Palm Harbor Local

Mobile Bar Magic in Tampa Bay

• Donnie Hathaway • Episode 214

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 37:04

Send a text

Jenna Densler turned a hospitality background and a simple “why not try?” mindset into Oaks and Iris Mobile Bar, plus a growing marketing brand, Content Theory Tampa Bay.

What You’ll Learn:
 • Why failure is part of business growth
 • How Oaks and Iris creates a custom event experience
 • How to identify your ideal client
 • The biggest social media mistakes business owners make
 • Why Google Business Profile and Instagram matter

About Jenna:
 Jenna Densler is the owner of Oaks and Iris Mobile Bar and Content Theory Tampa Bay. She helps create elevated event experiences and supports local businesses with social media and content creation.

Links:
 Oak & Iris Mobile Bar: https://oakandirismobile.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oakandirismobilebarservice/

Content Theory Tampa Bay: https://www.instagram.com/content_theory_tampa_marketing/

Palm Harbor Local Newsletter: https://palmharborlocal.com/newsletter/

Stroll through the laid-back streets of the Palm Harbor community with this informative podcast, proudly brought to you by Donnie Hathaway with The Hathaway Group, your trusted guide and local expert in navigating the diverse and ever-changing property landscape of Palm Harbor.

Work with me + FREE Resources

Would you like help buying a home in Palm Harbor? - Buyer Consultation
Would you like help selling your house in Palm Harbor? - Seller Marketing Consultation
Download our free buyer's guide today - Buyer's Guide

SPEAKER_01:

You know, with the mobile bar, I would tell people it's almost like cooking. If you like to cook, it's kind of similar. You know, you're creating all kinds of different things and it's great when people are like, This is amazing, this is the best drink I've ever had. If you're trying to take marketing in into your own hands and you're doing all these other jobs, you're doing payroll, you know, you're trying to take content, you're dealing with clients and customers, it's never going to be consistent because you don't have that many hours in the day.

SPEAKER_00:

What kept you going at those moments?

SPEAKER_01:

I know it sounds bad, but like the stigma from people kind of like that online hate where it's like, oh, I knew she couldn't do it.

SPEAKER_00:

What is like the most important piece of starting a business that you that you need to have to be successful?

SPEAKER_01:

I think that every single business needs to have a Facebook and an Instagram and like a my Google business account.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Welcome to Palm Harbor Local, a podcast dedicated to building community and sharing inspiring stories from the heart of Palm Harbor. I'm your host, Donnie Hathaway, and today we are joined by Jenna Denzler, who is the owner and founder of Oaks and Iris Mobile Bar and Content Theory Tampa Bay. Now, Palm Harbor Local is all about spotlighting individuals and businesses who are making a difference, overcoming challenges and fostering connections right here in our hometown. If you're passionate about growing together, getting involved, and celebrating the people who make Palm Harbor thrive, you're exactly where you need to be. Now, in today's episode, you'll discover Jenna's thoughts on failure and how it should be a part of your business and her big aha moment that led her to creating Oaks and Iris mobile bar and also how creativity plays an integral part in her businesses moving forward. Now don't forget to connect with us on Instagram at Palm Harbor Local for behind the scenes highlights and join our weekly newsletter at PalmHarborLocal.com. Now let's dive in and build community together. Jenna, welcome to the podcast.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I'm excited to chat with you. And we were just talking about you know, you you do have a lot of different skill sets and and different businesses that you you have, but like your main business is your mobile bar, Okinairis. And I want to start there is what led you to starting these companies.

SPEAKER_01:

So basically my background in hospitality kind of led me to that. You know, I work five days a week in a local bar, and I feel like, you know, I built a business around a community of people that needed services done. So it kind of started out as a Pinterest board in 2021. And I had seen somebody like set up a really niche bar, and I was like, that's so cool. I could totally do that. But then COVID hit, and I just felt like it wasn't my time to do that. And I basically just started it on a whim. I was like, what's the worst that happens? You know, I fail. So what? So I had a regular that was having a wedding, and she's like, Come bartend my wedding. And I'm like, okay.

SPEAKER_00:

No pressure there.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't mess this up. I know this person. I don't know if that makes it better or worse. And it was beautiful. I still use like all the photos to this day. It's actually one of my cover photos on my website. And everything honestly went super smooth. Everybody had a blast. And I was like, okay, so I really can do this. And I feel like when you're a small business owner, you wear a lot of different hats. So then I felt like, you know, I hired a marketer at one point, just wasn't working out. Then I was like, you know, I can do most of this work myself. And I actually ended up loving it. So, you know, I'm always kind of doing something, you know, something's always going on. And so I feel like, you know, I started in hospitality, then I started my mobile bar business. And then, you know, I started doing marketing this year too. So I feel like it's just funneled through. So it just made sense.

SPEAKER_00:

What did you ever want to own a business growing up?

SPEAKER_01:

Like what would it is there anything like I honestly thought bartenders were so cool for some reason. I was like, they just look like they're having fun.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I really didn't think so. Maybe within like the last five years, I kind of thought, hey, like, you know, I can totally do this. But high school me, like early like 20s me, I would have had absolutely no interest. Honestly. I was not like the biggest scholar in school, you know, I wasn't like a straight A student. I honestly, like my senior year, I think I had two classes on campus, and then I would just kind of like do my online classes at home. So I was kind of antisocial a little bit my senior year. So in the last five years, I'd say, yeah, definitely I could totally see this vision coming to life. But previous to that, no, not at all.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. What do you think changed that like open up the doors for that?

SPEAKER_01:

I think people just need, you know, obviously there's a drive for like money too, you know, everybody wants to be their own boss, or they have either great or terrible bosses, and they want kind of their own revenue stream, and they don't want somebody to tell them, like, hey, this is what you have to do to get this paycheck. So I think a lot of people, you know, want to be their own boss.

SPEAKER_00:

So you you think you think like that was your driving force of to like starting your own business, like being able to make your own decisions?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. You know, I don't have a problem with authority, but it's definitely much more fun when it's your business. You have creative control over everything, and you know, you get to make all the calls, essentially.

SPEAKER_00:

What is it you like about like creativity seems to be like a central theme in your business? Like even like your mobile bar, like there's some creativity in in that, and creativity obviously in social media and stuff. Like, is that something you enjoy? Just having like the the creative authority to do what is you that you want to do?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. You know, with the mobile bar, I think I always tell people it's almost like cooking. If you like to cook, it's kind of similar. You know, you're creating all kinds of different things, and it's great when people are like, This is amazing, this is the best drink I've ever had. Or it's, you know, fun, you know, different garnishes. It's not your typical like Tito's and soda with a lime, you know. It's like housemade syrups, like, you know, specialty bar menus, you know, curating customized, you know, cocktail napkins or you know, linen bar menus, whatever it might be. It's all very personal, customizable, and it's very creative.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And are you like the drink from the drink perspective, like you're always creating new drinks, or is it this similar drinks, just new ways to present them?

SPEAKER_01:

So I always ask people because you know, especially for a wedding, maybe they, you know, had this drink they always loved at this bar back home and they always got that. So I try to ask them, like, what do you usually drink when you go out? And then sometimes people don't really drink at all. So they're like, I don't know, make us something fruity. And I'm like, I have no problem with that. So I would say most popular right now are obviously espresso martinis, margaritas, old fashions, but there's so many fun twists that you could do on it. Like last night I did a maple pecan old fashioned, which was really fun. So everybody loved it because it, you know, you gotta go with the seasons. So it's right now it's post-Thanksgiving. So I gotta stay in that, like, you know, fall flavor profile. So, but it's it's all really fun, creative. Everybody wants different things all the time. Sometimes people will like give me a recipe I've never even heard about. Yeah, I feel like I'm a walking encyclopedia for drinks, so yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

That's cool. Well, for our wedding, we did a a food tour, not for our wedding, but like book prior to our wedding, we did a food tour in in Asheville, North Carolina. And uh one of the stops, they had like this this sangria that they had made. Oh, okay. So we got the recipe from them to make at our wedding.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, I love that. That is so sweet.

SPEAKER_00:

It is it is pretty cool. So I asked everyone about failure before the podcast. And I was thinking about this this morning based on like your response and other responses that I received over the years, right? But I feel like the perception of failure has changed since I've started the podcast. You know, it used to be, you know, you'd kind of like want to stay away from failure and stuff, but now yeah, most people have a mindset of like, yeah, like bring it on. Like, yeah, you know, I accept failure, like I want to fail to learn from it and stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, honestly, people should fail. I think it's it's really good. You have to fail because otherwise you'll never you'll never know.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And unless you're starting a super high risk business, you know, you're investing like hundreds of thousands, like I get it, then you really don't want to fail. But when you're doing something more in like the creative field, like, you know, it really didn't cost me much to start doing marketing besides a couple good cameras, you know, some software programs. Same with like my mobile bar, it really didn't cost that much money to start out. So for me, I'm like, okay, you know, it's not gonna be great if I fail. It sucks. I'm out of this money. But within a couple months, you make your money back, especially if you stay consistent. And I feel like, you know, people that's probably their biggest problem is they're not staying consistent.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And even in like other businesses, I see it all the time, whether it's hospitality or med spas or honestly, really anything. It's your staff that really drives people. You know, if you have a bad staff, people have bad attitudes, nobody's gonna want to go there. Same with like consistency, even online, you know. If you're trying to take marketing in into your own hands and you're doing all these other jobs, you're doing payroll, you know, you're trying to take content, you're dealing with clients and customers, it's never gonna be consistent because you don't have that many hours in the day. So, you know, people need to stay consistent to achieve their goals. And it's totally fine if you fail. You know, I think everybody should fail. I've definitely had months where I've thought about not doing this anymore. Yeah. You know, especially when I first started, it starts out slow.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And uh now I would say over 80% of my clients are word of mouth clients. So honestly, the the networking in the area has been so great, especially working at like a local bar too, where you walk in, you know, you already know everything about them, you know what they're gonna drink. They, you know, you have like a small support system almost.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_00:

What is like in those moments? Because I've had those those same moments with the podcast too, like over the years, and I've talked about that, right? Like you you consider like, am I doing the right thing? Like, should I continue doing this? And what for you, like in those moments where you've you've doubted yourself or doubted like the business and and what you're doing, what kept you going in those moments?

SPEAKER_01:

Oh man, honestly, I don't know. Mostly I don't I know this sounds bad, but like the stigma from people, you know, kind of like that online hate where it's like, oh, I knew she couldn't do it. Like, oh, I told you she can't do it. And for me, uh maybe I know it sounds cheesy, but like the haters. Yeah, you know, yeah, exactly. Like you don't wanna start out doing all this stuff and then like four months in you go ghost and you're not posting about it or sharing about it or talking about it anymore.

SPEAKER_00:

So, you know And that's like m most uh maybe not four months in, right? But at some point, even like realtors, like the first two years, I think it's like 80% of them that aren't even in the business anymore. You know? So that's like you know, that's that's probably a stat for businesses across the board. Like how many businesses actually they experience those difficult times and then they're like it's too much for me, I'm out.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it it can be a lot sometimes, but you know, you just gotta keep pushing, forget about the haters. Yeah, you know, just keep doing you and keep trying.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Because what's the worst that happens, you fail.

SPEAKER_00:

And the the the worst thing is like you fail and and just stop and get it.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. And then you have to go back to like your nine to five, like still working for somebody else. So, you know, at the end of the day, it's the best thing that happens is you win.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I think it's a power, powerful motivator is like the idea. I think if you don't like working the nine to five or just like working for somebody else, because I was the same way. Like I grew up knewing I wanted to own a business in some capacity, experienced real estate a little bit. I had worked for another company a couple companies before, and then realized that there was and I tried to grow within those companies, and you know, there were some obstacles and stuff. And and so once I got into real estate and experienced, you know, what it was like working for yourself and stuff, I'm like, I'm never going to once you get a taste of freedom, it's hard to go back.

SPEAKER_01:

So I I hope in like the next you know, couple years, just under five years, I'll have that like a hundred percent freedom, you know. But then I think about leaving like my regular bar job, and it makes me sad because I've been there for almost four years now, and I'm like, I know everything about everyone there. And I have so many people that come in, you know, multiple times a week, and it's oddly enough, almost like your second family, you know. Yeah, and you just know everybody everywhere you go. You're like, oh, I know you, you waited on me last week, or like, oh, that's our bartender. Yeah, you know, that's Jenna, she's awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So I want to talk about like starting a business, right? There, there are many, many different ways to start a business. Yeah, like you said, you you either you know you there's not a lot of upfront cost, right, for running a social media company or or even the mobile bar business, other businesses that are, right? There's a lot of strategy and planning that go involved, branding that that happens before the business is even launched, or funding that is needed. But in all of those, what do you think, or in your case, what is like the most important piece of starting a business that you that you need to have to be successful?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think knowing who you are and like what you know, who is your clientele and what how are you going to wow them? Obviously, you want to stay authentic to yourself, but you know, I think you need to know who you are as a company, who you are as a brand. Even if you don't know any of those questions, you know, off the bat, at least know, you know, what kind of color scheme you want to go with, who's your audience, super basic things like that. And then somebody like me can come in and kind of like guide you along the way. And, you know, it's never bad to not know because sometimes you do need a lot of help. And like when I first started, I didn't really have a mentor or anything like that. I had to find all of my videos through like YouTube and like Reddit and honestly TikTok too, of like other people in other states doing, you know, stuff similar. So I feel like that's kind of became like a really educational platform for me. But you have to spend so much time doing research. Even if I take on like a new client for marketing, I do tons of research about them, you know, especially if they're already established, like who is their competition to? If their competition is doing well, what are they doing well? So kind of like an analysis, you know, and you never want to stop learning or figuring out what is trending right now, too. Cause I feel like maybe 15, 20 years ago, people didn't really have to worry about what was the next big trend. It was like, okay, you have this business, it's going great, let's just keep going. But now we have constant access to the internet and our phones, and you know, so I feel like things are constantly changing and we have to keep up with like trends. And sometimes it gets exhausting trying to research what is like the next big thing, what do we need to keep doing, you know?

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, and then and then being able to take like your concept and insert it into that trend or whatever. But the trends can really like elevate your business if you do them properly and it's still authentic to yourself, you know.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I think it works in some places and it doesn't work in others.

SPEAKER_00:

For sure.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, like with my mobile bar, it's harder to do contents sometimes because you're only setting up maybe like once a week, twice a week, you know, on a full Saturday, or maybe a Friday, or perhaps even a Sunday, versus like a place that's open five, six, seven days a week. So sometimes it's a little bit harder to get content, but you kind of gotta look at what's trending, you know, what's good right now. Everybody always looks to see like what drinks are on your Instagram or you know, what your setup looks like because visual is everything, especially, you know, actually no matter what you're doing, visual is everything. And when I set up a bar, I'm very like OCD about where everything goes and everything has to be polished and looks good, you know. And like for Oak and Iris, it's a lot of like gold kind of, you know, we have gold shakers and gold, you know, um strainers and try to do that like very kind of like old money, like clean girl aesthetic kind of vibe. So I think aesthetics and your forefront are everything too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. So going back to something you mentioned about like knowing your audience, if you are a new business, how do you know um who it is? Are you just kind of like, hey, you know, this is who I want to talk to, or this is like my ideal client? Like, how do you identify your ideal client? Like, if you're new into something, I mean, I think like, you know, maybe it's for social media marketing for you, right? You hadn't done that before. Yeah. So who is your ideal client and how do you figure that out earlier on in the business? Before we continue with today's episode, I want to take a quick moment to thank Valley Bank for supporting Palm Arbor Local. I recently moved my business banking over to Valley, and what stood out to me right away was how relationship driven their approach is. You're not calling a hotline, you're working with real people who understand local businesses and make decisions locally. This episode is supported by Chad Britz, first vice president at Valley Bank's countryside branch, who works closely with individuals and business owners throughout our entire community. If this kind of local relationship-driven banking matters to you, you can learn more at www.valley.com or email Chad directly at C B R I T T S at Valley.com.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, so when I first started doing marketing, I uh wanted to do the more like girly things, you know. I was like, I already have bar experience, you know, I want to do bar stuff. But then, you know, I have two med spas right now, and it's kind of just that very clean, you know, pretty, super easy to kind of market, honestly. A lot of people are doing like Pilates places too, but there's also a need for everything, you know, even like the produce place down the road. Maybe they need to be seen online more. So, really, like once you start getting into the prettier things, which in my opinion are somewhat easier to do, you know, you can start getting into the harder concepts.

SPEAKER_00:

So, you know, maybe it's like a grocery store or something like that. So they're probably not doing much marketing right themselves.

SPEAKER_01:

No, I was trying to think about Steve's produce because I passed on the way here. I'm like, that place has been in business forever, it feels like.

SPEAKER_02:

I know.

SPEAKER_01:

You know what I think their best marketing is is the filemignons for 1999. Maybe the inflation killed it. Yeah, I don't know. But that's a you know, people are like, four stakes for that price, yeah. Sign me up. Yeah, for sure. But they know who their audience is, you know, it's local Palm Harper people. So but I think you know, you have to do a lot of research and visualize like who your ideal client is, you know. Think about who would be like, you know, buying your services the most. Yeah, you know, and like when I first started doing events, I thought that my main clientele was gonna be weddings. So I tried to, you know, gear more towards that. But then I realized that obviously that's your you're a big money maker, and a lot of people have weddings every year. But I think now people are kind of like changing the realm of it and they look for any excuse to party, and they don't want to have to deal with making the drinks, they want to focus on hosting and enjoying their night. So it's kind of, you know, maybe you have an idea of what you want to start out with, but you might have to tweak it along the way because it might not go where you want it to go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Is that hard for you to do to to adjust? Like, okay, they're they're wanting, you know, maybe like at-home events and stuff versus the weddings. Do like is there one you enjoyed wanted to see happen more versus the other? And was that difficult?

SPEAKER_01:

I honestly I love the weddings, they're so much fun. Everybody there is just, you know, ready to party and have a good time, and everybody's dancing, you know, there's music. So I would say that one is probably, you know, one of my favorites. But honestly, I would do more like smaller venues, maybe not necessarily weddings, but I mean, in the last year I've done like grand openings for business. If they want a like Prosecco cart or you know, birthday parties, funerals, you know.

SPEAKER_02:

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01:

People, you know, want any excuse to not have to deal with it. And then we we're also licensed and insured too. So I think that puts people at ease.

SPEAKER_00:

So how does it work if someone wanted to to work with you for an event? Let's say they have a corporate event or a a wedding coming up, like how how does that process work for you?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, I actually have a pretty big corporate event on Tuesday as well. So most people, you know, if I don't know them personally, they find me on Google. So I did one a couple months ago and it was right in like an industrial or like, you know, commercial building by Cooper's Hawk. And they booked me for another event. And it was really great, you know, and it's really easy for the client too, because we are legally a dry bar for hire. So the host is to supply the alcohol versus like a traditional like catering company where they bring the alcohol. But I always tell people it's more price efficient that way.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

It's almost like if you go out to a bar and you get a McUltra, it might be five dollars, but you can go to the gas station and pay, you know,$15,$20 for a 12 pack, whatever it might be. So, you know, we do a consult call with them, kind of go over what they're looking for, what the vibe is. Is, you know, what kind of menu items they're interested in. And then we give them a tailored list of what to purchase. And I always tell people, you know, go to Total Wine, they're amazing. Highly recommend them. You could return stuff you don't open, specifically liquor items. So, you know, if especially for residential, it's great. You know, if somebody is like, hey, we only drink Tito's, we're a big Tito's family, and then like half the people show up. They can, they can return those items and get some of the money back versus, you know, like a catering company. But it's really easy. So we do a consult call with them, we do a tailored list, you know, we kind of go over all their expectations, what they're looking for, if they have any favorite drinks they want. And then, you know, it takes a while to set up. There is a lot of stuff to unpack. And every time I unpack, people are like, You fit this all in your car. Like, yes. Shout out to the Bronco. Yeah. Nice. But it's great. I love it. And then, you know, they don't have to worry about anything. We we clean up all the garbage afterwards, try to organize everything, make it make it look like we were never there after.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

So it's it's really fun. It's great. People are wowed almost every single time. Actually, not almost, they're wowed every single time.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

They're like, this is amazing. I was not expecting this.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And it's so simple too. I saw recently, I feel like those services are are growing too. I don't know if that's I don't know why that is, right?

SPEAKER_01:

They are.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. There's a there's a guy here, I think locally that does like pizza events. Like, like he'll come out and make pizza at your at your house and stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it. I think that people are finding out that there's so so many different ways to make money in so many different businesses. I'm a part of like all the Facebook groups. You know, I live over in Safety Harbor. So there's one I just saw yesterday about this 16-year-old boy that is delivering Christmas trees for people. So he only charges$25 to deliver it, and then it was like$40 to set it up. What a great idea for like a young man to, you know, start doing that and start kind of like figuring out his entrepreneurial career.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Absolutely adorable. So I'm like, I love that. And you know, if I uh didn't have so many artificial trees, I would love to support him.

SPEAKER_00:

That's true. I feel like I I do we have an artificial tree ourselves, and I was thinking about this the other day because I have two girls, like taking them to go shop for a tree would be cool. But it's such it's just way easier to have the artificial tree.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, I can't can't remember to water it, whatever once a week, you know, hanging the lights on there.

SPEAKER_00:

And then the leaves are all falling down or yeah, vacuuming every day. Yeah, not fun. So let's talk about social media a little bit. Like, what's something you've noticed like when working with other businesses when it comes to social media, either like what they were doing prior to you were working with them or just like some challenges that they they have?

SPEAKER_01:

I think it kind of goes back into what I was talking about earlier with you know, if you're the owner, you're the operator, you're the everything, it might be hard to stay consistent. So that's one of the biggest things that I've seen is people having a hard time, even you know, taking some of the quality of photos I've seen, or what drives me crazy the most is like the generic flyer post, like every single day. And it's just like a Canva ad with like the logo on it, all the text on there. I don't know why it drives me crazy. I'm like, that's fine every couple weeks. You know, we have a lot of Black Friday sales going on right now, so it's like you know, common to see that. But otherwise, I'm like, get it out of here, get rid of that. I understand it's easy, but even if you don't know what to, you know, take pictures of, because I hear that all the time, is people have no idea what to do. You know, they're they're like, I don't know what to take pictures of. Take photos of your staff, you know, take photos of your service. What is a day in your life look like? You know, there's so many different things that keep people engaged when watching, you know, and I know it's easier said than done because I'm like, I need to post more on like my personal account, but like a day in my life because I'm always busy. And people are like, when do you sleep? Never, yeah, never.

SPEAKER_00:

Do you I was gonna ask you that?

SPEAKER_01:

Like, is is social media easy for you, or is it still I think it's so easy, honestly, because my generation and like especially people younger than me, like we grew up on Instagram and Facebook, and I forget what what was hot before TikTok Vine. So all those little different things, you know, we grew up doing all this stuff. So I feel like it just flowed naturally, especially, you know, when I started my bar business, it you know, I had to take photos and try to market. And it was something that I didn't really think about when I uh started. I was like, okay, bar stuff, go do that. And then I was like, wait, I have to like run ads and figure out how to do that. So I feel like that kind of brought me into it.

SPEAKER_00:

So yeah, taking it to the next level, yeah. Yeah, social media is I didn't I didn't grow up with it, right? So it it's I think it's a little bit more of like a hurdle lift, yeah, for for myself. But obviously I've done I've done it for long enough now where I'm much more comfortable, especially than I was with the big in the beginning of it, and now with the podcast and everything, it it changes, but it's such a necessary piece of you have to have it nowadays, even even if you have Dollar Tree, like yeah, you gotta you gotta have you know some some way for people to contact you.

SPEAKER_01:

I think that every single business needs to have a Facebook and an Instagram and like a my Google business account.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, this day and age, people are constantly, especially if you're going out to eat dinner. That's like the way that I find most places is I'm on, you know, social media looking at reviews. I think that that's a big thing for people. If you don't have a lot of reviews, you don't look credible enough. You know, especially if you're looking for like a nicer place to go out and eat, you don't want to eat at a place that has like two photos online, nobody's sharing like their experience with you, you don't want to go there. And I think that's what a lot of it is too, is like people need to share their experience or like you need to capture that, you know.

SPEAKER_00:

So you're searching on Instagram for like best places to eat in Sydney Harbor.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah. Hashtags, you know, I know hashtags are kind of dying, but I still that you know, I still look stuff up like that. And even TikTok not Google, not Google, like I do Google, but I feel like Instagram is more like photo front, you know. Like I want to see exactly what you're eating, what you're drinking. Yeah, what does the place look like?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm kind of picky now that I've been in this industry for so long, you know. If it's, you know, a little place, that's okay. But I want to know that going in. I want to know if I'm gonna be like drinking beer and eating chicken wings beforehand. Like, I'm totally cool with that, but I want to see pictures of what it looks like before.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I want to experience it before I yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01:

So I feel like when you're marketing, you have to like capture that so people can see exactly what they're gonna get and like highlight all of the you know how great the business is.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I feel like there's such an an opportunity for businesses to really be creative on social media. Like I think about what the um Tampa uh International Airport is doing with their I love that.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm so happy you brought that up.

SPEAKER_00:

Like they are it is hilarious.

SPEAKER_01:

Nobody cared about an airport, and now I feel like their growth has been so high because they post these like silly pictures about the flamingo.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_01:

I can't think of what it what its name is, but oh man.

SPEAKER_00:

I'm gonna I gotta look this up real quick.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, it is hilarious. They are doing a great job, and you know what's funny? I guarantee like the person that's doing it is my age or probably younger. 100%. That's a very younger generation coded kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

I feel like they had a naming contest like a while ago.

SPEAKER_00:

Fiobi? What? Or I don't know, I maybe I'm mispronouncing the name.

SPEAKER_01:

Sorry, Flamingo, if we are mispronouncing the name.

SPEAKER_00:

But they are crushing it. But but the doing so great. That's the point. Like any like you don't have to have a social media friendly business to be great on social media.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you just need to post stuff and hope it lands, but they obviously have a great strategy behind it. They're like, we're gonna post the most outlandish stuff.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And it hit, you know. There's this pizza place I follow on TikTok that's further down south, and they don't really post any pictures of their food or what they have, but it's just like chatter between the staff and the kitchen, you know, and like all the banter behind it too. And they've got so many followers and people go in there because they see this banter online. I have been asking my boss at the bar that I work at. I'm like, can we set up like a little confessional in like the liquor room?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, can we go in there? I think it'd be hilarious. It'll be like our own reality TV show.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. He won't let me, but I think that's what people are looking for. They're looking for like the realness behind life stuff.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, exactly. And I was just talking to one of my clients last night about how, you know, there's definitely a space for people that are looking for catering services. You know, they want something nice, but they don't want that uppity, like you know, super bougie. They want it to be nice, but they don't want people to be like fake. They want them to be. Yeah, exactly. It's very stuffy and it's not authentic.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah, I like that. Yeah. If you're gonna give advice to another business owner about social media, like what is one thing you would you would tell them?

SPEAKER_01:

Just start. Just start doing it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, if you can't afford or you're not in a position to hire like a marketer, I would just start, you know, taking pictures of what kind of services you have, your staff, you know, maybe funny little bits here or any sales you have going on, and just start. You don't need, you know, iPhone takes great pictures or Android takes great pictures, you know, just start posting, just get yourself out there. You know, if you have reviews, respond to them online because people like to see like the interactiveness online. And, you know, I I see a lot of places that are like, hey, if you like what you saw, leave us a review, we'll buy you a shot. I think that's pretty good, you know. People love five-star reviews. So yeah, I think, you know, just trying to get out there and you know, exactly what I said earlier, what's the worst that happens? You fail.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, and like with social media, I think this is this is a hard thing for me to get over too, but like the worst thing that happens on social media, like nobody sees it. Yeah. And then it's like, okay, yeah, nobody saw it. So what does it matter?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, you know, it's that it's hard because sometimes you have to find like what time frames work best for you online. I always try to catch like those lunch break people, you know. Maybe they're working like a nine to five and they're, you know, going on a lunch break right now. But there's a lot of tools, especially on Instagram. Like I think I work with Instagram the best because there's so many creator tools on there. Yeah, you know, it'll specifically show you what is what sounds are trending, you know, it wants you to use these because it matches like, you know, your business or people you follow. And it'll like there's time frames on there that tells you 12 to 3 o'clock is like the best for your business to be posting on there. So even if you can't have like a marketer, you could still find these tools online. You can still see how well you're performing based off your analytics online too.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I think like you said, the the biggest thing is to start and just to be consistent with it, right? Regardless of of you know, you're if you're getting a lot of likes or engagement and stuff, like you have to build up that consistency, that habit.

SPEAKER_01:

It's still something, you know, even if you're posting something and it gets four likes, it's you know, it's still something for people to see. And it's just a stepping stone into you know creating more of a following. And you know, people want to see, especially if you're in like a restaurant, people want to see like the staff and like they want to see like fun and you know, kind of everybody hanging out. Every week I try to post like a silly little TikTok with my regulars, I force them to do it with me. Yeah, nice. But you know, people see it online, they're like, that's hilarious. We see him all the time, you know. Like, we're gonna say hi to him and tell him he's famous next time. So yeah, it's just really fun. Just get out there and and don't be afraid to do it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Yeah, 100%. So you mentioned Safety Harbor and we're talking about restaurants and stuff. Like, what's your what's your top spot in Safety Harbor to go to?

SPEAKER_01:

Nona's.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, yeah. Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

I love Nona's. They have the best pizza, I would say, in Safety Harbor, maybe in this like general area, but I love it. Every time I go there, it's like the same staff members, which I love. I love going in and seeing the same people that waited on me, especially when they can remember my order. I feel like that's a huge thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

You know, they've got crazy different pizzas.

SPEAKER_00:

What's your favorite pizza?

SPEAKER_01:

Honestly, I kind of just like throw things together, you know. I love like your own, or yeah, they have a really good like honey that comes in like a little jar there too. And they also have really good smoked wings.

SPEAKER_00:

So I feel like wings there before.

SPEAKER_01:

Get them. They're amazing. So if you ever, you know, go in there, Nona's is the spot to go.

SPEAKER_00:

They have a yeah, like all of their pizza is is good. I've had a few different ones and I haven't had wings though. I'm gonna have to try that next time.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, and you know, I follow them on Instagram too. They're pretty consistent about posting on there and they post every single day what kind of specials they're having and like you know, the pizzas and of their staff. So I think for like a smaller place, they're killing it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So how can people, if they are interested in your mobile mobile bar services or if you're a business and you're interested in content creation, like how how can people get a hold of you?

SPEAKER_01:

I include my businesses in my in my captions, you know, in my bio. Um, but we are content theory Tampa Bay Marketing on Instagram and same thing on Facebook, and then Oakan Iris Mobile Bar Services on Facebook and Instagram. And then, you know, we are linked with Honey Book, so people can fill out an inquiry online there and they could see like pricing. They could we have three packages to select from with marketing, it's a little bit more niche, so you know, I kind of have to tweak it to what they're looking for, where are they located? But they can always send me a message on there and you know, set up a consult call with me.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, cool. That's very fun. Well, thanks for being here, Janet.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much for having me. This is so fun and also like a little bit nerve-wracking.

SPEAKER_00:

You did it though.

SPEAKER_01:

I know it's really casual. I liked it.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that's we keep we keep it simple here and keep it real.

SPEAKER_01:

Like we're you know, yeah, like a real life conversation. Yeah, this is a blast.

SPEAKER_00:

Cool.

SPEAKER_01:

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00:

You're welcome. Thank you so much for tuning in to another episode of Palm Harbor Local. We are incredibly grateful for our sponsors who make this show possible. So be sure to keep supporting these local businesses and let's keep building community together. Until next time, stay connected, stay involved, and keep making Palm Harbor an amazing place to call home.

Head Shot

Donnie Hathaway

Host

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

Palm Harbor Local Artwork

Palm Harbor Local

Donnie Hathaway
Welcome to Florida Artwork

Welcome to Florida

Chadd Scott