VIDEO POST: The Logo Contest WINNER!

October 7, 2008

Yay! We have a winner for the Business Logo Contest! Watch the video below to see if you were the winner!

Also, the video is very informative in terms of how to create your professional bartending business logo!

Enjoy!

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CONTEST: Mobile Bartender LOGO Design

September 29, 2008

Check out this really cool LOGO design created by one of my Bartend-4-Profit Customers. Bill’s company name is The Traveling Bartender, (a great name!) and he designed a perfect logo to accompany it!

bartender

Why are Logos so Important?

Your logo brands you! You put it on your business card, your website, promotional material, and much more…so it says a LOT about you and your business. As you can see with Bill’s logo, it is very professional and positions his company with refined elegance and class. The sense of “traveling” connotates cosmopolitan, worldly, and sophisticated. These are great characteristics that your clients will highly appreciate.

What do you think?

This is still a “rough draft” for Bill’s logo and a business that he is quickly building! What do you think of his logo? Do you like the name? the colors? GIVE ME YOUR THOUGHTS! Post in the comment section below!

THIS IS A CONTEST:

I will pick one commenter at RANDOM and they will get a free business name consultation and my graphic design team will build them a LOGO for FREEEE! That’s right, one lucky winner is going to get a FREE Business name and Logo. I WILL ANNOUNCE A WINNER ON OCTOBER 6th!

ADD YOUR COMMENTS BELOW TO WIN!!

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Bartender Interview: Miss Cheryl Charming

September 11, 2008

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, then you have undoubtedly heard of Miss Cheryl Charming, a celebrity bartender, author, webmaster and host of the Annual Cocktail Film Fest. I was fortunate enough to sit down and have a one-on-one Interview with Cheryl herself.

Cheryl Charming
(aka: The “Martha Stewart” of Modern cocktail Culture)
Experience: 28 Years in the Food & Bev. Industry
Books (9 Total): including, Miss Charming’s Guide for Hip Bartenders and Wayout Wannabes, & The Everything Bartender’s Book
Coming Soon: Knack Bartending Basics: More than 400 Classic & Contemporary Drinks for any Occasion
Websites: www.MissCharming.com / www.CharmingResumes.com

A Great Interview:

You can imagine that 28 years of experience behind the bar can make you an expert in your field. Miss Charming is no exception. In just a short hour, we discussed some great topics ranging from How to Get the Bartending Job of Your Dreams, Great Stories, Lucrative & Popular Bar Tricks, and how to become a Successful Bartender and so much more!

It was such an honor to speak with her and in such a short time, she shared so much valuable information that I know will make me a better bartender, and I hope it will make my listeners better bartenders as well!

James, How can I listen to this Interview?

Well…great question! I did record the entire interview and I am including it FREE as a Bonus to my NEWEST product: Tip Attraction: The Definitive Resource for Increasing your Tips and Becoming the Life of the Party which is LAUNCHING in just a few short days!! Check it out at www.TipAttraction.com.

Visit www.TipAttraction.com for more info!

For those of you who sign up and submit your e-mail address, you will get your copy of Tip Attraction at 50% off with ALL THE BONUSES! (yay!) And don’t worry, I will send everyone an e-mail letting them know when Tip Attraction is finally available to the public!

I will have TONS more to report in just a few short days so check back soon!

Cheers,

James Wedmore
www.Bartend4Profit.com

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Mobile Bartending Secrets-EXPOSED!

August 25, 2008

Learning from our Mistakes!

One of my subscribers, Kathy, sent me an e-mail detailing the events of her first bartending gig. I get these all the time from clients who are just so excited, and hooked on Mobile Bartending! Unfortunately, this e-mail was a bit different…ok a whole lot different. In my opinion, Kathy’s first event was a bit of a disaster.

I have attached her e-mail along with my response in this blog. Why? So we can learn from other’s Mobile Bartending Mistakes so we can all become better bartenders and make more money (yay!).

From Kathy:

“Hey James:

Thought I would drop you a note and tell you I now understand why you have your own bar! Did my first gig last night and did not go all that well….the guy had me set up in his backyard…it was dark; he had these hanging LUAU lights so it was great for his Luau. It set the stage for his company, candles on the table, etc., however I had a hard time seeing.

He gave me a Tropical Book that he wanted me to make the drinks from; he went so far as to have them marked on a chalkboard for his guest to chose what ones they wanted! Then he gave me the book.

Want to hear the best part ? I worked off of a cardtable! It was hard to bend over this table as it was so low, then for his supply of bottles he set them up on a child’s picnic table that was for 4 year olds that was even shorter then the table! My back was broke by the time I got home.

The table was the main problem …….no where to work; he had a blender on it at the right hand corner, the other corner he had a large pot that he made a batch of drinks in and in the other corner he had a display of straws, umbrellas. I was slow in making the drinks, he only had so much pineapple juice, I ran out……….then trying to find him, he’s in the house!

One of his guest went to get him to tell him I was out of supplies….got that juice and then of course (I was making Planter’s Punch) I ran out of orange juice; in the middle of all of this one of the guest wanted a different drink. It was hard for me to read his Tropical Drink book, I had to keep looking at each thing to go in the drink; I used a shot glass, guess the Guest thought I was slow and maybe they expected me to FREEPOUR. One of my friends said to put on the Speedpours so I did.

But when it came time ot leave I had a problem putting the right caps on the right bottle!! I also had to stand all night, so I have a backache!! The little bar stool I couldn’t even sit on as it was wobbly so I just tried to lean on it……..and not very well either I might add….plus with no water everything was sticky…I struggled and I think the guest felt it, at least some of them did; one guy said he kind of felt sorry for me working in the dark, at any rate…I just thought if anyone would understand you would.

I am just wondering if I had a bar like yours and I had an appropriate bar stool to sit on in between ….down time it might of helped…wound up with $100/ not bad $15/hr he gave me a $25 tip, at least I made a few bucks, 2 people picked up my card. Let me know your thoughts….

Kathy”

Here was my response, hopefully this advice I give her will also help you avoid these common pitfalls!

From James to Kathy:

Hey Kathy!!

What a nightmare! But I guess we can chalk it up to a great learning experience here!!

So, here is EVERYTHING you can do as a mobile bartender to make sure that NEVER happens again!

Get a Mobile Bar or Have an Alternative:

If you don’t have YOUR own bar, you need to get one ASAP.
Until then, try finding a suitable substitute. (A portable table, etc.)
Or, Rent one and charge your clients (plus interest)Most Importantly: Have the bar arrangement settled BEFORE you arrive at the event. Don’t try and solve the problem when you arrive.

Know The Drink Menu:

If the host is going to throw a “curve ball” at you, with unique recipes and a menu that no one has ever heard of, make sure you get the names and recipes BEFORE the event.
While booking, ask “What types of drinks would you like me to serve?” This way, you can look everything over and get an idea for how to make the drinks
If necessary, make a 1 page cheat sheet and keep behind the bar

Let There Be Light!

ALWAYS check BEFORE the party starts and make sure you have enough light. My host always asks, “Do you have everything, James?” BEFORE the guests arrive, make sure you have an adequate light source. Don’t wait until it’s dark.
At the worst case scenario, a BUNCH of candles at the bar will do.

Bring Your Own Back Bar:

Take more control of your bar area, provide your own mobile back bar table.
Bring a small portable table of your own for the back bar!
And yes, bring a stool if you must.

Charge More $$$!

I know you are just starting out in Mobile Bartending, but I would be offended if that is all I made in an evening. Change your pricing strategy.

Charge $147 as your BASE rate
DONT CHARGE HOURLY
If your host is tipping you, it should be a MINIMUM of $2 per guest. I think $250 sounds a lot better to you than $100, right?
Wait until I show you how you can make $500-600 a night.

Kathy, I hope this info helps you on your path to Mobile Bartending Success. But let me tell you…you are making all of the mistakes I made when I first started, I am actually getting “angry” and “fired up” for YOU. I feel like the host totally screwed you big time, and your biggest problem is that you are not taking control and showing him the confidence and knowledge that you have. If you want to continue learning from every bad situation, it is going to be a long and painfully bumpy road.

***************

Well, I hope everyone else can learn something from this situation. I have dealt with problems like Kathy’s before, but not anymore! The Bartend-4-Profit System is your roadmap to success as a Mobile Bartender, check it out at www.Bartend4Profit.com.