We recently connected with Melissa Sacco and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Melissa , thanks for joining us today. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?
I started as a restaurant server in Boca Raton, Florida when I moved there in 2005. One of the bartenders had called out and my manager needed someone to cover their shift in a pinch. I had no prior bartending experience but I volunteered to cover the shift. I really only knew the drinks that I consumed and a few basic other ones! After successful shift, some of the customers started to request me as their bartender so my manager gave me a few bartending shifts a week aside from my serving shifts. After doing this for a year, I thought to myself “I could really be making a lot of money doing this privately on the side“. I put an ad on craigslist when that was the popular way to advertise your business, and started getting some inquiries for private parties, weddings and corporate events. At that time I also decided to make business cards, build my own website, and ask other people for referrals. I was officially a business owner! I decided to get an official Florida state certification for responsible for serving and bartending, liability insurance, and began an Instagram page to advertise a social media outlet. In 2013, I moved to Orlando and had to transfer everything over to a new market and leave my old clients behind. It took less than a year for me to get up and running with new clientele and prospects. I decided to reach out to over 300 vendors by email to let them know that if any of their clients were seeking a bartender for their wedding or party, to reach out to me for rates, information, etc. Now in 2022, I am one of the top rated bartenders on five different sites I advertise on, working an average of 8 to 10 parties per month, and receive referrals from all of my clients for future events.
Melissa , 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?
I work full-time in the health insurance industry and have been with my company for 10 years. On the side, I have continued to run my bartending business and spend a lot of my time marketing, putting together contracts and invoices, reaching out to potential clients, collaborating with wedding planners and venues, etc. I am proud to say that the reviews on every site I advertise on speak for themselves. I have covered everything from small weddings of less than 30 people to large corporate events of over 150 people. To think that I started out as a server in a restaurant and then was asked to cover a bar shift being what led me to running a successful mobile bartending business today, is one of my biggest accomplishments. I have a 0% cancellation rate on my end, I create and prepare bar menus, and people can be rest assured that I will provide top-notch service to each and every guest at their event. I pride myself on being Florida State certified and one of the top vendors in my industry.
Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?
When I moved to Orlando Florida in 2013, I had to start from scratch with all new clients and a completely different market. I compiled a list of over 300 venues in the Central Florida area and spent quite a few months gathering contact information so that I could reach out by email. I gave the contact person at each venue a rundown of my services, packages offered, rates, what is included with the service, etc. I had some people tell me that they already had a preferred vendor, other people that wanted to add me to their preferred vendor list, and some people didn’t even respond at all. But the success rate of the responses I did get was well worth it and was what got me kick started into the new market.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
With the pandemic in 2020, my business definitely took a huge hit. Clients were canceling their weddings and parties left and right and I was worried and panicked that it wouldn’t bounce back. I had no idea if and when they would reschedule. A few months into 2021, people started to reach out again to either reschedule or book a new event. Large gatherings were starting to make a come back and that meant new business and returning business coming back around! I understood the frustration of people not being able to carry out an event that they had been planning for so long, but I was confident that once it was time to do so again, that I would be ready to go!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drinktilyoudrop.com
- Instagram: @_drinktilyoudrop
Image Credits
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