Today we’d like to introduce you to Ty Nicole Tucker.
Hi Ty Nicole, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be some form of an entrepreneur. I watched my maternal grandparents own and operate both a liquor store and hardware store on the southside of Chicago. I would follow my father around his various rental property rehab projects while hearing some of the (not so fun) conversations with his tenants. On the other side, I would love to watch both my mother and paternal grandmother get all dolled up to go to their corporate jobs each morning. Both of whom individually spent 20+ years in those careers. While my mother was suited and booted managing teams at Northwestern Medical Hospital, my grandmother was one of the original fashionistas at Carson Pirie Scott on Michigan Avenue. Two completely different experiences but very impactful for younger me. So with all of this running through my adolescent perspective, I knew I would have to most likely take the corporate route to get to the entrepreneurial path.
I attended Howard University with a major in Business Insurance, interned with one of the top insurance companies during my senior year and graduated in 2011 with a corporate entry-level position. Needless to say, my family was elated! I literally lived out the dream that they manifested for me. And for a while, it worked. I was able to relocate to Atlanta, GA, after only one year, with a lateral promotion. This move allowed me to start building the life I imagined from admiring R&B/Hip-Hop stars from the 90s and early 2000s. Old Atlanta was a time and definitely a vibe that can’t be explained.
Everything was going according to plan….until 2016. Easily one of the hardest years of my life. After a very short and aggressive battle with Ovarian Cancer, I lost my mother, Yvette Tucker. This knocked me to my core and completely rocked my entire foundation. I not only felt lost, I felt alone and I felt confused. Because for so long, I was living my life to make others (my family) proud. With my mother no longer championing for me, I was left to determine what really would fulfill me. So, still not ready to fully take the leap of faith and leave the Corporate America hamster wheel, I thought leaving one company for a managing role in the same sector was the better decision. After two years, I learned the hard way that is was not.
Thanksgiving 2018, I was terminated from my managing role, and let me tell ya’ll…..that was THE BEST thing to ever happen to me. It immediately freed me from the shackles of complacency. It released me from the doubts and uncertainty of “what if?” It prompted me to start thinking about what I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing and who I wanted to be around for the journey. Was I afraid? One-Hundred percent! I was terrified, BUT I knew that I had built my life to be able to support myself no matter what I chose. I immediately signed up for a bartending course, with thoughts that even if just for an interim, I could at least 1. make some good money and 2. work at some of the fun spots around ATL that my friends and I enjoyed. So I did just that. And while I was slanging drinks across the city, I was also applying to grad school. For the last year, I had been considering going back to obtain my MBA, but I also wanted to spend some time traveling the world. I went to a few GMAT + MBA fairs, but truly the only programs that stood out to me were the international schools. So I collected offers and made my decision to move to Madrid, Spain for an entrepreneurial MBA program. What I loved about bartending is that it was like a trade. It was something that I could pick up and do anywhere in the world. So even while in school, I could easily pick up shifts if need be. I also knew it was just something to fall back on. I had a vision and even started an IG page but I tucked the idea away until I was able to see it more clearly.
By the end of summer 2019, I was all packed up to begin my voyage abroad. Living in Europe was one of the best cultural experiences to date. As an African-American female, I truly felt like my opinion mattered. I was actively involved in campus organizations and was able to share my passion of public speaking and hosting. The one thing that threw a monkey wrench in my perfect year abroad was COVID-19. Classes went virtual for the majority of the final semester, but the relationships and networks were stronger than ever. My roommate and I participated in the program’s Accelerator and did very well. We even brought our business model back to The States when we returned in September 2020. Unfortunately, we recognized the traction wasn’t what we anticipated, and this led me to launching SoMixxy full-time.
I dusted off my at-home bar and started playing with different recipes while experimenting with crafting my own cocktail syrups. From spicing up my margaritas with jalapeno agave to incorporating various herbs, I was all in. I really enjoyed being in the kitchen but also not having to worry about cooking itself. So I kept at it and plotted out my vision for what I wanted SoMixxy to be. I even started teaching virtual mixology classes for corporate teams. This not only helped me to brush up on my bartender skills, but it formally introduced me to mixology by helping me to understand the history behind certain cocktails and being able to regurgitate bar techniques. It was as if I had finally found something that encompassed all of my passions: curating, craft cocktails and hosting! From there, I developed my website and revamped the Instagram page to include a booking link in the bio. I truly didn’t even think anyone would ever book little old me- until they did. After my very 1st client booked me on a random weekday for that night, everything started happening faster than I could imagine. Next thing I knew, I had products, teaching classes, servicing my clients’ private events and even hosting my own events.
Over the last two years, SoMixxy has grown more than I ever imagined and we are looking to continue that trend. We continue to work with a number of industry brands while expanding our corporate clientele. I also recently participated in and won the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Cocktail Competition sponsored by Uncle Nearest with my cocktail, “Peach, Spice & Everything Nice.” This accomplishment has brought a good deal of exposure to both my personal and professional brands. It has been a journey to get to this point, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
“May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one.” – Kobe Bryant
The road has not always been the easiest and I most definitely took the road less traveled. However, I appreciate the views and the experiences gained. I would say the most challenging portion was getting comfortable enough with myself to trust myself enough to bet on me. Let me break that down: I had to take time to allow myself to feel, to live, to travel in order to fully understand the makings of me. To drill down to the core of what will actually make me happy. COVID-19 played a role. It forced me to sit down with nothing but time to decide how I wanted to resurface myself post-pandemic. And for all of those things, I am grateful. I truly don’t know if I would’ve been ready to launch SoMixxy in the way I have when I first started bartending. I’m not sure if I had enough life experience or entrepreneurial experience for that matter. I think every “no” I was told and every failure I experienced, I was meant to feel. I channeled those risks and turned them into rewards.
Now, in a completely different position, the challenges are a little different. The focus has been put on market traction, scaling and managing the ebbs and flows of the business. It’s learning everything about an ever-changing market. It’s learning that I can no longer do it all, nor do I need to. Delegation is key, but learning how to delegate is equally as important. Understanding how to manage business finances is something that I’m working on every day with my accountant. Although I’ve read books and studied finance courses in my MBA program, there are so many tax and income-related points that I recognize I am not the expert on. So it is important for me to identify my strengths and understand the strengths of others in order to successfully scale my business. Every day is a challenge, and I often reflect on Kobe Bryant’s #MAMBAMENTALITY Mantra. The five pillars are: passion, obsession, relentlessness, resiliency, and fearlessness. I look at each of those to make sure I stay the course for success.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about SoMixxy Inc.?
SoMixxy is a boutique mixology brand specializing in curating mixology experiences for our clients, along with signature cocktails featuring our SoMixxy-infused cocktail syrups. We offer mixology classes for corporate teams and small groups, themed mobile bartending and products ranging from barware to our infused cocktail syrups. Our Mixx Kits include all the ingredients our customers need to craft over 9 of our SoMixxy curated recipes. These can be purchased directly from our website or customized for each virtual mixology session.
With only a couple of years in the game, we have established ourselves within the industry by working with a variety of brands and participating in regional events. As we continue to grow our small business, we look forward to making a bigger impact within our community by generating more jobs for women of color. I am most proud to have established a minority and female-owned business in such a historically caucasian male-dominated industry.
Our latest service offerings include our Canvas & Cocktails (paint and sip, with a mixology twist!) and our hosted group competitions. We offer something for everyone for every season and event type, from products to services. Think of us as your one-stop-shop for all of your bartending and mixology needs!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
We love to work with other brands and develop mutual partnerships! Whether within the spirits industry or not, there is always room for us to collaborate. A few other ways we welcome support are sponsorships and mentorships. We appreciate the networking within our community, which is one of the reasons Atlanta is our base. The camaraderie is top-tier here and we have been afforded so many opportunities within our short tenure. We are also looking to expand our team. So, if you think you might be a good fit to join our #Startenders or even more of an administrative/behind-the-scenes role, then we would love to work with you.
Pricing:
- SoMixxy Seasonal Syrups $10.00 each
- SoMixxy Seasonal Syrup Sampler $30.00
- SoMixxy Bar Set $45.00
- SoMixxy Seasonal Mixx Kit $75.00-$100.00
- SoMixxy Events starting at $50 per person
Contact Info:
- Website: www.somixxy.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/somixxy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/somixxy
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@somixxy
Image Credits
EVOL Films Knox Photography Sauba Shoots Photography
