Today we’d like to introduce you to Alicia Wilson.
Alicia, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was fascinated with the action behind the bar since I was able to get into a club. I started bar-tending in 2001. I went to a local Miami bar, which was called Links Pub. At the time my friend’s dad was the cook there and I went to him for a job there. I was trained on the basics of taking orders and flirting for your tips. This was a very slow pace bar, almost like a members-only club; the same guys came in and told the same stories weekend after weekend. After about four months of mastering how to open a beer bottle, I got bored and quit. After being introduced to another local bar/club in Miramar (Tropix Lounge), I expressed my interest and was hired right away. This was a completely different atmosphere. It is a fast pace night club vibe, so people are drinking rum and coke, vodka red bull, or a beer. I worked at Tropix for a few months and started to hear women request Sex on the Beach, which we were not serving at the time; therefore, I wasn’t trained on how to make it. At this time, I yet to have formal bar-tending training, so I googled how to make sex on the beach. Ever since that day, I started to play with different flavors to provide options for the ladies.
After my son was born, I knew I need to take charge of our lives. At 24 years old with a brand new son and no job, At this time there was a new show out called the Apprentice with you know who (POTUS 45), I was obsessed with this show. I watched it so much I started to think to myself “I can do this,” and that is where the idea for my first bar-tending business. Double Image Bartending was born in 2004 and in two years, my partner and I had gigs every weekend with a request for at least three bartenders. We did weddings, birthday parties, concerts, international conferences, and promotional parties. I can look back and appreciate the work we put in but at the time, I was taking it one step at a time with no real structure and only dealing with things that were in front of me. Eventually, my partner and I decided to separate ways and I lost my spark for the game. Occasionally I was booked for events with loyal clients but I gave up on my dream. Fast forward to present time. I made a decision to build something my son can own and profit from later on in life and that is how Nola’s Bartending Service was born.
Has it been a smooth road?
Definitely bumps in the road, but I take them as the cost to win. I feel like I have made most of my business mistakes in my first business and this time with Nola’s Bartending Service, I make sure that I fix those mistakes and think bigger. I have learned not to give up on what you love to do.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Nola’s Bartending Service provides bartenders for all types of events… festivals, weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, and concerts. I am everything for my business right now, but my favorite part is bartending. I have many plans for Nola’s Bartending but for right now, I am focused on building my brand and booking gigs. My main focus right now is to provide a custom bar vibe for my clients, so the bartender doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb and I want it to be fun for my client’s guests. My mission when I get behind the bar is to connect with people. When I know what you are drinking, all you have to do is walk up to the bar and collect your drink and the guests appreciate it.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Miami, normally, is the best place for a bartending service company. As you know this city competes with LA and New York when it comes to night life. Unfortunately because of COVID-19, the hospitality industry had been hit big which does effect Nola’s Bartending Service however I am staying positive and expect business to pick up again.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 9543476821
- Email: Nolasbartending@yahoo.com
- Instagram: @nolasbartending
- Yelp: Nolas Bartending Service
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