This week I had the pleasure of chatting to Chelsea Schnyer, owner and operator of Thirst Mobile Bar.
When I first approached Chelsea, it was simply to ask if she would like to add Thirst Mobile Bar to the Roll To platform.
But after speaking with her, and uncovering the many areas of the industry that Chelsea has a hand in, I knew that this would be an amazing business to feature on the Roll To blog.
During our conversation Chelsea touched on familiar themes that will resonate with many other mobile bar owners.
She describes a personal unsatisfaction and a need for change that became the catalyst for launching Thirst, the challenge of spinning many plates as a small business owner and the constant requirement to step outside of your comfort zone.
This is also a story of pushing boundaries, breaking industry norms, and helping thousands of others along the way.
There’s so much great information and inspiration in this post, so grab a non-alcoholic mocktail, put your feet up and read on!
Hi Chelsea, thanks so much for speaking with us! First up, could you tell us a little more about your background?
My background is in marketing and corporate finance, but I had experience with bartending gigs on the side too. I also serve in the Air Force and deployed to Iraq in 2020.
Like a lot of other mobile bar owners, that year made me sit and reflect on where I was at in my life. I wasn't happy with where I was at and wanted change.
I lived in the great state of Wyoming at the time, but was open to moving, to new jobs, to new everything.
That definitely sounds like a familiar story! Who or what inspired you to initially start a mobile bar business?
I always wanted to open a food truck but never felt like it would ever be a reality for me.
So, I played with the idea of a mobile bar.
I mentioned it to my buddy, Kenny, who was deployed with me, and he encouraged me to pursue it…A week later he said he wanted in on the business, so the rest of any free time was spent researching and putting together our business plans.
He lived in Fort Worth, Texas, so for the sake of maximizing business (and the weather), I decided I'd move to Texas when we returned back to the States.
I'm very passionate about mocktails and Insta-worthy non-alcoholic drink options, so creating an inclusive drinking atmosphere has been our biggest focus.
"Running the business required me to level up, learn new skills, and disrupt the social norms of drinking culture. "
What have you enjoyed most about running the business?
The most enjoyable part of running this business is how uncomfortable it can be and striving to share a transparent experience on our social media.
It required me to level up, learn new skills, become a frequent caller of the TABC office, and disrupt the social norms of drinking culture.
We started our TikTok page where we talk about the behind the scenes and how-tos of running a mobile bar business, and I'm thankful to say that the exposure meant that doors opened for us.
We were able to launch an online course, start 1:1 coaching, work with local businesses via entrepreneur mentorships, host workshops, host happy hours for Dallas/Fort Worth mobile bars, and start a Facebook Group that includes over 6,000 people from across the world starting or running a mobile bar business!
We've also been able to partner with or become an educator for a number of brands.
I sit here and think how crazy this whole experience has been, and it's still only the beginning!
Even with all of that going on, my absolute favorite part of the business is being behind the bar and working with our team.
They've helped us grow and are great advocates for the bar. Plus, the energy they bring always makes the events a blast.
Amazing! I’m jealous of your ability to multi-task! Can you tell us a little more about the coaching side of things?
Thanks to the power of social media, thousands of people have expressed interest in working 1:1 to get their own mobile bar business started.
We took that as a sign to bring people along and help share what needs to happen to make it all possible.
We have a 3 or 6-month program that gets customized to every client we work with.
We'll go through every aspect of the business, set up timelines, marketing plans, software, create packages, determine pricing, foster relationships in their community, and work with their state agencies to provide black and white operating guidance.
I even bartended for a few who did soft and grand openings so that they could network at the event.
I only take on a few clients at a time but will have the next round opening in September.
It's added on a lot to the business, but it's been a passion project for me.
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"At the end of the day, we're all business owners who took the risk to make this dream happen."
Very cool. On a similar subject, I also love the #communityovercompetition hashtag on your Instagram profile. What does that mean to you?
I'm based out of one of the largest cities in the country which is currently home to around 100 mobile bars and bartending services. Competition here is fierce.
At the end of the day, we're all business owners who took the risk to make this dream happen.
If someone inquires about booking a bar service and I'm already engaged, I'll refer them to other mobile bars that I know and love.
We're all on the same team, and support and encouragement goes a long way.
Love to hear that, it definitely aligns with the spirit of what we’re trying to achieve at Roll To also!
On the subject of pushing boundaries, I saw that you started a podcast this year too! How has that been, and how important is utilizing different forms of media for mobile bar owners?
I always wanted to start a podcast and figured, why not!
I wanted to talk with other mobile bar owners and hear their stories.
Everyone comes from a different background and it's fascinating to learn the different situations people have overcome or funny stories from the industry.
It's also allowed us to get connected with mobile bars in different countries and learn more about different processes across the world.
Since we launched ‘Cheers! A Mobile Bar Podcast’, we also started a Pinterest page, YouTube channel and an Etsy Store to share resources that I wish were available when we started.
We've seen great engagement on all our platforms and overall, it's helped secure more bookings and 1:1 coaching clients.
Awesome! It definitely sounds like a positive case study for business owners to branch out into different forms of media and marketing.*
What are your upcoming plans for the business and what are you most looking forward to for the next year?
We're really looking forward to the next year! Kenny and I love dreaming big.
We'll be hiring a few people to join our team in support roles.
I'm also looking forward to growing our library of resources and hearing more mobile bar stories!
Good luck, I'm sure you'll achieve all of that and more!
Thanks so much for showing us behind the scenes of your mobile bar business, we really appreciate it!
It was amazing to speak with Chelsea and I hope that you took away plenty of inspiration from someone who is really taking her mobile bar business to the next level.
A huge thank you to Chelsea for chatting with us and making time in such a busy schedule!
Key Takeaways
- There is no single 'right' way to start and run your business. Do what feels best for you and your situation. There will be time for things to evolve as you progress and you can learn by doing.
- Step outside your comfort zone and try different things. You don't have to master every marketing channel but you should explore more than one. Who knows, TikTok may have been your calling all along, or maybe you find yourself most at home behind the podcast microphone!
- Community is king. Seek to create relationships as they can often open doors for you down the road. Whether that be with your local community (i.e. potential customers) or fellow business owners and future collaborators, strong relationships can be extremely valuable.
If you're planning an event in the Dallas / Fort Worth area, you can find Thirst Mobile Bar's Roll To profile and contact form here.
If you're a mobile bar owner, or thinking about launching your own business, you can find out more about Chelsea's mobile bar coaching course here.
Finally, keep up with Thirst's latest Instagram posts here.
*For a deeper look at marketing your mobile bar business, check out this deep-dive that we produced here at Roll To