Meet Danielle Sweatman

We recently connected with Danielle Sweatman and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.

I have never been a “planner” – I have tried and failed to keep organized in traditional ways but always find myself winging it in the end. A lot of the time this makes me feel like I don’t really “have it together” and feeds the monster of imposter syndrome.

At Sweatman’s Garden I knew I wanted to create a space that felt really cool and inclusive and different than anything else in Charleston. I started thinking about doing some different themed parties or out there events that I personally would love to go to but didn’t really exist in the way I was envisioning them. I started throwing monthly Full Moon parties that started with a couple themed drinks and me reaching out to a tarot card reader to come by and set up a little pop up for the night…now about a year later I have an awesome roster of female owned small business vendors, often have awesome live music by local artists, do a whole special cocktail and Cannabis cocktail menu for the night, have developed a wonderful friendship with that same tarot reader, and always have a packed house. A couple of these parties in I had a moment where I really let it sink in that all these people were having a really great time and my vendors were having great nights all because of an idea I had with no experience and no big advertising money behind me to get the word out – at that time I felt like I really defeated all those ugly thoughts. I realized how cool that was and it brought me a lot of self confidence.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

At Sweatman’s Garden it is super important to me to provide a really cool and inclusive “third place” for everyone! I am three and half years sober so when we were opening this space I knew I wanted to provide just as many non alcoholic drinks as I did alcoholic ones. At regular bars/lounges/restaurants there isn’t a lot of consideration for zero proof beverages which I think is not only unfortunate but a huge missed opportunity to connect with a large portion of your customer base! We call ourselves a “soda garden” but really these sodas are crafted in house with all fresh juices and real ingredients – they are way more than just sodas. We essentially have 12 really awesome mocktails on draft that aren’t just a pint glass of cranberry juice – they can be as playful as a banana cola or as complex and bitter as a green tea and turmeric tonic. The best part is you can make anything into a really fabulous cocktail too! I just truly believe that more inclusive spaces will always be better and I love having something for absolutely everyone.

We do a ton of fun events which I also think is really cool for the sober community because you can come see a burlesque performance or play drag queen bingo in a space not completely centered around booze. I would encourage everyone to follow us on socials to keep up with the months happenings because we always have something going on!

We are also on the cusp of getting our online retail store up and running so that we can begin shipping our lovely creations all over the country!

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

For me the number one most important quality I possess is my creativity! Being in a secretly very artistic business I have to create flavor combinations, new cocktails, or dream up new events pretty much everyday!

I would also say my ability to give really amazing service is so important. As an introvert I never would have expected to forge the connections I do every night. Food and bev in Charleston is not an easy industry and I really do believe that without connecting with my guests the way I do we would not be where we are today in our business. I am so lucky to have made so many great friends and met so many wonderful people just from waiting on them.

Finally, and unexpectedly, my work ethic has been really key on this journey. I have always thought I wasn’t a hard worker just because I simply don’t love working! Yet, here I am working almost every day almost all day. My employees have to force me to leave!

My advice would be to keep working at your goals and look to what you have already accomplished and the amazing connections you have already make when it feels hard. Nothing is ever easy but if you lean into the fun parts along the way it doesn’t feel quite so heavy.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for people to collab with! I love working with local businesses, anyone in the non alcoholic spaces, other female business owners, etc! Of course for our core business I am always looking to work with other people in the beverage space – especially anyone working with zero proof or delta 9 products! On the event side of things I am always looking to talk to new artists, musicians, or vendors to do something fun. I can always be reached at [email protected]

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sweatmansgarden.com
• Instagram: @sweatmansgarden
• Facebook: Sweatman’s Garden