why most people quit, and what I'd do differently if I were starting today
Mocktails with Marina
Most people don’t quit because they fail, but they fail because progress doesn’t look the way they expected. In this milestone Episode 100 of Mocktails with Marina, Marina reflects on what it actually takes to stay in the game (in podcasting, business, and the non-alcoholic industry) when motivation fades and results aren’t linear. This episode blends strategy, personal perspective, and industry call-outs to unpack: Why most founders burn out or disappear The biggest myths about consistency, visibility, and growth What Marina would do differently if she were starting over...
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Dept in a Box Series: Menu & Product Management
Mocktails with Marina
In today’s episode of Mocktails With Marina, we’re closing out the Department in a Box™ Series with one of the most important and most overlooked pillars of a profitable non-alcoholic business: Menu & Product Management. Whether you run a kava bar, non-alcoholic bar, bottle shop, kombucha taproom, sober lounge, or functional beverage café, your menu is not just a list of drinks. It’s a financial engine. A marketing strategy. And the #1 driver of your customer experience and business profitability. Inside this episode, you’ll learn: 🔸 Why your menu needs its own...
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Dept in a Box Series: Event Planning & Management
Mocktails with Marina
In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, we dive into one of the most powerful and misunderstood growth engines in the non-alcoholic industry: Event Planning & Event Management. If you run a non-alc bar, kava bar, bottle shop, sober lounge, or third space, you already know that events drive everything: foot traffic, community-building, customer retention, brand visibility, and revenue spikes. But most business owners treat events like last-minute ideas instead of what they really are: a core department inside your business. In Part 5 of the Department in a Box™ Series, Marina breaks...
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Dept in a Box Series: Employee Manuals & SOPs
Mocktails with Marina
In today’s episode, we’re diving into the department most founders avoid until it becomes a problem: Employee Manuals + SOPs, the backbone of consistency, culture, and operational sanity inside any non-alcoholic bar, bottle shop, or third place. If you’ve ever felt like you’re repeating yourself every day, constantly correcting the same issues, or carrying the entire business in your head, this episode will be a breath of relief. We break down why your manual isn’t just a “rules document,” but your team’s source of clarity, empowerment, and protection. And we talk about...
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Dept in a Box Series: Interviewing, Hiring, and Onboarding
Mocktails with Marina
In today’s episode, we’re breaking down one of the most important (and most misunderstood) departments in every non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space: Interviewing, Hiring & Onboarding. Most owners treat hiring like an emergency. A scramble. A reaction. But the truth is if you don’t build this department as a system, your business will always feel unstable. Inside this episode, we look at: • Why hiring is a department, not a task • How to interview for values, not just resumes • The standards that determine the quality of every hire • The onboarding mistakes that cost...
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Dept in a Box Series: Marketing
Mocktails with Marina
In today’s episode, we’re diving into the second installment of the Department in a Box Series™ and this time, we’re talking about the department that keeps your non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space alive: your Marketing Department. This episode isn’t a tutorial on content creation or how to run ads. It’s a high-level breakdown of why marketing must function as a real department inside your business, not as random posts, rushed flyers, or last-minute “I guess I should say something today” content. We explore: Why marketing is your 24/7 reputation system How a...
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Dept in a Box Series: Project Management & To Do's
Mocktails with Marina
In today’s episode, we kick off a six-part series designed to walk you through the core departments every non-alc bar, bottle shop, or third space needs in order to function smoothly. This first installment focuses on the importance of Project Management & To-Do’s. NOT the mechanics of setting up systems, but the deeper reason this department determines whether your business operates with clarity or chaos. You’ll learn why project management is the foundation of a sustainable, scalable company… why most founders struggle without it… how forgotten tasks quietly erode...
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Questions from Founders: "How Do I Keep the Sunday Scaries Out of My Business?"
Mocktails with Marina
If you left the 9-to-5 to feel free but find yourself more stressed than ever on Sunday nights, this episode is for you. In this week’s Mocktails with Marina, we’re unpacking the real reason entrepreneurs experience the “Sunday Scaries” (and why it has nothing to do with laziness or discipline). You’ll learn how structure is the antidote to anxiety, and how to design a rhythm that actually supports your life instead of draining it. Marina shares her personal story of breaking the weekend work cycle and building systems that let her rest without guilt. She walks you through six...
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realities of the non-linear path to stability and profitability
Mocktails with Marina
Everyone wants the secret to success but the truth is, there isn’t one. In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, we’re getting brutally honest about what it actually takes to reach long-term stability and profitability as a non-alcoholic business owner. From balancing your nervous system to facing rejection head-on, Marina breaks down the five principles that separate sustainable founders from burnout-prone dreamers. Forget the 30-day success hacks and “10K in a month” formulas; this is about the real work: emotional regulation, consistency, community, and courage. Whether you’re...
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Questions from Founders: "How do I build a $1M/year non-alcoholic bar?"
Mocktails with Marina
In this episode of Mocktails with Marina, host Marina Castillo breaks down what it really takes to build and maintain a million-dollar-a-year non-alcoholic bar. Spoiler: it’s not about your menu but it IS about your people, systems, and culture. Marina reveals the five most common reasons bars plateau before hitting seven figures, including leadership imbalance, burnout, lack of systems, and disconnection from community. She shares how successful founders balance human touch with technology, and why treating your team like gold will always outperform another rebrand or menu revamp. If...
info_outlineReady to finally take your non-alcoholic business idea seriously? In this episode, Marina shares the story behind the creation of the Non-Alc Business Jumpstart Kit—a powerful, done-for-you toolkit designed for aspiring founders of non-alcoholic bars, bottle shops, and beverage brands.
If you’ve been stuck in research mode, overwhelmed by where to begin, or unsure how to price, plan, and launch your concept—this is the resource built for this exact moment. Whether you're creating a sober space, developing a functional beverage line, or stepping into the wellness drink industry, this episode offers clarity, inspiration, and an invitation to act.
You’ll learn:
— Why most non-alc entrepreneurs stall out before they even begin
— What makes this space different from traditional beverage startups
— How the Jumpstart Kit helps you skip 100+ hours of guessing
— Why $77 might be the smartest investment you’ll make this year This is the blueprint you wish you had when you started.
For non-alcoholic beverage startups, kava bar owners, sober entrepreneurs, functional mocktail creators, and future-ready wellness brands—this is your call to action.
Download the Non-Alc Business Jumpstart Kit now: https://www.marinamars.com/product-page/non-alc-business-jumpstart-kit