This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Ryan Close, founder and CEO of Barthesiana company that manufactures cocktail machines for home bars. Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Image credit: Courtesy of Bartesian. Ryan Close.
What was your day job or main occupation when you started Bartesian?
I grew up, went to college and started working professionally in Canada. When I started my career after graduation, I worked for small and medium-sized companies where my role was to develop and re-engineer sales processes to maximize profit. My role was to get under the hood of the business, see what needed to be fixed to improve KPI and strategies and help do the dirty work of building the business behind. Although I enjoyed the job, I always had an entrepreneurial itch and had a few small businesses that I developed and ran on the side. However, none of them excited me like the Barthesian idea. As soon as this idea was born, I took the risk of fully dedicating myself to the development of the brand and running the business.
When did you start Bartesian and where did you find the inspiration for it?
Bartesian was built in 2014 to offer home cocktail enthusiasts a simple and easy way to make premium cocktails for themselves and their guests – without the need for a fully stocked bar with several spirits, liqueurs , mixer, bitters, etc. Even though I was a professional bartender in college, I was always nervous when customers ordered complicated drinks because the perfect cocktail involves a number of ingredients and steps and expertise that takes time to develop and get right. Bartesian solves these problems — you can enjoy delicious, quality mixed drinks anytime, and it's as simple as pressing a button.
Image credit: Courtesy of Bartesian
What were some of the first steps you took to get Bartesian off the ground?
We really took our time to develop a quality product before going to market. First, we developed the concept and hit the ground running, talking to as many potential customers as possible – over thousands – to understand what they're looking for in a product like ours. We wanted to know which features were most important, what their pain points were when making cocktails, and what would get them excited to try cocktails at home. While we had an idea of what to expect, we discovered valuable feedback we hadn't thought of that helped bring the best product to market. For example, customers liked the ability to choose their own spirits and strength of drinks. We just felt it product development was in a good place, we strategically went to potential retailers and buyers, securing LOIs (letters of intent) to purchase the product as soon as it became available. With this ammunition from consumers and retail sellers/buyers, we can engage with investment groups with full confidence and proof. (If we do it, they'll buy it!)
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while building Bartesian and how did you navigate them?
One of the significant challenges we faced in our early days brand building it was product shelf life and staying true to product quality. From day one, we were adamant that we would stay true to our priority of creating cocktails made with only the highest quality ingredients. This required us to navigate many surrounding issues supply chainensuring that quality remained without incurring too much cost and without wasting too much capital. Fortunately, I was able to curate a stellar team that was able to solve this and allowed us to continue to innovate and bring new cocktails to customers without sacrificing our label. Another challenge we faced while building the brand was our Kickstarter campaign. Although it was a huge success, our team then had to figure out how to produce over 1,000 units ourselves – we felt like we were building the plane on the fly with it! It was great for brand exposure at first, but it wasn't our expertise and required a lot of learning on the fly.
How long did it take you to see consistent monthly income?
We saw stable income right out of the gate, and that's because we really took our time developing the product and the brand before launching. We spent four to five years preparing and building a product that consumers would want. We also developed strategic partnerships for the launch, including Hamilton Beach, and engaged a PR team that allowed us to generate huge buzz and interest immediately. For example, right after launching in 2019, we went down to Oprah's Favorite things! It was important that we nailed the launch to ensure sustainable growth and have continued to climb ever since.
Image credit: Courtesy of Bartesian
What do growth and revenue look like now?
We continue to grow exponentially year after year. Since our launch in 2019, we've raised over $100 million D2C sales in less than three years. Although we initially focused on e-commerce, as our conversion rates increased, we shifted our channel strategy and launched into thousands of brick and mortar stores including Williams-Sonoma, Macy's and more nationwide. We have also leveraged online platforms, such as HSN and QVC, and have plans over the next year to continue scaling into new markets globally, including the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
What do you enjoy most about running this business?
This probably sounds like a cliche answer, but one of my favorite things about the Bartesian direction is interaction with customers and hearing their love for the product and brand. Seeing customers sharing images on social media of their cocktails, toasting with family and friends, sharing incredible moments and having so much fun with the product never gets old and is amazing to watch. I love seeing them making our Christmas cocktails, layering them with garnishes and creating an experience out of them. Customers will come up to me on the street when they see me driving my Bartesian logo truck and share their stories, and I love hearing their joy and excitement!
What is your advice to others hoping to start successful side hustles or their own full-time businesses?
My biggest tip is to define what sUccess it seems like for you because everyone defines success differently. Then, consider the possible outcomes that could arise from all the possibilities—the best, the worst, and the in-between. Make sure you are okay with all these results and make decisions accordingly.
Also, try not to go too high on the highs and too low on the lows. Things in a startup happen fast – sometimes, it can feel like the walls are crawling, and other times, you feel on top of the world. Because of this, make sure to keep emotions out of it. Things will pass, whether good or bad, so don't let that change your approach or business strategy.