Today we’d like to introduce you to Drew Wyatt.
Hi Drew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story with tequila unknowingly began in 2013 during a trip to Atlanta, Georgia. At the time, I had no idea that a casual lunch, a simple question, and one incredibly generous gesture would eventually change the trajectory of my life and plant the seed for what would become K.I.M. — Keeping It Margarita.
While sitting at a bar enjoying lunch and, naturally, a margarita, a friend of a friend asked me a seemingly innocent question:
“So, what’s your favorite tequila?”
I honestly can’t remember what my answer was, but I will never forget the look on their face. It was a combination of absolute disappointment, disbelief, and disgust as if whatever answer I had given was completely unacceptable.
At the time, I laughed it off and continued enjoying my lunch. Toward the end of our meal, however, that same person asked for my address because they wanted to send me something. I didn’t think much of it, so I gave it to them and went about my trip.
About a week later, a package arrived at my doorstep.
Inside was a bottle of Cabo Wabo Uno Tequila.
I was completely floored.
The generosity of the gesture alone was incredible, but when I learned that someone had gifted me a bottle of tequila valued at approximately $2,500, I couldn’t quite comprehend it. Until that moment, I had never imagined tequila in that way. I knew tequila as something you ordered in a margarita or took as a shot I had never really considered its craftsmanship, history, aging process, flavor profiles, rarity, or the incredible culture surrounding the spirit.
That bottle changed everything.
What started as curiosity quickly became appreciation. Appreciation became education. Education became passion. And that passion eventually became a lifestyle.
I began learning more about tequila; where it comes from, how agave is grown and harvested, the differences between blancos, reposados, añejos, and extra añejos, the impact of barrels and aging, the traditions behind different distilleries, and the stories behind the bottles themselves.
Over the years, that curiosity evolved into a personal tequila collection that has grown to more than 300 bottles, ranging from everyday favorites to rare, limited-edition, and highly sought-after expressions.
But somewhere along the journey, I realized that my passion was about more than simply collecting tequila.
It was about the experience.
It was about introducing someone to a tequila they had never tried before. It was about creating a margarita that made someone stop after the first sip and say, “Wait…what’s in this?” It was about gathering people together, sharing knowledge, creating conversation, celebrating milestones, and turning an ordinary drink into part of a memorable moment.
Thirteen years after that unexpected bottle arrived at my doorstep, that passion ultimately inspired me to create K.I.M. — Keeping It Margarita.
K.I.M. is my passion business built around something I genuinely love: creating elevated margarita and tequila experiences that bring people together.
Through K.I.M., we go beyond simply pouring drinks. We create experiences. Whether it is an interactive margarita-making experience, an educational tequila tasting, a curated luxury tequila experience, or one of our signature margaritas, every detail is designed to encourage people to sip, discover, connect, and enjoy the moment.
Our goal is simple:
Turn ordinary gatherings into unforgettable experiences one margarita and one tequila story at a time.
And to think, it all started because someone asked me one simple question in Atlanta:
“What’s your favorite tequila?”
Today, I have a much better answer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Like most passion-driven businesses, the journey to building K.I.M. — Keeping It Margarita has come with its share of challenges. One of the biggest obstacles has been taking something that began as a personal passion and learning how to turn it into a structured, recognizable, and sustainable business.
For years, tequila was simply something I genuinely enjoyed learning about, collecting, sharing, and experiencing. Building K.I.M. required me to shift my mindset from being a tequila enthusiast to becoming a business owner. That meant thinking beyond the drink itself and focusing on branding, pricing, marketing, customer experience, event execution, inventory, presentation, and the countless details that go into creating a professional experience.
Another challenge has been helping people understand that K.I.M. is not simply about making margaritas or pouring tequila. The goal has always been to create an elevated experience. There is education, storytelling, creativity, presentation, and intentionality behind what we do. Communicating that value and helping potential customers understand the difference between simply hiring someone to serve drinks and booking a curated K.I.M. experience has been an important part of building the brand.
There has also been the challenge of balancing creativity with consistency. I am constantly thinking of new margarita concepts, tequila tasting themes, event ideas, presentation styles, and ways to make the experience memorable. At the same time, every customer should receive the same level of quality regardless of the event. Learning how to standardize recipes, measurements, presentation, service, and overall execution while still leaving room for creativity has been an important part of the process.
Time has also been one of my greatest challenges. K.I.M. was created from passion while I was already managing the responsibilities of a full professional career and everyday life. Building a business after hours requires discipline. There are nights and weekends spent developing recipes, designing menus and marketing materials, researching tequila, purchasing supplies, preparing for events, creating social media content, responding to inquiries, and thinking about what comes next. Much of the work people never see happens long before the first margarita is poured.
I have also had to learn not to allow comparison or the pace of growth to distract me from the larger vision. Social media can sometimes make entrepreneurship appear instantaneous, but building something authentic takes time. Every event, every customer, every tasting, every new follower, and every lesson learned contributes to the growth of K.I.M. I have had to remain patient and trust that consistency will ultimately create the recognition and opportunities I envision for the brand.
Perhaps one of the most important challenges has been learning to put myself and my story at the center of the business. K.I.M. is personal. It grew from a genuine passion that began more than a decade ago, and sharing that passion means allowing people to see the person behind the brand. Becoming comfortable telling my story, promoting what I have created, and confidently saying, “This experience has value,” has been part of my growth as both an entrepreneur and a business owner.
Every obstacle has ultimately taught me something. The challenges have forced me to become more intentional, more creative, more disciplined, and more confident in the vision.
K.I.M. is still growing, evolving, and defining what it can become. I do not view the challenges as reasons to stop; I view them as part of the story.
Because just like learning tequila, building K.I.M. has been a process of appreciating every stage of the journey and understanding that some of the best things simply take time.
As you know, we’re big fans of K.I.M. – Keeping It Margarita . For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Professionally, I have built my career as a Program Director in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, where I have led complex programs, managed high-performing teams, coordinated with senior stakeholders, and overseen nearly $300 million in contracts throughout my career. My corporate experience has required a strong understanding of program execution, contract management, financial oversight, client relationships, risk, and organizational strategy, while consistently ensuring that large-scale initiatives remain aligned with both business and customer objectives.
That professional career has given me a strong foundation in leadership, planning, communication, relationship management, and turning complex ideas into executable strategies. Managing programs and contracts of that magnitude has also taught me the importance of accountability, attention to detail, customer experience, and delivering on commitments which are all skills that have carried over into another important part of my professional life: entrepreneurship.
Outside of my corporate career is where one of my greatest passions has taken shape: K.I.M. — Keeping It Margarita. K.I.M. is my own business and an extension of something I genuinely love tequila, margaritas, creativity, and bringing people together through memorable experiences. What began as a personal appreciation for tequila has evolved into an opportunity to build something that is completely my own.
Through K.I.M., I create elevated margarita and tequila experiences designed to make ordinary gatherings feel different. Whether it is a curated tequila tasting, an interactive margarita-making experience, a signature cocktail, or a customized event activation, the goal is bigger than simply serving a drink. I want people to remember the experience, the presentation, the conversation, and how they felt while they were there.
My corporate career represents years of professional growth, leadership, and responsibility at a significant scale, while K.I.M. represents entrepreneurship, creativity, passion, and personal vision. In many ways, the skills I have developed as a Program Director managing multimillion-dollar programs, leading teams, developing strategy, managing stakeholders, and delivering results have helped shape how I approach K.I.M. as a business owner.
K.I.M. gives me the opportunity to take everything I have learned throughout my professional career and apply it to something that is personally mine. It is more than a side business; it is a passion business that allows me to create, connect with people, build a brand, and continue developing something that I believe has tremendous potential for growth.
What’s next?
The future of K.I.M. — Keeping It Margarita is centered on growth, expansion, and creating a brand that extends well beyond individual events. One of my primary goals is to position K.I.M. as a premier provider of elevated tequila and margarita experiences for large corporate events, conferences, retreats, private functions, and brand activations.
As K.I.M. continues to grow, I envision expanding our offerings to curate and lead larger-scale experiences that combine both interactive margarita-making sessions and guided tequila tastings. These experiences would be designed to bring teams and guests together in a way that is engaging, educational, and memorable. Rather than simply providing beverages, K.I.M. would create full experiences centered around tequila culture, flavor, storytelling, and connection.
I also see K.I.M. developing strategic partnerships with corporations, event planners, venues, hospitality groups, and tequila brands to create customized experiences that can be tailored to different audiences and occasions. Whether it is an executive retreat, employee appreciation event, conference activation, or private celebration, my goal is for K.I.M. to become known for delivering a unique level of creativity, presentation, and hospitality.
Ultimately, my biggest long-term goal is to take K.I.M. from being a company that creates experiences around tequila to becoming a company that has its own tequila. I want to partner with the right distillery to develop and produce a K.I.M. branded tequila that represents the same quality, personality, and attention to detail that I bring to every K.I.M. experience.
Creating my own tequila would represent a full-circle moment for me. What began as an appreciation for tequila and grew into a passion, a collection, and eventually a business would ultimately become a product bearing the K.I.M. name. The vision is for K.I.M. to become more than an event experience. It is to build a recognizable lifestyle and brand where people can experience K.I.M., taste K.I.M., and eventually pour K.I.M. from their own bottle.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.keepingitmargarita.com
- Instagram: @keepingitmargarita
