We were lucky to catch up with Kia Conyer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Kia thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Almost all entrepreneurs have had to decide whether to start now or later? There are always pros and cons for waiting and so we’d love to hear what you think about your decision in retrospect. If you could go back in time, would you have started your business sooner, later or at the exact time you started?

Haha! What a great question! I will start by saying that I have no regrets. For many years I have struggled to find my passion and if I even had one at all. I am a student of life and love learning and growing. I graduated college in 2011 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management in 2018. I’ve spent years in the engineering and project management industry. I love my career and what I do, but there is a difference in loving what you do and pursuing your passion, right? I began working as a mobile bartender; bartending for all kinds of events from conferences, weddings, birthday parties, corporate/office events, and more. I instantly fell in love with the idea of being able to provide a professional, yet fun service to people, and know that I played a part in making someone’s event unforgettable. I started LIGHT when I was ready to make that full time commitment towards building and maintaining my business. Looking back and knowing what I know now, I definitely would’ve started investing in myself, my passion, and my business much sooner.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am from VA and a graduate of Old Dominion University. I hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management. I have been in the engineering and project management field for over ten years. I love to learn, research, and solve problems. As to be expected, there will always be challenges along the way but learning how to be resilient has been the greatest lesson. That is what the world will know about me. I want to show the world what resilience looks like personified. My small business will do that through positivity, empathy, and a smile. I heard a quote years ago, “Smile! You never know who may need it.” There have been times when a simple smile from someone has made my day ten times better and helped me to keep moving. All I want to do is pay those smiles forward and show people that their greatest weapon against hardship is resilience. My business L.I.G.H.T Custom drinks & Bartending (L.I.G.H.T) is a mobile bartending service for the Atlanta metro area in hopes of expanding to other states. L.I.G.H.T provides its customers with a unique, professional, fun, and happy experience for all occasions, through exclusive packages that allows the customer various options from bartending services only, bringing the full bar experience, unique custom drink options, and so much more. What stands L.I.G.H.T apart is its ability to immerse itself into the customer’s experience. L.I.G.H.T takes on the perspective of the customer each, and every time. That is exactly what L.I.G.H.T stands for; Let’s Immerse & Get Happy Together!

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

The exposure I gained while working as a mobile bartender. The private, more intimate event settings allowed me to spend more time talking with clients; while the public events such as festivals really started getting me noticed. Like most businesses, a satisfied customer and return customers are your best commercials. They are the people that will tell others about you. The good and the bad!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Similar to building a positive reputation, working with other business owners and vendors has not only helped me build a positive rapport for myself and my business; but it has also been super effective in growing clientele. Working with caterers and event planners, you broaden your visibility and client base. Word of mouth has been my most effective way of gaining new clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lightdrinksandbar.com
• Instagram: light_bartending
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lightdrinksandbar

Image Credits
Nick Blackmon Victoria Jones