Episodes

Influencer marketing has been demonized in the last few years and rightly so, but that being said. I do strongly believe, like any marketing strategy, that a well thought out, properly planned and instigated influencer marketing strategy can reap benefits. But as I mention in the video, it's a two way street with rules, deliverables and goals. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, br...

Sean and Jack have been an inspiration to me for nearly a decade, from the years creating the bar at the Merchant Hotel to the award-winning Dead Rabbit; we also talk about their partnership, it's strengths and weaknesses and how they continue to power on through thick and thin. Great insight on how to create one of the best bars in the world. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, br...

I chat to partner and graphic designer, Colin Parks from Human Construct Design + Branding about the importance of brand, logo and collateral to the long term success of your business along with geeking out about fonts, favourite eras of design and how we combine 20 years of graphic designing with hospitality experience. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hos...

Had a great chat about productivity and time management expert, Mike Vardy, the Productivityist about applying a lot of his techniques to the bar industry and for entrepreneurs as a whole. This episode brings a ton of value for anyone wanting to get more out of their day. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advi...

This week's mash up talks about resilience, dealing with negativity and becoming better at loving yourself to combat it all. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the creative, culturally-necessary space of ‘modern hospitality’—covering topics fr...

Angus Winchester has been a leading educational powerhouse for decades, I have been lucky enough to call him a good peer for years and it was great to catch up and chat about how he got to where he is and of course to prove or disprove some legends about him. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions,...

A mash up of how to define what you want and how to achieve it. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the creative, culturally-necessary space of ‘modern hospitality’—covering topics from front-of-house service, to back-end business operations, a...

Have a follow-up chat (first episode here) with Z from Proof & Co. and more importantly EcoSpirits, a new packaging and shipping technology that is going to disrupt the spirits industry over the next few years. Great to get down to how and why the product came about and the plans for the next few years. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decad...

This came out of a post about people pigeon holing people, this isn't your perception, it's there's and there's alone. To break perceptions of yourself out of the pigeon hole you may find yourself in; you will need to work twice as hard to prove you are half as good. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, o...

I have been preaching since day one of the pandemic to come out of the other side of it better than we went in as an industry and ourselves. I sat down with Ren Navarro from Beer. Diversity and chatted about her work with the project along with how you can get her to help with changing your brewery or restaurant culture for the better going forward. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has liv...

My first Post Shift Shot in a while, wanted to tackle Inventory Management this week due to people reopening, struggling with inventory and cash flow. Wanted to give 5 pointers including some that I got from peer, Sean Finter of Barmetrix this week. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provo...

I was taken aback by just how raw and insightful this episode was with Chris Patino, formally an award-winning brand ambassador with Pernod Ricard and now running his own agency and is one of the owners of the Raised by Wolves in San Diego. If you ever want some real advice about brand ambassadorship, hospitality entrepreneurship and bartending advancement, this is the one for you. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry...

Had a great chat with Erik from Modern Bar Cart about my love of Victoria, BC, the force behind my second book, Great Northern Cocktails and so much more. Could have chatted for another hour about entrepreneurship, the industry and further beyond. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provoca...

Jason Williams is the Creative Director for Proof & Co. in Singapore and we chatted about his trek from Coolum in Queensland to Singapore along with creating gins including his own, Widges Gin and the story behind the innovative program, Eco Spirits from Proof and Co. He has 35 open projects open across the globe including the historic Pegu Club in Myanmar. Great insight into the inner workings of the company throughout APAC and his personal drive to succeed. Share a dram with the hospitality i...

We deep dive into an online presence, website design and social media marketing for all types of businesses from large to small. Trying to demystify how to create a reliable, sustainable and effective online strategy to get the biggest bang for your buck. Kristoff and I have partnered to build Exemplar LM, a specific media company for the beverage industry. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole...

Had an amazing and raw conversation with Christina Veira of Side Duties about the state of the industry, who work in advocacy and training, intersectionality in the industry along with some in-depth advice pieces of changing the culture in venues across the country and globe. If there is any episodes that you listen to, this is the one. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed,...

This week's Post Shift Shot is a mash-up of advice about side hustles and entrepreneurship over the last year and a bit. I think side hustles, projects and entrepreneurship are more important than ever. Share a dram with the hospitality industry’s top global talents: bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry aficionados. Shawn Soole has lived, breathed, and imbibed hospitality for decades. Now, he delves into the advice, opinions, and provocative stories that are helping to define the c...

Had a great chat with the husband-wife team behind Bittered Sling Bitters based right here in BC, a great bitters line that has been slowly taking over the globe for the last 8 years. We chat their backgrounds and get into the thought processes behind the brand, them meeting and the true nature of drinks entrepreneurship. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality industries top talents from around the world including barten...

This is a great episode with Miles Jones, Senior Commercial Manager Western Canada for anyone who ever wondered how brands like Aperol and Campari went from obscure to mainstream in five years, this is a really great insight how you can take a brand and make it mainstream using a couple of specific tips and tricks. Worth the listen to learn the mantra behind the whole Campari Group, not just their bitter line up. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole int...

Have you ever wondered the driving force behind Speed Rack to take it from a humble idea to a worldwide phenom? We have a chat with the dynamic duo behind the competition, the early days, the global success and the future. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality industries top talents from around the world including bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry supporters. Get points of view, advice and the backstorie...

This is from an interview with Eugene from Rhum Bishop in Kenya, chatting about hospitality, industry mentorship and entrepreneurship. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality industries top talents from around the world including bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry supporters. Get points of view, advice and the backstories every week. Brought to you by www.soolehospitality.com FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM – Shawn...

I have always admired Simon Ford, he was always a brilliant marketer and ambassador for the brands he backed. I wanted to get to the bottom of why he gave up a fantastic gig for taking the risk on his own brand, the pitfalls, the losses and the wins. Gets very raw on the topic of drinks entrepreneurship, if you are thinking of getting into business yourself, listen to this first. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality in...

Haley was actually one of my very first podcasts back at San Antonio Cocktail Conference in Jan 2019, but I butchered the audio and had to scrap the interview. So happy that I reconnected and got to chat to her about her obsession with food, drinks and of course her beloved Italicus. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality industries top talents from around the world including bartenders, venue owners, distillers and indu...

John is the man behind some seriously amazing events like World Class, Coachella and more. How did he go from bartending at a TGI Fridays in South Hampton to running a massive event, advocacy and training company in the US and everything in between. Join us every Tuesday & Friday as award winning industry stalwart, Shawn Soole interviews some of the hospitality industries top talents from around the world including bartenders, venue owners, distillers and industry supporters. Get points of view...