Meet Ashley Gassmann | Owner & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashley Gassmann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashley, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
While attending Iowa State University, I found a passion for entrepreneurship. From, pitch competitions to being in a summer accelerator program, I took advantage of all the opportunities ISU had. Immediately after graduating I was lucky enough to start my own Event Planning business, Elowen Events. In 2020, I had a lot of clients asking for neon signs & saw the trend of them being used in weddings. That is how Mariglow Neon was created. In 2021, I added the customizer tool that allows you to design your own sign & have continued to sell custom and rental signs for weddings, businesses & home decor.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Mariglow Neon is a custom & rental LED neon sign company for weddings, small businesses & home decor. When I first started, I had a form on the website for customers to enter the information and then I would go into Illustrator to create a mock-up then send them a quote. It was very time consuming & would spend most of my time doing that & knew I needed a more streamlined process. I saved up to contract a software developer to create the customizer tool that is now on the website today. It allows you to design your sign, see the price right away & order. Such a time saver that allows me to focus on other parts of the business. I’m very proud of the Mariglow brand & believe it represents joy. It’s such an honor to have a small part in my customers big days.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I don’t live in Denver, but have drove through Denver countless times on my way to Breck to snowboard. In Breck, a few of my favorite places are The Blue Stag Saloon for happy hour, Breckenridge Brewery for pretzels & Strawberry Sky beer, Blue River Bistro for martinis and cashew & honey brie, RMU Breck for grilled cheese and beer on the back patio & Unravel for a dirty chai latte.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family has been a huge support & part of my entrepreneurship story. My parents own there own business & are an inspiration to me. They are also always a phone call away to ask random questions that come up throughout the day. That is one thing I love about entrepreneurship, there’s always something to learn from someone else. My husband has also been a huge encouragement to go for it right after graduating college. Very lucky to have his support & love!

Website: https://mariglowneon.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariglowneon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariglowneon

Image Credits
photo: @ashleepaigespencer venue: @theharmac floral: @uniqueeventsiowa @floral4uniqueevents neon: @mariglowneon styling: @elowenevents