33 Months of Hazlo

May 2018: I have a conversation with a coworker about our favorite drinks and he tells me that his is a Tequila soda with lime. This is the first time I hear of anyone drinking Tequila that isn’t in a margarita or a shot. He mentions that he doesn’t get as bad of hangovers when he drinks only Tequila and finds himself having more energy while he’s drinking. I’m intrigued and begin asking around to see if anyone else I know drinks Tequila sodas.

May 19, 2018: I’m in New York visiting a friend from high school and ask him if he’s had a tequila soda. He tells me that it’s his favorite drink to get at bars now as well. This is too much of a coincidence so I decide to do some research of my own by drinking Tequila sodas all day. While walking through the streets of Manhattan later that night, I feel fantastic and I can't help but think it's because of the Tequila. I turn to my friend and tell him “this is it”, we need to make a Tequila soda drink and share it with the world.

June/July 2018: Brainstorm ideas on how to make a Tequila soda canned cocktail. Realize the complexities of getting into the Tequila business and decide to pivot to making a mixer that tastes great with Tequila and is healthy.

August 2018: Incorporate the business and hire a formulator to develop the mixer. Make the first investment in the business out of my personal bank account.

September 2018 – June 2019: Work with formulator on the beverage. We try a few different iterations and none of them seem to work. I come to the realization that they weren’t the right partner for the project and face the reality that I just spent thousands of dollars to create a drink that still doesn't exist.

July 2019: Terminate agreement with the formulator and start looking for another partner to bring this dream to life.

August/September 2019: Fail to find a formulator that I believe can deliver on their promised to develop this beverage the way I want it. Start to believe that it will be impossible to create a drink that tastes great with Tequila and is good for you. I have my first thoughts of quitting and walking away to avoid losing more money.

October 2019: Agree to get coffee with a friend of a friend of a friend who is a partner at The Violet Hour cocktail bar in Chicago. We had spoken once before on a call in June while I was still working with the old formulator. Since that call, nearly everything had fallen apart for the business. I embarrassingly tell her where things are at and all of the frustration I’ve felt in trying to develop this drink. She stops me, tells me she empathizes with me as a fellow entrepreneur and proceeds to inform me that she has a consulting business that does beverage formulation. She loves my idea and thinks she can be the person to create the product for me. The dream is alive again!

November/December 2019: Work with the new formulator on creating the mixer.

January 2020: Formula is finalized and I join the Chicago food & beverage incubator The Hatchery to help bring this product to market.

February 2020: Work with The Hatchery to get the operations side in order in preparation for launch. Plan to launch on April 22, 2020 at one of their networking events.

March 2020: COVID-19 global pandemic hits and halts all launch plans.

April 2020: Stop doing anything related to Hazlo and start to believe again that this business is not meant to be. I explore alternative business paths in real estate and consulting. 

May 2020: Tell a mentor about my plans to give up on the business and explore different opportunities. He listens intently and, in the nicest way possible, calls me out for being a quitter and for giving up when things got tough. 

June 2020: Start back up working on Hazlo. Put together the first iteration of the website and logo.

July 2020: Decide that if I really want to make this business my full-time job then I need to stop treating it like a side project and more like a full-time job. 

August 2020: Part ways with my software sales job to pursue Hazlo full-time. I move out of my apartment in Chicago and back in with my parents in the suburbs to save money.

September 2020: Begin working with a new brand designer for the logo and packaging.

October 2020: Start exploring the idea of launching outside of Chicago, Denver becomes the front runner of potential new locations.

November 2020: Fly out to Denver to meet with various bar/restaurant/liquor store owners in the Denver area. I pitch them on Hazlo and pick their brains on the current state of the Denver market. I get overwhelmingly positive feedback from them, specifically that Tequila is becoming more popular in Denver and their customers are always looking for healthy drinking options. Decide officially that I’m moving to Denver to launch Hazlo.

December 2020/January 2021: Prepare for the move

February 2021: Make the move to Denver and start planning for the launch in May.