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ON BOOTSTRAPPING 🥾 

Who gets to be a beverage entrepreneur? Is it a privilege or a necessity that I run my own business? ...and why am I asking the public to help fund it? 💸💸💸

I'll reflect on that topic, even though it makes me feel vulnerable  as hell. And then I will make an ask.

Funding can pose an obstacle for any entrepreneur, but is far more challenging for female biz owners. It's more daunting still for those (like me) who do not come from great generational wealth. Want stats?  Check out my recent post on the @wowsonoma account about about "the funding gap". 

I came to the wine biz from a working-class upbringing. In my 20s, I sold everything I owned, hopped on a plane, and moved from southern Appalachia to California. After years of working in  jobs in both book publishing and wine (two fields with notoriously  low pay, alas) I founded @wowsonoma primarily out of my own pocket, fueled by a drive to see women succeed in the wine biz.

 In light of my background, it's  totally wild and unexpected that I have wound up in a luxury business. And nearly every day, I have to remind myself that I belong here as much as anyone.

I'm proud of how @wowsonoma has grown. Independent winemakers tell me they're relieved to have a new channel where they can share their work. The biz is growing-- but like most others,  it cannot be sustained without  financial investment. This is absolutely normal for a business at this stage.  As they say: "It takes money to make money." 

That's where crowdfunding comes into play. Crowdfunding helps bridge the funding gap so that people with big ideas and not-so-big bank accounts build businesses with impact. My bootstrapping 🥾 and elbow grease 🧼 will only get this project so far. 

If you have benefited from the work of @wowsonoma, enjoy its services, or  would like to see it grow, then I hope you will consider a donating to my @ifundwomen campaign. 

Thank you!!