“These are my core values. And then whether or not that eventually gets shared with partners down the road, it's kind of like your own North Star.”

What happens when one woman decides to solve her own loneliness—and ends up building a 70,000-member community? In this episode of Startups in Stilettos, hosts Carlyn Bushman and Ingrid Zapata-Read sit down with Emily Dempsey, founder of The Brickell Babes, one of South Florida’s fastest-growing women’s communities.

What began as a simple happy hour for women looking to make friends quickly evolved into a powerful networking ecosystem hosting more than 200 events and attracting tens of thousands of members. Emily shares how she turned an organic community into a thriving business after receiving up to 60 partnership requests a week—and the systems, strategy, and mindset shifts required to scale.

The conversation dives into the realities of building a modern community brand: balancing personal branding with a growing platform, managing multiple digital spaces like Facebook and WhatsApp, and building a support team that keeps engagement high without burning out.

What We Talked About:

A Change of Scenery [3:17]

Using Your Own Backyard [7:14]

All About Branding [14:22]

Difference in Communities [18:58]

What Does Support Look Like [24:00]

Connect with Emily:@emilydempsey on InstagramEmily Dempsey On LinkedIn

The Brickell Babes

Emily’s podcast, Stacked Assets

Connect with Carlyn: ⁠⁠

@carlynbushmanconsulting⁠⁠ on Instagram ⁠⁠

Carlyn Bushman⁠⁠ on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ ⁠

Carlyn Bushman Consulting⁠

Connect with Ingrid: ⁠⁠

⁠@itsingridsworld⁠ ⁠⁠on Instagram ⁠⁠

Ingrid Zapata-Read⁠⁠ on⁠ ⁠Linkedin⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Grow With Community⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Emily Dempsey Builds Community and Financial Confidence