We had the good fortune of connecting with Charlotte Ford and Marc O’Connor and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Charlotte and Marc, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We always found ourselves working extremely hard as employees to benefit other people’s businesses. While it was often rewarding to be a part of these teams, it also meant that we had less time and energy to realize or manifest any of our own goals. Through starting our own business we were able to commit our full range of talents and creativity to cultivate something for ourselves. There is a big difference between working hard for a paycheck vs working hard and reaping the reward of watching your brain child grow and prosper into a sustainable business.

We always wanted to start our own endeavor but could never agree on what type of business to start. A lot of entrepreneur success stories you read tend to have this “A-Hah!” moment where the initial vision for a business just came out of nowhere which they then pursued, followed immediately by success and riches. Our creative process was a bit different, with a plethora of business ideas and discord on which was the best path to take. This story doesn’t make the greatest copy for interviews, but we think it’s important for other aspiring entrepreneurs to hear. Our business has evolved rapidly from where it first began. Maybe the moral is that sometimes taking the initial steps into starting something is more important than mapping out exactly what you want your business to look like in ten years. Innovation in the face of adversity allows ideas to change and morph, creating a path towards opportunity perhaps never imagined before.

What’s one thing in your industry that outsiders are not aware of:

Outsiders who do not run mobile businesses are not aware of the amount of time and energy it takes on either end of an event, to set up and break down. When a business has a physical location, the time it takes to prep and clean up is drastically reduced, as everything has a permanent place. In a mobile bar business, there is an untold amount of moving items from point a to point b back to point a again.

Outsiders are not aware of how much correspondence is needed between wedding vendors, coordinators, and the couple in order to run an event outside of a traditional wedding venue. Running a mobile bar business brings us to remote wedding sites that have a lot more variables to consider. Modern conveniences such as cell service, water access, bathrooms, electricity, and unpredictable weather create a network of coordination and collaboration to make each event run seamlessly.

What’s the most important factor(s) behind your success?

There are a few factors that fuel our success. The first one that comes to mind is quick communication. Our company keeps a fast and open line of communication, via email, phone, or in person. From the moment they send an event inquiry, to the day of their wedding. This gives the couples an assurance that all the beverage/bar details are being taken care of. Planning a wedding is stressful, and by keeping our responses time low, we are providing a sense of security and happiness that continues until the big day.

The second factor that fuels our success is our dedication to fast, high quality cocktails in the face of thirsty wedding guests. When the reception is over, there is a flood of people who approach the bar, impatient to start the party with a drink in hand. One of our mottos is that we don’t believe in bar lines. Wedding goer’s came to be a part of the celebration; not be stuck in a bar line for half the evening waiting for a cocktail. As seasoned industry professionals, we are able to mix, shake, and stir cocktails with speed and precision without sacrificing quality. Once, the initial rush is over, everyone finds their own drinking pace. Then we get to slow the pace down a bit and engage with everyone coming up to the bar. We get to meet people from all over the world with stories to tell.

The last factor of our success is to keep track of any commitments or arrangements we’ve made with our couples and then hold true to them. This is important for all businesses but doubly so as a wedding vendor. The day of the wedding is the only chance we get to follow through on the quality and services we promised our couples. Attention to detail is everything and if a wedding vendor makes a mistake on the big day, their flaw will be noticed. To protect ourselves from such a failure our team sends a full overview to each couple leading up to the wedding, double checking every detail to make sure that we are all on the same page.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are Charlotte and Marc, proud creators of the Thirsty Rooster Trailer Bar! Our team specializes in bartending for weddings and other events in SW Colorado.

At the beginning it was just the two of us in our little red horse trailer bar serving drinks for happy couples tying the knot. Along our journey, we have enjoyed the addition of many great people to our team and and evolved what we can offer event planners in regards to how we can help make their event the most fun and run smoothly as possible.
Additional bars and bartenders for large, party hard weddings (our favorites!)
DGO Photobooth Co., our fun and snazzy photobooth option to preserve the memories for everyone
Lawn game rentals to keep the kids and playful adults busy
Taking care of the non-drinkers out there with coffee, tea, mocktails, and other non-alcoholic beverage options
Helping event planners by renting out our staff to help with various event needs like serving, transportation, clean up, etc.

It has been an insane amount of work along the way with the added necessity of learning all kinds of useful yet unexpected skill sets (website creation, social media, accounting, understanding legal/insurance documents, etc.), but we wouldn’t have it any other way. Its been a very rewarding experience as we’ve had the honor to be an integral part of hundreds of weddings making countless memories and friends along the way.

Work-life balance, how has your balance changed over time? How do you feel about the balance?

When we started the Thirsty Rooster, we were working multiple jobs, trying to make ends meet in the Southwest mountain town of Durango that we called our home. Rent was high, and wages were low. The only way to save money and start a business was to work 40+ hours a week, while working on our weekends (when we had them) building and growing our own passion project. Work-life balance didn’t really exist, it was all work.

Four years later, the scales finally shifted. The season is very hectic from May through October which is the SW Colorado wedding season. In exchange we have lighter schedules for the other months of the year. Peak wedding season work weeks will stretch from 60-80 hours, with many hours of travel, late event shifts, and only a few days off when the chance presents itself. That being said, we can create our own schedule, and can choose to set aside some weekends for mental health “holidays” during the summer event season to keep spirits high. We are finally able to make those decisions to keep ourselves and our staff happy rather than feeling pressured to accept every event that comes our way. Once November hits, the slow season begins. We can take some longer time off which allows us to pursue our hobbies, spend more time with loved ones, and work on fun new ideas to add to our business for next season.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Of course you got to show them what Colorado is known for and your favorite spots you are familiar with. But it’s also important to find some new experiences in the area that you yourself haven’t tried. So, pick your favorite restaurant in town but then pick one you’ve never been to the next day. Same thing with a hike, paddling adventure, ski hill, etc. One day at the local ski hill that you’ve been to a hundred times, then make that drive to one that neither of you have been to. Make some new memories together rather than just showing them all your favorite spots.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
For the mama’s. They make the world go around.

Website: www.thirstyrooster.com

Instagram: #thethirstyrooster

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thethirstyrooster

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