Brief Summary
This video provides essential tips for starting a mobile bar business. It emphasizes the importance of a thorough business plan, including considerations for food and liquor licenses, insurance, and market research. The guide also covers practical aspects such as location selection, logistics, equipment, networking, and adapting to different events. Additionally, it highlights the significance of customer feedback, managing seasonal trade, and maintaining a work-life balance, while also stressing the need to account for all potential costs to set appropriate prices.
- Business plan is a must
- Check all licenses and insurance
- Networking and customer feedback is important
Creating a thorough business plan is the first crucial step. This plan should include obtaining a food license due to ice being considered food in mobile bar operations. It's also important to check local government regulations regarding liquor licensing, as temporary licenses may be required for festivals and large events. Alternatively, consider partnering with local breweries and wineries. Public liability insurance is essential to protect against potential liabilities, such as customer illnesses at events.
Conducting market research is vital to understand the competitive landscape. Use Google to identify local competitors and analyze their services and pricing. Knowing your competitors allows you to price your own services effectively and competitively.
Location selection involves reaching out to local wineries, breweries, and distilleries to establish partnerships. Networking with these businesses can generate consistent business opportunities. Building relationships with people in these establishments can lead to repeat invitations and growing business.
Consider the logistics of transporting your mobile bar to different locations, whether using a packable bar setup or a mobile food truck. Adaptability is key; for events where alcohol sales are restricted, offer mocktails or other products like hot chocolate or mulled wine at winter festivals.
Gathering customer feedback after events is crucial for enhancing customer experience and improving Google reviews, which can drive more business. Be aware of seasonal trade fluctuations, with winter seeing a drop in events and spring/summer being peak wedding season. Capitalize on the wedding market.
Maintaining a work-life balance is important, especially during peak seasons when you may be extremely busy. Remember that bar work, while fun, is hard work and should be compensated accordingly. Account for all potential costs in your business plan, including garnishes, straws, glassware, petrol, juices, mixers, and cleaning equipment.
Determine your pricing based on your costs, but don't simply match your competitors' prices, as they may be underpricing their services. If you have questions, leave them in the comments for further assistance.
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Transcript
Full transcript of “Mobile bartending business /Things to know before you start.”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 so you've decided to start your own mobile bar business what do you need to know first thing you need to start off and I wish I knew and I knew and I do a business plan make sure it is thorough and you've covered all your bases so the list of things I wish I knew before were started I'll just run down because they will actually go into your business plan so first off you will need a food license because if you're in a mobile bar ice is fastest food so always check with your local Council first just to check to see what you need so you're gonna be doing a mobile bar so always check what your local government says about liquor licensing
0:46 you probably find that even if you do have a liquor license if you do festivals and uh big events that liquor license won't apply to those and you'll have to apply for a temporary liquor license anyway and also if you didn't want to go down the road and get a liquor license you can always partner with local breweries and wineries they're always looking for mobile bars a big thing and this is one of the things that I didn't account for whenever I first did my business plan was public liability insurance make sure you have this covered because if somebody gets sick at one of your events you don't repaying that bill secondly market research do your market research go to Google check out what your local
1:31 main competitors are doing just Google your time and mobile bar business see what comes up see what they're doing see what the prices are as I say you got to know who your competitors are so you price your own Services accordingly thirdly location selection if you're near local wineries and breweries distilleries reach out to them contact them you can get a lot of business right in this way rather than just waiting for people to call you in Boogie Logistics and equipment how are you going to get your mobile bar to the destination what are you going to use are you going to actually use a mobile bar that you can just build and pack away or you're going to have like a mobile food truck my business has its own
2:18 vintage style Caravan that we're able to sell cocktails out of um we've done events where we've done six or seven hundred cocktails in a day networking and Partnerships as I've said before you can contact local breweries and wineries make friends with the people who work there do a good job and you'll get invited back once business that just keeps growing and growing adapt to different events what I mean by this is um if there's a local festival or Market that you can't sell alcohol at why don't you do mocktails what else could you sell don't just limit yourself to weddings corporate events birthdays winter festivals for example my van was
3:04 able to do hot chocolates mulled wine toasted marshmallows that kind of thing customer feedback and improvements always after an event get customer feedback this is really important because if you've got good Google reviews they'll gain you more business and obviously we're in the service industry so enhancing the overall customer experience is what it's all about seasonal trade you'll find that in winter your events will kind of drop off but then spring summer time that's Pig season for weddings you do not want to miss out on the wedding Market remember your work-life balance to you I mean owning your own mobile bar is
3:50 brilliant I say owner own your own business is what it's all about if it makes you happy and you can get paid for it that's all you want and saying that in Peaks peak season you're gonna be so tired and run off your feet so just remember that even though you know bar work is fun it's not all fun and games at the end of the day it is hard work and you want to get paid for it again in that business plan you want to account for literally everything the cost of garnish is the cost of straws glassware buckets tubs cocktail shakers cocktails stirrers jiggers cutting boards knives bar mats
4:35 business cards petrol oil juices mixers cleaning equipment if you think you've thought of everything you haven't there's always something missing but just make sure you try and get as many things as possible and then once you've got all your costs that's how you're going to find out what your price is what you're going to set your prices at biggest tip I can give you don't just look at your local competitors and match your prices to what they've got they might have priced their services wrong but I'm here to help so if you've got any questions just let me know in the comments below I will get back to you straight away
5:21 thanks for watching my name is Rusty bartender we'll catch you in the next one
