So, a couple weeks ago I was sitting at the home office feeling a little out-of-touch with society and feeling the crunch on my bank account. I’ve been attending as many networking events as possible but I still felt like I wasn’t “getting out there.” Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m a hermit and don’t ever get out of the house. But when I do get out, it’s usually for pleasure. Grab a drink/dinner, play ultimate frisbee, shoot some hoops, snap some photos, go hiking with my dogs. You know, all the fun stuff in life.

As I sat there and thought about how I could improve my lifestyle, and bring more business to the table I got a call from my mother. She’s up in New York and had a conversation with someone about the economy. One of the statements the guy made was that “The only people in the great depression that were making any money were bartenders.” When I heard that, I remembered hearing it before from my great grandfather, and it made sense to me. I mean, the harder times are, the more people will drink, right? Sure. So, I know that I can make more money in 1 hour behind my computer than I can in a 12 hour shift bartending. So, I had this crazy idea, what if I weren’t bartending for tips, but bartending for business leads instead? How would that work? Could it work? What would I need to do to make it work? Would this be my way of getting out of the house, making business contacts, and having fun at the same time? Yup!

The next morning, I woke up and immediately called John, the owner of Pacific Coast Bartending School in Goleta, CA and asked if he had any openings. He said he had an opening in his night class in 3 weeks that I could participate in and that I should come in tonight and check it out to see if it were for me. So, I did. Turns out John and I were very compatible, but there was one problem. Patience is my biggest downfall. When I have an idea and get excited about something, it has to happen now. Whatever it takes, now. So, I had a couple hundred bucks in my pocket and put it down on John’s desk and told him I needed something sooner. Long story short, John agreed to coach me one-on-one for one week in the mornings starting in just a few days. After i got this news, I ran down to Blue Agave, an elegant restaurant and tequila bar that my cousin Rachel waitresses at in downtown Santa Barbara. I knew the owner and everyone that worked there, so I figured that was my best shot at getting a “job”. Turns out I was right. I went in and talked to the owner Gabi, about wanting to get in to bartending and about some ideas I had for helping her with the Blue Agave Brand. Turns out, she loves my ideas and is a big fan of my work. So, now I’m working as a bartender on Monday nights at Blue Agave. That’s 20 E. Cota St., Santa Barbara, CA if you find yourself in the area.

My first official night on my own was this past Monday, August 24, 2009, and everything went great. I made a bunch of drinks, made some cash, made some friends, and best of all like I had planned from the beginning, I lined up some graphic design and branding leads from a couple of customers. Overall, I’d say things are off to a great start, and it goes to show that when the economy takes a turn in an un-opportune direction, you have to get creative with your networking. I hope this story inspires you to walk the path less traveled. You’ll be surprised with what you find.

Tags: bartending, branding, graphic design, networking, new beginnings, santa barbara