A Conversation With Jersey Banks, Co-Founder, Urban Cowboy
At Karrikins Group, we work alongside leaders to close the gap between great ideas and real results by combining business expertise with social science to help teams align on how to deliver together - driving better outcomes and stronger connections.
In this episode of The Failure Gap, Julie Williamson, Ph.D. speaks with Jersey Banks, Co-Founder of Urban Cowboy Boutique Hotels. Jersey shares her unique journey from a professional dancer to a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. The conversation explores the challenges of building a brand, the importance of company culture, and the hard work behind the glamorous facade of hospitality. Jersey emphasizes the need for listening and learning in entrepreneurship, as well as the value of allowing team members to fail and grow. The episode concludes with Jersey's quirky wish for a better design solution for clawfoot tubs, highlighting her creative spirit.
Episode Takeaways
In this episode of The Failure Gap, Julie Williamson, Ph.D. speaks with Jersey Banks, Co-Founder of Urban Cowboy Boutique Hotels. Jersey shares her unique journey from a professional dancer to a successful entrepreneur in the hospitality industry. The conversation explores the challenges of building a brand, the importance of company culture, and the hard work behind the glamorous facade of hospitality. Jersey emphasizes the need for listening and learning in entrepreneurship, as well as the value of allowing team members to fail and grow. The episode concludes with Jersey's quirky wish for a better design solution for clawfoot tubs, highlighting her creative spirit.
Episode Takeaways
- Jersey's journey began as a professional dancer before transitioning to hospitality
- Urban Cowboy started as an Airbnb-style venture before evolving into a boutique hotel brand
- The importance of listening to feedback from guests and adapting the business accordingly
- Building a company culture is crucial for employee engagement and brand consistency
- Expansion requires a shift in mindset and understanding of leadership roles
- Failure is a part of the learning process in entrepreneurship
- Instagram can create an illusion of ease in the hospitality industry
- Trusting team members to take ownership is essential for growth
- Creating a reciprocal culture between employees and guests enhances loyalty
- Entrepreneurs should embrace the journey as a work in progress
If you would like to connect with Jersey Banks outside of this episode: Connect with her on LinkedIn and learn more about Urban Cowboy.
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Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:
Learn more about Julie and Karrikins Group:
Creators and Guests
Host
Julie Williamson, PhD
Julie Williamson, PhD is the CEO and a Managing Partner at Karrikins Group, a Denver-based, global-serving business consultancy. Author, Keynote Speaker, and Host of The Failure Gap Podcast, Julie is a leading voice in how alignment can transform leaders and organizations.
Guest
Jersey Banks
Jersey Banks, grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Denver, Co. Leaving Denver after high school, she attended The New School University in New York City where she studied contemporary dance and began a lifelong love of the city. Like many graduates in the arts, she was a “starving artist”; a professional dancer, by day, and a “jack of all trades” in the city’s hospitality workforce by night. Engaging in high profile guest services, hosting events, being the scantily clad and untouchable entertainment, beverage “aka” bottle service, bartending, and even “working the door”, she caught more than a glimpse behind the curtain, becoming satiated to both nightlife and her performance pursuits. After taking a break from dance and wanting to refine her service experience into something that fed her interests in art, people, and working during daylight hours, she eventually cartwheeled into real estate. She hated it. It did, however, foster the meeting of Lyon Porter, (her soon-to-be life and business partner). In 2014, they accidentally turned a single-family townhouse in Brooklyn into a boutique hotel and lifestyle brand, Urban Cowboy Hotels. What started as a passion project for design and good conversation, became a much-needed antidote to the exclusive pay-to-play nature of the city. “The Cowboy” evolved into a community of travelers and artists. Now with 5 properties under their umbrella, the Creative Studio in Brooklyn, A luxury boutique hotel in Nashville, a lux lodge resort “adult camp” in the Catskills, a 70’s Motel, Dive Bar & Swim Club called the Dive Motel, and a downtown boutique, her hometown hero project and homage to the west in Denver, Co. As a co-founder and owner, Jersey’s role with both brands has evolved from the innkeeper of the mom-&-pop B&B in Brooklyn to overseeing operations across all locations and heading company culture. She is now focused on Brand Development through experience, merchandise, and design as the CEO of the Urban Cowboy Creative Studio. The Studio serves as the in-house creative and brand management team for all Urban Cowboy projects, private clients, and collaborations. Jersey also shares a 4-year-old with her partner Lyon.
