Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kaylia Lundgren . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kaylia, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we talk about all of your success, let’s start with a story of failure. Can you open up about a time when you’ve failed?

Before doing what I am now, I was working in the tech industry. I had a passion for tech startups and spent an entire year working on one. We pivoted 5 times.
We started out working in the medical space until we realized there was too much red tape to grow fast enough. So we shifted to a dating app. Vastly different I know. It was a really cool concept that everyone was starting to love. Until App Store denied us due to a saturated market. So although we had already built the app we had to move on.
We decided to stay in the social space and built a product that allowed us to predict the virality of audio and music used on social media. We had paying customers but due to competition we weren’t able to grow fast enough to capture the market. So we pivoted again. This time decided to switch industries and get into the NFT space. We had several letters of intents from very big businesses but because the space was too risky and unknown the companies weren’t ready to put money into it.
So again, we pivoted. For our final idea we decided to jump into the artificial intelligence space. We created a product that made personalized cover letters in seconds. It got rid of such a mundane task. It was popular and we had over 100 users but our team had different goals so we disbanded to pursue different careers. A lot of the year was failing and having to start from square one. It became frustrating and I felt defeated.
Now I don’t say this to receive sympathy. I say this to explain that not everyone is going to succeed right away. Success often takes decades. One thing you can always count on is that if you fail, you will always learn valuable lessons that will contribute to the next venture you attempt. The greatest thing I learned during this period of time is to keeping moving forward. It doesn’t matter that you trip on your way, if you pick yourself back up, you’re still moving forward.

Kaylia, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

An important part of many weddings are drinks. Whether that’s cocktail hour, an after party, or just nice drinks at dinner. While attending weddings in Utah I noticed something that was so important in other states was missing: the drinks. The majority of people in Utah don’t drink alcohol. So they opt out of drinks at their weddings. We (my business partner and I) wanted to change that. There is something about a delicious drink that brings people together. So we created a mobile non-alcoholic bar called SoberSipz.

Currently, there are catering companies that cater mixed sodas as well as mocktails. We have even seen them in action. But we noticed a very large problem: The lack of aesthetic. They use a table set up with syrup dispensers and soda options with a server behind the table serving drinks. Not that it’s bad but we knew we could make it better. So we decided to combine the drinks that people love with a beautiful presentation.

With a trendy 6ft tall cart on wheels that has 5 spouts as well as an 8ft champagne glass wall, a guest can grab an empty champagne flute off the wall and fill their own glass with their drink of choice. This allows a wedding to avoid long lines and provides for a beautiful aesthetic.

We have a list of drink choices (both mixed sodas and mocktails) as well as the chance for the couple to create their own custom signature drinks. The options and looks provide a unique experience for guests and couples at weddings.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

With being a full time student at Brigham Young University, a full time licensed cosmetologist, and opening up SoberSipz, I don’t have time to make my side hustle (SoberSipz) my full time job. I think it’s easy to compare yourself to others and how well other businesses are doing. What we don’t see is everything else that’s behind the scenes. The majority of entrepreneurs I talk to have several ventures and aren’t limiting themselves to one thing. Starting a business is HARD. It’s time consuming and exhausting and the first several months to even years the profits do not equal the work being put in. So it’s okay if it’s not your full time gig right now. If you keep pushing and working hard, one day it could be.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I think the most rewarding thing is seeing a problem and being able to solve it. It is so cool to have the opportunity to improve life even if it’s considered minuscule. It’s also very rewarding watching the creative idea you had come to life. There are a lot of people out there who will doubt you and your abilities but when you accomplish what others thought you couldn’t there’s a sense of pride like none else. It’s the drive that pushes you to keep going. Knowing you are making a difference.    

Contact Info:

• Website: SoberSipz.net
• Instagram: @SoberSipzUtah
• Facebook: @SoberSipz
• Linkedin: @kaylialundgren
• Other: Email for inquiries: [email protected]

Image Credits
Our cart is being rebuilt so we don’t have many photos