A Bartender Case Study: Shawn Picard

November 25, 2008

I just got an e-mail from one of my clients who wanted to give me an update on his Bartending Business status! Let’s just say I was soo PROUD to see all of the great work he had accomplished in such a short time!

His name is Shawn Picard, and he purchased The Bartend-4-Profit System just a few months back. What he has done in that time has been amazing!

You can take a look at his website at: www.ServeChilledBartending.com

Shawn built a beautiful website that has great pictures, video, and copy. He build his own portable bar that he takes with him to all of his events! He even learned how to become a flair bartender so that he could “wow!” his guests to giving him more tips! What I would like to do now is take a second and see just what we can learn from a success Case Study like Sean here.

What YOU can learn from Sean:

Have a Great Name/Branding: Serve Chlled is a great name, and he branded his company with a penguin-an animal that represents both the elements of cold and elegance (tuxedo)
Have a Website: Website is REQUIRED! But very easy to obtain one!
Great Headline/Copy: Take the time to read Shawn’s headline. It goes right for the benefits of why someone would hire him!
Clear, Visual Pictures: A picture tells 1,000 words, you need some of you bartending!
Include Video: Marketing is all going to video now and Shawn nailed it with his video!
Different Pricing Options: Shawn gives his customers several different pricing packages to choose from
Learn Flair: Shawn is MORE than just a bartender. Someone who wants to have fun and entertainment will choose Shawn for his flair skills!
Easy Contact: Make it easy for your visitors to contact you INSTANTLY. Shawn using a contact form that his clients can fill out.
Take Action: The biggest reason people FAIL is that they NEVER took action! Shawn simply purchased The Bartend-4-Profit System (the first action) and simply followed the steps laid out before him. THIS is what he has accomplished!

I am so proud of Sean for all of his work to making his business take off the way it has! It is one of the most rewarding experiences to make a difference in someone’s life like this!! I look forward to all the others who decide to follow this path and work for themselves as a mobile bartender! I am here to help!

Filed Under Main Content · Leave a Comment

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.