Today we’d like to introduce you to Judi Laing.
Judi, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
When asked, I say “I drink for a living.” because of my interest in, and pursuit of, tasty alcohol whether it be wine, spirits or beer. I love beer and know what a wonderful food pairing beverage it is; so, I thought “Why can’t I bring craft beer to a restaurant like diners bring wine?” Of course, I googled ‘beer corkage’ and came up empty but called a few restaurants to ask if I could bring beer instead of wine. People on the other end were genuinely puzzled. They never heard of such a thing. Not one to let a simple thing like that deter me, I began what I thought would be an easy project to get restaurants to agree to beer corkage. This was not to be. The lightbulb went off and I realized that wine was universally accepted. And I should start there. I re-routed the site to list restaurants’ wine corkage policies and I would then start a beer corkage movement. That has also proved to be incredibly challenging even though craft beer is wildly popular.
After a year and a half of technical glitches, website re-dos, dumb mistakes, misspent money, I am finding my footing and have about 5000 restaurants’, nationwide, corkage policies for wine, beer and spirits (yes, there is such a thing as bringing spirits to a restaurant). And here we are today!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Do you know anyone who has had a smooth road?! If so, I would like some of their magic. Struggles are inherent with being an entrepreneur – from not knowing what you’re doing, to trying to implement your brilliant idea on a shoestring. Aside from technical difficulties, hiring incompetent people who sound good on paper and on the phone who say they understand your vision and don’t really. Cycling through people costs precious dollars as is a lack of money as a whole; and for me, lack of a mentor (not for want of one) are some of the struggles. Oh, burnout and getting yourself motivated again and again.
Please tell us about BYOB Like A BOSS.
There is no other site that lists corkage/BYOB policies the way that we have. While still a start-up, I’d love to have a team, a partner, ok just even one other person but I am most proud to get as far as I have by myself! BYOBLikeABOSS.com is diners go-to source for information about restaurants’ corkage fees. The site has a lot of relevant information so consumers have the confidence to BYOB with style and read up on top ten corkage tips. We want people to relax, have fun and enjoy their wining and dining experience.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am a one-woman band. Friends cheer me on but I haven’t had mentors, advocates or teammates. I’m sure I’m not the only person going it alone – I outsource various tasks, mainly technical – so I’d like to give a big shoutout to all the hardworking single entrepreneurs out there. Keep going!
Pricing:
- Restaurants can create an account on the site for free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://byoblikeaboss.com
- Phone: 213.703.7106
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: @byoblikeaboss
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corkageonline/
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