we’re really heavily focused on everything you might experience as a bride for the six months leading up to the time you’re going to call us.”
They spend a ton of effort engaging people through social media as well as educating them. Mindi’s teacher background shines through here, as Something New provides a ton of educational resources to brides: magazines, downloadables, templates, Pinterest guides, etc. They also host a huge marketing event/fashion show once a year at a five-star resort, where everyone is invited.
“We want to be the expert when it comes to wedding dresses,” she says. “We want you to think of us, and already have been talking to us at so many points along the way, so that by the time you get to our store we’re already halfway there.”
Weaved in is social proof, aka other customers talking about how shopping at Something New was the best experience of their life.
“What is even more powerful than me telling you I’m awesome is someone else telling you it was awesome,” Mindi says.
Once a bride arrives, the focus turns toward delivering that awesome experience – with beautiful products in a gorgeous showroom – that was promised.
“So now it’s like, why wouldn’t I buy here?” Mindi says. “I get to be a part of this amazing brand!”
They utilize high school girls’ networks as a prom marketing strategy. Girls are invited to model dresses for the store and encouraged to share via social media.
“It’s a win-win for everyone,” Mindi says. “That should be a strategy for anybody doing prom: get the actual demographic in here modeling your dresses!”
Tuxedo traffic is generated largely through brides, while moms are treated to Moms Night complete with fashion shows and advice.
“They can’t try on anything; it’s literally just to make them feel special, and it preps them for their appointment before they come in,” Mindi says.
Despite success in these niches, there’s always room for improvement. A turning point for Something New came in 2019 when they hired a six-figure brand company to study them in-depth for six months.
Ultimately, the takeaway was clear definition on their brand guidelines down to the finest details. Moving forward, they made sure everything aligned with said brand.
“It was totally a worthwhile investment but at the right maturity in your business,” Mindi says. “Eleven years was enough data to truly evaluate, and I intentionally timed it with my move because it was also a clean slate for us to start fresh.”
Building a winning team
Part of being able to deliver an exceptional experience is intentionally hiring people who match your brand of promise, Mindi says.
To accomplish this, she suggests owners first develop their own leadership skills.
“And what I mean by that is become a really great person to work for,” she says. “Sometimes we think, ‘Oh, I need to find good people!’ And I’m like no…you have to be a good boss! You’ll find the people when you become a good boss!”
To ensure she is attractive to work for, Mindi first paints a picture of what someone’s career path could look like at Something New.
“It’s not just a dead-end job; you could grow here; there are a lot of cool opportunities,” she says.
Secondly, she offers attractive compensation and benefits, including retirement and PTO (the possibility of adding health insurance is evaluated annually).
“If you can’t pay people well then of course they’re going to take another job,” she says. “We have to think: what would a professional to the caliber of my desires need in the marketplace and how do I pay that?”
Lastly, Mindi offers a four-day work week (all employees get three days off in a row!) to ensure people don’t burn out.
“It’s almost a no-brainer not to walk away from (my offer)!” she says.
And it works! On average, stylists stay 18 months to two years, with shift leaders and managers going much longer, anywhere from three to 14 years. To ensure her staff feels confident and competent, Mindi puts a lot of effort into teaching and training them.
“The quality of your training will match the quality of your execution,” she says.
Also part of the business is Mindi’s husband, Jordan, whom she met in college at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla.
For the first 16 years he helped out by doing accounts payable outside of his career as a marketing manager in the non-profit world.
A year ago, when Mindi’s coaching business accelerated, the couple – who has four kids ranging in age from seven to 14 – knew they had to reprioritize.
So Jordan stepped out of his full-time job and is now exclusively dedicated to Something New. In addition to handling accounts payable, he manages the store’s YouTube channel, podcast and online portal for educational resources.
Mindi, meanwhile, keeps payroll close to home.
“That’s probably the only thing where truly nobody elses’ hands are on it,” she says. “It’s too important to me to have accuracy and make sure bonuses are correct. It makes me nervous that some people delegate that.”
Stand-out features
Three aspects of Something New are particularly unique: its private label, foundation and podcast. Each contributes to the boutique’s success in a distinct way.
About 10 years ago, Mindi came out with her own private-label collection, now called Brooklyn Grace. Her goal was two-fold: increase margins so she could pay people better and offer something exclusive to avoid matching prices wars with other stores.
“Private label is essential for bridal shops to grow because there isn’t enough margin in brands alone,” Mindi says. “Now do I think you should only have private label? No, you need a combination of the two because a good partner brand brings in traffic, and that’s important as well.”
Today Something New is 60% branded 40% private label. Some essential concepts of success, Mindi says, are exclusive styles unique to your store; good profit margin; strong promotion; and a good story behind the name that connects with brides.
Also crucial is to pay differently when stylists sell private label dresses.
“One of my coaching pillars is you need to reward the behavior you want to see because people always move toward a reward,” she says.
Secondly, a year ago Mindi and Jordan launched the Something New Foundation. The idea was to create a scholarship fund for their brides, which can be used toward any sort of education: university, technical school, certification, etc.
“We decided our most important cause, as a bridal shop, is our brides,” she says. “We love seeing people make a difference in their community. Specifically, our brides, because that’s our audience.”
Last year, they had about 30 applicants and gave away five scholarships; this year, a board will evaluate applications and select the best candidates. The number of scholarships given will depend on how well Something New does this year.
Winners will be announced at a fashion show in February, complete with videos detailing what they’re going to use the money for.
“It’s really cool,” Mindi says. “If you’re going to use your education to make a difference in our community, we want to give back and celebrate you!”
Finally, Something New offers a lifestyle podcast, focused exclusively on how to live a life worth celebrating.
Topics include relationships, health, entrepreneurship and finances – areas people have asked Mindi to mentor them in.
“I personally can’t 10x myself but what I can do is record it all, bring in amazing guests and provide a wonderful show for anybody who wants to grow in those areas,” Mindi says. “It’s a way to 10x our time.”
The Something New Show – available on Podcasts Everywhere and YouTube – has 60+ episodes in its library and drops new content weekly.
“If I want to be the best version of myself I’m going to listen to it,” Mindi says.
Put me in coach!
Aside from her thriving boutique, one of Mindi’s biggest passions is coaching other bridal store owners, which she is now doing daily.
It began five years ago at another firm. She enjoyed coaching but was getting more requests than she could handle, so she took a break to reevaluate where she wanted to go from there.
Ultimately, she created an online library called Bridal Owners’ Success School (BOSS), a product of sister company Something New Resources. It’s an annual membership that gives access to more than 60 videos covering four main modules: how to build your traffic, team, profit and future.
“It’s like Netflix – you pick it, you watch it,” she says. “Every single video has a downloadable SOP that I’ve already created and perfected because I have 17 years of experience to say this really works!”
Currently, more than 70 stores worldwide are enrolled in BOSS. To add a human connection, Mindi does monthly live calls, where she provides a new drop, then answers questions.
Additionally, there’s an annual in-person retreat and stores can check in with her at market (look for her booth in Chicago).
Mindi will also visit other stores to do audits, or owners can visit her store. She opens that option up one day a year for 10 stores, and it fills up quickly.
“It’s a very powerful day of high-level strategy for people who are like ‘OK, how do I get to this very next level?” she says.
With so many balls in the air, striking a good balance is crucial. Mindi, who is all about being healthy in spirit, mind and body, consolidates each aspect of her business into a day.
Mondays are devoted to her boutique. She’s in the building, and does one-on-one check-ins with her managers (sales, inventory, operations and marketing).
Tuesdays, she offers hourly coaching for BOSS, kind of like “a bonus office hour thing.” Wednesdays are her YouTube/podcast day, and Thursdays are overflow for whatever project needs it.
A very clear, systematized check-in process with her staff helps. Everyone has three main things they’re working on, detailed on a form for organizational and coordination purposes.
“I feel like it’s a really nice work flow, and I have a great team!” she says. “I give them so much freedom in their lane. I’m not the owner who micromanages.”
Choosing a path
Moving forward, Mindi, who is filled with “so many thoughts and dreams I have to turn my brain down”, must decide which to pursue.
“I get excited about a lot of things but I’m also in the season of having four kids still at home and wanting to see my babies at night and be a present mom,” she says.
For this reason, she’s chosen not to do other locations. Instead, her goal is to be the best bridal coach in the world.
“I’m really hoping that what we’ve created can get more well known because I know it’s going to help bridal store owners be more profitable and enjoy their businesses more,” she says.
Not only is coaching an avenue she is passionate about, but it allows her to honor her original life goal: to be a teacher.
“What I love right now is I’m teaching people how to live the life they want,” she says. “If your dream is to climb Mt. Everest, ok let’s help you get there and you can have your bridal store support that dream.”
Along those lines, this summer, she’s recording another podcast: Bridal Owners Success Stories, which tell the stories of her BOSS members.
“The point is to provide free education so if people need it who can’t afford it yet, listening to this podcast is a good place to start,” she says. “I’m all about inundating you with as much free education as I can, to help you as much as I can. And then at some point you’re going to say, ‘I need more of that – let’s come along!’”
As for this story, if there’s one lesson Mindi wants owners to take away, it is this: Success doesn’t happen overnight.
“This isn’t a get-rich-quick industry,” she says. “It’s a long play, it’s hard and grueling and brides aren’t always easy to work with. You’ve got to pull up the big strength gritty attitude and say, ‘this might take me awhile but I’m here for the long haul!’”
“My husband always says: it only took us 13 years to become an overnight success!”
