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Speaker 4: All right, guys, welcome back, Earn your leisure. We are

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Speaker 4: back in New York. Yes, and very special episode something

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Speaker 4: that you know, there's been in the works for a

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Speaker 4: few years now.

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Speaker 5: So finally getting it done.

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Speaker 2: For sure, most importantly, we're getting it done.

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Speaker 5: Yeah, ingrid Best, Did I say your first name correctly?

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Speaker 1: Absolutely?

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Speaker 4: Ingridest So from the Bay Area originally. Now you live

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Speaker 4: in so Cal. But you have a spirits business.

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Speaker 1: I do. I have a wine business.

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Speaker 2: I'm just waiting for you to say originally, because you know,

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Speaker 2: New York really claims you.

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Speaker 6: I know, just caught up. I was born in New York.

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Speaker 6: I was raised in the Bay Area.

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Speaker 2: There we go.

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Speaker 1: I really like to say, I grew up in San Francisco.

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Speaker 1: I got my muscle from Oakland.

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Speaker 2: There we go.

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Speaker 5: What does that mean?

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Speaker 1: So it's where I became a woman.

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Speaker 5: But did you ever live in Oakland or you was

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Speaker 5: just going across the bridge.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 6: I graduated from Oakland High School. I had my son

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Speaker 6: in Oakland, and I had my business, my promotions business

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Speaker 6: was in Oakland. So you know, just all the things

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Speaker 6: that I think really were the foundation for the woman

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Speaker 6: that I am today is from Oaklands.

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Speaker 4: The area Bay is crazy because it's like San Francisco.

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Speaker 4: Once you cross the bridge, it's a it's like a

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Speaker 4: different world the two cities.

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Speaker 6: Yeah yeah, I mean not only the Bay, right, but

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Speaker 6: even northern California, Southern California, you know, in one state.

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Speaker 6: It's just so different. So I like to say I've

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Speaker 6: had the best of a lot of world.

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Speaker 5: You know, for sure.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, Calli's so big though, it would be essentially like

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Speaker 4: New York Virginia, right, And that's how large it is

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Speaker 4: from you know, coast to coast. So all right, well,

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Speaker 4: thank you for joining us.

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Speaker 1: Thank you, thank you for having me.

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Speaker 4: Absolutely we're going to talk about it. I only want

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Speaker 4: to You're obviously an entrepreneur and you have your art

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Speaker 4: collector as well. Absolutely, so we're going to talk about

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Speaker 4: that as well. So, but I want to start with

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Speaker 4: the wine. Okay, So this is the wine right here,

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Speaker 4: that's the one I best. Is the name of the wine, right.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, it's my namesake, I Best Wines, and it's my

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Speaker 6: way of definitely putting some legacy on the shelf.

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Speaker 4: So okay, what's the process, what's your your journey in

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Speaker 4: the spirits industry to even get to this point, and

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Speaker 4: at what point do you decide that you want to

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Speaker 4: take a leap of faith and create your own product.

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Speaker 6: So twenty plus years I've been in the wine and

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Speaker 6: spars business. I've worked for three of the largest suppliers

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Speaker 6: in the world. I've worked on two joint ventures, and

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Speaker 6: I think it was the exposure to just seeing what

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Speaker 6: those businessmen did in the wine and spirits industry that

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Speaker 6: really inspired me. I was like, well, wait a minute,

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Speaker 6: you know I'm helping everybody make all this money.

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Speaker 5: What was your role?

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Speaker 6: So I started out as an ambassador. That's how I started,

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Speaker 6: and I launched a small rum brand for Diagio, and

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Speaker 6: through that role, I just got hyper exposed to every function,

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Speaker 6: which typically an ambassador roles you don't always get exposed

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Speaker 6: at that level. I did, and so I quickly realized.

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Speaker 6: I was like, I love this because before that I

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Speaker 6: was a street promoter. I did street promotions and on

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Speaker 6: the music side, and I realized I was like, oh,

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Speaker 6: this is like working records. Working these you know, brands

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Speaker 6: is like working records. So it was I think I

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Speaker 6: just had a natural talent for it, and so I

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Speaker 6: started as an ambassador. Then I moved into a hybrid

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Speaker 6: role sales and marketing, which was good for me. Initially,

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Speaker 6: I really fought being in a sales role because I

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Speaker 6: was like, it's not sexy. I don't want to do this.

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Speaker 6: I'm a marketer. I do promotions. But learning the commercial

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Speaker 6: side of the business made me so well rounded, like

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Speaker 6: I was unstoppable because I understood how to sell and

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Speaker 6: then got a role just on marketing oper on Hennessy

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Speaker 6: during the revitalization period of Hennessy because there was a

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Speaker 6: period where nobody was what time frame.

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Speaker 2: Were talking about with the revitalization because some of the

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Speaker 2: listeners like, there's always been hot.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I would say from probably two thousand and like.

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Speaker 1: Fifteen until about a.

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Speaker 5: Couple of years ago that Hennessy fell off.

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Speaker 6: No, that that we actually did revitalization Tennessee.

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Speaker 5: Was that like when NAS NAS got involved.

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Speaker 1: When NAS got involved, Are you part of that? Yeah?

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Speaker 1: We were all part of that.

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Speaker 6: And there was an incredible group of people that were

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Speaker 6: working on Hennessy at the time. You know how you

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Speaker 6: have those teams that get assembled and you're like, that's

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Speaker 6: the team. It was an incredible team and it was

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Speaker 6: a special moment and definitely a defining moment for me

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Speaker 6: to see such a like I think legacy pran and

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Speaker 6: icon iconic brand be reimagined, right, because at one point

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Speaker 6: people really saw Hennessy is like your dad's drink, and

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Speaker 6: then it was like, how do we make this young

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Speaker 6: and hot and fresh? And we did that and it

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Speaker 6: had a great run and then here comes Tequila, which

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Speaker 6: is what's happening now, right, So I did that. I

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Speaker 6: worked on the Hennessy team, and then I worked on

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Speaker 6: the Belvedere team because the gentleman who was running Hennessy

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Speaker 6: got the job to try to revitalize Belvetere. And I

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Speaker 6: did that for a bit and then I got a

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Speaker 6: call from the Rock Nation team saying, we need someone

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Speaker 6: to fill this role on dust to manage the joint

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Speaker 6: venture for Bacardi and rock Nation. And what they really

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Speaker 6: were looking for was somebody who had the business side right,

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Speaker 6: who did understand the commercial, the marketing, the promotion, but culture.

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Speaker 6: And there's not a lot of people, unfortunately in corporate

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Speaker 6: that have that check all those boxes. So then I

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Speaker 6: went to run the joint venture on the Bookardi side

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Speaker 6: and I did that for two years and it was incrediboys,

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Speaker 6: you guys can imagine, and at the time, again Coneyak

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Speaker 6: was very much so having its moment. You know, do

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Speaker 6: you say, is a great brand, and we built an

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Speaker 6: incredible team and definitely got the attention of bigger brands

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Speaker 6: like a Hennessy. You know, we were considered one of

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Speaker 6: those ankle biders, like what are they doing? How are

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Speaker 6: they doing this? And that's the power of obviously rock

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Speaker 6: Nation and Jay and everything that they've built. And then

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Speaker 6: I got a call from Puff's team saying, we need

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Speaker 6: somebody to understands joint ventures that knows how to run,

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Speaker 6: you know, run this business. We're at a critical point.

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Speaker 6: The joint venture has been around for a while and

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Speaker 6: we just need to bring brief some life into it.

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Speaker 2: So each one of these brands of looking at you

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Speaker 2: for your expertise, because not just because you're a marketing genius,

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Speaker 2: but because you're telling stories.

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Speaker 1: Correct.

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Speaker 2: I feel like that that's the part. Even when we

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Speaker 2: spoke about the Henessy thing, I remember, I mean we

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Speaker 2: first for me it was like watching mob Deep and

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Speaker 2: Priory has a jersey on. I'm like, what's that right now?

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Speaker 2: Where I'm hearing nas narrate stories and now it feels

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Speaker 2: different And so where did you get the sense of storytelling, right,

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Speaker 2: Is it from that love of music or was it

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Speaker 2: just a natural instinct that you have.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, I definitely would say, you know, music is my

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Speaker 6: first love. In my mind, I was going to be

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Speaker 6: a big music executive. Like nobody couldn't tell me that.

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Speaker 6: I wasn't going to like run a label, launch a label.

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Speaker 6: Music is really my first love. And during the street

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Speaker 6: promotion days, that's what you were doing. You were telling

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Speaker 6: these stories for these artists in your markets. And so

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Speaker 6: I took that and I applied it to how I

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Speaker 6: would tell stories around brands. And all these brands have

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Speaker 6: long legacy, I mean crazy legacy there.

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Speaker 1: You know, some of these brands are three hundred years old.

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Speaker 6: The problem is those stories aren't stories about us because

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Speaker 6: these brands aren't owned by us. And so when you

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Speaker 6: get a marketer that can then make it relatable to

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Speaker 6: a whole new generation, to cultures. That's what I realized

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Speaker 6: that I was really good at doing that, and I

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Speaker 6: was really good at building teams to do that, you know,

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Speaker 6: putting together the right pieces of the puzzle to do it. So,

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Speaker 6: for instance, on Ducey, you know, I hired a black

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Speaker 6: Parisian guy, moved him from Paris to New York to

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Speaker 6: work on Duce because Duce is a French brand. Who

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Speaker 6: better else to tell the story than a French black guy, right,

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Speaker 6: and to do education and do all that kind of stuff.

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Speaker 6: So I think my sweet spot was like understanding how

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Speaker 6: to storytell, but doing it through building great teams.

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Speaker 4: Yes, so all right, so you're establishing yourself. When do

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Speaker 4: you leave the corporate world and become an entrepreneur?

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Speaker 1: Yeah?

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Speaker 6: So I called Puff and I said, you know, it's

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Speaker 6: time for me to launch my wine. And when I

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Speaker 6: took the job with him, you know, I told him

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Speaker 6: this is gonna be my last job. You know, I

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Speaker 6: know that if I'm forever working, if I don't give

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Speaker 6: myself a like exit plan, I'm gonna do this forever.

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Speaker 6: Because listen, the checks are nice. It's nice to be

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Speaker 6: an executive. It's nice to have all the budgets and

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Speaker 6: all the bells and whistles, and you get you can

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Speaker 6: get very comfortable. And so I knew I didn't want

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Speaker 6: to find myself just getting too comfortable. And so I

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Speaker 6: told him, I said, listen, it's time I got to

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Speaker 6: take this sleap of faith.

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Speaker 1: And he fully supported.

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Speaker 6: Me and was like you know what, I already know

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Speaker 6: that you're going to do your thing like and I'm

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Speaker 6: here to support you any way I can. And I'm

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Speaker 6: forever grateful to him for that. And so two years

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Speaker 6: ago I resigned and I went on a missionary to

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Speaker 6: launch this brand, you know, And it really was this

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Speaker 6: life changing trip to South Africa where I was like,

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Speaker 6: why they didn't tell us that this was here? But

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Speaker 6: of course they didn't tell us, right, we had to

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Speaker 6: go find it.

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Speaker 5: For the vineyards. Yeah, the vineyards in South Africa.

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Speaker 6: Oh man, It's one of the most beautiful wine regions

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Speaker 6: in the world and some of the most incredible wine

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Speaker 6: in the world. And for people in wine, they know

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Speaker 6: South Africa and wine. For real wine collectors, real wine connoisseurs,

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Speaker 6: people who you know, traveled, they absolutely know about the

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Speaker 6: wine region. But here I was twenty years in a game.

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Speaker 6: I didn't know anything about South African wine. And I'd

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Speaker 6: like to consider myself, you know, someone who was really

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Speaker 6: in the know.

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Speaker 1: I had traveled the world for wine.

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Speaker 4: So how did you find you just randomly in South

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Speaker 4: Africa or you went there specifically looking for it?

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Speaker 6: Yeah, So my girl Angela got hired for a gig

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Speaker 6: in South Africa, and she called me.

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Speaker 1: She said, I'm going to South Africa. You want to come.

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Speaker 6: I was like what, She's like, it's a week your birthday.

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Speaker 6: I was like, say no more. I booked my ticket

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Speaker 6: and I went to South Africa and I was actually

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Speaker 6: there a few days before her, and then she arrived,

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Speaker 6: and I just remember like being in restaurants and you

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Speaker 6: would open up the work because of course I always

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Speaker 6: go I'm conditioned to look at the wineless.

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Speaker 1: Look at it, right, and I'm like.

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Speaker 6: South Africa, South Africa. I'm like, look at this Wineless,

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Speaker 6: like look at these wines. And it was really that

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Speaker 6: trip that just like made me want to go and

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Speaker 6: like really understand what was going on. And so then

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Speaker 6: we decided. So that was the first trip. It was

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Speaker 6: really a casual trip. It was just girlfriends hanging out.

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Speaker 6: But I remember those Wineless like stuck with me. I

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Speaker 6: was like, this wine is really good. And then we

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Speaker 6: activated around Global Citizens when it was in South Africa.

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Speaker 6: So I basically added a few days in advanced a

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Speaker 6: trip and I went to the wine region and that's

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Speaker 6: when I was like, oh, okay, that's what's going on here.

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Speaker 6: They've been hiding this from us, And initially I was

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Speaker 6: going to launch a wine from Napa because I'm from

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Speaker 6: the Bay.

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Speaker 1: I mean, I could have done that with my eyes closed.

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Speaker 6: But you know, telling this story about South Africa, and

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Speaker 6: the truth is I really fell in love with.

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Speaker 1: South Africa, like I love it. It feels like home

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Speaker 1: to me.

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Speaker 6: I planted my roots there, and I knew that I

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Speaker 6: didn't want to do anything that wasn't disruptive, like I

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Speaker 6: knew if I just did Napa that was expected. So

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Speaker 6: launching from South Africa was certainly the disruptive route, which

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Speaker 6: makes sense for me.

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Speaker 2: I mean, so life changing trip outside of just falling

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Speaker 2: in love with the country and finding the wine. I

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Speaker 2: know art plays a part in that. We'll get to

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Speaker 2: that a little bit later. But what's step one now? Right,

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Speaker 2: Like you found out that this is I think the

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Speaker 2: third largest wine region in the country, in the world,

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Speaker 2: in the world. You have the vision for it, I

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Speaker 2: want to create my I have to be disruptive. NAP

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Speaker 2: is not going to do it because everybody does that.

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Speaker 2: What's step one? Now, when you get back and create

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Speaker 2: the plan, what does it look like?

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Speaker 6: So step one was really I prayed about it that

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Speaker 6: was step one.

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Speaker 1: Step one, I prayed.

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Speaker 6: I was like, okay, you know, God tell me if

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Speaker 6: this is what I'm supposed to be doing. And the

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Speaker 6: answer was yes, And then I would say the next

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Speaker 6: step was connecting with people in South Africa, and the

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Speaker 6: biggest thing for me was I wanted to make sure

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Speaker 6: that no one in the wine industry in South Africa

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Speaker 6: would feel any offense to me as a black woman,

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Speaker 6: like touting the South African wine renaissance, right, because I'm

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Speaker 6: still a black woman from America, and so I think

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Speaker 6: it was super important for me to like connect with winemakers,

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Speaker 6: connect just really understand the background of the wine region.

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Speaker 6: You know, listen, black farmers, black winemakers and apart, Like,

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Speaker 6: I just really did a lot of research. So I

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Speaker 6: wasn't going into this as like a naive American, which

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Speaker 6: I think a lot of times we do.

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Speaker 1: You know.

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Speaker 6: I wanted to be respectful, I wanted to be tasteful,

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Speaker 6: and I wanted to do this with South African people.

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Speaker 1: So that was I would say.

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Speaker 6: You know, after praying, it was like, Okay, find the

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Speaker 6: people that are going to tell you yay or nay.

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Speaker 6: And everyone that I spoke to was so excited. They

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Speaker 6: were like, man, we've been waiting for America to really

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Speaker 6: understand what's going on with South African wine.

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Speaker 1: This sounds amazing. You know.

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Speaker 6: I got so much love and so much blessing. I

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Speaker 6: really felt like I needed to ask a bit of permission,

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Speaker 6: just from a respectful standpoint, not that I can't do

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Speaker 6: what I want to do as a business, but just

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Speaker 6: out of pure integrity and respect. Everyone was so supportive,

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Speaker 6: and from that I was like, Oh, it's on.

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Speaker 2: As you're going through that the research and doing the

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Speaker 2: due diligence finding the right people in South Africa, are

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Speaker 2: you finding that other brands are there as well? And

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Speaker 2: did some of them surprise you? Right? Because a lot

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Speaker 2: of times when we think wine, we think French, we think,

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Speaker 2: like you said, I have a value. We never thinks

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Speaker 2: that have Africa where their brands they are ready, that

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Speaker 2: have been taking advantage of this.

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Speaker 1: That's a great question.

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Speaker 6: What I'll tell you is the first thing I noticed

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Speaker 6: on that very first trip was how much the big

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Speaker 6: brands that we know here in America are tapped into

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Speaker 6: South Africa. So big big brands are doing tons of advertising,

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Speaker 6: tons of activations. They're locked in they see the opportunity

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Speaker 6: in South Africa. Right, Even when we did the activation

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Speaker 6: with do say for Global Citizen, Like, I remember coming

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Speaker 6: back and saying, we got to lock in in South

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Speaker 6: Africa because I could see what all these brands were doing.

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Speaker 6: I would say, from a wine perspective, if you know wine,

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Speaker 6: there are gonna be some wines that are familiar to you,

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Speaker 6: but only if you know wine, right, And so that's

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Speaker 6: where for me, I Best Wines becomes like the icon,

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Speaker 6: Like I want this brand to be the icon of

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Speaker 6: South African wines here in the United States, because I

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Speaker 6: don't think there is one. And it's not to say

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Speaker 6: they're not offered. There's some great wines being sold here,

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Speaker 6: but none of them have reached iconic status. I don't

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Speaker 6: think any wine brand, to be honest with you, has

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Speaker 6: has really taken the position of being an icon There's

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Speaker 6: a lot of great wines, but when you think about spirits,

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Speaker 6: you can think of the icons.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 6: There are some brands, especially in culture, that are iconic,

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Speaker 6: and in my mind, I Best Wines is going to

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Speaker 6: be the iconic brand for culture in the wine space.

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Speaker 4: So, okay, so you established South AFA because the way

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Speaker 4: to go from the business side, Like what's needed to

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Speaker 4: actually get this off the ground, Like you have to

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Speaker 4: talk to the manufacturers and get a distribution deal to

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Speaker 4: bottle it up, like give them a percentage of that,

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Speaker 4: Like how to in the workings of that business actually work.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, so the inner workings, I mean, listen, the twenty

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Speaker 6: plus years that I spent in the game, it was

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Speaker 6: it was like it was the manual for me to

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Speaker 6: do this, And I wouldn't have been able to do

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Speaker 6: this the way that I've done it if it wasn't

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Speaker 6: for the twenty years of foundation that I had in

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Speaker 6: this business. And so the first thing was like, first

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Speaker 6: of all, building a model that was going to make

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Speaker 6: us money, because wine is not an easy thing to

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Speaker 6: make money off of. The margins oftentimes aren't as impressive

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Speaker 6: as most people I think would think they would be.

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Speaker 6: So for me, the first brief to like my finance

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Speaker 6: girl was like, I want the wine to be like spirits.

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Speaker 6: In the spirits world, thirty five forty percent margins are typical,

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Speaker 6: and the wine world is twenty to twenty five. I

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Speaker 6: was like, I want I wanted the margins to be

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Speaker 6: at forty percent, Like this is like a Spears brand.

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Speaker 6: Because I knew the inner workings of that piece of

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Speaker 6: the business.

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Speaker 5: So wine and spirits are two different things. Wine and

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Speaker 5: spirits are two spirits is alcohol.

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Speaker 6: Yeah, spirits are you know, your coniacs, your your vodkas.

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Speaker 5: And wine is wine and champagne and champagne and.

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Speaker 1: Champagne and champagne.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 6: And then South Africa they make champagne, but because it's

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Speaker 6: not made in Champagne, it's called MCC because you know,

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Speaker 6: there's all these laws and these rules. But South Africa

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Speaker 6: has incredible sparkling wine.

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Speaker 5: You said the average margins is twenty percent for wines.

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Speaker 6: Right, yeah, twenty twenty five percent, and.

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Speaker 5: You said you wanted forty percent.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, so okay, how were you How did you envision

402
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Speaker 4: getting forty percent when the average is twenty percent?

403
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Speaker 6: Well, I think one of of the things that I

404
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Speaker 6: understood was in South Africa you can get very really

405
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Speaker 6: good quality wine and the cost of doing business is

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Speaker 6: much lower than the cost of doing business other places.

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Speaker 1: So the quality of.

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Speaker 6: My wine, for instance, if I was producing this in

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Speaker 6: a NAPA or even in France, you know in some

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Speaker 6: instances would be double triple. And so understanding that and

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Speaker 6: again building these relationships in South Africa, so we weren't

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Speaker 6: going out there, you know blind. That was the first

413
00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:37,720
Speaker 6: thing was to understand, like I don't want to cut

414
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Speaker 6: corners on quality, but I know based on just purely relationships,

415
00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:46,000
Speaker 6: we can get the wine that we want to then

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Speaker 6: help us get to the margins that we want.

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Speaker 1: To be at.

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Speaker 2: So the order and the spirits and I guess ye

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Speaker 2: industry supplier that should be the customer.

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Speaker 1: It's a three tier system in the US.

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Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, so is it similar in South Africa? And

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Speaker 2: how we you navigating through that there? Right? Are you

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Speaker 2: finding you're the supplier, I'm the supplier, right, so you're

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00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:08,879
Speaker 2: finding the distribution SYSM. What is that system like there

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Speaker 2: as opposed to here? Right? What are some of the

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Speaker 2: differences that you experienced?

427
00:21:12,160 --> 00:21:13,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I'm the supplier.

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Speaker 6: I have a partnership with a winery, one of the

429
00:21:16,119 --> 00:21:20,480
Speaker 6: premier wineries in Stellingbosh. That was probably the longest part

430
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Speaker 6: of the process was identifying who was going to be

431
00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,879
Speaker 6: the right partner because there's a lot of basic things

432
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Speaker 6: like integrity is super important to me, like on curve

433
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Speaker 6: you make great wine, Like.

434
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Speaker 1: How do you treat your people?

435
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Speaker 6: You know what the winery environment is like and then

436
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Speaker 6: it was super important for me to connect with a

437
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Speaker 6: wine maker who understood my vision that was going to

438
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Speaker 6: like follow my brief in terms of like what I

439
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:46,000
Speaker 6: wanted to do from a blending perspective, and so we

440
00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:48,560
Speaker 6: were able to do that. And then I would say

441
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,920
Speaker 6: secondarily it was just thinking about everything from like the packaging,

442
00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,359
Speaker 6: the design, like all of that and making sure that

443
00:21:55,400 --> 00:21:59,480
Speaker 6: it made sense business sense, right. So everything is done

444
00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:03,040
Speaker 6: in South Africa. Nothing is done here. The only thing

445
00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:07,760
Speaker 6: that's here is the owners me my team who are

446
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:12,520
Speaker 6: equity owners. But everything else, everything that you see on

447
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:14,480
Speaker 6: this pack is done in South Africa.

448
00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:19,400
Speaker 4: So how is the exporting process work? As far as

449
00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:24,320
Speaker 4: I'm assuming you're shipping bulk product, Like, is that done

450
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,680
Speaker 4: at one time or you do like you know, every

451
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,960
Speaker 4: month you get ordershipments that come in.

452
00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:33,560
Speaker 6: So it's a very intricate process, which is why I

453
00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:35,919
Speaker 6: mentioned earlier I wouldn't have been able to do this.

454
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:38,920
Speaker 6: You know, the chops that I have from twenty years

455
00:22:38,920 --> 00:22:42,080
Speaker 6: in the business have positioned me to get through what

456
00:22:42,119 --> 00:22:47,040
Speaker 6: this process requires. So it's it's first you know, identifying

457
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:51,640
Speaker 6: what you what you want to produce, blending it going

458
00:22:51,680 --> 00:22:56,359
Speaker 6: through the bottling process, you know, the packaging process, and

459
00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:01,919
Speaker 6: then you know getting it on an actual container on

460
00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,440
Speaker 6: a cargo ship. Cargo ship goes from continent to continent,

461
00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:10,000
Speaker 6: getting it through customs, and then working with a distribution

462
00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:14,240
Speaker 6: network to get it out. In my case, you know,

463
00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:17,080
Speaker 6: I've done this one hundred percent myself, Like I own

464
00:23:17,119 --> 00:23:18,600
Speaker 6: this brand one hundred percent myself.

465
00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:21,400
Speaker 1: So I did every part of that process.

466
00:23:21,760 --> 00:23:24,480
Speaker 6: And I have five incredible women that have been working

467
00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:27,359
Speaker 6: with me, women that I've met just at different points

468
00:23:27,359 --> 00:23:30,560
Speaker 6: in my career, who trusted me, understood the vision, and

469
00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:32,360
Speaker 6: what I said to them was like, these are all

470
00:23:32,400 --> 00:23:35,600
Speaker 6: the roles that we're going to need to make this happen,

471
00:23:36,400 --> 00:23:38,399
Speaker 6: and I'm going to give all of you equity. And

472
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,760
Speaker 6: so everybody had their piece of the other puzzle when

473
00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:41,560
Speaker 6: we made it happen.

474
00:23:42,040 --> 00:23:44,320
Speaker 1: Again, it's not easy to do.

475
00:23:44,600 --> 00:23:49,159
Speaker 6: It requires a lot of know how, it requires patience.

476
00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:53,880
Speaker 6: You know, you can't rush this process because ultimately beautiful

477
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:56,000
Speaker 6: pack but when you open it, if the wine isn't good,

478
00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:56,960
Speaker 6: it doesn't mean anything.

479
00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:01,720
Speaker 2: So before there were equity partners, it was just you,

480
00:24:02,240 --> 00:24:04,399
Speaker 2: just me, and this is I don't know if I

481
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:06,800
Speaker 2: don't want anybody to get this misconscrewed. This is not

482
00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,080
Speaker 2: an easy thing to do, number one. But it's cash

483
00:24:10,119 --> 00:24:13,679
Speaker 2: intensive as well. So how did you get funding? Was

484
00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:16,080
Speaker 2: it self funded? What was that process? Like?

485
00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:16,919
Speaker 1: Yeah?

486
00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:20,440
Speaker 6: One hundred percent self funded? So all my capital went

487
00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:23,720
Speaker 6: into this. You know, I made good decisions in my

488
00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:28,840
Speaker 6: life real estate, art, investing, saving, just understanding you know

489
00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:34,679
Speaker 6: that cash is so important, and I knew that that

490
00:24:34,760 --> 00:24:36,800
Speaker 6: there was going to come a time that like all

491
00:24:36,840 --> 00:24:40,840
Speaker 6: those decisions would come into play, and this is this

492
00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:42,479
Speaker 6: is the result of that.

493
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:42,960
Speaker 1: Right.

494
00:24:43,400 --> 00:24:47,359
Speaker 6: So yeah, it's just me in terms of investing my

495
00:24:47,520 --> 00:24:50,080
Speaker 6: own capital, and then the women on the team have

496
00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:53,840
Speaker 6: invested their time, and that's equally isn't valuable, right because

497
00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:55,919
Speaker 6: without a team and without people to build it with,

498
00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:59,800
Speaker 6: I mean, their time is as valuable as my capital.

499
00:24:59,840 --> 00:25:01,840
Speaker 6: But because they have been the ones that have been

500
00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,640
Speaker 6: helping me move the pieces, which is why making sure

501
00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:06,760
Speaker 6: that they all got equity in the business was so

502
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:12,440
Speaker 6: important to me. A month before I launched, five friends

503
00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,720
Speaker 6: who all women came to me and said, listen, we

504
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:17,800
Speaker 6: see what you build and we already know you know

505
00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:18,480
Speaker 6: what you're doing.

506
00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:21,000
Speaker 1: This is going to be amazing. We want to invest

507
00:25:21,080 --> 00:25:21,280
Speaker 1: in this.

508
00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,960
Speaker 6: So five black women came together and invested in the business.

509
00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,840
Speaker 6: But before then it was just me.

510
00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:34,200
Speaker 4: So you have a winery that you get your wine from, right, Yes,

511
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:36,320
Speaker 4: I'm assuming you're not the only person that gets wined

512
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,000
Speaker 4: from that winery.

513
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,600
Speaker 6: No, yeah, so they do. They do tons of white

514
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:45,840
Speaker 6: labeling projects. This is a proprietary to I Best Wines.

515
00:25:45,920 --> 00:25:50,040
Speaker 6: These blends I actually blended with the winemaker. I've shared

516
00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:52,080
Speaker 6: a lot of that across my social channels because I

517
00:25:52,119 --> 00:25:54,679
Speaker 6: wanted people to see what it took for me to

518
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:59,439
Speaker 6: build this. But the winery is, you know, best in

519
00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:03,679
Speaker 6: class award winning and they do tons of business around

520
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,000
Speaker 6: the world, and they were so excited about this.

521
00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:08,200
Speaker 4: So how do you make your wine different from somebody

522
00:26:08,200 --> 00:26:11,800
Speaker 4: else's wine it's coming from the same vineyard. Yes, that's

523
00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:13,560
Speaker 4: the process of actually making it different.

524
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,040
Speaker 6: So these are again, these are blends with specific percentages.

525
00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:18,159
Speaker 1: You know that.

526
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:21,760
Speaker 6: We actually said, I love Shannon Blanc, I love Savagnon Blanc,

527
00:26:21,800 --> 00:26:25,160
Speaker 6: and then chardonnay from South Africa. It's so different than

528
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,200
Speaker 6: other places in the world that I was like, let's

529
00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,679
Speaker 6: show people how great chardonnay is from South Africa. So

530
00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:33,879
Speaker 6: we blended those three blends, right, and then for the

531
00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:39,680
Speaker 6: red same thing. It's cab dominant but petite Sarah charras malback.

532
00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:43,239
Speaker 6: So these are my own proprietary blends based on like

533
00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,520
Speaker 6: the wine that I love, but then also understanding the

534
00:26:46,560 --> 00:26:48,119
Speaker 6: wine that consumers.

535
00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,480
Speaker 5: Love, and that's done in the winery.

536
00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:50,479
Speaker 1: It's done in the winery.

537
00:26:50,520 --> 00:26:52,920
Speaker 4: So it's not like a farm where like everybody's getting

538
00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:53,560
Speaker 4: the same chicken.

539
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:54,760
Speaker 1: No.

540
00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:58,800
Speaker 6: No, everybody's blends are different. People use soul fates and this,

541
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:00,640
Speaker 6: and I mean everybody's what.

542
00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:01,399
Speaker 5: Are you blending it with?

543
00:27:01,600 --> 00:27:05,399
Speaker 4: Like what exactly to the average person doesn't know like

544
00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:08,359
Speaker 4: what you're talking about as far as like what wine,

545
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:09,679
Speaker 4: what is that getting blended with?

546
00:27:10,200 --> 00:27:13,000
Speaker 6: So there's three. So I'll use the white as an example.

547
00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:17,000
Speaker 6: So there's three varietals, three different grape varieties. In the

548
00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:20,200
Speaker 6: white wine. There's a Charnay, a shinnen blanc, and a

549
00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:24,399
Speaker 6: saveen blanc that gets rested in oak barrels.

550
00:27:24,800 --> 00:27:25,880
Speaker 1: It sits right.

551
00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:27,879
Speaker 6: That's where a lot of times you get that like

552
00:27:29,280 --> 00:27:32,800
Speaker 6: smooth oaky. You know whether it's the nose or the

553
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:35,880
Speaker 6: or the taste, and then that process goes.

554
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,400
Speaker 1: Through a filtration process.

555
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,400
Speaker 6: There are some things that are added to just stabilize

556
00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,280
Speaker 6: the wine. All natural, So that's another thing I think

557
00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:47,520
Speaker 6: that's important for people to understand the process and other

558
00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:50,560
Speaker 6: places outside of the US tends to be a lot cleaner.

559
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,840
Speaker 6: So wine that wines and spears that are being produced

560
00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,560
Speaker 6: in the US typically don't go through as much a

561
00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:02,800
Speaker 6: stringencies as wines and spirits being produced outside of the US.

562
00:28:03,119 --> 00:28:05,920
Speaker 6: And I mean that just goes to like our food

563
00:28:06,560 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 6: source and all that. Like the US as big and

564
00:28:09,400 --> 00:28:11,719
Speaker 6: as powerful we are a lot of there's a lot

565
00:28:11,720 --> 00:28:15,000
Speaker 6: of bullshit that goes on here, right, yes, so very clean.

566
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,480
Speaker 6: You know process in terms of you know what's in

567
00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:23,600
Speaker 6: the wine. It's considered vegan. It's not organic, but it

568
00:28:23,640 --> 00:28:27,440
Speaker 6: is considered vegan. And then it gets bottled and typically,

569
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:31,960
Speaker 6: for instance, we bottled these wines in June. You want

570
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:35,000
Speaker 6: to let wine be bottled anywhere from four to six

571
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,120
Speaker 6: months because the wine goes through bottle shock. I mean

572
00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:40,680
Speaker 6: it's fruit, right, it's alive. So four to six months

573
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,800
Speaker 6: after bottling the wine is tasting perfect.

574
00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:45,600
Speaker 2: So you bottle it in June, which is why you

575
00:28:45,640 --> 00:28:46,800
Speaker 2: had to launch in October.

576
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:48,080
Speaker 1: Correct, got that point?

577
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:50,040
Speaker 6: It has to get on. I mean it's literally going

578
00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:54,600
Speaker 6: continent to continent, and you know there's there's some shipping

579
00:28:54,880 --> 00:28:56,040
Speaker 6: routes that are two weeks.

580
00:28:56,080 --> 00:28:56,840
Speaker 1: You paying for that.

581
00:28:57,400 --> 00:29:00,480
Speaker 6: You want something to get from Africa to the in

582
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,720
Speaker 6: two weeks, it's a premium. Some shipping times are sixty days.

583
00:29:05,280 --> 00:29:07,520
Speaker 6: You know, I didn't want the wine on the water

584
00:29:07,560 --> 00:29:09,040
Speaker 6: that long, so we did two weeks.

585
00:29:09,280 --> 00:29:14,120
Speaker 2: So from a distribution standpoint, where are the largest places

586
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 2: that you're shipping to? And I mean because you can

587
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:18,840
Speaker 2: have the bottle, you can have the right taste, but

588
00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:21,239
Speaker 2: if it's not placed in the right position, right, if

589
00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:22,960
Speaker 2: it's not marketing correctly, if it's not sending in the

590
00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,280
Speaker 2: right shelves, if it's not at the right restaurant, it's

591
00:29:26,320 --> 00:29:26,960
Speaker 2: not going to move.

592
00:29:27,080 --> 00:29:27,160
Speaker 4: No.

593
00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:31,200
Speaker 2: So number one, where we distributed outside of the content

594
00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:34,000
Speaker 2: in the country and within the country, how does that

595
00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:35,920
Speaker 2: look right? Because we know what wine and spirit looks

596
00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,920
Speaker 2: like in America, but what does that look like in

597
00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:38,600
Speaker 2: South Africa.

598
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:43,360
Speaker 6: Yeah, So just to speak to the distribution piece, I

599
00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:46,720
Speaker 6: elected to go with a smaller distributor that I knew

600
00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:49,440
Speaker 6: could help us do all the things like customs and

601
00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,800
Speaker 6: a lot of the areas where a lot of brands

602
00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:55,440
Speaker 6: they get stuck, you know, you don't have that foundational

603
00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:58,240
Speaker 6: just like, how do I even get it into the country.

604
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:01,000
Speaker 6: I know so many people who tried to launch brands

605
00:30:01,040 --> 00:30:04,120
Speaker 6: and their product is sitting in customs still. So went

606
00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,400
Speaker 6: with a reputable, smaller distributor. I knew that we would

607
00:30:07,440 --> 00:30:10,200
Speaker 6: launch online first, just to give us an opportunity to

608
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,400
Speaker 6: get it out there. And now the process of securing

609
00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:17,040
Speaker 6: larger distributors is underway, which I feel confident again because

610
00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:19,480
Speaker 6: I know that world and I have those relationships and

611
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:23,160
Speaker 6: I can make those phone calls. And so we launched online.

612
00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,160
Speaker 6: We sold out of a two week pre sale in

613
00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,040
Speaker 6: six hours. I mean that's how excited people were about

614
00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:32,280
Speaker 6: the wine. Hundreds of cases and six hours all over

615
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:36,160
Speaker 6: the United States, which was really really felt good as.

616
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:36,920
Speaker 1: You can imagine.

617
00:30:37,280 --> 00:30:40,000
Speaker 6: And now the work begins to actually build get it

618
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,200
Speaker 6: into on premise, which is restaurants and you know, nightclubs,

619
00:30:43,720 --> 00:30:46,480
Speaker 6: and for me, where I see the brand again, this

620
00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:51,000
Speaker 6: is this is the new icon for me when people

621
00:30:51,040 --> 00:30:53,800
Speaker 6: think about, you know, when they're out or when they're

622
00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:57,120
Speaker 6: in a cultural moment. I want IBS Wines to be

623
00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:01,520
Speaker 6: that like iconic wine brand. And so being really specific

624
00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,040
Speaker 6: about where we want to see the brand right where

625
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,840
Speaker 6: we think it should show up. But there's also like

626
00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:09,240
Speaker 6: just the pure business. Right do I want to be

627
00:31:09,320 --> 00:31:10,560
Speaker 6: in Target? Absolutely?

628
00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,280
Speaker 1: Why? Because I shop at Target. I spent a lot

629
00:31:13,320 --> 00:31:14,080
Speaker 1: of money in Target.

630
00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:16,600
Speaker 6: There's a lot of shoppers that look like us in Target, right,

631
00:31:17,120 --> 00:31:19,800
Speaker 6: And I think there was a day in time where

632
00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:25,040
Speaker 6: new brands felt they couldn't have those kind of ambition,

633
00:31:25,560 --> 00:31:28,200
Speaker 6: that they felt that they had to build and start

634
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,080
Speaker 6: small and then and for me, even though this is

635
00:31:31,120 --> 00:31:33,960
Speaker 6: a new brand, it's a big brand. Like I'm a

636
00:31:33,960 --> 00:31:36,880
Speaker 6: big brand, right, So I want to show up that way,

637
00:31:37,400 --> 00:31:39,800
Speaker 6: and I want to show up that way fast. And

638
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:43,400
Speaker 6: we are, you know, of course working with smaller retailers.

639
00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,920
Speaker 6: We appreciate smaller retailers. My first stop was in Oakland

640
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:50,000
Speaker 6: to wine bars and wine shops. But the goal is

641
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:53,440
Speaker 6: to have this be a very very big brand and

642
00:31:53,560 --> 00:31:55,800
Speaker 6: very lucrative. It's a lot of money in the wine

643
00:31:55,840 --> 00:31:59,640
Speaker 6: and spirits space. And I know firsthand just because of

644
00:31:59,680 --> 00:32:01,160
Speaker 6: the a year career I've had.

645
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,400
Speaker 5: So how do you get into art investing?

646
00:32:06,400 --> 00:32:09,480
Speaker 6: So you know, I used to get these big bonuses.

647
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:13,840
Speaker 6: The wine and spirits business is a bonus based business

648
00:32:14,560 --> 00:32:17,280
Speaker 6: and Uh, I would get these big bonuses and I would,

649
00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 6: you know, buy a watch, by a purse, buy all

650
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:22,920
Speaker 6: of toys, the things, the things I like things.

651
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:25,440
Speaker 1: And I remember.

652
00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:28,600
Speaker 6: Hearing the record I think it was a J record

653
00:32:29,440 --> 00:32:32,160
Speaker 6: and he talked about art and I was like, I

654
00:32:32,200 --> 00:32:34,600
Speaker 6: have not bought that yet, you know it like it

655
00:32:34,680 --> 00:32:38,520
Speaker 6: pricked my conscience. And the first real piece that I

656
00:32:38,520 --> 00:32:41,040
Speaker 6: invested in was a piece of art from South Africa

657
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,320
Speaker 6: from my artist named Nelson Macomo. It was incredible artists.

658
00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:47,040
Speaker 6: And the reason why I say invested in is because

659
00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:50,719
Speaker 6: it was literally half my bonus and I and it

660
00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:52,520
Speaker 6: was hard for people to understand. They were like, you're

661
00:32:52,560 --> 00:32:54,280
Speaker 6: gonna spend what you're gonna what?

662
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:55,040
Speaker 1: Where are you talking?

663
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:57,600
Speaker 6: That's a lot of money, just because we haven't really

664
00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,120
Speaker 6: been taught the value.

665
00:32:59,240 --> 00:33:02,880
Speaker 1: It was like twenty five thousand dollars.

666
00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:05,840
Speaker 5: And who educated you to know if that was something

667
00:33:05,960 --> 00:33:06,600
Speaker 5: that you should buy.

668
00:33:07,440 --> 00:33:10,360
Speaker 1: Well with that purchase, I just loved it.

669
00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,960
Speaker 5: You just looked at it and just like I loved it.

670
00:33:12,880 --> 00:33:16,720
Speaker 6: And I researched the artists and I mean it fell

671
00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:18,560
Speaker 6: in line with just kind of me falling in love

672
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:20,160
Speaker 6: with South Africa too, you know.

673
00:33:20,200 --> 00:33:21,040
Speaker 1: And I loved it.

674
00:33:21,160 --> 00:33:23,640
Speaker 6: So I think the first thing that I always like

675
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:25,880
Speaker 6: to tell people is, even though I invest in art,

676
00:33:26,040 --> 00:33:28,840
Speaker 6: I only invest in what I love, Like, if I

677
00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:33,000
Speaker 6: don't love it, I'm not really going to spend my

678
00:33:33,080 --> 00:33:37,560
Speaker 6: money on it. And so I've been really fortunate to

679
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,160
Speaker 6: get to know a lot of artists directly. Buy from

680
00:33:40,280 --> 00:33:44,080
Speaker 6: artists directly, so you circumvent the whole gallery and all

681
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:46,080
Speaker 6: that kind off, and you're supporting the artists, Like the

682
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:47,600
Speaker 6: artist is getting one hundred percent.

683
00:33:47,720 --> 00:33:48,640
Speaker 5: How much is that worth? Now?

684
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:51,680
Speaker 1: I don't know.

685
00:33:53,560 --> 00:33:55,960
Speaker 2: That's interesting, right, I see it.

686
00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:57,880
Speaker 1: I love it, definitely worth more than what I bought it.

687
00:33:57,920 --> 00:34:03,080
Speaker 2: I'm assuming that that maybe it was. This episode is

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00:36:04,440 --> 00:36:08,360
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723
00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:15,759
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731
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:47,760
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732
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733
00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:52,960
Speaker 2: Sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Castle

734
00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:56,279
Speaker 2: Babies ad Jason. That might have sparked it, but does

735
00:36:56,320 --> 00:36:59,279
Speaker 2: that now spark your love for art or did it

736
00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:02,879
Speaker 2: just trans into South African art? Right? Did you start

737
00:37:02,880 --> 00:37:06,640
Speaker 2: studying art, American artists, artists throughout the world and now

738
00:37:06,680 --> 00:37:08,880
Speaker 2: this becomes a passion for you based on that one purchase.

739
00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:13,319
Speaker 6: Yeah, you know what I realized art for me was

740
00:37:14,840 --> 00:37:17,239
Speaker 6: I just got lost in it. Like I realized I

741
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:19,480
Speaker 6: was like I love this, Like I had just like

742
00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:22,640
Speaker 6: this genuine passion for it. I didn't grow up going

743
00:37:22,640 --> 00:37:25,480
Speaker 6: to museums. I didn't grow up going to art exhibits.

744
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:27,399
Speaker 6: I didn't grow up in a house where there was art,

745
00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:30,960
Speaker 6: and so I think for me, I was like, oh, wait,

746
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,880
Speaker 6: we belong here too, you know that it was really

747
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:35,719
Speaker 6: that that fueled me. I was like, wait, this is

748
00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:38,080
Speaker 6: this is a space that we belong in as well.

749
00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:40,560
Speaker 6: And there's such an incredible art community. So I also

750
00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:43,440
Speaker 6: was enjoying like getting to meet people, you know, and

751
00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:45,560
Speaker 6: those people are like involved.

752
00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,600
Speaker 1: In in some cool stuff, you know.

753
00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:52,399
Speaker 6: So I think it was that definitely, you know, African art, art,

754
00:37:52,520 --> 00:37:56,880
Speaker 6: Black artists in general, you know, was something that I

755
00:37:56,920 --> 00:37:59,360
Speaker 6: was like, Okay, I love this. These stories are incredible,

756
00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:03,920
Speaker 6: and then it became like yeah, like you know, I

757
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:06,400
Speaker 6: remember buying a piece you asked about the value. I

758
00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:09,160
Speaker 6: bought a piece for like twelve thousand dollars, and I

759
00:38:09,200 --> 00:38:12,520
Speaker 6: remember seeing an auction for the artists and her piece

760
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,839
Speaker 6: so for ninety thousand dollars, and like, I have one

761
00:38:15,840 --> 00:38:18,279
Speaker 6: of her bigger pieces, earlier works that I bought for

762
00:38:18,320 --> 00:38:21,880
Speaker 6: twelve thousand dollars, that's clearly gone up in value. So

763
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:25,120
Speaker 6: I then also started just to understand, like, oh, okay,

764
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,200
Speaker 6: this is how that works. And then I think when

765
00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:30,360
Speaker 6: you study really wealthy people, really wealthy people have a

766
00:38:30,360 --> 00:38:33,160
Speaker 6: few things in common. They have real estate, a lot

767
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:35,680
Speaker 6: of them have a lot of investment in wine, and

768
00:38:35,719 --> 00:38:39,000
Speaker 6: they invest in art. And I was like, okay, this

769
00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,120
Speaker 6: all kind of makes sense for me. You know, this

770
00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:42,839
Speaker 6: is the space that I play in any way.

771
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:44,960
Speaker 5: So how many pieces do you have? Roughly?

772
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:48,879
Speaker 1: Oh now, I probably have.

773
00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:54,359
Speaker 6: Over forty or fifty pieces of art and everything, not

774
00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:57,840
Speaker 6: just you know, I have sculptures, I have vases.

775
00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:01,200
Speaker 5: I have I mean, you meanweit Where do you keep

776
00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:01,480
Speaker 5: it all?

777
00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:05,040
Speaker 6: It's everywhere. I mean, it's in my bathrooms, it's on

778
00:39:05,080 --> 00:39:06,040
Speaker 6: the floors.

779
00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:07,880
Speaker 4: But it ever get to a point because it's like,

780
00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:09,960
Speaker 4: all right, you could invest in a variety of things

781
00:39:09,960 --> 00:39:12,680
Speaker 4: that art is some way where has to be kept, right,

782
00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:18,280
Speaker 4: so after a whole it's like you can't really fully

783
00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:20,239
Speaker 4: appreciate it. I don't think because you can't put it

784
00:39:20,280 --> 00:39:22,000
Speaker 4: on your wall. You can't put fifty pieces of art

785
00:39:22,040 --> 00:39:24,719
Speaker 4: on one wall, right, So it's like you can put

786
00:39:24,760 --> 00:39:26,920
Speaker 4: it in your office, you can put it in different places.

787
00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:30,080
Speaker 4: But when you really start to get a lot of art,

788
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:32,959
Speaker 4: I'm always curious to know, like, what are people doing

789
00:39:32,960 --> 00:39:34,600
Speaker 4: with all of the art that they are they just

790
00:39:34,640 --> 00:39:36,320
Speaker 4: hoarding it in the basement.

791
00:39:36,080 --> 00:39:41,799
Speaker 6: Takes Yeah, I mean, listen, people, do you have you know,

792
00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:45,000
Speaker 6: art storages that are specific for art, just like they

793
00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:49,799
Speaker 6: have wine storages. For me, I'm working to sell a

794
00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:51,399
Speaker 6: lot of wine so I could buy a nice, big

795
00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:53,279
Speaker 6: house so I can have all my art up in it,

796
00:39:53,800 --> 00:39:54,040
Speaker 6: you know.

797
00:39:54,360 --> 00:39:55,280
Speaker 1: I mean, now, it's.

798
00:39:55,160 --> 00:39:57,520
Speaker 4: Because the art the art storage that kind of I

799
00:39:57,560 --> 00:39:59,719
Speaker 4: don't understand that. I used to go I used to

800
00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:02,480
Speaker 4: go to art school when I was young, but I

801
00:40:02,480 --> 00:40:05,000
Speaker 4: don't understand art storage because the point of artists to

802
00:40:05,040 --> 00:40:08,160
Speaker 4: be appreciated, and if you're just storing it, I feel

803
00:40:08,160 --> 00:40:10,920
Speaker 4: like it's actually disrespectful to the art form, right because

804
00:40:11,440 --> 00:40:14,919
Speaker 4: now you've taken the beauty out of it, and now

805
00:40:14,920 --> 00:40:16,840
Speaker 4: it's just become like a file cabinet.

806
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:19,000
Speaker 2: You know, things a double entendre. You use the word

807
00:40:19,040 --> 00:40:22,120
Speaker 2: appreciate it while it's story it is appreciatedreiating. But I

808
00:40:22,120 --> 00:40:22,719
Speaker 2: get what you're saying.

809
00:40:22,840 --> 00:40:26,480
Speaker 4: Your art from an artist's standpoint, I understand the business. Yeah,

810
00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:31,520
Speaker 4: but art should always come first. The business should come second.

811
00:40:31,520 --> 00:40:34,720
Speaker 2: Well, some people create galleries, right, they create their own galleries,

812
00:40:34,719 --> 00:40:35,200
Speaker 2: which I.

813
00:40:35,120 --> 00:40:37,680
Speaker 6: Mean, I know people who have like bought the house

814
00:40:37,800 --> 00:40:40,160
Speaker 6: is next to their house, and the house next to

815
00:40:40,239 --> 00:40:40,600
Speaker 6: the house.

816
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:42,400
Speaker 2: It's for art, the gallery.

817
00:40:42,400 --> 00:40:45,600
Speaker 6: It's just amazing, right, So I'm with you like part

818
00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:48,160
Speaker 6: And when you ask me like the buying, you know

819
00:40:48,440 --> 00:40:50,800
Speaker 6: my rationale around buying only buy what I love because,

820
00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:52,640
Speaker 6: like you, I want it up, I want to see it.

821
00:40:52,719 --> 00:40:54,680
Speaker 1: I want to appreciate it. I also want to share

822
00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:55,080
Speaker 1: it with people.

823
00:40:55,200 --> 00:40:57,000
Speaker 6: So like when friends come over, they'll be like, your

824
00:40:57,000 --> 00:40:58,680
Speaker 6: house is like a museum, and I.

825
00:40:58,680 --> 00:41:00,480
Speaker 1: Make you feel so good, you know what I mean.

826
00:41:00,560 --> 00:41:05,239
Speaker 6: Like, I'm like, yeah, So everybody does it for a

827
00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,840
Speaker 6: different reason. But what I could tell you is again,

828
00:41:08,880 --> 00:41:11,920
Speaker 6: one thing I learned is that people that understand wealth

829
00:41:12,800 --> 00:41:13,600
Speaker 6: they into art.

830
00:41:13,760 --> 00:41:15,800
Speaker 1: They interwine and they well, one.

831
00:41:15,640 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 4: Thing I learned about art is that if you put

832
00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:19,160
Speaker 4: it in your office, is a tax right.

833
00:41:19,080 --> 00:41:20,319
Speaker 1: On, It is a tax right off.

834
00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, So I was saying, one of the places that

835
00:41:23,200 --> 00:41:25,040
Speaker 2: we definitely know that your art is going to show

836
00:41:25,120 --> 00:41:28,319
Speaker 2: up is the Smithsonian. Yes, we'll talk about that. I

837
00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:30,440
Speaker 2: mean that that's something that people will be able to

838
00:41:30,480 --> 00:41:33,360
Speaker 2: frequent and you go down in history forever.

839
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:39,600
Speaker 6: Right, Yeah, that's exciting. So myself and ten collectors got together.

840
00:41:40,280 --> 00:41:45,279
Speaker 6: We've now acquired three pieces together, and it's our way

841
00:41:45,320 --> 00:41:49,480
Speaker 6: of you know, collective economics, and we purchase a piece,

842
00:41:49,520 --> 00:41:53,880
Speaker 6: a Beisa Butler piece that we then donated to the

843
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:59,480
Speaker 6: Smithsonian Museum in DC. And so my name will forever

844
00:41:59,560 --> 00:42:02,680
Speaker 6: be on the museum walls at the Smithsonian as a

845
00:42:02,719 --> 00:42:05,839
Speaker 6: donor of the piece, and not even that little thing,

846
00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:08,680
Speaker 6: right like we talk about like having the art in

847
00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:11,720
Speaker 6: your home and wanting to see it. I remember thinking

848
00:42:11,840 --> 00:42:15,360
Speaker 6: like wow, donating to a museum. But that's really also

849
00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:19,200
Speaker 6: a big part of you know, the art world, art

850
00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:23,520
Speaker 6: collecting and also increasing the value of your collection. So

851
00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:28,040
Speaker 6: my collection inadvertently increases in value because I own a

852
00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:31,680
Speaker 6: piece in a museum and people who are in the

853
00:42:31,800 --> 00:42:34,359
Speaker 6: art world. They know all these little nuances.

854
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:36,880
Speaker 2: Do you see Because we talk about it in real

855
00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,720
Speaker 2: estate right a lot of times, if people can't afford

856
00:42:39,719 --> 00:42:43,320
Speaker 2: the property, let's have a collective. Maybe it's five people

857
00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:45,360
Speaker 2: and we make the down payment. All right, we go

858
00:42:45,440 --> 00:42:47,520
Speaker 2: into do you see that? In Is that something that

859
00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:50,520
Speaker 2: happens in the art or often, especially amongst our community?

860
00:42:51,800 --> 00:42:53,239
Speaker 1: You know, I don't want to misspeak.

861
00:42:54,040 --> 00:42:55,960
Speaker 6: You know, the collective that I'm a part of, that

862
00:42:56,120 --> 00:42:58,480
Speaker 6: was the first instance that I had ever heard of it.

863
00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:01,560
Speaker 6: I'm sure people are doing it, I just don't know.

864
00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:01,719
Speaker 1: You know.

865
00:43:02,239 --> 00:43:06,120
Speaker 6: The two pieces we bought, they were both one hundred

866
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:09,000
Speaker 6: and fifty thousand dollars each. They go together. It's Adam

867
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:13,120
Speaker 6: and Eve by Harmonia Rosales. So the total price of

868
00:43:13,160 --> 00:43:17,200
Speaker 6: the work was three hundred thousand dollars. And when we

869
00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:19,960
Speaker 6: all thought about it, we were like, I can't do that,

870
00:43:20,239 --> 00:43:22,520
Speaker 6: but I could do this, and so ten of us

871
00:43:22,560 --> 00:43:26,319
Speaker 6: got together and purchased it. Those two pieces have been

872
00:43:26,360 --> 00:43:29,640
Speaker 6: on display at different museums. It's actually at the Spellman

873
00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:33,920
Speaker 6: Museum right now, and so we're allowing the work to

874
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:37,479
Speaker 6: just tour so people get to experience it. And once

875
00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:39,160
Speaker 6: we did that one. We were like, all right, let's

876
00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:42,359
Speaker 6: keep doing this. This is amazing. So I don't want

877
00:43:42,400 --> 00:43:45,000
Speaker 6: to say that it does happen, but I don't want

878
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:46,280
Speaker 6: to say that it doesn't happen.

879
00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:48,239
Speaker 1: I just wasn't aware of it.

880
00:43:48,480 --> 00:43:50,480
Speaker 6: I know that when we had the opportunity to do

881
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,319
Speaker 6: it together, I said, come on, y'all, let's do this.

882
00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:55,440
Speaker 6: Because it was thirty thousand dollars. But at the end

883
00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:57,960
Speaker 6: of the day, I'm part owner of three hundred thousand

884
00:43:58,000 --> 00:44:00,799
Speaker 6: dollars worth of art that one buy.

885
00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:03,799
Speaker 4: So, what are like some best practices for people that

886
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:06,040
Speaker 4: want to get in art? Like, is it like always

887
00:44:06,080 --> 00:44:10,120
Speaker 4: go through an art dealer, have insurance, like you know,

888
00:44:10,160 --> 00:44:11,920
Speaker 4: like when you buy a watch, right, like you can,

889
00:44:12,160 --> 00:44:14,920
Speaker 4: it's best practices to go through authorized dealer as opposed

890
00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:17,319
Speaker 4: to just a jeweler. Right, it's best practices to have

891
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:18,440
Speaker 4: insurance on the watch.

892
00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:18,759
Speaker 1: Right.

893
00:44:19,200 --> 00:44:21,640
Speaker 5: What are some of the best practices for art buying?

894
00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:25,160
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean again, I've been really fortunate. I've been

895
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:27,399
Speaker 6: able to buy a lot of art directly through art

896
00:44:27,520 --> 00:44:30,640
Speaker 6: through artists. And the reason why I say fortunate is

897
00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:34,160
Speaker 6: because one you get to know who you're buying the

898
00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:34,600
Speaker 6: work from.

899
00:44:34,600 --> 00:44:37,479
Speaker 1: I mean this work is in your home. It's energy, right.

900
00:44:37,960 --> 00:44:40,520
Speaker 6: A lot of these pieces have stories, these artists maybe

901
00:44:40,560 --> 00:44:43,239
Speaker 6: going through different things while they're actually creating the work.

902
00:44:44,000 --> 00:44:44,399
Speaker 1: And so.

903
00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:49,319
Speaker 6: You know, I'm I'm an advocate for people that want

904
00:44:49,360 --> 00:44:51,200
Speaker 6: to get to know the artists if you can.

905
00:44:51,360 --> 00:44:52,239
Speaker 1: It's worked for me.

906
00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:56,200
Speaker 6: Secondarily, you know, I've gotten to know some galleries that

907
00:44:56,239 --> 00:44:59,520
Speaker 6: I respect that I think are doing good bye artists.

908
00:45:00,120 --> 00:45:02,400
Speaker 6: So you know, it doesn't hurt to have some galleries

909
00:45:02,440 --> 00:45:06,960
Speaker 6: in your repertoire. Only by what you can afford. And

910
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:09,640
Speaker 6: so I would say that that's my biggest advice to people.

911
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,960
Speaker 6: You know, I've never financed any art, although you can.

912
00:45:13,320 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 6: You know, there are financing programs for art, but I

913
00:45:16,400 --> 00:45:20,960
Speaker 6: just like to think for good financial hygiene, buy what

914
00:45:21,080 --> 00:45:21,840
Speaker 6: you can afford.

915
00:45:22,320 --> 00:45:23,200
Speaker 1: That's worked for me.

916
00:45:23,840 --> 00:45:26,319
Speaker 6: You absolutely have to ensure your art and you have

917
00:45:26,360 --> 00:45:30,560
Speaker 6: to make sure that it's a reputable insurance that specializes

918
00:45:30,760 --> 00:45:33,920
Speaker 6: in art insurance. You need to think about where the

919
00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:35,600
Speaker 6: art is going to be in your home. A lot

920
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:40,359
Speaker 6: of light is not friends. It's not art's friends like light.

921
00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:40,839
Speaker 2: Light.

922
00:45:41,400 --> 00:45:45,080
Speaker 1: Yeah, so it ruins it. It can, yeah, it can.

923
00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:48,200
Speaker 6: So you know, making sure that the art is in

924
00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,760
Speaker 6: a position in your home that it isn't getting damaged,

925
00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:54,080
Speaker 6: making sure that you're framing with a reputable framer that's

926
00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:58,080
Speaker 6: going to talk to you about UV glass versus museum glassman.

927
00:45:58,160 --> 00:46:00,880
Speaker 6: This is all the stuff that goes into thinking about

928
00:46:00,960 --> 00:46:06,000
Speaker 6: preserving your art. And then you know, I've not been

929
00:46:06,040 --> 00:46:09,359
Speaker 6: someone who's gotten into the business of selling my art.

930
00:46:09,760 --> 00:46:12,520
Speaker 6: I know people that are in that business of selling.

931
00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 6: I can't say that I would never do it for me.

932
00:46:15,000 --> 00:46:17,640
Speaker 6: It's legacy building. So this is what I'm going to

933
00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:22,600
Speaker 6: leave behind for my son, my goddaughters, my grandchild, you

934
00:46:22,640 --> 00:46:24,840
Speaker 6: know what I mean. Like, this is really legacy building

935
00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:28,000
Speaker 6: for me and wealth building for them. So I think

936
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:30,319
Speaker 6: it's just making sure you get educated like you do

937
00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:33,680
Speaker 6: in anything that you're going to be investing your money.

938
00:46:33,880 --> 00:46:37,240
Speaker 6: And the last thing I'll say is the ten people

939
00:46:37,280 --> 00:46:40,720
Speaker 6: that I invested in art, I respect all those people

940
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:45,880
Speaker 6: I expect, respect their portfolios right what they've done with

941
00:46:45,920 --> 00:46:48,239
Speaker 6: their money. I would have never just gotten with ten

942
00:46:48,280 --> 00:46:50,799
Speaker 6: people and bought some art that I didn't know I

943
00:46:50,920 --> 00:46:54,160
Speaker 6: felt were a good fit in what I was trying

944
00:46:54,160 --> 00:46:57,319
Speaker 6: to do, because that's a relationship. You're getting into a

945
00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:01,239
Speaker 6: business relationship with them. But I think the biggest thing

946
00:47:01,280 --> 00:47:03,719
Speaker 6: is by what you can afford and then do all

947
00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:06,080
Speaker 6: the due diligence, the insurance and all that kind of

948
00:47:06,120 --> 00:47:10,200
Speaker 6: thing to make sure you're protecting your asset when it's touring.

949
00:47:10,320 --> 00:47:12,640
Speaker 2: The museums are paying to have it on display. How

950
00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:13,240
Speaker 2: does it over.

951
00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:16,759
Speaker 6: Yeah, so sometimes you will get paid by museums to

952
00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:21,160
Speaker 6: have the work. Sometimes it's that you're donating it because

953
00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:24,000
Speaker 6: you want the connection. You want to lean into the

954
00:47:24,040 --> 00:47:27,759
Speaker 6: equity of the of I think the institution, right, A

955
00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:32,320
Speaker 6: lot of these institutions have incredible equity. Smithsonian for example.

956
00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:34,680
Speaker 6: I mean for me to say that I've been collecting

957
00:47:34,680 --> 00:47:37,000
Speaker 6: for five six years and I already have my name

958
00:47:37,040 --> 00:47:39,360
Speaker 6: in the most Smithsonian Museum is like a big deal.

959
00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:42,240
Speaker 1: So you know it's it's a mix.

960
00:47:42,320 --> 00:47:44,680
Speaker 6: But yeah, there are times where institutions will pay you

961
00:47:45,440 --> 00:47:49,520
Speaker 6: to actually have your art and their exhibits.

962
00:47:49,880 --> 00:47:53,480
Speaker 4: So we talked about why art. But can you talk

963
00:47:53,520 --> 00:47:55,600
Speaker 4: about South Africa and give an insight because you have

964
00:47:55,640 --> 00:47:59,800
Speaker 4: a relationship with the country from a variety of different standpoints.

965
00:48:00,440 --> 00:48:00,680
Speaker 5: So.

966
00:48:02,280 --> 00:48:05,480
Speaker 4: How what do you see as far as opportunity in

967
00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:10,480
Speaker 4: South Africa is an interesting place because you know it

968
00:48:10,480 --> 00:48:13,560
Speaker 4: has the largest economy. I think of Africa, but it's

969
00:48:13,560 --> 00:48:16,799
Speaker 4: mostly controlled by white people. So you know, everybody knows

970
00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:19,359
Speaker 4: about apartheid, or they should know about apartheid, and you know,

971
00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:24,040
Speaker 4: the formal system was broken, but the economic system never

972
00:48:24,080 --> 00:48:28,080
Speaker 4: really changed, so you still have the minority in rule

973
00:48:28,120 --> 00:48:31,839
Speaker 4: of the majority when it comes to the economics of it.

974
00:48:32,480 --> 00:48:33,680
Speaker 5: So a lot of people don't even.

975
00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:35,600
Speaker 4: Look at South Africa as like a true African nation,

976
00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:39,759
Speaker 4: but I would like your perspective from actually spending time

977
00:48:39,800 --> 00:48:40,160
Speaker 4: out there.

978
00:48:40,400 --> 00:48:43,799
Speaker 6: Yeah, I mean lessen. South Africa is absolutely a true

979
00:48:43,880 --> 00:48:51,400
Speaker 6: African nation. It's Africa, and you know the I think

980
00:48:51,680 --> 00:48:55,560
Speaker 6: the effects of apartheid are still very apparent, just like

981
00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,080
Speaker 6: the effects of slavery here in the US are still

982
00:48:58,200 --> 00:49:02,080
Speaker 6: very apparent. But I certainly know that there is this

983
00:49:02,239 --> 00:49:08,680
Speaker 6: younger generation that's so clear about the fact that they're

984
00:49:08,719 --> 00:49:12,680
Speaker 6: about to change their own personal situations and change the

985
00:49:13,520 --> 00:49:15,880
Speaker 6: climate of the country. And those are the people that

986
00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,040
Speaker 6: I've been able to connect with, you know, specifically, in

987
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:22,520
Speaker 6: my journey to launch this wine, I connected with a

988
00:49:22,680 --> 00:49:27,799
Speaker 6: twenty six year old winemaker, Black South African winemaker, Hayley September,

989
00:49:28,480 --> 00:49:30,760
Speaker 6: who graduated with a wine degree.

990
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:32,040
Speaker 1: Going back to get.

991
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:36,680
Speaker 6: Our masters, and you know, it's those kind of stories

992
00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:40,280
Speaker 6: that are going to change the situation for South Africa.

993
00:49:41,000 --> 00:49:43,040
Speaker 6: But there's a lot of work that needs to be done.

994
00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:47,560
Speaker 6: There's still so many issues, I mean so many issues.

995
00:49:47,760 --> 00:49:50,799
Speaker 4: I read Trevor Noah's book, have read that no I have.

996
00:49:50,920 --> 00:49:52,719
Speaker 4: It's actually really good. So he talked about even like

997
00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:56,520
Speaker 4: the different like I guess, we wouldn't be considered black

998
00:49:56,520 --> 00:50:00,279
Speaker 4: in South Africa colored. We'd be colored, right, yeah, white

999
00:50:00,360 --> 00:50:04,400
Speaker 4: colored and is black correct? Talk about that because that's interesting.

1000
00:50:04,680 --> 00:50:06,680
Speaker 4: People from America probably can't understand that. I mean, we

1001
00:50:06,760 --> 00:50:09,840
Speaker 4: understand light skin, we know that, but we don't have

1002
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:12,520
Speaker 4: like set different classes.

1003
00:50:12,640 --> 00:50:13,680
Speaker 5: As far as Dad's.

1004
00:50:13,480 --> 00:50:16,239
Speaker 6: Concern, I'm going to talk about it from my own

1005
00:50:16,239 --> 00:50:19,279
Speaker 6: personal experience. For instance, the young lady who I was

1006
00:50:19,320 --> 00:50:22,959
Speaker 6: just talking about, she would be considered colored. I never

1007
00:50:23,040 --> 00:50:25,920
Speaker 6: call her colored. I'm like Hayley's Black South African because

1008
00:50:25,960 --> 00:50:28,200
Speaker 6: that's not my reality. And it's not that I'm trying

1009
00:50:28,200 --> 00:50:31,719
Speaker 6: to be disrespectful, but it's just it's not the reality

1010
00:50:31,760 --> 00:50:34,720
Speaker 6: that we live in, but it's real for them. There's

1011
00:50:34,760 --> 00:50:40,680
Speaker 6: so much colorism, you know, is wild. And again, what

1012
00:50:40,719 --> 00:50:42,640
Speaker 6: I can tell you is that the younger generation is

1013
00:50:42,680 --> 00:50:45,600
Speaker 6: so aware that a lot of that is just a

1014
00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:48,560
Speaker 6: trap to keep you know, their minds stuck in a

1015
00:50:48,600 --> 00:50:50,960
Speaker 6: certain place, to see us different when we should all

1016
00:50:50,960 --> 00:50:52,000
Speaker 6: see ourselves the same.

1017
00:50:53,080 --> 00:50:54,160
Speaker 1: But it does exist.

1018
00:50:54,400 --> 00:50:58,360
Speaker 6: And I think the beautiful opportunity for black folks in

1019
00:50:58,400 --> 00:51:05,800
Speaker 6: America and Africans is that our stories are so similar.

1020
00:51:06,840 --> 00:51:13,560
Speaker 6: You know, there's varying degrees, but I feel so at

1021
00:51:13,560 --> 00:51:16,000
Speaker 6: home when I'm in South Africa, Like I've sat with

1022
00:51:16,120 --> 00:51:18,359
Speaker 6: brothers in South Africa that remind me of you two,

1023
00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,560
Speaker 6: you know. So I think dispelling the myth that there's

1024
00:51:21,600 --> 00:51:25,319
Speaker 6: so much difference, and I think also dispelling the myth that,

1025
00:51:25,640 --> 00:51:32,719
Speaker 6: you know, incredible place with so much wealth. I mean,

1026
00:51:33,120 --> 00:51:35,840
Speaker 6: there's so much wealth in Africa. It's wild and a

1027
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:38,200
Speaker 6: lot of people don't know that. A lot of people

1028
00:51:38,239 --> 00:51:40,520
Speaker 6: still believe that, you know, the only thing to do

1029
00:51:40,560 --> 00:51:44,040
Speaker 6: there is safaris and you know, they're starving children. It's

1030
00:51:44,120 --> 00:51:46,680
Speaker 6: like that couldn't be farther from the truth. And like

1031
00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:50,000
Speaker 6: any country, there is poverty and there are issues, but

1032
00:51:50,080 --> 00:51:54,080
Speaker 6: it's beautiful, you know. And I think the last thing

1033
00:51:54,200 --> 00:51:57,879
Speaker 6: is again the notion that somehow South Africa isn't part

1034
00:51:57,960 --> 00:52:00,720
Speaker 6: of you know, the African nation is wild, is crazy,

1035
00:52:00,760 --> 00:52:04,600
Speaker 6: and I think it's hurtful to Africans in South Africa.

1036
00:52:04,800 --> 00:52:05,000
Speaker 1: You know.

1037
00:52:05,080 --> 00:52:07,720
Speaker 6: I've heard them say like, I don't know why anybody

1038
00:52:07,800 --> 00:52:10,160
Speaker 6: would think that, you know, And so.

1039
00:52:10,160 --> 00:52:11,960
Speaker 5: When they are aware of.

1040
00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:15,799
Speaker 6: That, yeah that oh, yeah, for sure, if you're black

1041
00:52:15,840 --> 00:52:18,160
Speaker 6: and you didn't grow up in the hood in the US,

1042
00:52:18,239 --> 00:52:19,800
Speaker 6: that like somehow you're not black.

1043
00:52:21,000 --> 00:52:22,640
Speaker 1: It was like we all black when we walk out

1044
00:52:22,680 --> 00:52:24,239
Speaker 1: the door, everybody just right.

1045
00:52:24,800 --> 00:52:27,640
Speaker 6: And so I think it's even hurtful for me to

1046
00:52:27,680 --> 00:52:30,279
Speaker 6: hear that because I've spent so much time in South

1047
00:52:30,320 --> 00:52:34,200
Speaker 6: Africa and it's absolutely Africa. I've been to Ghana, I've

1048
00:52:34,239 --> 00:52:37,919
Speaker 6: been to Nigeria, I've been to Africa, and I'm never

1049
00:52:37,960 --> 00:52:39,359
Speaker 6: in South Africa like this is.

1050
00:52:39,320 --> 00:52:42,319
Speaker 1: In Africa, you know what I mean. This is very

1051
00:52:42,360 --> 00:52:42,680
Speaker 1: much so.

1052
00:52:42,840 --> 00:52:45,840
Speaker 6: Africa, you know, in the tradition and the beauty of

1053
00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:46,440
Speaker 6: the tradition.

1054
00:52:47,600 --> 00:52:48,800
Speaker 1: It's just very powerful.

1055
00:52:48,800 --> 00:52:51,439
Speaker 6: And so I think my biggest thing with I Best

1056
00:52:51,480 --> 00:52:55,640
Speaker 6: Wines is also showing Black Americans we should be doing

1057
00:52:55,760 --> 00:52:57,320
Speaker 6: business on the continent.

1058
00:52:57,480 --> 00:53:00,280
Speaker 2: So I think it's interesting because when you create business,

1059
00:53:00,320 --> 00:53:02,880
Speaker 2: you have an opportunity to create a narrative, right, and

1060
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:07,600
Speaker 2: so with I Best. How do you intertwine right ingrid story,

1061
00:53:08,440 --> 00:53:13,400
Speaker 2: this region story, this cultural story together. How are you

1062
00:53:13,560 --> 00:53:17,200
Speaker 2: navigating that? What is the story of I Best that

1063
00:53:17,280 --> 00:53:18,080
Speaker 2: the world needs to here?

1064
00:53:18,200 --> 00:53:21,120
Speaker 6: Yeah, the story is really is it is a blending

1065
00:53:21,160 --> 00:53:22,680
Speaker 6: and a celebration of culture.

1066
00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:24,359
Speaker 1: That's really what this is.

1067
00:53:25,000 --> 00:53:29,560
Speaker 6: And so for me, you know, really telling this story

1068
00:53:29,600 --> 00:53:32,400
Speaker 6: of like here, I am a black woman from America

1069
00:53:32,440 --> 00:53:34,399
Speaker 6: who went to South Africa and just fell in love

1070
00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:38,239
Speaker 6: and felt at home and then quickly understood that like

1071
00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:41,000
Speaker 6: I could do business, I could do business here, you know,

1072
00:53:41,160 --> 00:53:44,440
Speaker 6: like this is this place is ripe for us to

1073
00:53:44,440 --> 00:53:45,560
Speaker 6: go and do business.

1074
00:53:46,000 --> 00:53:47,040
Speaker 1: And not only can I.

1075
00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:48,840
Speaker 6: Do business, but I have the support of other people

1076
00:53:49,000 --> 00:53:52,440
Speaker 6: to do the business right. And so IBST is really

1077
00:53:52,600 --> 00:53:55,680
Speaker 6: just a celebration of culture, global culture. I consider myself

1078
00:53:55,719 --> 00:53:57,880
Speaker 6: a global citizens. I've been all over the world. I

1079
00:53:57,920 --> 00:54:01,439
Speaker 6: love the world. I love traveling, and so I hope

1080
00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:04,360
Speaker 6: it's my way of transporting people to South Africa to

1081
00:54:04,600 --> 00:54:07,879
Speaker 6: experience South Africa just a bit. And I also hope

1082
00:54:07,880 --> 00:54:10,960
Speaker 6: that it's a way to have people understand that like

1083
00:54:11,520 --> 00:54:16,040
Speaker 6: the comfortable thing was Napa, the disruptive thing was South Africa.

1084
00:54:16,120 --> 00:54:19,600
Speaker 4: So when Akorn has said like, you know, everybody, every

1085
00:54:19,719 --> 00:54:21,640
Speaker 4: black person from America should go to Africa and start

1086
00:54:21,640 --> 00:54:24,520
Speaker 4: a business and you become a millionaire a lot. I

1087
00:54:24,560 --> 00:54:27,080
Speaker 4: was talking to somebody and I understand what he meant

1088
00:54:27,120 --> 00:54:30,200
Speaker 4: by that, But the how two parties do what's missing, right,

1089
00:54:30,239 --> 00:54:33,840
Speaker 4: And that's that's very important. So you, as an American

1090
00:54:33,880 --> 00:54:37,319
Speaker 4: who actually went to Africa and started a business, what

1091
00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:41,040
Speaker 4: advice would you give people from the States or from

1092
00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:44,440
Speaker 4: anywhere in the aspect that's looking to tap in with Africa,

1093
00:54:44,719 --> 00:54:48,879
Speaker 4: Like as far as you know, cultural experiences and how

1094
00:54:48,880 --> 00:54:53,560
Speaker 4: to network properly, how to communicate, Like what would you

1095
00:54:53,600 --> 00:54:56,399
Speaker 4: give as far as advice based off of your own

1096
00:54:56,400 --> 00:54:57,240
Speaker 4: personal experience?

1097
00:54:57,560 --> 00:54:59,920
Speaker 6: Yeah, you know, I think the first thing that I

1098
00:55:00,000 --> 00:55:05,120
Speaker 6: I would say is specifically black Americans. We do a

1099
00:55:05,160 --> 00:55:07,799
Speaker 6: lot of Caribbean, we do a lot of Europe, do

1100
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:12,879
Speaker 6: some Africa, you know, just go. Like the first thing

1101
00:55:12,960 --> 00:55:17,480
Speaker 6: is like go. I mean, as Americans, we have the

1102
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:20,839
Speaker 6: freedom to travel anywhere in the world our passport. Like

1103
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:23,200
Speaker 6: that's one thing that you realize when you're in Africa

1104
00:55:23,239 --> 00:55:26,200
Speaker 6: that like the constraints for Africans to just travel around

1105
00:55:26,200 --> 00:55:29,560
Speaker 6: Africa is bananas. But that's by design, right, that's purely

1106
00:55:29,600 --> 00:55:33,160
Speaker 6: by design, we have that freedom. And so the first

1107
00:55:33,239 --> 00:55:37,280
Speaker 6: advice would be, go, if you've been to Italy five times,

1108
00:55:37,280 --> 00:55:39,239
Speaker 6: it's time for you to go to South Africa once.

1109
00:55:39,400 --> 00:55:42,799
Speaker 6: If you've been to Turks and Caicos six times, it's

1110
00:55:42,800 --> 00:55:44,480
Speaker 6: time for you to go to Ghana once. If you've

1111
00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:46,560
Speaker 6: been to think about where we all go and we

1112
00:55:46,640 --> 00:55:50,840
Speaker 6: spend our money, cyrus, all of that. So my first

1113
00:55:51,280 --> 00:55:57,200
Speaker 6: advice would be go tap in and wait to be widely,

1114
00:55:57,600 --> 00:56:00,560
Speaker 6: wildly surprised. But what you're going to unco when you

1115
00:56:00,600 --> 00:56:03,960
Speaker 6: get there. The second thing is like our brothers and

1116
00:56:04,000 --> 00:56:06,440
Speaker 6: sisters in Africa are waiting for us to come. So

1117
00:56:06,520 --> 00:56:09,680
Speaker 6: when we land, they're like, welcome home, you know, So

1118
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,040
Speaker 6: understand that you're also going into an environment where people

1119
00:56:13,080 --> 00:56:16,360
Speaker 6: are welcoming you. They want you there, they want to

1120
00:56:16,360 --> 00:56:19,560
Speaker 6: connect with you. And then I think, like with anything,

1121
00:56:20,000 --> 00:56:22,680
Speaker 6: you're going to find your people. I found my people.

1122
00:56:22,719 --> 00:56:25,319
Speaker 6: It wasn't that hard, you know. So I knew that

1123
00:56:25,360 --> 00:56:28,200
Speaker 6: I wanted to do this business. I sought out to

1124
00:56:28,280 --> 00:56:30,720
Speaker 6: find the people that would help me do this business.

1125
00:56:31,320 --> 00:56:34,759
Speaker 6: And so I just think that we've been taught that

1126
00:56:34,920 --> 00:56:38,359
Speaker 6: Africa is this really difficult thing for us to do

1127
00:56:38,560 --> 00:56:41,879
Speaker 6: and it's actually much easier for us to do than

1128
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:42,239
Speaker 6: we know.

1129
00:56:42,760 --> 00:56:44,880
Speaker 1: And so I would say the first thing is just

1130
00:56:44,920 --> 00:56:46,759
Speaker 1: like go, you know.

1131
00:56:47,400 --> 00:56:50,320
Speaker 2: So the majority of time is here or it is

1132
00:56:50,360 --> 00:56:50,920
Speaker 2: here right.

1133
00:56:51,360 --> 00:56:53,200
Speaker 6: The last two years, the majority of my time with

1134
00:56:53,239 --> 00:56:55,360
Speaker 6: South Africa, people all but thought I moved there, and

1135
00:56:55,400 --> 00:56:58,080
Speaker 6: I all but did because I needed to tap in.

1136
00:56:58,120 --> 00:57:00,600
Speaker 6: I needed to be there. It's it's been nice to

1137
00:57:00,640 --> 00:57:03,040
Speaker 6: be back home. Obviously I had to prepare to get

1138
00:57:03,040 --> 00:57:06,719
Speaker 6: the brand launched. Home is southern California. But now I'm

1139
00:57:06,760 --> 00:57:09,200
Speaker 6: gonna be on the road, you know, slanging wine. I

1140
00:57:09,239 --> 00:57:11,400
Speaker 6: want people to taste the wine. I want people to

1141
00:57:11,480 --> 00:57:14,680
Speaker 6: experience the wine. People are excited about it. I want

1142
00:57:14,680 --> 00:57:19,320
Speaker 6: to tell the story as well and just get you know,

1143
00:57:19,480 --> 00:57:22,600
Speaker 6: just help breathe some like fun new energy into the

1144
00:57:22,640 --> 00:57:26,280
Speaker 6: wine space. I think wine has been you know, marketed,

1145
00:57:26,480 --> 00:57:29,439
Speaker 6: and it's also been like looked at a certain way.

1146
00:57:29,960 --> 00:57:32,360
Speaker 6: And to me, this is like the A side and

1147
00:57:32,400 --> 00:57:34,360
Speaker 6: the B side of a really great record that I

1148
00:57:34,440 --> 00:57:35,439
Speaker 6: want everyone to hear.

1149
00:57:35,640 --> 00:57:39,320
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, because I'm thinking to myself, the business formation

1150
00:57:39,440 --> 00:57:42,760
Speaker 2: is happening. Happened in South Africa, right. That means the

1151
00:57:42,840 --> 00:57:47,960
Speaker 2: trademarkt the licensing, even the taxes are done there. How's

1152
00:57:48,000 --> 00:57:50,360
Speaker 2: that experience been from knowing what you know? You've been

1153
00:57:50,400 --> 00:57:52,400
Speaker 2: in this spirit's industry, like you said, for over twenty

1154
00:57:52,480 --> 00:57:55,600
Speaker 2: years here in America. How has that transition been for

1155
00:57:55,680 --> 00:57:58,840
Speaker 2: you from the legality standpop side in South Africa.

1156
00:57:58,960 --> 00:58:00,919
Speaker 6: Yeah, so, I mean it's the dual path, right, because

1157
00:58:00,920 --> 00:58:02,680
Speaker 6: we have to do all that stuff here too. I mean,

1158
00:58:02,800 --> 00:58:06,400
Speaker 6: I'm an American, the business is also established here too.

1159
00:58:08,640 --> 00:58:12,160
Speaker 6: The trademark actually was surprisingly the easiest thing to get,

1160
00:58:12,200 --> 00:58:13,520
Speaker 6: and I thought it was going to be the hardest

1161
00:58:13,560 --> 00:58:17,360
Speaker 6: because the name best right. You would think I had

1162
00:58:17,400 --> 00:58:20,560
Speaker 6: already been sewn up fifty times and so that was

1163
00:58:20,560 --> 00:58:21,520
Speaker 6: like the easiest.

1164
00:58:21,160 --> 00:58:21,600
Speaker 1: Thing to do.

1165
00:58:21,680 --> 00:58:26,160
Speaker 6: But I think in South Africa it hasn't been as

1166
00:58:26,200 --> 00:58:30,240
Speaker 6: difficult to navigate because remember, the wine region and wine

1167
00:58:30,240 --> 00:58:33,320
Speaker 6: in South Africa is hundreds of years old, so it's

1168
00:58:33,360 --> 00:58:35,400
Speaker 6: not like I just came and I'm doing this for

1169
00:58:35,440 --> 00:58:41,520
Speaker 6: the first time. It's a very established business, very established industry.

1170
00:58:41,800 --> 00:58:45,760
Speaker 6: So it actually wasn't difficult at all to do because

1171
00:58:45,800 --> 00:58:48,440
Speaker 6: wine is what they do. It's one of the biggest

1172
00:58:48,440 --> 00:58:50,800
Speaker 6: wine regions in the world, so it wasn't difficult. I'm

1173
00:58:50,840 --> 00:58:53,440
Speaker 6: sure in other industries. Depending on what you're looking to

1174
00:58:53,480 --> 00:58:55,680
Speaker 6: get into, maybe a little bit more difficult because you

1175
00:58:55,800 --> 00:58:57,720
Speaker 6: just got to figure out how to do it. But

1176
00:58:57,840 --> 00:59:00,520
Speaker 6: with the wine piece of it, it actually wasn't that hard.

1177
00:59:00,760 --> 00:59:04,840
Speaker 6: The hardest part for me was landing on the blends

1178
00:59:04,840 --> 00:59:07,080
Speaker 6: that I love that I was ready to feel comfortable

1179
00:59:07,080 --> 00:59:09,480
Speaker 6: to actually say like this is this is the product.

1180
00:59:09,800 --> 00:59:12,840
Speaker 6: But I would say the foundational pieces, the legal pieces,

1181
00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:14,600
Speaker 6: they weren't difficult.

1182
00:59:14,920 --> 00:59:17,400
Speaker 5: How has it been You have a son, right.

1183
00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:18,360
Speaker 1: I have a son? Yeah?

1184
00:59:18,560 --> 00:59:22,680
Speaker 4: How is that as far as traveling? And how is

1185
00:59:22,720 --> 00:59:23,760
Speaker 4: that as far as parenting?

1186
00:59:24,040 --> 00:59:27,360
Speaker 6: Yeah, my son is twenty nine. I was a teenage mom.

1187
00:59:28,360 --> 00:59:28,840
Speaker 1: Yeah I was.

1188
00:59:29,200 --> 00:59:29,960
Speaker 2: It's a lot easier.

1189
00:59:32,000 --> 00:59:34,480
Speaker 1: Thank you. I know I look younger than what I am.

1190
00:59:34,600 --> 00:59:36,360
Speaker 5: No, I haven't mad as aliment.

1191
00:59:36,440 --> 00:59:38,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, it is a I have.

1192
00:59:38,440 --> 00:59:42,240
Speaker 6: My son at eighteen years old, and so now he's

1193
00:59:42,280 --> 00:59:45,040
Speaker 6: twenty nine. He's very proud. He understands that this is

1194
00:59:45,160 --> 00:59:49,200
Speaker 6: legacy that we're building. And I actually just became a grandmother.

1195
00:59:49,600 --> 00:59:50,760
Speaker 2: Oh congratulations.

1196
00:59:50,920 --> 00:59:53,840
Speaker 6: Yeah, I just became a grandmother. So I had my

1197
00:59:53,920 --> 00:59:56,720
Speaker 6: first little grandson, So this is really legacy. I mean

1198
00:59:56,760 --> 01:00:00,240
Speaker 6: he was born within days of this long launch. Yeah,

1199
01:00:00,320 --> 01:00:02,960
Speaker 6: it was like two berths, you know, at the same time.

1200
01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:06,800
Speaker 6: But I will tell you, looking back at my career

1201
01:00:07,640 --> 01:00:09,920
Speaker 6: and being a teenage mother and having to figure all

1202
01:00:09,920 --> 01:00:13,160
Speaker 6: that out, it wasn't easy. And thank God for my mother.

1203
01:00:13,840 --> 01:00:16,040
Speaker 6: And I think a lot of us right rely on

1204
01:00:16,160 --> 01:00:19,360
Speaker 6: the grandparent, especially when you're younger and you have children.

1205
01:00:20,040 --> 01:00:26,640
Speaker 6: So my mother was absolutely co parenting with me, and

1206
01:00:26,720 --> 01:00:28,960
Speaker 6: so luckily now at this phase in my life, I

1207
01:00:28,960 --> 01:00:31,680
Speaker 6: don't have a young young one other than my grandson.

1208
01:00:32,200 --> 01:00:33,800
Speaker 6: But I know a lot of people that are out

1209
01:00:33,840 --> 01:00:37,920
Speaker 6: here grinding trying to navigate parenthood and it's not easy

1210
01:00:38,120 --> 01:00:38,439
Speaker 6: for sure.

1211
01:00:39,000 --> 01:00:44,240
Speaker 2: Y'all talk about succession. Does he find in this business interesting?

1212
01:00:44,320 --> 01:00:45,880
Speaker 2: Is it something like you guys working together. I know

1213
01:00:45,960 --> 01:00:48,439
Speaker 2: at one point you said that being a team mom,

1214
01:00:48,560 --> 01:00:50,720
Speaker 2: you have to grow together, right, Like you're growing as

1215
01:00:50,760 --> 01:00:53,800
Speaker 2: an adult and you're raising somebody, So you're going is

1216
01:00:53,880 --> 01:00:55,880
Speaker 2: that synonymous now with this business?

1217
01:00:56,240 --> 01:00:56,560
Speaker 6: Yeah?

1218
01:00:56,680 --> 01:00:57,560
Speaker 1: I think.

1219
01:00:58,720 --> 01:01:01,920
Speaker 6: Listen, everybody knows that I'm doing this for legacy purposes,

1220
01:01:01,960 --> 01:01:07,800
Speaker 6: including him. I think he is still wrapping hisself around,

1221
01:01:07,920 --> 01:01:11,160
Speaker 6: his head around like my mom is the talent of

1222
01:01:11,200 --> 01:01:13,240
Speaker 6: this thing, right. Everybody's been talking to me, like, how

1223
01:01:13,240 --> 01:01:14,760
Speaker 6: does it feel to be the talent of I best

1224
01:01:14,760 --> 01:01:15,200
Speaker 6: one like.

1225
01:01:15,240 --> 01:01:17,800
Speaker 1: Talent because I never saw myself as that. I think

1226
01:01:17,840 --> 01:01:18,520
Speaker 1: my son is.

1227
01:01:18,520 --> 01:01:22,120
Speaker 6: Processing that part that like people want to, you know,

1228
01:01:22,240 --> 01:01:25,160
Speaker 6: interview his mom and talk to his mom, and I

1229
01:01:25,160 --> 01:01:28,400
Speaker 6: have my autograph on the bottles because I'm just his mom,

1230
01:01:28,720 --> 01:01:30,680
Speaker 6: you know. So I think that's probably the thing he's

1231
01:01:30,760 --> 01:01:33,840
Speaker 6: navigating most. He's seen me in this business for so long,

1232
01:01:33,920 --> 01:01:36,360
Speaker 6: so he understands it and he's like, you're about to

1233
01:01:36,400 --> 01:01:37,280
Speaker 6: get that money, mom.

1234
01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:41,200
Speaker 1: That part he's like, this is really exciting.

1235
01:01:42,320 --> 01:01:45,080
Speaker 6: But I also haven't necessarily forced him to be in

1236
01:01:45,120 --> 01:01:49,160
Speaker 6: the business, you know. I think I think the wine

1237
01:01:49,200 --> 01:01:52,280
Speaker 6: and spears business represented for my son for many years

1238
01:01:52,560 --> 01:01:55,960
Speaker 6: why his mom was gone so much. So I had

1239
01:01:56,000 --> 01:01:59,200
Speaker 6: to also balance the like he could have a love

1240
01:01:59,320 --> 01:02:02,680
Speaker 6: hate for this, you know, and I'm aware of that, right,

1241
01:02:02,720 --> 01:02:06,200
Speaker 6: I'm aware that like this industry that I've given my

1242
01:02:06,240 --> 01:02:08,600
Speaker 6: life to kept me on the road a lot, kept

1243
01:02:08,600 --> 01:02:11,520
Speaker 6: me gone a lot. So he was He also wasn't

1244
01:02:11,560 --> 01:02:14,160
Speaker 6: like a kid that like drank at an early age.

1245
01:02:14,200 --> 01:02:16,360
Speaker 6: He didn't do a lot of those things because in

1246
01:02:16,440 --> 01:02:18,600
Speaker 6: his mind, he's like, that's what my mom is into that,

1247
01:02:18,800 --> 01:02:22,840
Speaker 6: you know. But he gets that this is some real

1248
01:02:22,920 --> 01:02:26,320
Speaker 6: legacy that we're building here. And you know, I'm building

1249
01:02:26,360 --> 01:02:29,560
Speaker 6: this to have it acquired, so I know I'm gonna

1250
01:02:29,560 --> 01:02:30,400
Speaker 6: make a lot of money.

1251
01:02:30,440 --> 01:02:31,680
Speaker 1: I understand that space.

1252
01:02:31,720 --> 01:02:34,000
Speaker 6: I've learned it at the highest level through the joint

1253
01:02:34,080 --> 01:02:36,520
Speaker 6: ventures that I've worked on, so.

1254
01:02:36,440 --> 01:02:37,360
Speaker 1: He he knows.

1255
01:02:37,720 --> 01:02:41,400
Speaker 4: So what's the future for But you said you're building

1256
01:02:41,440 --> 01:02:44,840
Speaker 4: it to be acquired, but before that, like, what what's

1257
01:02:44,880 --> 01:02:46,480
Speaker 4: your roadmap to get to that point?

1258
01:02:46,600 --> 01:02:46,880
Speaker 1: Yeah?

1259
01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:50,520
Speaker 6: So the road map is again establishing that you know,

1260
01:02:50,800 --> 01:02:54,280
Speaker 6: I Best Wines is the icon in the wine space.

1261
01:02:54,320 --> 01:02:56,040
Speaker 6: I think that's the first thing is for people to

1262
01:02:56,120 --> 01:02:59,280
Speaker 6: see that here here goes this brand that just came

1263
01:02:59,320 --> 01:03:02,280
Speaker 6: in and was just so disruptive, and people wanted wanted

1264
01:03:02,320 --> 01:03:03,920
Speaker 6: to make sure that it was at their tables at

1265
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:07,439
Speaker 6: restaurants and on their menus and at events. And again

1266
01:03:07,520 --> 01:03:09,760
Speaker 6: I've done that for big brands, so I have a

1267
01:03:09,800 --> 01:03:14,760
Speaker 6: plan to do that for this this brand. You know, ideally,

1268
01:03:15,680 --> 01:03:18,600
Speaker 6: you know, partnering with the right distributors, because I think

1269
01:03:18,640 --> 01:03:21,560
Speaker 6: a lot of people don't realize is those early partnerships

1270
01:03:21,600 --> 01:03:23,840
Speaker 6: also define the kind of acquisition you're going to have.

1271
01:03:24,280 --> 01:03:26,880
Speaker 6: You know, a lot of people signed with distributors fast

1272
01:03:27,440 --> 01:03:29,680
Speaker 6: and then when it comes to acquisition times like the

1273
01:03:29,760 --> 01:03:32,760
Speaker 6: cost of buyout all those distributors is crazy, So being

1274
01:03:32,920 --> 01:03:35,320
Speaker 6: very strategic about the distributor.

1275
01:03:34,720 --> 01:03:35,960
Speaker 1: Partners that we take on.

1276
01:03:36,520 --> 01:03:39,360
Speaker 6: And for me, I want the big distributors, you know,

1277
01:03:39,600 --> 01:03:42,440
Speaker 6: I mentioned earlier, like I don't it's a new brand.

1278
01:03:42,520 --> 01:03:44,200
Speaker 6: I don't see it as a small brand. You know

1279
01:03:44,200 --> 01:03:47,480
Speaker 6: how we always are conditioned to little business, small business.

1280
01:03:47,560 --> 01:03:49,960
Speaker 6: I'm like, no, this is a big business now, you know.

1281
01:03:50,680 --> 01:03:53,120
Speaker 6: And so the roadmap very much so is built with

1282
01:03:53,280 --> 01:03:57,360
Speaker 6: it being a big business in mine. And then you know,

1283
01:03:58,240 --> 01:04:03,280
Speaker 6: these brands, these companies, these suppliers, they need our culture.

1284
01:04:04,440 --> 01:04:06,680
Speaker 6: Like without our culture, without what we bring to the

1285
01:04:06,720 --> 01:04:09,120
Speaker 6: table are buying power, they are nothing.

1286
01:04:09,640 --> 01:04:10,479
Speaker 1: And I know that.

1287
01:04:11,040 --> 01:04:14,600
Speaker 6: And so you know, I'm looking forward to the day

1288
01:04:14,720 --> 01:04:16,880
Speaker 6: in three to five years where I'm sitting down at

1289
01:04:16,880 --> 01:04:19,880
Speaker 6: the table with the supplier that I think would make

1290
01:04:19,920 --> 01:04:23,280
Speaker 6: the right sense to do an acquisition with and doing

1291
01:04:23,520 --> 01:04:25,120
Speaker 6: you know, a historical.

1292
01:04:24,640 --> 01:04:27,920
Speaker 1: Acquisition for IPS wines. That's what I see.

1293
01:04:28,720 --> 01:04:30,560
Speaker 2: I'm assuming you're still the majority owner. I know you

1294
01:04:31,000 --> 01:04:33,840
Speaker 2: have five partners. Now, is there at any point you

1295
01:04:33,840 --> 01:04:35,600
Speaker 2: see yourself I know you didn't like to use the

1296
01:04:35,600 --> 01:04:39,760
Speaker 2: word raise, Yeah, but raise capital and perhaps have more

1297
01:04:39,800 --> 01:04:40,840
Speaker 2: people in the ownership group.

1298
01:04:41,080 --> 01:04:45,000
Speaker 6: Absolutely. So the structure right now is I'm the founder.

1299
01:04:45,440 --> 01:04:47,520
Speaker 6: I have five women that have been working with me

1300
01:04:47,600 --> 01:04:50,360
Speaker 6: on this journey that I've given equity to. And then

1301
01:04:50,400 --> 01:04:53,680
Speaker 6: I have five women who have invested. But for people

1302
01:04:53,720 --> 01:04:57,200
Speaker 6: who understand investments, they've invested on a convertible note it's

1303
01:04:57,240 --> 01:05:00,680
Speaker 6: not equity yet, They've invested in believing in something that eventually,

1304
01:05:00,720 --> 01:05:03,160
Speaker 6: if we determine that it makes sense for them to

1305
01:05:03,560 --> 01:05:07,480
Speaker 6: get equity, they will. So I am the owner of

1306
01:05:07,640 --> 01:05:11,840
Speaker 6: I Best Wines. Yes, absolutely, I will raise money. You know,

1307
01:05:11,960 --> 01:05:14,280
Speaker 6: it gets to a point where like, Okay, you can't

1308
01:05:14,840 --> 01:05:17,400
Speaker 6: just spend all your capital and think that you can

1309
01:05:17,440 --> 01:05:20,400
Speaker 6: do everything that you want to do. But I don't

1310
01:05:20,400 --> 01:05:23,040
Speaker 6: want to raise capital in a way where I'm forced

1311
01:05:23,400 --> 01:05:25,480
Speaker 6: to give up ownership of my brand. And a lot

1312
01:05:25,560 --> 01:05:28,040
Speaker 6: of people do that and they don't understand it. And

1313
01:05:28,080 --> 01:05:31,600
Speaker 6: what I can tell you is that I understand marketing,

1314
01:05:31,640 --> 01:05:35,440
Speaker 6: I understand commercial I have a great commercial competency, obviously

1315
01:05:35,520 --> 01:05:40,080
Speaker 6: understand investing. So when it comes to understanding the world

1316
01:05:40,120 --> 01:05:43,400
Speaker 6: of fundraising, that's been the thing that I've been educating

1317
01:05:43,400 --> 01:05:46,880
Speaker 6: myself the most. And so I've been really patient in

1318
01:05:47,480 --> 01:05:50,120
Speaker 6: the fundraising process because I'm like, until I get a

1319
01:05:50,160 --> 01:05:51,240
Speaker 6: bit of a mastery in.

1320
01:05:51,200 --> 01:05:53,000
Speaker 1: This, I don't want to take nobody money.

1321
01:05:53,440 --> 01:05:55,840
Speaker 6: And I think a lot of people make that mistake, right,

1322
01:05:56,360 --> 01:05:59,360
Speaker 6: They make the mistake of like I need money, or

1323
01:05:59,560 --> 01:06:01,680
Speaker 6: I've heard that I should go get money, spend someone

1324
01:06:01,800 --> 01:06:04,040
Speaker 6: else's money, you know, all these things that you I mean,

1325
01:06:04,080 --> 01:06:07,160
Speaker 6: you guys know this world owe too much. And for me,

1326
01:06:08,000 --> 01:06:11,240
Speaker 6: it's been hugely important for me to understand it, like

1327
01:06:11,320 --> 01:06:13,840
Speaker 6: what does it really mean to fundraise? What does really

1328
01:06:13,880 --> 01:06:16,600
Speaker 6: mean to take capital? What does it really mean to

1329
01:06:16,760 --> 01:06:20,360
Speaker 6: have people on your cap table? Because one thing I

1330
01:06:20,400 --> 01:06:22,520
Speaker 6: don't want to do is find myself in a situation

1331
01:06:22,640 --> 01:06:25,920
Speaker 6: that I can't build this brand in the way that

1332
01:06:25,960 --> 01:06:29,600
Speaker 6: I know the brand should be built. And so I

1333
01:06:29,640 --> 01:06:32,160
Speaker 6: want to just be mindful that you have to have

1334
01:06:32,200 --> 01:06:34,920
Speaker 6: a healthy mix mix of I think people that are

1335
01:06:34,960 --> 01:06:37,240
Speaker 6: willing to get on your cap table, but that are

1336
01:06:37,240 --> 01:06:39,040
Speaker 6: willing to do it in a way that makes sense

1337
01:06:39,080 --> 01:06:43,720
Speaker 6: for you. So yes, we'll raise, but I'm not rushing

1338
01:06:43,880 --> 01:06:47,920
Speaker 6: to the first you know, group of people that like,

1339
01:06:48,120 --> 01:06:49,600
Speaker 6: say we want to be a part of it, Let's

1340
01:06:49,680 --> 01:06:50,200
Speaker 6: be a good fit.

1341
01:06:50,520 --> 01:06:51,560
Speaker 1: It's a marriage.

1342
01:06:51,920 --> 01:06:54,880
Speaker 6: When you take investment, it is a marriage, and they

1343
01:06:54,960 --> 01:06:59,400
Speaker 6: have to also have your goal in mind. Everybody wants

1344
01:06:59,440 --> 01:07:02,920
Speaker 6: to sell. Some people want to hold their brands forever.

1345
01:07:03,320 --> 01:07:03,480
Speaker 5: You know.

1346
01:07:03,560 --> 01:07:07,520
Speaker 6: I'm building this to be acquired and the reason why

1347
01:07:07,560 --> 01:07:11,080
Speaker 6: is because I understand the opportunity in that, you know,

1348
01:07:11,920 --> 01:07:14,320
Speaker 6: and what it'll allow me to do from a just

1349
01:07:14,360 --> 01:07:17,360
Speaker 6: I think a wealth building perspective, this is one of

1350
01:07:17,520 --> 01:07:19,320
Speaker 6: many things that I want to do, you know.

1351
01:07:20,240 --> 01:07:22,160
Speaker 1: So that's my plan.

1352
01:07:22,280 --> 01:07:23,520
Speaker 5: Thank you for joining us.

1353
01:07:23,600 --> 01:07:24,000
Speaker 1: Thank you.

1354
01:07:24,240 --> 01:07:28,040
Speaker 5: How can they purchase the one and any other information

1355
01:07:28,080 --> 01:07:28,400
Speaker 5: that you're like?

1356
01:07:28,680 --> 01:07:33,240
Speaker 6: Yeah, So, ibestwines dot com. We have a direct consumer model,

1357
01:07:33,280 --> 01:07:36,480
Speaker 6: which is I'm really excited about right because we're controlling

1358
01:07:36,520 --> 01:07:40,200
Speaker 6: that the website is beautiful. You learn a bit more

1359
01:07:40,240 --> 01:07:43,240
Speaker 6: about myself, about the women that have been working with me.

1360
01:07:43,320 --> 01:07:46,240
Speaker 6: We also have a section that highlights global creatives because

1361
01:07:46,240 --> 01:07:49,280
Speaker 6: again this is my way of just connecting peoples. We

1362
01:07:49,320 --> 01:07:51,760
Speaker 6: have all these credible people that we've worked with that

1363
01:07:51,800 --> 01:07:55,320
Speaker 6: we aspire to work with because I wanted the website

1364
01:07:55,320 --> 01:07:58,040
Speaker 6: to be a place where people can discover, not just shop,

1365
01:07:58,080 --> 01:07:59,120
Speaker 6: but discover as well.

1366
01:07:59,720 --> 01:08:01,400
Speaker 1: So I best wines dot com.

1367
01:08:01,440 --> 01:08:05,959
Speaker 6: My social is misunderscore I best and the I best

1368
01:08:06,000 --> 01:08:09,080
Speaker 6: wine social is at IBST Wines.

1369
01:08:10,400 --> 01:08:13,000
Speaker 4: There you have it, ladies and gentlemen, high best wine

1370
01:08:13,040 --> 01:08:14,240
Speaker 4: is Are we going to get a bottle?

1371
01:08:14,520 --> 01:08:17,800
Speaker 2: Yeah? Absolutely, I think Okay, okay, I appreciate it. I

1372
01:08:17,880 --> 01:08:18,479
Speaker 2: appreciate that.

1373
01:08:18,600 --> 01:08:21,519
Speaker 6: So we got this on you guys's reps because I

1374
01:08:22,240 --> 01:08:23,240
Speaker 6: know y'all drink wine.

1375
01:08:23,760 --> 01:08:26,760
Speaker 2: I have seen us drinking wine.

1376
01:08:25,920 --> 01:08:31,120
Speaker 6: The true Yes, these are true. These guys drink wines. Absolutely.

1377
01:08:31,160 --> 01:08:32,000
Speaker 6: Thank you for having me.

1378
01:08:32,360 --> 01:08:34,320
Speaker 2: We appreciate you coming in and thank you. Thank you

1379
01:08:34,360 --> 01:08:34,800
Speaker 2: for the one.

1380
01:08:34,880 --> 01:08:37,400
Speaker 5: Yeah, thank you, Yes, thank you guys for blacking one.

1381
01:08:37,479 --> 01:08:37,960
Speaker 5: You next week.

1382
01:08:38,080 --> 01:08:42,320
Speaker 7: Peace Pease an illegal alien from Guatemala charged with raping

1383
01:08:42,320 --> 01:08:45,840
Speaker 7: a child in Massachusetts. An MS thirteen gang member from

1384
01:08:45,920 --> 01:08:50,200
Speaker 7: l Salvador accused of murdering a Texas man of Venezuelan

1385
01:08:50,560 --> 01:08:54,559
Speaker 7: charged with filming and selling child pornography in Michigan. These

1386
01:08:54,600 --> 01:08:58,280
Speaker 7: are just some of the heinous migrant criminals caught because

1387
01:08:58,280 --> 01:09:01,720
Speaker 7: of President Donald J. Trump's leader. I'm Christy Noman, the

1388
01:09:01,840 --> 01:09:06,400
Speaker 7: United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President Trump. Attempted

1389
01:09:06,479 --> 01:09:10,160
Speaker 7: illegal border crossings are at the lowest levels ever recorded,

1390
01:09:10,479 --> 01:09:13,479
Speaker 7: and over one hundred thousand illegal aliens have been arrested.

1391
01:09:13,800 --> 01:09:17,360
Speaker 7: If you are here illegally, your next you will be

1392
01:09:17,400 --> 01:09:21,280
Speaker 7: fine nearly one thousand dollars a day. Imprisoned and deported,

1393
01:09:21,720 --> 01:09:24,960
Speaker 7: you will never return. But if you register using our

1394
01:09:25,000 --> 01:09:28,200
Speaker 7: CBP home app and leave now, you could be allowed

1395
01:09:28,240 --> 01:09:32,839
Speaker 7: to return legally. Do what's right. Leave now. Under President

1396
01:09:32,840 --> 01:09:36,959
Speaker 7: Trump America's laws, border and families will be protected.

1397
01:09:37,040 --> 01:09:39,200
Speaker 2: Sponsored by the United States Department of Homeland Security,