THE time Lester decided to start a mobile bar business on his own, it became not only his clients’ life of the party but also to his family and employees as well.
Lester Jones S. Suarez initially ran a mobile bar business with a business partner around 2011 but his relationship with this company dimmed.
“[Our] first mobile bar [is] purely business. Mag sabay mi sa akong partner, ang permi namo mahisgutan is more of among kliyente, more of kanang the business itself (We only talk about our clients and just business),” he said.
What he really wanted was a business founded on a good relationship.
“Katong time nga nihinay na siya, nagdecide ko nga mag put up ko sa akong sarili. (When it slowed down, I decided to put up my own),” he added.
His parents are part owners of a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda)-accredited private school in Bajada, J.P. Laurel Avenue.
The school has been producing NCII bartenders and waiters whom he had been hiring since he established Bevanda Mobile Bar in August 2018.
“Para maka create kag mobile bar, first naa kay tao. Naa man koy bartenders. Ang gamit pud diri sa eskwelahan. Ana ko sa akong wife nga magpabuhat na lang tag bar counter (To be able to create a mobile, you have to have people. I have bartenders and I can borrow some equipment in the school. I told my wife that we only need to build a counter),” he said.
Suarez felt the booming of the event industry in the city and his gut feeling did not fail him.
He and his wife, Jazzi, started servicing one to two events in a month with a rented bar counter and equipment.
Due to their persistence in networking and marketing, their bookings grew three- to four-fold.
They soon offered unlimited drinks and were able to have nine portable bar counters with seven sets of equipment and have hired more bartenders and waiters.
Because of their ample manpower, they even covered the food of their clients especially in beach and boat party setups. They were also booked by affluent people for their parties.
Their biggest event so far was a wedding in Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte where they served unlimited drinks to 1,500 people.
In December last year, Suarez said their bookings surged to 40 and some of them were held simultaneously.
For Suarez, the effective marketing for Bevanda Mobile Bar was not so much on the Facebook engagements but rather on the positive energy that his workers put out in every event and their consistent excellent service.
“Ang pinakadako nga rason nganong nagakusog siya is because of the people behind (The biggest reason why it grew is because of the people behind it),” he said.
"Ang team Bevanda, ang bond namo is tight na, mura na siyag family. Feeling namo that the secret of why Bevanda is soaring high right now (In Team Bevanda, we treat each other as family)," he added.
Jazzi, who also manages the mobile bar, said their bartenders also help them in marketing the business, create new mixes, devise gimmicks to entertain their clients’ guests, and find a way to serve drinks when they run out of it.
Lester realized that their clients were more concerned of a service that augments the essence of a party with good chemistry and camaraderie.
“Dili man kami ang pinakabarato. Wala pud mi ikapanghambog nga kami ang pinakahawd. Pero nganong naa man gihapoy nagakuha sa Bevanda? Makita nila nga ang camaraderie, ang kagaan sa mga tao nakapalibot nila (We do not claim to be the cheapest or the most skillful, but why do people still book Bevanda? It is because they saw the camaraderie and ease in being with these people),” he said.
Lester said he keeps on investing trust and good relationships with his people, from bartenders to drivers.
“In every business, if you take care of your people, eventually, your people will take care of your business,” he said.
“Nakita nako nga secondary ra man diay ang kwarta. Ang tinood nga negosyo, kung tabangan nimo ang imong mga empleyado, mupasok ra ang kwarta (I realized that money is just secondary. The true business is when you help your people and money will just come),” he added.
The Suarez couple envisions to finally stand on its name as a mobile bar by having a bar in a truck that can be driven and setup in outdoors events.