Why we began Tabletop Elixirs, LLC

For the past year, I did what most of us do when we’re between roles.
I applied.
I interviewed.
I followed up.
I optimized my resume more times than I care to admit.

And like a lot of folks in tech right now, I kept hearing some version
of: “We went in another direction.” At some point it hit me — I was
sitting around waiting for someone else to create an opportunity for
me… while I’m fully capable of building one myself.

So I stopped waiting.

If you know me, you know I’ve always had one foot in tech and the
other in creativity. Systems, design, user experience, process — that stuff doesn’t turn off just because your email signature changes. That’s where Tabletop Elixirs, LLC was born.
It started as a simple idea: What if we built a concessions experience around the culture we love — board games, tabletop strategy, community? Not just another drink stand. An experience.

My wife and I created a themed concessions trailer focused on curated lemonades and “Fancy Fizzies” (dirty sodas), wrapped in a Euro-boardgame aesthetic. Meeples. Components. Strategy references. Drinks with names like they belong on a victory point track. And a little "steampunk Apothecary" styling thrown into the mix. My wife even went so far as to get a lab coat and put her name on it as "Fizzician Trish" :D (Man I love her so much lol)

Then came the part I didn’t expect…
Building this business scratched the same itch IT always did:
• Systems design (menu workflows, supply chain, event ops)
• Process optimization (prep, service speed, throughput)
• UX thinking (how customers interact with the brand)
• Technology integration (booking, website, digital presence)

Turns out — creating work uses the exact same muscles as doing the work.
We’re now booking events, festivals, and private gatherings — and the brand is growing faster than I anticipated.

I’m still open to the right opportunity in IT. That hasn’t changed. But I’m done sitting idle while waiting for the market to decide my timeline. Sometimes the best way to find momentum…is to build your own engine.

If you’re in a similar spot — keep pushing. Whether that means leveling up your skills, consulting, freelancing, or launching something completely sideways from your career path.

Work doesn’t always come from job boards......Sometimes it comes from betting on yourself.

Two meeples. One vision.
Built together. Poured together.