"Mom, I'm a bartender. That is what I'm doing with my life." You've made your proclamation, so now what? In an industry built on slim profit margins, high turnover, and 14-hour work days, how can we make bartending a viable career for ourselves and future generations? Stability, longevity and balance are career goals for all of us; whether it's staying behind a bar, moving into ownership, or working with a brand. In this no-holds-barred discussion, Naomi Levy (bar manager at Boston’s Eastern Standard) leads panelists Julie Reiner, Scott Baird, and Charlotte Voisey as they guide you through career options and the obstacles of making our work/life balance more fulfilling. What are the challenges to having a family and maintaining relationships in the bar industry? How do you find financial stability within tips-based employment? What systems can be put in place to help build this industry into one that makes it possible for people to build a career? Learn about the ways you can look out for your own future and brainstorm ways in which we can help to build a better future for the industry as a whole.

1. #momimabartender
#careerbartending
#totc
SUSTAINING A CAREER
IN BARTENDING
Scott Baird
Julie Reiner
Charlotte Voisey
Naomi Levy
Sponsored by:

2. On the way to discovering his calling as a
bartender, Bay Area native Scott Baird dabbled
in other creative ventures—floral design, acting,
and cooking, just to name a few. But after
picking up a bar shift, Baird realized his true
passion lay behind the bar. He continued his
mixology schooling at Cesar’s and Coco500.
In 2008, Baird partnered with the original
owners of 15 Romolo to bring life back to a
dying bar. He soon met Josh Harris and the two
revamped the Romolo menu, helping to earn it
a spot on Esquire’s 2010 “Best Bars in
America” list. The duo also co-founded The Bon
Vivants in 2009, a nationally recognized
consulting company through which they have
created cocktail programs for bars and
restaurants on both coasts. In 2013, The Bon
Vivants opened their highly anticipated bar,
Trick Dog, in San Francisco. Scott is also the
proud father of two.
SCOTT BAIRD
@bonvivants_sf @scott_the_bon_vivants

3. Julie Reiner has been elevating the cocktail scene in NYC for fifteen years,
most notably with the opening of the Flatiron Lounge (2003), the Pegu Club
(2005), Brooklyn’s Clover Club (2008), and her latest venture with Ivy Mix,
Leyenda. All opened to rave reviews and have enjoyed a top ranking among the
best bars in the world. In 2009, Clover Club was honored with the award for
“Best New Cocktail Lounge in the World” at Tales of the Cocktail and in 2013,
JULIE REINER
took home the award for “Best American
Cocktail Bar”, “Best High Volume Bar”, and Julie
was personally awarded “Best Bar Mentor”. In
2011 she, was honored with a James Beard
nomination for spirits professional of the year.
In May of this year, Julie published her first
book, “The Craft Cocktail Party, Delicious
Drinks for Every Occasion.” Julie is also proud
mother to her 6-year-old daughter Maya with
her wife and business partner Susan.
@mixtressnyc @mixtressnyc
#thecraftcocktailparty

4. Host of The Proper Pour with Charlotte Voisey
on www.smallscreennetwork.com, Charlotte’s
recipes are widely published and on menus and
in magazines across the world including New
York’s famed PDT, the iconic Dorchester Hotel
in London and People Magazine. Charlotte
Voisey has traveled the world but made her
name at home in London.
In 2002, with the Gorgeous Group, Charlotte
opened classic cocktail bar Apartment 195 and
was soon named UK Bartender of the Year. In
2005 Charlotte was invited to guest bartend at
the Aspen Food & Wine Classic and
consequently fell in love with the US cocktail
community, one year later Charlotte officially
made the move stateside to represent her
favorite spirit, Hendrick’s Gin. Charlotte still
competes internationally and was named
Mixologist of the Year 2011 for Wine
Enthusiast Magazine.
CHARLOTTE VOISEY
@charlottevoisey
Charlotte Voisey
@charlottehdovoisey

5. NAOMI LEVY
Naomi Levy is one of Boston’s most promising young bartenders. Starting at the age of 17, she was
hooked by the pace and rhythm of restaurant service and drawn to the drama and challenges of the
bar. Since starting at Eastern Standard in 2010, Naomi has worked her way up to be the 3rd ever bar
manager of the now 10 year old landmark. Eastern Standard is widely regard as one of the premier
cocktail bars in the country, with awards coming form many national publications as well as Tales of
the Cocktail, where they won the Barroom Brawl in 2011 and Best High volume cocktail Bar in 2012.
Naomi’s own accolades include being
named one of Zagat’s 30 under 30 in
2014, as well as receiving the Star
Chef’s Rising Star award in 2015 with
a Community designation.
She has also won her fair share of
competitions including the Centennial
Macchu Pisco Sour Boston in 2011,
Boston Speed Rack in 2012 and going
on to win two national competitions,
the Barenjager national competition in
2013 and the Bacardi Legacy national
competition, earning her a spot in
Moscow at the 2014 Global
competition. naomi.levy.58 @naomilevy613

6. Sustainable
adjective
:able to be
used without
being
completely
used up or
destroyed
:able to last
or continue
for a long
time
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO
HAVE A SUSTAINABLE
BARTENDING CAREER?

7. “A sustainable career is
dynamic and flexible; it
features continuous learning,
periodic renewal, the
security that comes from
employability, and a
harmonious fit with your
skills, interests, and values.”
-Harvard Business Review
1. Fitting your
work together
with the other
things in your
life that are
important to
you
2. Achieving
financial
security and a
stable work
environment
3. Building a
career path for
yourself and for
others

8. THE ROADS WE TAKE

9. WORKLIFE BALANCE

10. What are the challenges bartenders face if they decide to start a family?
How do you juggle a busy lifestyle with making time for friends and family?
How do you maintain a relationship while maintaining a hectic travel schedule?
How do you decompress?
What does a day off mean to you?

11. $$$FINANCES$$$

12. WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR YOU NOW

13. BUDGETING & SAVING
This is
Sharon, a
CFA
Ensure you have the
money to fund both
short- and long-term
expenditures, like
living expenses,
education loans,
emergency reserves,
and retirement
Review your
outstanding debt
and create a pay
down plan,
starting with
highest interest
rates first.
Prepare for changes in
your life such as a
move, new job,
income fluctuations,
buying property or
business investment.
Automate
deposits, savings,
investing, and bill-
paying wherever
possible.

14. IRAs
401k
CDs
SAVINGS
Defer up to
$18,000 of
your pre-tax
income in
elective
contributions
Contribute up
to $5,500 of
your pre-tax
income (total
for all IRA
accounts
owned)
Contribute up
to $5,500 of
your post-tax
income (total
for all IRA
accounts
owned)
* IRA money can be used for first time home-buying and higher education expenses.

15. Hypothetical pre-tax growth of $5000 yearly IRA
contributions: ages 25–70 and 35–70
By investing little by little over time, you benefit
from the power of compounding. Look at how much
more you can save by starting at 25 instead of 35.
Regular investing through a workplace savings plan
is a great way to save for retirement. And it’s so
easy to start.

17. INVESTING SERVICES
Mint.com
• Summary:
Expenses/activity
tracking of all your
accounts & debts;
budget & goal setting.
• Account Types:
Aggregate viewing of all
your existing accounts
• Cost: Free
• Pros: Easy to link in
accounts, categorize
sending, set budgets,
goals & set-up alerts
• Limitations: No advice
or investment
capabilities; purely view-
only of existing
accounts
• Others like it:
Levelmoney
Spendee
Dolarbird
Betterment.com
• Summary:
Automated investing
service for all basic
account types based on
a simple investment
questionnaire.
• Account Types:
Individual/Joint, Trusts,
Traditional IRA, Roth,
401k & 403b rollovers
• Account Minimums:
None
• Fees:
0.35% for first $10,000
0.25%-$10,000-$100,000
0.15%-$100,000+
• Pros: SIPC Insured;
recommended asset
allocations are regularly
rebalanced
• Limitations: No
personal, customized
advice or planning
Investment Firm
• Summary:
Brokerage firm, such as
Schwab, Fidelity or
Morgan Stanley, offering
investment products &
advice
• Acct Types: All
• Account Minimums:
various
• Fees (typically):
various account
maintenance &
commission fees, or
asset-based tiered fees
like wealth advisory
firms
• Pros: vast investment
options for greater
portfolio diversification
• Limitations: be aware of
fees & commission
charges, and pushing
only firm-based
products
Wealth Advisory Firm
• Summary: A registered
investment advisory
firm providing
comprehensive
investment management
& financial planning.
• Account Types:
All
• Account Minimums
(typically):
$100,000 - $250,000
• Fees (typically):
1.25% first $1,000,000;
0.95% next $4,000,000;
0.6% next $5,000,000;
0.4% over $10,000,000
• Pros: Comprehensive &
holistic advice, access to
planners & wealth mgmt
team
• Limitations: Higher fee
and account minimums

18. BUSINESS PLANNING
Clearly
outline your
business goals
and the plan
on how to
attain them-
saving,
partnering,
structure,
financing,
loans, etc.
Obtain
independent legal
advisement on
organizational &
partnerships
contracts.
Understand the
liability exposures &
limits- insurance, tax,
personal & business.
Build a reliable team
of a trusted attorney,
tax accountant,
financial advisor &
lending broker to
successfully navigate
being a business
owner.

19. What is an LLC?
A limited liability company, or LLC,
is a business entity created under
state law that combines
characteristics of both a
corporation and a partnership. Like
a corporation, the owners of an LLC
are generally not personally liable
for company debts. Like a sole
proprietorship or a partnership, an
LLC has operating flexibility and is,
by default, a "pass through" entity
for tax purposes. This means that
the LLC does not pay taxes on its
profits, but instead, profits and
losses are "passed through" to the
owners, who must then pay tax on
their share of LLC income.
What is a DBA?
DBA is an abbreviation for "doing
business as.” If you're a sole
proprietorship, you need a DBA to
register your business name.
Corporations and LLCs need a DBA
if they use a different name than
what's filed with the state. It allows
one to open a business bank
account and undertake
transactions on behalf of the
company

20. Health
Disability
Accident
INSURANCE
Covers medical
and surgical
costs, subject to a
deductible and
copayments,
which varies plan
to plan.
Most include no
cost preventative
services.
Prescription drug
coverage varies.
Covers income
replacement up to
70% of salary
when injured and
ill and unable to
work for a time
period over 7 days.
Length of time
covered varies
plan to plan.
Generally only
available through
workplace payroll
deduction.
Covers out-of-
pocket expenses
that accrue due to
accidental injury
including
expenses that may
not be fully
covered by
medical insurance
(ie. Ambulance,
Emergency Room
visits). Generally
set dollar amount
depending on
injury.

21.  They can set up a plan based on a gross estimate of your
income (including cash based tips)
 Your rate is locked in for life
 You can purchase a plan regardless of pre-existing conditions
 Employee owned and payed – if you change jobs it will move
with you
 Partial disability – if you work less than 80% of your normal
hours
 Maternity coverage is included in all of their
disability plans for 6-8 weeks post-delivery
 Employers generally see a 25-50% reduction
in worker’s comp claims
 Only 3 employees are needed to enroll for
a group rate through payroll deduction and
there aren’t any costs to the business
DISABILITY INSURANCE
This is
Paul from
Aflac
$70,000 annual salary
$3,300 monthly benefit
Cost of $16.83 per week
$60,000 annual salary
$3,000 monthly benefit
Cost of $15.30 per week
$50,000 annual salary
$2,500 monthly benefit
Cost of $12.75 per week
$40,000 annual salary
$2,000 monthly benefit
Cost of $10.20 per week

22. KNOW YOUR LOCAL LAWS
Conneticut, California &
Massachusetts all have paid
sick time laws, as do 18
cities across the US,
including San Francisco,
New York City, Philadelphia,
Seattle and Portland.
In California, Nevada,
Washington, Oregon, Alaska
and Minnesota, employers
are required to pay workers
full state minimum wage
before tips. Over half of the
remaining states have higher
tips-based employee
minimum wage including
$7.46 in Conneticut, $5.03
in Florida, $4.95 in Illinois.
California, Hawaii, New
Jersey, New York, Puerto
Rico and Rhode Island
require businesses to
provide partial wage
replacement insurance
coverage for non-work
related sickness or injury.

23. As future business owners, it is up to us to continue to promote
and build up the bartending industry as a career path.
Many creative ideas are popping up in bars across the country:

24. #momimabartender
#careerbartending
#totc