How does someone with an MBA and a busy corporate career balance being a leading voice on the tequila scene? Marissa Paragano, aka the brains behind Tequila Encyclopedia and Host of The TequiLadies Instagram Live show, spills the secret formula for how she turned her hobby into a thriving side business on The Spirit Guides.

MBA to Tequila Guru

Host Tequila Jay Baer sits down with Marissa to hear her unexpected journey from the corporate world to becoming a respected voice in the tequila community. Trips to Mexico and a family love for tequila ignited Marissa’s passion for the spirit, prompting her to start a separate Instagram account to find other tequila enthusiasts. While she may have started the account on a whim, Marissa’s content now reaches thousands of tequila lovers worldwide and her live show, TequiLadies, has reached almost 150 episodes and counting.

Marissa dives into the challenges of balancing a demanding corporate job with her growing tequila influencer career and what it’s like getting recognized in public. She talks about how sometimes it’s the unplanned content that goes viral, the ways she continually tops up her tequila knowledge, and how she maintains authenticity in her content. We also hear how her content has opened doors to work with other spirit guides and tequila distillers, helping her learn and grow within the community.

In This Episode:

· Marissa’s original plans for Tequila Encyclopedia and how her brand has evolved since

· What Marissa has learned through hosting almost 150 episodes of TequiLadies

· When Marissa realized her passion for tequila had become something more

· What Marissa learned about going viral and the culture of competitiveness on social media

· How she balances Tequila Encyclopedia with her day job

· Getting recognized in public and using your online persona in the wild

· How Marissa helps people pick their next bottle

Resources:

· Follow Marissa on Instagram via @tequilaencyclopedia

· Tune in to the @tequiladies Live Show Every Tuesday 9PM ET

This podcast is brought to you by LoveScotch.com and produced by our friends at Content10x.com.

With a background spanning fitness, marketing, and bartending, Sam Pence had a variety of routes he could take. But after finding his passion in cocktail making, he was inspired to start his venture into content creation.

In this episode of The Spirit Guides, we chat with Sam Pence, better known as @servedbysammy, who rapidly gained a following of over half a million across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

How @servedbysammy Serves Up Fresh Batches of Cocktail Content

Sam shares the unexpected journey that led him from bartending in Boise, Idaho, to becoming a go-to source for online cocktail recipes for a growing online fanbase.

Sam reveals behind-the-scenes insights into his creative process and how he initially set out to make one video a day for a year to see how things panned out before seeing his follower count skyrocket.

He explains that by listening to his audience, he learned that most people were looking for straightforward recipes like your standard margarita and batch cocktails rather than complex concoctions.

He reflects on how he collaborates with brands to create fun recipe videos that his audience can’t get enough of and how he decides which brands to say yes to. We also hear how he balances his day job with his growing online fanbase and what his family, friends, and colleagues think about his online persona.

In This Episode:
· What Sam learned about his audience and how that influences his content
· Behind-the-scenes insights into Sam’s creative process
· The first question he has for brands before agreeing to work with them
· Why Sam doesn’t just rely on social media marketing
· His first step into monetization with cocktail books
· How he decides what brands to work with
· Who he’d love to sip a cocktail with
· Plans for the future – cocktail books and collabs

Resources:
· Follow Sam on Instagram
· Follow Sam on TikTok
· Follow Sam on YouTube
· Follow Wayne on X
· Served By Sammy

This podcast is brought to you by LoveScotch.com and produced by our friends at Content10x.com.

The music business, training as a chef, competing on a cooking show, opening a coffee roasting business and balancing that with being a spirit guide… Wayne Cafariella’s career has been an impressive cocktail of experiences! The man behind @drinkwithwayne first began creating content for his coffee business but later became a fully-fledged spirit guide after some words of encouragement from his wife. Now, his social media presence of spirited opinions has racked up well over 100k fans and counting.

@drinkwithwayne’s Journey from Rockstar to Chef, to Coffee Roaster and Spirit Guide

In this episode of The Spirit Guides, Tequila Jay Baer sits down with Wayne to hear about his journey into the world of content creation. Wayne talks us through his days as a chef and even appeared on the show Chopped before pivoting into coffee roasting.

When Wayne started his coffee business, that naturally led him to start creating content all about coffee with the help of his Twitch streamer friends/business partners. Later, he found his passion for creating different types of content about cocktails, bourbon, and tequila.

Wayne shares some stories about his first big hit on TikTok and the moment he accidentally posted a video too early and saw it blow up. Staying true to his passion project, Wayne gives his take on the monetization of content, the dreaded editing process, and what keeps him going even during moments of impostor syndrome.

Grab the Kings Coast Coffee Company promo code: DRINKWITHWAYNE

In This Episode:

· Wayne shares his stories of being in a punk band

· How Wayne pivoted from rockstar to becoming a chef

· Wayne’s experience on the show Chopped

· Why he started Kings Coast Coffee Company

· His first experiences with online content with his Twitch-streaming friends

· How he got used to being on camera with his coffee content

· Why he began making content about cocktails

· How monetizing spirit content changed his process

· What keeps Wayne going despite occasional impostor syndrome

· Wayne tells us about his first big viral moment

· What annoys him most about creating content

· How accidentally posting a video too early became a huge success

· Wayne’s advice for creating content

Resources:

· Follow Wayne on Instagram

· Follow Wayne on TikTok

· Follow Wayne on YouTube

· Follow Wayne on X

· Kings Coast Coffee Company

· Follow Kings Coast Coffee Company on X

This podcast is brought to you by LoveScotch.com and produced by our friends at Content10x.com.