A quick video tip of the week explaining your Mobile Bartending Start-Up costs and just exactly what you need to get started.  You will be surprised at just how little you need!

Note: This article was written for Mobile Bartenders-those who choose the adventurous lifestyle of working at private parties as a Bartending Business Owner!  I have made over $950.00 in tips just from one New Year’s party, and that did not include the commissions I made from other parties I booked that night.  The following article will tell you a few tricks on just exactly how I did that.

The Craziest Night of The Year:

Welcome to New Year’s Eve!  It is no question that more people party of New Year’s Eve than on any night of the year…AND the party harder than ever before!  What does this mean for you as a Mobile Bartender?  Well, if you play your cards right: more work & more money!

As Demand Increases, So Does Our Rate:

Remember High School Econ’s Supply & Demand Curve?  The MORE people want a product or service(demand), the more the market is willing to pay for it (the price increases!).  That means good news for YOU!  New Year’s Eve is the one night of the year where you can double-or triple your bartending rates and people will easily pay them!  WHY?! Two Reasons:

1. People want the BEST Party ever & are willing to pay for the best help!
2. It is NOT easy to find a bartender who is willing to work on New Year’s Eve!

How Much Will You Charge?

You probably became a bartender because you love the nightlife!  That means it may be hard for you to pull yourself away from the biggest party night of the year so you can “work.” (Like this is actually work, right?!)  Well, putting that into the equation, that should make it easier for you to charge $250-450.00 JUST to show up for five hours!  Because what’s the worst that could happen?  You DON’T book a gig and you end up having a great time with family & friends!

Bottom Line: Do NOT be afraid to charge double/triple your standard rate for New Year’s eve!

A Tip on Tips:

If your host is shoveling out +$300 just to have you pour a few drinks, they might get a little stingy on a tip at the end of the night (uh-oh…problem!)  So…I always REQUIRE a tip jar on the bar for my New Year’s parties! If the client says no, you have two options:  a) Say goodbye; b) Pass it off to another bartender

What About Extra Bartenders?!

Whether or not your business has grown to accommodate additional bartenders, THIS is the night to start thinking about additional bartenders…because you will have more than one client calling you for this night!  And remember, we can’t be in two places at once (duh!) And we don’t want to just trade time for dollars, right?!  What if we could get paid an extra $100 just for booking one of your friends?!  Now multiply that a few times and New Year’s is starting to look pretty good, yes?!

Attracting High-Paying Clients:

A lot of my New Year’s parties come from past clients and referrals which is great.  If you have been private party bartending at LEAST 6 months, you will start to see the “Word-of-Mouth” take effect.  BUT I also get clients from my advertising efforts.  How do I advertise?!  Well…I have a few secrets, but GOOGLE is the big one!  Your client will type in “Los Angeles Bartender” and click the first result they find in Google!  Is that result you?!  It should be!  Do you even have a website?!  You better, it’s a MUST!

When clients call, I always let them no we are in high demand for New Year’s, if they try and hang up to “think about it,” you have lost them!  Let them know the spot will probably be filled because you get several calls a day or week for bartenders!  Get them to say “YES!” now, before you are SOLD OUT!

A Final Thought:

Yes, you have the potential to make a TON of cash on New Year’s if you play your cards right!  But what any bartender will tell you is this: don’t worry about the money/tips while you are actually bartending…focus on giving excellent service!  People are at this party to have the most incredible night of their lives…GIVE IT TO THEM!  (…they may just compensate ya for that!)

Be safe, make some money & have fun this New Year’s eve!

Cheers,

James Wedmore

I just interviewed one of my students Richie Hilburn, who has successfully created a lucrative bartending business in no time!  He made over $600 in his FIRST night AND booked his second gig at the event!  You have got to listen to the quick interview we did together to learn how he did it so quickly!

Question from One of my Students:

Dear James,

I am new to the bartending scene…very new, I just finished bartending school and have not secured a job yet. I really do not want to work in a bar, club or restaurant, I would much rather do private parties, weddings, etc; however I am very nervous about starting out alone. I think that starting with a company that specializes in bartending for private events might be a good avenue for me to pursue. The question is how do I get a company to give me chance to prove myself with a even though there will be a little bit of a learning curve?  So what would your best advice be about how to get your foot in the door without having experience?

Sincerely,

Roni

———————————————————————————————————————–

James’ Answer:

Hey Roni!

Welcome to the Bartending Catch 22: Managers are looking for bartenders with experience…so how do you get some?!

Listen, if you want my advice, just do private parties on your own! But here is ONE way you get over your fear…

BRING someone with you!

If you know anyone who has been in the service industry for sometime, even if they are just a server, having a second person there will help you tremendously!  Promise them you will split all the money 50-50 and they will be very willing to help!

Another trick with mobile bartending is that you will tell the host exactly what to provide so YOU will know what drink options are available.  If some guest throws a curve-ball drink at you that you have no idea how to make, simple say, “Oh sorry, I dont have the proper ingredients back here to make that.”  Simple!

ALSO, when you arrive early and get all set up, the guests will usually start to “trickle” in.  SO you quickly get acclimated to the process of mobile bartending.  In other words, you get to practice on a few guests before the real party begins!

Once you do your first event, you will actually laugh at the fact that you were ever nervous!  All of the bartenders and staff I train have NEVER bartended before…YOU have actually gone to bartending school so you are light-years beyond the rest!  You are going to KILL it, just go out there and get that first gig under your belt!

Take care!