We recently connected with Deena Marie and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Deena, thanks for joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

I’ve worked for a utility company for the past 14 years. Although, I’m very grateful for my day job, I’ve always wanted to be a business owner. I actually started my first business in 2007 as an event planner but got offered a job I couldn’t refused shortly after. I left that dream go for my corporate job. In 2019 as I sat at my desk and realized that I wasn’t able to use my creativity and the fact that early retirement sounds like heaven; I started thinking of ways to have multiple streams if income. One of my co-workers had a mobile bar business and I would spend time speaking with her about the process. She invited me to come and help her with a party to see how I would like it. Well this introvert loved it! I began taking some of the information she gave me and researching some of my own, thinking of a business name, getting my business registered with the state of Michigan and securing my tax ID. My business name incorporated part of original business from 2007 and the new business venture.

As I geared up to start my own mobile bartending business 2020 hit and life changed forever. I wrestled with wether or not I should still move forward for months to finally decided “at this point what’s the worst that can happen “.I launched the business in late spring/ early summer and never looked back.

We couldn’t have in person events so I started by making pre-made beverages and offering a bi-weekly menu for clients to make orders. I would delivery them kind of like DoorDash as I made a presence on social media.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

When your having an event there are many things you need to consider: venue, decoration, music, etc. The bar seems to be the last thing that people think of or have the smallest budget for. Have you ever been to a party without drinks? How did that work out for you? I’m here to tell you that we are just as important as everything else, maybe even more. As a client you want someone certified to serve and has the insurance to protect you and the venue from any liability caused by serving alcohol. The convenience of having someone that can match the decor and aesthetic of your event is also what we at Posh Potions strive to give all of our clients. The thing is I get as much pleasure of making the bar area/drinks/service an experience that your guests will be raving about as you will. I love to make things taste as good as it looks.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

At the end of 2021 which was after a full year of being in business. I didn’t have a lot of followers or any direction on what I could do to be better with a marketing. I had several bookings and made decent money but as anyone knows, majority of the money that I made got reinvested into the business. I did some research and for my industry, it’s recommend to market at bridal shows. I looked up some local shows in my area and got pricing information. I was reluctant at first because to be honest my business didn’t have it. I made a decision to give that bridal show the remaining funds in my business account and prayed hard…that this worked lol! In Feb I did the show and I had so much fun. It was great to see all the newly engaged excited about planning their weddings and looks for vendors to make their day special. I actually was the only Mobile bar at this event and had a lot of traffic and interest. You know what the next day I booked a wedding (my first one) which was the highest paid project I had ever did at that time. I got the money I invested back almost 3 times over. I was so exited and extremely motivated to continue building my business up.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Good ole social media & the infamous algorithm. There are so many coaches on social media that are all saying different things to do to grow your audience. I thought I would lose my mind trying to keep up. Im not a post person, Im usually the one scrolling and looking at photos. Finally, I started posting reels of events that I had bartending and of me making drinks at home and the numbers started growing. I try to stay as consistent as I can but I have stopped stressing about it. I try to show repeat and future clients what they can expect from out services. I had a goal of obtaining 1000 followers by the end of 2022 but fell just short of that. I’m proud of where I am and will continue to build the presence that I’m looking for. My advice for anyone trying to build their social media just simply show what you can for your customers and what you want them to know that sets you apart from someone else.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.poshpotionsmobilebar.com
• Instagram: poshpotionsmobilebar
• Facebook: Posh Potions