How To Set Up A Mobile Bar Business

Starting time a mobile bartending service past following these ten steps:

Program your Mobile Bartending Service
Grade your Mobile Bartending Service into a Legal Entity
Register your Mobile Bartending Service for Taxes
Open a Concern Banking company Account & Credit Card
Set Accounting for your Mobile Bartending Service
Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Mobile Bartending Service
Become Mobile Bartending Service Insurance
Ascertain your Mobile Bartending Service Make
Create your Mobile Bartending Service Website
Prepare your Business Phone Organisation

You have found the perfect business thought, and now y'all are ready to accept the adjacent footstep. There is more to starting a business than simply registering it with the state. We have put together this simple guide to starting your mobile bartending service. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Hear startup stories and business concern insights from real founders on the Startup Savants podcast.

Step 1: Programme your business

A clear program is essential for success every bit an entrepreneur. Information technology will aid you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

What are the startup and ongoing costs?
Who is your target market?
How much can you lot charge customers?
What will you name your business?

Luckily we take washed a lot of this enquiry for you.

What are the costs involved in opening a mobile bartending service?

In one case you lot accept caused the noesis necessary to beginning your mobile bartending business concern, you'll need to start building your inventory. While an office space is non required for success, there volition exist a great bargain of equipment to shop. For this reason, many business organization owners lease a space large enough to organize and store all supplies.

Once yous have acquired your space, y'all tin can begin stocking the shelves:

Mobile bars and tables - for outdoor events, consider investing in a mobile gazebo for shelter. Mobile bars range in price from $200 to $3,500. Consider investing in gently used items to reduce these initial costs.
Glassware - $46 to $97 per case
Napkins and table covers - $xi to $19 a slice
Cocktail making equipment — shakers, strainers, muddlers, and speed pourers. Prices can range from $three to $68.
Reliable transportation for transporting supplies to events - for mobile marketing, invest in signage for your vehicle
Insurance —s meridian with a trusted insurance professional regarding the type of coverage your business requires. Whenever alcohol is consumed, there's a liability exposure.
Marketing and literature — business cards and pamphlets describing your services
Website

What are the ongoing expenses for a mobile bartending service?

Before an event, you will need to purchase booze, vino, mixers, and garnishes. In addition, your business concern will incur the following ongoing expenses:

Payroll taxes —b artenders earn a minimum of $150/event, plus tips.
Rent — should you make up one's mind to lease a building
Utility costs
Insurance — for the visitor vehicle and liability
Marketing

Who is the target market?

Preferred clients include anyone who wants to host a individual or public upshot that volition include alcoholic beverages. Fortunately, birthdays, graduations, weddings, and fundraising events happen year round, ensuring your services volition always be needed.

How does a mobile bartending service make money?

Mobile bartending companies generate revenue from the services they provide. Some customers will but crave bartenders, while others volition need the full service —drinks, glassware, mixers, etc. Be sure to offer a diverseness of options for prospective clients to choose from.

How much tin can you lot charge customers?

This depends upon how you make up one's mind to structure your business. Some companies offer a variety of packages, with a bones one starting at $250 for l guests, not including the cost of drinks. Some bartending services don't supply the alcohol, while others volition only supply beer and wine. Be sure you lot carefully map out your policies prior to meeting with your first potential client so that all expectations are clearly defined in accelerate.

How much turn a profit tin a mobile bartending service make?

While this varies, depending upon the services required of your client, a majority of mobile bartending businesses start out with an almanac profit of $24,000-$41,000. After the three yr mark, many take reported an annual profit of $76,000 or more.

How can y'all brand your business more than assisting?

Consider some of the below strategies for maximizing your profits:

As part of your marketing strategy, concentrate on landing large clients who regularly host large events.
Share your mixology noesis by hosting classes or a web log. This could be online and/or in-person.
Include catering snacks or food as an additional service.

What volition yous name your business?

Choosing the correct name is of import and challenging. If you don't already have a proper name in heed, visit our How to Name a Business concern guide or become help brainstorming a name with our Mobile Bartending Service Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you lot might want to operate under a business organisation name other than your ain name. Visit our DBA guide to acquire more.

When registering a business organisation name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

Your state'south business organisation records
Federal and state trademark records
Social media platforms
Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain proper noun before someone else does.

Step 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business organization structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business concern entity such every bit an LLC or corporation protects yous from beingness held personally liable if your mobile bartending service is sued.

Read our Guide to Class Your Own LLC

Have a Professional person Service Grade your LLC for Y'all

Two such reliable services:

You lot can class an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or rent one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: Yous volition need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a costless year of registered agent services. You lot tin can cull to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

Stride three: Register for taxes

Yous will need to annals for a variety of land and federal taxes before you can open for business concern.

In guild to annals for taxes you lot volition need to use for an EIN. It'due south actually like shooting fish in a barrel and free!

You can acquire your EIN for free through the IRS website, via fax, or by mail. If yous would like to learn more almost EINs and how they can benefit your LLC, read our article, What is an EIN?.

Larn how to get an EIN in our What is an EIN guide or find your existing EIN using our EIN lookup guide.

Modest Business Taxes

Depending on which business structure you choose, y'all might have different options for how your business organization volition exist taxed. For case, some LLCs could benefit from existence taxed as an Due south corporation (Due south corp).

Yous tin learn more almost small business taxes in these guides:

LLC Taxes
Sole Proprietorship vs LLC
LLC vs Corporation
LLC vs S Corp
How to Kickoff an South Corp
S Corp vs C Corp

There are specific state taxes that might use to your business. Learn more near country sales tax and franchise taxes in our land sales revenue enhancement guides.

STEP 4: Open up a business organisation banking company account & credit carte

Using dedicated business organization banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and concern accounts are mixed, your personal avails (your home, automobile, and other valuables) are at take a chance in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to every bit piercing your corporate veil.

Additionally, learning how to build business concern credit can help you become credit cards and other financing in your concern's proper name (instead of yours), better interest rates, higher lines of credit, and more.

Open a business organization bank account

Besides existence a requirement when applying for business concern loans, opening a business concern bank account:

Separates your personal assets from your visitor's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
Makes bookkeeping and taxation filing easier.

Open up cyberspace 30 accounts

Internet xxx accounts are used to institute and build business organisation credit as well every bit increase business concern cash menses. With a net thirty account, businesses buy goods and repay the full balance inside a xxx-day term.

NetMany cyberspace xxx credit vendors report to the major business organisation credit bureaus (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business organisation, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how businesses build business credit so they can qualify for credit cards and other lines of credit.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Dissever personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in i identify.
Build your company'southward credit history, which can exist useful to raise money subsequently on.

Recommended: Utilise for an easy approving business credit card from Divvy and build your business credit speedily.

STEP 5: Ready business organization accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is disquisitional to agreement the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting piece of cake with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to larn necessary permits and licenses tin can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Concern Licensing Requirements

Businesses involved in the sale of alcoholic beverages are required to obtain a liquor license from the advisable state or local agency.

A comprehensive list of laws by state (including necessary licenses, zoning laws, etc), curated by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, can be found here.

If yous sell nutrient at your events, you may also need licensing from a local wellness section. Food establishments are randomly inspected by the local health department on a regular ground. These inspections volition check for compliance with local health laws, typically related to prevention of nutrient contamination.

Tips for faring well on a health inspections can exist constitute here.

Most businesses are required to collect sales revenue enhancement on the goods or services they provide. To learn more almost how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Pocket-sized Businesses.

In improver, certain state and local licensing or regulatory requirements may apply.

For more information about state licensing requirements, visit SBA's reference to state licenses and permits
For more data about local licensing and permitting requirements, check with your town, city or canton clerk's office, or get aid from i of the local associations listed in The states Small Concern Associations directory of local business resources.

Service Agreement

Mobile bartending businesses should consider requiring clients to sign a services agreement before starting a new project. This understanding should clarify client expectations and minimize risk of legal disputes by setting out payment terms and conditions, service level expectations, and intellectual belongings ownership. Hither is an example of one such services agreement.

Recommended: Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to create a professional service agreement for your mobile bartending business when you sign upward for their premium membership. For $39.95 per month, members receive admission to hundreds of legal agreements and on call attorneys to get gratis legal advice.

STEP 7: Become business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company's fiscal wellbeing in the issue of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you lot're unsure of the types of risks that your concern may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses demand, so information technology'due south a smashing place to start for your business.

Acquire more nigh Full general Liability Insurance.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers' Compensation Insurance. If your business organization volition have employees, it'due south a good chance that your land will require you to conduct Workers' Compensation Coverage.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your visitor stands for, every bit well as how your business organisation is perceived by the public. A strong make will help your business concern stand up out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident almost designing your modest business logo, so bank check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll requite you lot helpful tips and communication for creating the best unique logo for your business organization.

If you lot already have a logo, yous can also add information technology to a QR lawmaking with our Gratis QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a mobile bartending service

Given the virtual environs we alive in today, it is disquisitional that yous maintain an online presence. Your website should be uncomplicated yet informative and your social media pages should share articles and tips that could assist educate your customers. Contact food and spirits bloggers in your surface area and offer them a gratuitous tasting of your signature drinks or enquire to be an occasional guest blogger.

In this industry, networking volition be your most effective marketing tool. Get to know the various party planners, catering businesses, and venues that don't supply food and beverage. A partnership with but a few of them has the potential to keep you lot decorated throughout the season. Research bridal fairs in your surface area and attend those as a vendor for additional exposure.

How to keep customers coming back

To ensure repeat customers, make sure yous provide a memorable feel to every guest. Every effect yous serve delivers you a room full of possible customers. Make sure every member of your staff is professional and friendly, as discussion of mouth could be your strongest marketing tool.

Partnering with a catering company or venues in your area should provide you access to as many new customers as your business can handle.

Notwithstanding unsure most what kind of business you desire to start? Check out the latest Pocket-size Business organisation Trends to help inspire you lot.

Step ix: Create your business website

Later on defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential stride, some may fear that information technology's out of their reach because they don't have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2022, web engineering science has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small concern owners much simpler.

Here are the principal reasons why you shouldn't delay building your website:

All legitimate businesses have websites - total stop. The size or manufacture of your business does not thing when it comes to getting your business concern online.
Social media accounts similar Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that yous own.
Website architect tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have fabricated creating a basic website extremely simple. You don't need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that y'all tin can exist proud of.

Using our website edifice guides, the procedure will be simple and painless and shouldn't accept you any longer than 2-iii hours to consummate.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP x: Prepare up your business phone organization

Getting a phone set up up for your business is one of the best ways to assistance keep your personal life and business organisation life carve up and individual. That's not the simply benefit; information technology also helps you make your business organization more than automated, gives your concern legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you lot.

At that place are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We've reviewed the acme companies and rated them based on cost, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the All-time Business Phone Systems 2022 to detect the all-time phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business organisation Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small-scale business organisation telephone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's off-white pricing.