The Success of Independence
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
By Bridget Fahey
When I first joined the work force over a decade ago, I had some pretty big dreams of grandeur when it came to my success and what that would mean to me. I spent the majority of my young adulthood with little to no financial freedom, this is what influenced me to join the service industry working as a bartender in various types of bars, restaurants, and events. I was drawn to the ability to make quick money, something that helped me out of the financial burden that followed me through my early twenties. This led me to believe that success was measured in the form of dollar bills, and defined by a person’s financial wealth. As I continued with years of bartending in bars that were filled with late nights, very little to no time off, and often working for bosses that cared little for their employees, my perspective began to shift. Through this, I started to realize what I truly desired was to have control over my own life. I had spent so much time in financial distress that suddenly making a decent income led me to believe that money was this all important thing, because it allowed me to do and afford things I couldn’t in the past. In reality, money was just a catalyst towards what I truly wanted out of life, and that was freedom. Once I realized this, my definition of success changed from ‘wealth’ to ‘independence’ which is what inspired my to start my own event & wedding bartending service, The Wander Bar.
I believe that the way that women measure wins today versus how they may have measured them in the past is both different and much the same. As civilization has evolved, women have had many adversities to overcome in a society that has long favored men in the workforce.
While women over the years have spent much time and dedication towards bigger wins like our right to vote and fighting for equal pay, women today still find themselves fighting for fair treatment in the workplace and to achieve the successes we deserve. Our wins occur when we have the opportunity to showcase our professional knowledge and skill, and when our success becomes tangible, especially in male dominated industries. When I began my career in high volume event bartending, the bar I worked at almost exclusively hired male bartenders as they felt that they were more equipped to deal with the physically intensive 10 to 15 hour shifts. When I was hired as a bartender at this job, my male coworkers would often diminish my ability, and would consistently treat me as a subordinate despite being in the same role. After some time, my skill began to be noticed by management, as my sales were consistently higher than my co-workers each night.
My experience in this role led to what would be one of my biggest personal successes, which was getting asked to bartend music festivals all across the country. This allowed me to travel the country and have the freedom I desired, and gave me the opportunity to meet new people and experience all kinds of things I had never imagined, on the basis of my bartending ability that I had fought so long to prove.
Once I finally decided it was time to come home from my adventures around the country, I knew I wanted to continue in the bartending industry, but felt as if I couldn’t possibly go back to work for another boss. This is the push that led to becoming an entrepreneur and starting my business.
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