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

Shakkira, appreciate you joining us today. Covid has brought about so many changes – has your business model changed?

COVID-19 didn’t just change our business model—it created it. Milkman’s Daughter was born out of the pandemic. Before 2020, the concept of delivering cocktails or offering mixology and bartending services outside a traditional bar setting wasn’t widely recognized as an industry. While mobile bartending or portable bars may have existed in some form, they weren’t as established or as mainstream as they are today. Now, these services are thriving and becoming an integral part of the hospitality sector.

Our founder, Deon Haskins, came up with the idea after losing her bartending job when restaurants and bars shut down for quarantine. As a grad student completing an unpaid internship, she needed a way to pay her bills, and this innovation became her solution. Two years later, Milkman’s Daughter officially evolved into a private mobile bartending company.

COVID allowed us—and many others in the service industry—to rethink what bartending could be. Traditionally, bartenders often face limited career progression. Opening a brick-and-mortar establishment can feel like a distant dream for many. But the rise of mobile services created an alternative path—one where bartenders can work independently, grow their brands, and potentially take steps toward owning a physical establishment.

Beyond bartending, the pandemic also popularized the idea of bringing services directly to customers. Pre-pandemic, mobile services were largely limited to food trucks. Now, we see mobile med spas, laundry services, charcuterie artists, and, of course, bartenders—offering convenience and personalization that fit the changing needs of today’s consumers. It’s exciting to be part of this movement and to have turned a challenging moment into an opportunity for innovation and growth.

Shakkira, 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?

Milkman’s Daughter is a premier mobile bartending and mixology service, delivering exceptional drink experiences tailored to your special occasions. Our offerings include expert bartending, stylish portable bars, custom drink creations, and immersive cocktail and mocktail classes—all designed to elevate your event.

We specialize in crafting personalized signature drinks to suit any celebration, from intimate private dinners and corporate gatherings to weddings, engagement parties, birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, and more. Whatever the occasion, Milkman’s Daughter brings creativity, elegance, and a touch of magic to every pour.

We are a Black and Brown, queer women-owned company that values community, creativity, drink artistry and expression while always fostering a safe and inclusive space.

Can you talk to us about how you funded your business?

Our business’s initial funding was out of pocket, including getting our LLC, insurance, and contracting a woodworker to make our first portable bar.

Any fun sales or marketing stories?

Our second event — and one of the most impactful ones to this day — came about because we took a chance and reached out to a local Airbnb host about hosting an event on their property. During our conversation, they mentioned they were opening a new venue, and we seized the opportunity to pitch ourselves. We assured them we could curate signature drinks and bartend for their opening party; we didn’t have a portfolio yet, just pure determination and assurance we had worked in some of Indy’s best establishments. To our delight, we landed the gig! It was a turning point for us — what started as an effort to fund our own event to gain exposure turned into a paid opportunity that boosted our confidence and established our reputation. We’re forever grateful to a fellow Indy business owner for believing in us and giving us one of our first opportunities as a legit entity. We hope to do this for another new and young business in the future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.milkmansdaughterbar.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/milkmansdaughterindy/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/milkmans-daughter/?viewAsMember=true
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@milkmansdaughterbar?lang=en