'They would spread our name around, and we would take these people to dinner or send them a box of cookies or something like that,' Durve said. To this day, they tout that they still haven't done any traditional marketing for their company and most of their clients have come from word of mouth. Quickly, word began to spread about VIPER, and the pair took the opportunity to up their schmoozing game with prospective clients. We were good at running front doors, but starting a business and managing a team of girls was very difficult and there were a lot of things we had to learn.' 'Running front doors' refers to managing crowds and doing general guests' check-ins.īut Coachella was the moment to shine. 'We were very new to starting a business. 'I cried a lot,' Kitchener said, describing those first few weeks of operation. Kitchener said she cried a lot during those first few weeks of operation.Ĭourtesy of Kelsi Kitchener and Celeste Durve To find the staff to help them work the events, they reached out to just about every young woman in their contact lists and asked if they wanted to help for the weekend. It landed them three event jobs at the festival, including one with Nylon magazine.

To spread the word, they ended up reaching out to old contacts they'd made while interning at Bolthouse. It was one week before Coachella in 2016 that VIPER officially opened. 'And then as we started to make money we'd reinvest it back into the company.' 'We couldn't get any credit cards because we didn't have good enough credit scores,' Durve said. Not all of it came so easily.įor example, every attempt at raising money fell through. Like any business owner, they have to manage employees and client expectations, all while figuring out the legal and financial aspects of the business. But they quickly learned that power and authority require developing real business chops. They wanted power, authority, and leverage in the nightlife scene. Kitchener and Durve didn't want to be just pretty props or decorations. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.

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