Outright Entreprenuers: CelebritySpouses.net, the Social Network for a Segment of the Population Just Outside the Limelight

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When Amy Brimicombe worked at a sports charity, dealing daily with the spouses of professional sports players, she got a chance to see a whole new side of the sporting industry, one that few people ever even take the time to contemplate – the untold story of pro sports spouses. Working with pro sports spouses taught her that celebrity, especially for families, isn’t all big houses and fancy cars. “It’s actually very isolated world,” Brimicombe said.

Two years ago, when she was casting about for a business idea, Brimicombe asked herself, “What’s fresh out there?” Combining the sound business practice of filling a new niche with her own experience working with the spouses of pro sports players, Brimicombe dreamed upCelebritySpouses.net, a social network for the spouses of celebrities in the pro sports, film and television, and music industries.

“[Celebrity spouses] lose their identity,” Brimicombe said. “Your high school friends don’t understand it. Your family doesn’t understand it. When [people] pay any attention to you at all it’s because they are trying to get to your spouse. There’s no roadmap for a celebrity spouse.” CelebritySpouses.net is a way for the unsung heroes in celebrity marriages to connect with other people who understand the particular demands of their highly specific world. In fact, Brimicombe intentionally chose the name Celebrity Spouses because of its double meaning. Though the users of her social network are the spouses of celebrities, the celebrities at CelebritySpouses are – you guessed it – the spouses themselves. “Everyone should be a celebrity in their own home,” Brimicombe said.

Brimicombe’s community stays relevant to her audience because she is constantly up on the latest trends. Though when many people think celebrities they think “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,” Brimicombe is well aware that the majority of pro sports players end up divorced and bankrupt within 5 years of ending their careers. In response to that sobering statistic, and to the plethora of financial scammers who constantly prey on celebrities flush with new money, Brimicombe handpicks financial advisors and other service providers to recommend to her community members. She also invites experts to contribute informational articles relevant to celebrity spouses and families. For example, did you know that those houses every pro sports player promises to buy their mother are subject to a 45% gift tax? Brimicombe does, and she makes sure her network knows it, too.

As for her advice for new small business owners, Brimicombe has one word – flexibility. “Don’t think what happened yesterday will happen today, because it will not,” said Brimicombe. When she first conceived CelebritySpouses.net, it was merely a website. Within months, it had evolved into a social network. Even today Brimicombe is constantly rewriting her business plan and updating her revenue model to flow with the direction her social media network is taking. Her second piece of advice to new business owners is to know the industry. And for social network owners like herself, she recommends David Silver’s The Social Network Business Plan: 18 Strategies that Will Create Great Wealth.

As for her plans for CelebritySpouses.net, Brimicombe wants to take her social network to where her audience is – on the road. She plans to launch a mobile version of CelebritySpouses.net soon so that her audience can connect and meet in person when traveling or moving to a new city.

And last but not lease, for those of us simply wondering how the other half lives, we’re out of luck – CelebritySpouses.net is invitation only and tightly regulated!

Recognizing the unique needs of the spouses and partners of Entertainment Industry people, CelebritySpouses.net founder and CEOAmy Brimicombe, formerly of the Pro SportsWivesAssociation and Magazine, has created an online social and informational haven for those who are often just a step outside of the glare of the spotlight