Meet Carli Dixon of Downtown Dayton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carli Dixon.

Hi Carli, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I began my entrepreneurial journey by studying Entrepreneurship at The American University in the late 90’s. I’ll never forget my entrepreneurship teacher explaining the difference between employment and business ownership; on the employment side of his desk, he stood still, holding his briefcase by his side; on the ownership side of the desk, he struck a sprint stance, with the briefcase outstretched in front of him. A thousand words were spoken to me with that image that day, and the image still resonates as the most simple and accurate explanation of the differences I faced at that pinnacle time in my life.

I chose the more kinetic entrepreneurship path, and I have been on it ever since. My ownership journey began with a floral preservation business that I started right out of college, and continue to own to this day, called Bloombeads | Freezeframe. We take fresh flowers from weddings, memorials and other events, and turn them into wearable keepsake jewelry and framed art.

In 2009, our town was named one of the top 10 dying cities in America by Forbes in response to multiple local corporations relocations, and as a local business owner, and wife of a known local metal sculptor, I felt compelled to make sure our town survived this monumental challenge. My husband Hamilton and I located some abandoned buildings in our downtown (3 buildings in total that were all combined into one plat), and found a way to acquire them, with the plan of activating them and helping to create the community in which we wanted to live.

We surveyed the doers in our town, and the resonating theme was that Dayton needed a mid-sized music venue, and it needed a more approachable event space, with more flexible catering policies. With this information, we got to work cleaning out our abandoned properties, and transforming them. You can see photos of our progress if you google Blurb Atta Girl Complex.

Within the first 2 years, we succeeded in turning one of the buildings into Hamilton’s metal studio. Nine years later (2018), we opened our event space in the 18,000 sq foot warehouse on the property, and since then, have hosted hundreds of weddings, concerts, fundraisers, parties and events.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?

When I reflect on the struggles along this entrepreneurship journey, as a 52 year old who has been self-employed for all of my adult life, I can honestly say that business challenges are sort of like child-birth; they seem impossible to survive while you are in the midst of them, but the details seem hazy when you’re looking in the rear view mirror.

With each year of business ownership, and each new element of growth and evolution, there has always been a struggle or challenge awaiting me. In the early years, struggles revolved around what it really means to be in business; what’s actually hiding behind the curtains, after business cards and logos are approved, and websites are launched. The to-do lists that follow all of this visionary and aspirational work are much more pedestrian and minutia-filled. But the cool thing is that most of these essential tasks and skills to actually make a business function are transferable.

By transferable, I mean, once you have the skills and systems developed for hiring and managing a team, this skill becomes a tool in your tool box. Sames goes for financial management, forecasting, selling and customer service. Once you really grasp that customer service is 95% listening, that skill is totally transferable to everything you do in business and in life.

My current struggle is keeping up with social media trends and skills; about the time I grasp what I’m doing on one platform, trends shift, and I have new things to learn. It feels like the one carousel in running a business that I can never seem to exit. (Cue brash colors, distorted carnival music and an endless stream of sensory overload).

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am incredibly proud of this complex of buildings and all of the self-empowerment that is instilled in everyone who engages with this space. I’d say I’m the most known for being and effective catalyst in the background, setting the stage for my team and my associates to succeed and thrive in the spotlight.

As for our clients, our venue feels so different than other similar spaces because I set the tone as the owner that puts our the clients and their experience squarely in the center of all that we do. For example, it is easier to run an event venue that limits vendor options to those who have been pre-approved, but our venue takes all the extra steps to allow our clients to choose vendors that feel reflective of them and their union. It is so much more work for us, but each of our weddings and events feels like a unique and authentic reflection of the couple.

On our public/concert side of the business, I am so incredibly proud of figuring out enough to successfully host nationally touring bands in a way that leaves them and their support team wanting to return to our venue. Over our 7 years in business, we have had the opportunity to host John Waters, Kim Deal, Hawthorne Heights, Guided By Voices, Brainiac, Kenny Hoopla, Jennifer Hartswick, and many others. Hosting live music is absolutely the most challenging and exhilarating thing I’ve ever done.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson I’ve learned in my entrepreneurial journey is to be curious, not judgemental. It’s sort of another way of saying “Let them,” from the viral Mel Robbins podcast and book. I respond to most circumstances and challenges these days with curiosity only, and I leave the judgement behind. This has shifted the way I experience
everything in my life for the better. I am lighter in all ways.

Pricing:

• Saturday 12 Hr. Venue Rental – $5300
• Friday 10 Hr. Venue Rental – $4300
• Sunday 10 Hr. Venue Rental – $2900

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thebrightsidedayton.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebrightsidedayton/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thebrightsidedayton
• Twitter: https://www.x.com/BrightsideDYT
• Youtube: @brightsidevenue8950