034 - Start Building Your Own Table with Danielle Tidwell

When Danie Tidwell got married in 2024, she couldn’t find vendors who matched the vibe she wanted — so she built the business herself. Now her mobile bartending company serves alt weddings across California, and she’s building a bridal collective so the next couple doesn’t have to search as hard as she did. In this episode, Danie and Tonya talk about what happens when you stop waiting for permission to be who you are — and what happens to your business when you do.You’ll Hear HowDanie went from DIY-ing her own 2024 wedding to launching a business six months later“Normie” couples — a teacher, a librarian, a crew of doctors — keep booking an “alt” bartending brand, and why that’s not a contradictionDanie builds community with competitors instead of around themTo signal you can do the work you want to do, even without a client portfolio yet Episode Highlights00:01:24 – What happens when the community you need doesn’t exist yet00:03:34 – Danie’s own 2024 wedding and the vendor gap that started it all00:09:19 – “People just really vibe with authenticity” — even clients who aren’t outwardly alt00:10:05 – Jeff and Stacey’s TV Guide–themed wedding and the photographer story00:14:57 – The Pacific Grove birthday party: burlesque dancers, a pancake tradition, and a Scotch-forward Penicillin cocktail00:24:08 – Community over competition, proven in real time at a wedding expo00:39:22 – Her advice for vendors afraid of niching down: throw yourself a launch party Resources & MentionsThe Tipsy Hellcat websiteThe Tipsy Hellcat on InstagramThe Tipsy Hellcat on FacebookHellcat Bridal Collective (California) Facebook groupPenicillin cocktail (use Laphroaig Scotch instead of Islay) Meet Our GuestDanie Tidwell is the owner of The Tipsy Hellcat LLC, a mobile bartending business bringing bold, alternative energy to weddings and events across California. She’s building the Hellcat Bridal Collective, a community connecting alt couples and vendors who are ready to find their people.Meet Your HostTonya Kubo is a community strategist, writer, and rebel with a cause: helping people find the place where they truly belong. She’s spent nearly two decades building online spaces that feel more like chosen family than comment sections, and she’s not afraid to call out the fluff in favor of real connection. As the founder of Find Your Freaks, Tonya brings together unconventional thinkers, builders, and bridge-makers who believe that “normal” was never the point. When she’s not hosting the show, she’s raising two daughters, leading client communities, and making meaning out of the mess.Support the ShowIf Find Your Freaks matters to you, help us keep it ad-free by buying us a coffee (or two!). Every dollar goes to production so more weirdos can find their people.You can purchase Find Your Freaks merchandise online through Abilities and Attitudes.Let’s Stay FreakyFacebook GroupLinkedInInstagramPodcast Hub What’s NextNext episode, Tonya goes solo to unpack a line Danie dropped mid-interview: “people just really vibe with authenticity.” She traces it back through four decades of reality TV — Candid Camera to Love Island — and forward into the age of AI avatars, landing on the distinction that’s driving the whole conversation: real just means something exists; authentic means it’s proven true to what it claims to be.