Her ‘Celebratory’ Side Hustle Hit $250K, Then 8 Figures: Mingle

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Laura Taylor, 55, an entrepreneur based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Taylor started Mingle Mocktails as a side hustle in 2017 while working full-time in corporate tech sales. She left that role in 2019 to focus on the business. Mingle Mocktails brought in $250,000 in its first 18 months and now is an eight-figure brand with national distribution in more than 15,000 retail doors. Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

Giving up alcohol and starting a side hustle: Mingle Mocktails

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started Mingle in February of 2017. I’d given up alcohol the year prior and found it difficult to go to work events and social occasions, only to be stuck with boring soda or water. The real spark came while planning a girls’ weekend in the Poconos. I knew there’d be a little drinking, so I decided to craft and bring my own mocktail. When I sat down with my girlfriends, mocktail in hand, I was overcome with the warm feeling of social connection. It was so strong that I knew I had to do something about it. When I got home from the trip, instead of going in to see my family, I went straight to my home office and started a business plan. I incorporated the business two weeks later.

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money did it take to launch?
I did an incredible amount of research on why beverage companies succeed and why they fail. I even tracked down the founder of a failed mocktail company and spoke with her about what went wrong. Because nonalcoholic cocktails weren’t yet a category, I networked with people across the beverage industry to get their perspective on the concept. I spoke with about 30 people, from executives at Coca-Cola to one of the founders of FitAid. Ultimately, I hired a small incubation firm that helped me ramp up quickly. Our initial investment was around $125,000.

Learning from BevNET and other women founders

Are there any free or paid resources that have been especially helpful for you in starting and running this business?
There’s a wealth of business information available through AI today, but for industry-specific support, BevNET has been invaluable for staying on top of the commercial side of beverage. For community, I’ve found tremendous support as a female entrepreneur through the Tory Burch Foundation, where I was a 2019 fellow, and the Female Founder Collective. Both have connected me with incredible women founders I still lean on today.

If you could go back in your business journey and change one process or approach, what would it be, and how do you wish you’d done it differently?
I would have been more confident. Those first few years, I second-guessed every decision, from the balance of flavors to the graphic design. I felt sure about a few things, like the brand name, but I wish I’d shelved my fear of failure and trusted my gut sooner. All that indecision burned a lot of unnecessary energy that could have gone into building the business.

Facing dismal success rates, working over 60 hours a week

When it comes to this specific business, what is something you’ve found particularly challenging and/or surprising that people who get into this type of work should be prepared for, but likely aren’t?
I was warned it would be hard. In those early days, most of the people I spoke with told me not to go into beverage at all because the success rates are so dismal. What still surprises me is the sheer volume of work it takes to build a brand. I was working over 60 hours a week, and it was all-consuming. Luckily, I was and still am deeply passionate about Mingle, but when I look back, I’m in awe of how much I poured into the brand in those first years. Anyone starting out should be ready for that level of commitment.

Can you recall a specific instance when something went very wrong — how did you fix it?
We had just launched three flavors of Mingle in 750ml bottles in 100 Whole Foods stores. I had designed the labels myself. Then I got a call from Whole Foods, and my heart sank. I had accidentally copied the Cranberry Cosmopolitan UPC barcode onto the Cucumber Melon Mojito label, so every time a bottle of Mojito was scanned at the register, it rang up as a Cranberry Cosmo.

Luckily, it was fixable. I bought a roll of small barcode stickers and personally applied the correct barcode to every single 750ml bottle of Mojito in our warehouse. We had at least seven pallets of Mojito, which meant re-stickering over 5,000 individual bottles by hand over a few days. The lesson I took away: Always have a second set of eyes review your work, especially nutrition panels and barcodes.

$250,000 in sales, then an 8-figure brand

How long did it take you to see consistent monthly revenue? How much did the side hustle earn?
It took about 18 months to reach consistent monthly revenue. Sales started coming in around month six, and over the following 12 months, we brought in around $250,000.

What does growth and revenue look like now?
We’ve grown from that first $250,000 into an eight-figure brand. Mingle is now the No. 1 nonalcoholic ready-to-drink cocktail brand in the U.S., with national distribution in more than 15,000 retail doors and over 500 bars and restaurants. We’re Total Wine’s No. 1 brand across the entire nonalcoholic category by revenue. We’re the official nonalcoholic beverage of the Academy of Country Music Awards. We also launched Mingle Mood, so we’re now the only brand with both alcohol-free cocktails and functional beverages. This month, we also launched a limited-edition Espresso Martini. And we’re just getting started.

Fostering social connection across every occasion

What do you enjoy most about running this business?
No two days are the same, and I learn something new every single day. But what I love most is knowing I’m having a positive impact on so many people who didn’t have a choice before and now do. That choice can mean so much: feeling socially connected, feeling part of the group or simply feeling celebratory. My mission is to make sure everyone feels part of the party. Our cans may look playful, but that mission runs deep in me. As someone who has been sober for 11 years, I want to offer that choice to anyone who decides not to drink, whether it’s for one night or as a lifestyle. I want Mingle to be there for every occasion.

What is your best piece of specific, actionable business advice?
Know your why. Before you launch, ask yourself exactly why you’re starting this business, and write the answer down somewhere you’ll see it every day. This matters because you will find yourself burning the candle at both ends, and you need to be 100% committed. When it comes down to it, if your why means that much to you, it will power you through every challenge you inevitably face.

This Side Hustle Spotlight Q&A features Laura Taylor, 55, an entrepreneur based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Taylor started Mingle Mocktails as a side hustle in 2017 while working full-time in corporate tech sales. She left that role in 2019 to focus on the business. Mingle Mocktails brought in $250,000 in its first 18 months and now is an eight-figure brand with national distribution in more than 15,000 retail doors. Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

Giving up alcohol and starting a side hustle: Mingle Mocktails

When did you start your side hustle, and where did you find the inspiration for it?
I started Mingle in February of 2017. I’d given up alcohol the year prior and found it difficult to go to work events and social occasions, only to be stuck with boring soda or water. The real spark came while planning a girls’ weekend in the Poconos. I knew there’d be a little drinking, so I decided to craft and bring my own mocktail. When I sat down with my girlfriends, mocktail in hand, I was overcome with the warm feeling of social connection. It was so strong that I knew I had to do something about it. When I got home from the trip, instead of going in to see my family, I went straight to my home office and started a business plan. I incorporated the business two weeks later.

What were some of the first steps you took to get your side hustle off the ground? How much money did it take to launch?
I did an incredible amount of research on why beverage companies succeed and why they fail. I even tracked down the founder of a failed mocktail company and spoke with her about what went wrong. Because nonalcoholic cocktails weren’t yet a category, I networked with people across the beverage industry to get their perspective on the concept. I spoke with about 30 people, from executives at Coca-Cola to one of the founders of FitAid. Ultimately, I hired a small incubation firm that helped me ramp up quickly. Our initial investment was around $125,000.