Lindsey Andrews & Lara Crystal, Minibar Delivery

Lifestyle

Lindsey Andrews & Lara Crystal, Minibar Delivery

We don't typically connect late night drinks with career success, but fortunately for us, two women did. While at the Wharton School getting their MBAs, Lara Crystal and Lindsay Andrews became both friends and future business partners—they knew immediately that they wanted to start a company together. After some exploration, they found a niche market just begging for an app: the liquor industry. Thus, Minibar Delivery, the boozy delivery service, was born.

Think of it like Postmates for martinis—a quick way to order wine, beer, liquor, or even a bartender delivered to your apartment. Lara and Lindsay launched the service in New York City and within months had garnered a loyal following of cocktail aficionados across the boroughs. Minibar quickly became the go-to option on those wintery nights when you'd rather not put on your Patagonia to go out to a bar. And then it delivered beer to summer BBQs. Lara and Lindsay had created an innovative service—one that answers year-round demand. Not bad.

Since starting, Minibar has expanded its team and reach, moving into countless other cities. Today, Lara and Lindsay talk about their career trajectory from the first day they met to what they're looking forward to next.

Her Starting Point

You met at the Wharton School. Were you friends first, then business partners? When did you know you wanted to work together?

We were friends from day one. We had a lot of marketing and entrepreneurship classes together though it wasn’t until after business school, once we had a few years of experience under our belts, that we started to brainstorm ideas. Neither of us could imagine doing this without the other—it’s important to have a partner you completely trust and can rely on with a complementary skill set.

After school, your first jobs were in marketing for places like Rent the Runway and Soap.com. Tell us a little about those early days—what did you learn from your first gigs that you couldn’t have learned elsewhere?

One of the most important things we learned from our experience at different start-ups was how to get stuff done with minimal resources. We both prioritize action and are constantly challenging ourselves to innovate using the MVP model. We also both learned the value of brand building and came out of strong customer-centric companies that put the customer first.

What’s the connection you see between your passion for marketing and your work as entrepreneurs?

We have different skill sets, but I think we both love the idea of building a brand and seeing how all the pieces come together to make the business profitable and so, in a sense, what we loved about marketing we’re able to do at a bigger scale now as CEOs.

How did you actually come up with the idea for Minibar, and how did you know it was going to be a viable business plan?

The two of us would meet for “Take Out Tuesday” each week and brainstorm business ideas. But it was actually a friend from business school that suggested the alcohol space. We looked at the market and saw three things: 1. There was a massive market in the U.S. (over $100B in annual off-premise sales) 2. There wasn’t an easy way to push a button and get wine, liquor, and beer delivered, unlike everything else in our life from cars to food to dry cleaning and 3. there was no go-to brand in the space that people thought of when they thought "I need alcohol." So we decided to take the plunge and create a better way to shop for wine, beer, and liquor.

Lindsey Andrews & Lara Crystal, Minibar Delivery- Her Starting Point

Her Big Break

What drew you to the beverage industry specifically? Were you always interested in cocktails, wine, etc?

The huge opportunity. The regulations were intimidating, but that meant there had been a lack of innovation in the industry. We were most excited by the opportunity to change and improve the way people shopped for this category.

What’s one of the biggest challenges you faced starting Minibar?

One challenge is just how unique each and every store/geography is. Each state has its own rules, and each store or area can have its own nuances. We approached it all by learning as much as we possibly could and doing our best to figure it out along the way.

When did you know you were ready to take the plunge and start Minibar, and how did you prepare to launch your own venture?

We started working on it while we were at our previous jobs, and finally it got to a point where we were literally ready to go. Our first step of preparation was talking to as many people in the industry—liquor stores, retailers, distributors, etc—to find out as much as possible about what we’d didn’t know.

You’ve since expanded your company from New York to other cities throughout the United States. How has business changed as you’ve grown? Anything you wouldn’t expect?

We’re in more than 25 cities now so we’ve had to adapt to different regulations and dynamics across the country. As we’ve grown, we’ve tried to listen to customers. One thing we’ve been surprised by is the need customers have for information and advice—so we’ve tried to build more tools for them. [Every feature] from adding bartenders to staff picks has been to help improve the consumer experience and help guide them through the category.

Lindsey Andrews & Lara Crystal, Minibar Delivery- Her Big Break

Her Perspective

You work in a fairly male-dominated field. Have you experienced any gender bias along the way? Any perks of being women in the field? What unique perspectives do you bring to your industry?

We’ve certainly had some moments where we’ve been underestimated as women, but coming from outside the industry has had its advantages. In general, we’ve been able to bring a fresh perspective and the naivety to ask why we can’t do or build something the way we want—and then try to find a way to get there given the constraints of the system.

What’s the best advice you’d give to a woman who has an idea for a start-up but isn’t sure where to start?

Find someone a few steps ahead of you and ask for help!

With business expanding, you’re hiring. Often. What do you look for in a great candidate?

We look for someone that fits with our culture above all else—for us that means [someone] who embraces change, views roadblocks as opportunities, and operates with integrity.

And finally, what do you wake up looking forward to? What’s next for your career?

A new day and a new adventure!