"How Much Should I Charge?" Let's Talk About Mobile Bartending Pricing
- Brittney Ave
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
I get a lot of questions about pricing.
"What should I charge?"
"How much do you charge?"
"How do you come up with your prices?"
And I get it. Pricing was one of the hardest things for me to figure out when I first started my mobile bartending business. Not because I couldn't come up with a number, but because I didn't fully understand everything that went into that number.
When you're new, it's easy to look at an event and think, "I'm only bartending for four hours." But the reality is, you're not getting paid for four hours. You're getting paid for everything that happens before, during, and after those four hours. At least, that's something I had to learn.
What looks like a four-hour event on the calendar can easily involve client communication, creating quotes, ordering supplies, shopping, loading equipment, driving, set-up, breakdown, cleaning, and bookkeeping.
And that's before we even start talking about things like insurance, licensing, marketing, software subscriptions, bar tools, gas, and all the random little expenses that seem small until you add them together.
I think that's why so many people reach out asking about pricing.
Not because they don't know how to do the math, but because they aren't always sure what should be included in the equation.
I wasn't either.
When I started, I focused heavily on getting booked. I wanted experience. I wanted reviews. I desperately wanted to work for myself and do my own thing.
What I wasn't always focused on was whether my pricing actually reflected the work involved.
That's a lesson that took time. And it's something I still evaluate today.
Pricing isn't just about charging enough. It's about understanding what it costs to operate your business. It's about creating enough margin that your business can actually support you. It's about making sure you're building something sustainable instead of constantly feeling like you're working hard but not getting ahead.
The more conversations I have with aspiring and newer mobile bartenders, the more I realize we all share similar challenges. We're trying to figure out what makes sense.
We're trying to avoid learning every lesson the hard way. And we're trying to build businesses that are profitable without feeling like we're pulling numbers out of thin air.
That's exactly why I created:
Not because I have all the answers, and not because my way is the only way. But because after years of single-handedly operating a mobile bartending business, I've learned a few things that would've saved me a lot of time, frustration, and second-guessing in the beginning.
Inside the guide, I walk through the factors I personally consider when pricing events, the expenses many people overlook, and how I think about pricing from a business owner's perspective.
If pricing has ever felt confusing, overwhelming, or like you're just guessing, this guide will help you think through it differently.
If you're new here, welcome! If you've been a part of my little corner of the internet for a while now, then you already know how I like to do things. Honest conversations about business, money, and figuring it out as we go. Real experiences. Real numbers. Practical information.
If that sounds helpful, you can download the guide below.
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