We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Reagan Dixon. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Reagan below.

Hi Reagan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I started bartending back in 2015, I was studying for my graduate degree in HR, when I met a gentleman who bartended at a restaurant I was eating at. He too was studying for his graduate degree and bartending on the side. I had always had a fascination with being a bartender. I am friendly, and outspoken, I work in HR, so I know how to read people pretty well. Bartending to me seemed fun, it was something that was stress-free, and you didn’t have to take your work home at night.
I had a friend who was a bartender, offer me a job at a local dive. I would work the Karaoke hour for regulars who would come in. There I learned to make a lot of drinks. The tips were great, and people seemed to really like me.
I decided from there to work as a bartender for the chiefs’ games during football season, I worked for a lady who owned her own bartending company, and she had a contract with the chief’s stadium. she also had other events she would hire me to bartend for. About six months into working for her, I thought to myself, why am I working for someone when I can start my own bartending business.
The overhead is low, and I could do really well in this industry. One thing about me is that I take customer service beyond just selling someone an item, I want to make sure customers have the experience to recommend me as a person to see. I got my business license, LLC my company, and started iKreate Kocktails.
The name iKreate Kocktails came from my husband’s graphic design company iKreate designs. We have partners on so many levels when it comes to our business, so we wanted our brand to be similar. I am a new business, but I am not new to the industry. I bartend events such as Wedding receptions, birthday parties, graduations, bachelor and bachelorette parties, you name the event, and I will do it.
I even offer mocktail theme parties for those under 21 and I also offer bartending classes for those who are interested in getting started. Today, I have two bartenders who can cross the state line to serve customers who are in need of great bartending service. If you ask people who have used my services, they will tell you that I gave them great service, from the setup to the consultation on specialty drinks they might want at their event, to the honest conversation about budget and how I can meet their needs.
I want to make money, but I am not in the business of taking someone’s money that they really don’t have to spend. Bartending services are not expensive, it is one of the costliest services a person can pay for, so I want to make sure customers get their money’s worth.

Reagan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I had always had a fascination with being a bartender. I am friendly, and outspoken, I work in HR, so I know how to read people pretty well. Bartending to me seemed fun, it was something that was stress-free, and you didn’t have to take your work home at night. I had a friend who was a bartender, offer me a job at a local dive. I would work the Karaoke hour for regulars who would come in. There I learned to make a lot of drinks. The tips were great, and people seemed to really like me.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I am known for having really good attention to detail when it comes to a person’s special day (whatever the event is), I like to sit down with the customer and go over drink menus, specialty drinks, and what liquor they prefer. I give them options to choose from, everything is customizable. I have a smile at every event, even if the crowd is unruly, I still present them with a smile, everyone deserves to be treated the same, even if they don’t give the same treatment back to me. I believe that is what sets me apart from others.
I have been to events or at a local bar where the bartenders aren’t friendly and I always think, why to get into the business if you aren’t going to be nice or have good customer service.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

networking is the key to success. You never know who you will run into when you are out at meet and greet events. I also found finding others in my same field who are ok with giving me advice. , there is room for everyone to be successful, we should always uplift each other.

follow up has been very successful for me. I really like being intentional with my customers when I tell them that their experience with me will be one, they will never forget.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ikreatekocktails.com

Image Credits
Photo of Reagan Dixon credit goes to Rome Washington with Royal Hampton Photography