We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rebecca Gosik a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Rebecca, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I have my parents to thank for my work ethic. I grew up in a middle class family with nothing handed to me. If I wanted something, I was taught to earn it. On top of that, my dad was an entrepreneur himself so I get that itch from him. I think some of these younger generations grow up with their parents not wanting their kids to go through any hardships so they don’t make them work for things. That just ends up in entitlement and people with no patience.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I developed an app for the Fort Lauderdale area called Barstool Social™ that acts as a directory for all happy hours, ladies nights, live entertainment, brunch deals and more. It’s such a valuable source of information for anyone wanting to try to go out more affordably in this difficult economy. Recently I launched the Broward Brew Pass which is a physical booklet with a bunch of beer coupons to local breweries & ale houses. It’s a great way to discover new places and new beers without the high cost. It’s a huge pleasure to help restaurants get new traffic through their doors and even more rewarding to help connect locals to deals in the area. My business is a win-win for everyone which keeps me so passionate about it. I know that any advertising dollars being spent through Barstool Social™ is not only targeting such a specific market but also staying in the community.
I am excited to keep growing the brand and the business. Recently I have hired multiple people to join the team for app updates, sales and content creation.
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?
Grit is a must have for anyone on an entrepreneurial journey. It’s not acquired overnight and some people never mature enough to develop it but if you don’t have passion for what you’re doing and perseverance to keep it up through tough times, you’ll never see the reward that will ultimately come. Manifest it. Integrity always wins. This is another quality that will pay dividends in all areas of life. Learn to have strong morals, stand by your beliefs, have tough conversations when needed and stay authentic to yourself and others. Never make a promise you can’t keep.
Interpersonal skills are some of the most important to master when running any business or even when working for others. This includes being able to properly listen, communicate, resolve conflict and provide responses in an efficient and effective manner. Managing employees or collaborating with colleagues would be so much more difficult without these skills. I believe my 18 years bartending experience has helped tremendously with this.
I highly recommend immersing yourself in self development books to help acquire the mindset needed to achieve the goals you set for yourself. That has always been beneficial for me in keeping my mindset straight.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
I am always open to partner with brands or people who are involved in the bar scene local to Fort Lauderdale. This includes content creators, alcohol brands, restaurants and even local attractions. I can be reached at becci@barstoolsocial.com by anyone interested in speaking about working together.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.barstoolsocial.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barstoolsocialapp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barstoolsocial
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-gosik/
- Other: https://www.browardbrewpass.com/
https://collabstr.com/barstoolsocial
