We had the good fortune of connecting with Libby Schmidtman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Libby, how do you think about risk?
Risk-taking has had a huge role in my professional life! Ever since getting laid off in 2020, that’s no longer something I fear. Each new job I’ve had since then, I’ve approached with a mentality of “What do I have to lose?” And I’ve found that putting myself out there and taking chances has been endlessly rewarding. I even had another layoff in 2022, that I ended up shrugging off with an appreciation for the new skills learned in that role.

In 2024, my roommate saw me host bingo nights and game nights at my brewery job, and suggested I make a business out of it. After thinking about it, I realized “Why not?” And now, I gotta say, he was absolutely right. Taking this risk has allowed me to make connections with local businesses, bingo superfans, and stretch my creative muscles in marketing. I think 2025 is going to be even better!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I started LibBingo LLC after years of Bingo hosting at breweries where I was an employee. I would mostly be bartending, and hosting Bingo 1 night a week for “Events” pay on my paycheck. I hadn’t really considered traveling to other venues until my roommate was hyping me up and said “No, seriously, you can make money from this.” Shortly thereafter was the perfect storm. The brewery I worked for announced their upcoming closure, and suddenly I had 2 weeks of free time. I used this time to research LLC registration, scrounge up my startup costs (funny thing to do after a layoff!), and reach out to venues. One week later, I had an event on the books for the following month. That’s when my confidence was solidified that this could be a consistent thing.

I take pride in my dedication to keeping these events fun and engaging. Have you ever been to a Bingo night with a dull, deadpan caller, sitting behind a table? I challenge myself each week to to keep my energy up, regardless of crowd size. I also try to tie in puns and jokes to as many letter/number combinations as I can. We know that Bingo has 75 numbers, and sometimes I fear that I’ll hit the ceiling with how many jokes can be made with those. But even a year later, I still have new ideas! I’m hoping to keep this momentum up in 2025.

I’ve also taken this as an opportunity to be creative outside of the scheduled events. I’ve been making promotional content for my events that my venues can also share. In addition to weekly posters, I’ve also made silly sketch videos (and even a self-recorded music video) to promote events and get people excited! For Halloween, I committed to a bit where I was a Sim, speaking Simlish, and then “changed my language settings” with a home-crafted dropdown menu. It took hours to make (lol). I’ve been happily surprised by the creativity pouring out of me and being inspired by my love of entertaining!

One recent update about my brand: I have decided to leave Meta platforms. My website will be meticulously updated on a regular basis, and I intend to share pictures and videos there as well. It was a big change, but I’m confident it was the right choice.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Honestly, I’m a die-hard South Broadway kid! We would go to a movie at the Mayan, shopping at Crossroads, and barhopping on S. Broadway! Some of my favorite restaurants include: Fire on the Mountain, Illegal Petes, and MakFam. Hop on the 0 bus line south, and stop at TrashHawk for beers and Jello shots. Further south on the bus to Englewood, and we can catch a drag show at Lady Justice or play board games at Tabletop Tap!

I’ve also been known to follow my favorite food trucks to whichever venue or brewery they’re parked at. So I’d definitely want to find Mukja, Flippin Birdz, and Char Pizza. Whoever comes to visit me should be ready to eat, drink beer, and play games. And maybe we can play some bingo too 😉

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to shoutout my talented artist friend Nick Resch, of Fresch Fish Designs, who helped design my logo and branding. We’ve been friends since high school back in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and he deserves all the love, check out his Etsy!

I’d also like to credit my bar venues for hosting me: TrashHawk Tavern, Lady Justice Brewing, and Second Dawn Brewing. Second Dawn’s Events Manager Miles McKay (@grandpasbrain), who books my event dates, is also a fantastic artist!

And finally, my close friends Chris Josselyn, Kelsey Reece, and Lukas Newbury, who have attended more bingo nights than anyone, and are always there to help me with acting/recording when I have a silly video promotion idea. Thank you all!!

Website: https://libbingo.com

Other: Bluesky: @libbingo.com

Email: libby@libbingo.com

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