Today we’d like to introduce you to Julio.
Hi Julio, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
From Selling donuts in Tijuana Baja California as a child. to working in the fields in Mendota CA. then selling merchandise at the swap meet. While pushing Amway and also working at restaurants & nightclubs. Followed by becoming an insurance agent to now owning my own mobile bartending business! One thing is for certain, and that is that I’ve never been scared to work.
Hello! My Name is Julio Hernandez i am 36 years of age and i am the youngest of 4 siblings. I was born in Tijuana Baja California.
It feels like just yesterday when I was on top of the kitchen counter in Tijuana reaching over to grab a pack of sugar to make myself a sugar tortilla taco. Like many other, I didn’t have much growing up. at one point I didn’t even know I had more siblings. My dad abandoned us, so I was raised by a single mother who was always at work to make ends meet. My brothers and sisters were somewhere living with other relatives and all I had for a very long time was just my Sister Karina.
She watched over me and she was my best friend. In 1998 we immigrated into the United States. not knowing the language was definitely one of the hardest moments. it didn’t get any better because they made me repeat fourth grade. Without any friends and living in a country where you didn’t know anyone, eating by yourself in the cafeteria became a norm. As I grew older and when I started high School. I began to have a passion for running and wrestling. It helped me to escape from all the family drama, problems and traumas i had growing up. I became good enough that i even graduated athlete of the year. But I I quickly realize that sports was not the only thing that kept entertain I also found passion in working hard and making money. So during high school I had my first job at the local convenience store stocking candy, Ships and beverages. during the summers I also worked in the fields. Working in extreme heat conditions reaching 110°+ picking cantaloupes and watermelons was extremely difficult. But if i wanted the nice shoes i had to buy them myself because unfortunately my Mom couldn’t not afford them.
After high school, I moved from Mendota CA, to Freno CA, with my sister for a few years. Meanwhile, I would get on my feet.
I begin my adult life, and trying to find a job during the 2008 recession was no joke. It became very discouraging. But with good faith and some luck I found my first job in a restaurant as a dish washer. it helped me become independent enough to where i was able to rent a room from a stranger. I was living alone but i had a big plans to work really hard so that I can move up quickly, but one of the cooks did not have the same plan for me. He constantly mistreated me and at one point even put sharp knives at the bottom of the detergent sink. possibly so I can hurt myself. The recession kept getting worse and for one reason or another I was laid off. I didn’t know what to do But luckily I was able to land another restaurant job quickly. But before things got better. The recession continued to get worse and they began to cut my hours forced me to get a second job at a nightclub. However that was still was not cutting it so I started making trips to L.A. to buy wholesale merchandise to sell at the swap meet.
A few years later, I also met somebody who introduce me to Amway and you best believe I also took that opportunity. My schedule was something like this….working in the restaurant all week then working in the nightclub on the weekends. getting off at four in the morning from the nightclub and going straight to the swap meet to set up my tent.
But even I thought things were going well…things were getting worst. the restaurant closed. shortly after I also had to shut down my swap meet business because of the recession.
I was not about to give up, but I know that I had to try something else. One day I went to pay my insurance bill and one of my old coworkers was working there. I became very interested in the insurance industry and you best believe I was going to give it a try. I asked her what she had to do to get that job and she told me I had to get licensed. She scheduled me an interview with her boss and i was hired. I did so good that two years later, they promoted me and even offered me the opportunity to move to Los Angeles to continue the expansion of the company.
I was super excited to move to Los Angeles but shortly after I realize how expensive it was. I was making decent money, but i realized I was just living paycheck to paycheck. So once again, I had to get a second job I ended up asking one of the local restaurants if they were hiring.
they quickly hire me on the spot. It was a Bartender position, something I had been wanting to do for years since I worked in the night club. I became very involved and very interested in all the aspects of Mixology. one day a Client asked me if I could bartend at one of her events but she ended up not booking with me.
Months after the restaurant was sold to a new owner and I decided not to stay. Even though I needed the money.
It was not the first time i daces difficult moments but I was not about to give up! so I started thinking of ways that I could make extra money. It came to mind that i could be a bartender and food server for private Events, but before I promoted myself, I wanted to become fully skilled, so I went to bartending school. after completing my bartending school, i took my first event all the way to Fresno for one of my friends.
shortly after, My other friend Antonio revales who was an event planner. Contacted me and booked us for our 2nd event at Chiquis Rivera’s House. Yes! wow! Right?
There…Vanessa Sanches the stylist of Jenni Rivera was going to be hosting her daughter’s quinceañera. With the money we made after expenses which was like $150. We invested it back into the business to buy our first bartending tools. and continue to book more Events. Everything was going so great then covid hit. Another huge setback in my and our lives. the Calendar that was almost full began to crumble down as every Client began to cancel their events. Once again, I told myself that we would overcome these challenging moments. So As soon as we were able to have some normality back into our lives, we continue to push the business. promoting, and once again booking events. ever since the business has continued to grow, which has allowed us to hire more staff and cover more ground from Los Angeles to Bakersfield. today im very proud of my team and all the challenges we have overcome over the years. I think everything happens for a reason and every setback and previos job experience has mold us into the strong team that we are today. We are so happy we continue to push our vision even in times when some people didn’t believe in us. We have also been honored to do TV segments for Telemundo, Acesso Total show. Never in 1 million years did I think that the young boy who was just trying to make a living would own one of the most reputable bartending companies in Los Angeles, California and Bakersfield. Serving at some of the most beautiful and luxurious weddings and events. Working side-by-side with some of the best event planners and celebrities.
I owe this to my team, my family friends and clients who have been of huge support all along the way. I could have never done it without them. And to you reading this, I just want to say never stop pushing always keep your eye on the goal and never let any challenges or people discourage you from your goals and dreams. Yes it will get tough. Yes sometimes you will not have the outcome you want. Yes sometimes you’re going to feel tired. Yes, it’s going to be lonely and yes when you look back, you might not see anyone but you keep pushing because one day all that hard work is going to pay off and you’re going to be so happy you never gave up on your dreams.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Most of the struggles that I have faced throughout, my life have been by so many things that we cannot control. They will always be so many setbacks. They will always be so many challenges, especially coming from a Hispanic background where our family and culture demands so much from us and sometimes we don’t get the help and support we deserve, but sometimes you have to break the mold and break traditions in order to pursue something bigger and better.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
SoCal Bartenders & Servers Inc. specializes in Mobile Bartending service and wait staff for any private event. The high-level of customer service our team brings to the table is the excellent vibe to any event. not only do we always put the client first, but we also offer hype entertainment to make your event even that much more Memorable.
From our delicious cocktails to our shot cart and our luxury bars. You are always guaranteed an amazing time with us.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is not given, it’s earned. When you overcome challenges when you stay focused when you are discipline and when you keep your eyes on the goal, sooner or later you are will succeed as long as you don’t give up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.Mysocalbartenders.Com
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