Today we’d like to introduce you to Allie Lisiecki.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a perfect mix of wild, witty and wonderful. Having started in the Hospitality industry at the inexperienced age of 15; I have definitely worked every position from bartender to dishwasher to waitress and now to owner. I was serious about becoming a business owner early on in my career path. Every new venture I took on was to build my experience, grow my mind, and challenge what I thought I knew about this ever-changing industry. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality, I went on to conquer a Master’s of Business Administration from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania. I have stretched my experience across many years working in hotels, then onto food & beverage. I spearheaded the franchise sales and development of some of the largest fast-casual restaurant chains in the world, I’ve put huge smiles on the faces of our Armed Forces in the Pentagon by way of a lunch-at-work program, I shadowed a wine-maker (in my “spare” time) in Northern Virginia wine country and most recently I have been the Enterprise Food & Drink Director for Groupon. Working with other small businesses day in and day out really gave me the confidence to go “all-in” on launching my own Mobile Bar business. I want to be the pollinator of getting local craft beverages in the hands of the best, most thirsty buyers!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have read countless books from “Punk Rock Entrepreneur, to Atomic Habits to The Hard Thing About Hard Things” and what I can confidently say about “challenges and obstacles” is that… if you aren’t running into challenges and obstacles; you aren’t doing it right and you aren’t working hard enough! Every business, big or small, will always run into daily, weekly, and monthly challenges – if you want the prize at the end, you will persevere.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Almost everyone has a pandemic ‘baby’, right? Might be a cute golden retriever, an actual child, or 50+ succulents soaking up the sunlight. My pandemic ‘baby’ is The Wandering Taps. My brother’s girlfriend went to an outdoor bridal shower summer 2020 and posted a picture on Instagram about this cute little renovated mini-RV that was turned into a mobile Prosecco bar. I immediately asked her for the details on it and that began my research and development phase. I thought to myself “heck, for everything I know about the F&B industry, I could totally do this”. Weeks and weeks of carrying a notepad around with me and writing down every thought that came to mind on how to “build a mobile bar business”. Lead me to name the business after my wandering brain.
The Wandering Taps brings the party – that is the most important thing that we do. But our services go way beyond that. We are a luxury service – so we specialize in planning and delivering the most amazing celebration possible. We handle everything – down to the monogrammed napkins and color of the straws.
I am proud every time I pour a beverage from one of our 6 tap lines. I am proud to bring local craft beers, wines, and mixers for cocktails to new audiences. I enjoy educating people on the art of the craft beverage industry. It goes so far beyond beer and wine. Mobile bars and mobile bartenders are pollinators for the beverage industry.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Networking is not about how many cards you can collect at an event. Networking is about listening to people. Finding what their problem is and offering a solution. The problem can be in their professional life or personal life. All too often we listen just long enough to be able to tell “our side” next. But listening with the intent to help is a practiced skill.
My suggestion to someone looking to join a networking group or weekly meeting is to find people in the same industry that can help guide you through your building phase; or find a group that is comprised of people in completely different industries so you can provide solutions to them, just as much as they can provide the same to you. Attend a few meetings or events before you go all in and join/commit to a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly program.
And lastly, determine the time of day you’re most social and creative – if that’s morning coffee or evening happy hour.
Contact Info:
- Email: thewanderingtaps@gmail.com
- Website: www.thewanderingtaps.com
- Instagram: @thewanderingtaps
- Facebook: facebook.com/thewanderingtaps
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