We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valerie Elkins a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Valerie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes and across all industries, so we’d love to hear about something you’ve done that you feel was particularly innovative.

I think innovation comes in many forms. I started my career in the legal and financial services industry which is somewhat regimented but it was during a crazy time in the economy. I had the great fortune to innovate a lot in those years. I helped grow a small business into a large one, I did start ups for other companies and created a non-profit in my sector. I reimagined workflow systems and managed software development for platforms that brought efficiency to our our industry. Things were really good for a long time but when the housing market crashed in the late 2000’s it was sink or swim. We had to constantly pivot to make sure we made it through the economic downturn. Those years were exceptionally hard and that kind of pressure can take a significant toll on a person. It made me a much better business person, but it also was a fast track to corporate burnout. When I look over my career I am extremely proud of the things I have been a part of and the accomplishments of my teams, but I believe my greatest innovation was my own personal pivot. I imagined a world where I could take the things I had learned and the tools in my business toolkit and apply them in an entirely different way. That lead me to the Texas wine industry. There has been incredible movement in Texas wine over the past 15 years but by definition it is still a relatively young industry with many businesses being family run. Getting involved in Texas wine has been about connecting with people, talking to them about their businesses, being at the right place at the right time and finding ways to fill the needs to help this industry grow and gain the recognition it deserves. I have been able to participate in multiple ways including working at one of the Top 100 Vineyards in the World, becoming involved with legislation to help shape the future of our industry and creation of a nonprofit to help those who support this industry.

Valerie, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In 2015 I starting thinking about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I decided to take a sabbatical and I spent a few months traveling in Europe, attempting to brainstorm and journal my thoughts, and upon returning to Texas spent a few more months talking to people and trying to come up with a new idea. I only had one thought, I want to do something I like and can be happy doing. I knew I liked wine but wasn’t sure my business experience would translate. I ended up getting back into my old industry but after two years of that I knew I was nearing the end of my time in corporate America. I started researching more about wine and during a trip to Bordeaux I got some really good advice and that was to explore some seminars about the wine industry. I did a one day seminar on grape growing in Texas and also found an online certification program through Sonoma State University for Wine Business Management and I set out to learn everything I could. The certification program lasted about a year and afterwards I started going out and meeting people in the industry and talking to them about opportunities that existed. It became clear pretty quickly that I was going to have to make a pretty radical change to my lifestyle and where I lived in order to make this work. I took a part time job at a winery called Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard about 90 miles north of Dallas where I lived. I would drive up there every Saturday and pour wine for guests. It was hard work but a lot of fun. I would get home and have to crawl out of the car because my back would lock up on the ride home after being on my feet all day. The owners were incredible people and believed in me. They thought I could someday own my own business and encouraged me to follow my dream to the Texas Hill Country where there were more opportunities for jobs. I began working as an Assistant Manager at Texas Wine Collective, a local winery in Fredericksburg Texas, which is in the heart of the Texas wine country. I learned all the fundamentals of running a tasting room and also started to make some connections in the industry. Those connections led me to where I am now. It sounds crazy when I say I have three jobs but I am so happy to be doing what I am doing. My day job is managing the Membership and Events teams for William Chris Wine Company representing 4 wine brands across multiple properties. I am also the Executive Director of Texas Wine Growers which is a management association for wineries growing and producing 100% Texas wine and I am a co-founder and Board member for the Texas Wine Auction, a 501(c)(3) raising money to support physical and mental wellness for hospitality workers. I am most proud of taking on projects that help advance our industry through advocacy, education and collaboration.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I definitely have a story! Doing my research into the Texas wine industry I had started to make some connections, but truth be told, no one really understood who I was or why I was crazy enough to want to make this leap. Most assumed I wouldn’t stick with the job because I was over qualified. I met someone who said they had investors and were starting a new winery tasting room in one of the local markets. They had a very clear understanding of my business background and felt it would be a good fit for me but I wasn’t sure because the vibe of the conversations were off. I did not trust my gut. I was so ready to be done with my corporate career and although this was a radical decrease in salary for me, it was better than the opportunities I was seeing in that space. I made the decision to leave my corporate life (a/k/a my GREAT salary, a great place to live, lots of freedom to do what I wanted and with a very secure future set) in December of 2019. I gave a 6 week notice at my job and my last day was January 29, 2020.I arrived at my new home base, found a garage apartment, put all my stuff in storage and started working. Anyone remember what happened in 2020? Six weeks later the world shut down. Six weeks after that I stopped getting paid. You would think Covid was the reason, and while it was a small contributing factor the real issue is that I had chosen to get involved with a person who did not share the same business acumen or values that I possess. So now I was out of a job and by the way, paying for two places to live because I was not able to sell my place in Dallas during this time for a whole host of other reasons. It was challenging and I was scared. Thankfully survival mode set in and I started doing anything I could to make money and live until times got better. I did consulting for some old business colleagues and I took an hourly job with a non profit in Austin. I made it work the best I could. I find it weird that I am grateful for Covid. Not that it hurt so many people in many ways (myself included in that I lost my sense of smell and it has never came back which is a little challenging in my industry) but it didn’t allow me to go anywhere or do anything. I was able to downsize my life enough not to run through my entire savings. Once wineries started opening again late in the fall I was able to find a position. It was a completely different place than I had planned to be, but at the end of the day I landed exactly where I was supposed to be and I am grateful every day for that!

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I like to joke; I am truly a jack of all trades, master of none. I am fortunate to be able to do a little of a lot, but I believe what has helped solidify my reputation in my old life and in my new is integrity. I always do what I say I am going to do. I always tell the truth no matter what. I try to be sensitive to truth but anyone who knows me knows I offer transparency in my communications and while confrontation is not always fun, I think it is important above anything else to be truthful and offer solutions to a better path. I have high expectations of people but I believe in them too, and I will do anything I can to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. I finish what I start/ I call myself a form and structure girl. I can take chaos and organize it into logic. I don’t know if that is a skill that comes naturally or if I learned it along the way but it is my one true saving grace! These skills have allowed me to excel in my job but also bring a community together to create and fundraise on behalf of the Texas Wine Auction.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.texaswineauction.com/
• Instagram: valerie.elkins.wine
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerieelkins/

Image Credits
All photos are taken by me or owned by me. The profile picture is a screen grab from a tv interview with Great Day SA.