We were lucky to catch up with Ieisha & Thomas Rice recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ieisha & Thomas, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

Two years ago, I took one of the biggest risks in my life. I no longer wanted to do things that didn’t bring me joy and wanted to spend more quality time with my loved ones. So after almost 8 years as a HR Assistant, I decided to quit without a plan or another job lined up. This was a great time to not only rest, but start a healing/self-discovery journey for my mental health.

In the midst of this transition, I became what I once said I’d never be….a SAHM and small business owner. When I became a SAHM aka “House Manager”, it led to a special bond with my son, better relationships with the girls and more time with my husband. My life came around full circle when I decided to start a bartending business. I’ve wanted to be a bartender since the Coyote Ugly movie. While visiting my mom in SC, I was inspired by the neighbor wine truck and immediately discussed a similar idea with my husband, Thomas.

With Thomas’ full support, we became certified bartenders, bought a vehicle and Vibe Box Mobile Bartending was born in May 2022. We initially held off starting the business because we thought we wanted to complete the bus conversion first, but it took longer than expected. In April 2023 we decided to open despite the bus being in the shop. At first we only offered our bartending services, but we have now expanded to a portable bar and additional options. It’s surreal that we are coming up on a year in business and hope our bus will be hitting the road soon to make our vision complete.

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

We are a husband and wife duo that live in Northern VA with our three kids (5, 8, and 17). We also have two fur babies that we adopted and foster puppies occasionally. We have years of experience in some form of customer service. In addition to running a business, I’m a “House Manager” and Thomas works remotely as a Partner Manager.

We started our business with a strong desire to try something new and found a passion we truly enjoy. Vibe Box Mobile Bartending is a mobile bartending service that offers the professional, fun and convenient service you need at your next event. The name came from our fun vibe we bring to each event and the box-like shape of our bus or bar.

What sets us apart is that we are minority and woman-owned, with leadership that prefers to be in the field serving delicious drinks at your event. Each event may look different as we can custom your experience to your satisfaction. We also proudly offer eco-friendly cups and napkins.

“We mix, we pour, we vibe”

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

I met my business partner, Thomas, over 10 years ago. I had just moved to the area and started a new job as an Enrollment Consultant for an online public school. What started as friends, led to dating, kids, marriage and now business partners. Thomas is the CEO of Vibe Box Mobile Bartending.

Have you ever had to pivot?

We’ve had to pivot a couple times in our bartending business, especially with our bus. We initially thought we wanted to purchase a food truck to convert into a mobile bar but we ended up with a shuttle bus. The bus was more cost effective and seemed easier to convert since we didn’t have to remove all the equipment. We also thought we would DIY most of the conversion, but taking out the seats was enough to realize it was a task we wanted to outsource.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/vibeboxmb
• Instagram: instagram.com/vibeboxmb
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/vibeboxmb
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@VibeBoxMobileBartending-pi6fc?si=RxJ5XdEtlyvDIFWd

Image Credits
Riana Delcid Lexi Truesdale