Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Thomson
Hi Amanda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was always a curious child with questions, questions and more questions. Journalism was therefore the perfect career for me. I wasn’t the world’s best writer but boy, I could talk. So it was TV and radio for me. That was my first career.
My love of fine Champagne grew whilst working in the art space back in the days of journalism when we used to work and play hard. I met my husband on the back of a boat at a fancy party at the Cannes Film Festival when I was reporting on the film business!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Whoa, is anyone’s life? Jeez, no. I think, like many entrepreneurs, I over-compensated for my shortcomings when I left university and would always be the first to arrive and the last to leave. I’d offer to get the coffees, and say I could do things even when I had no idea. And Google wasn’t a thing then, so I’d figure it out from wherever. I’d over-deliver. That was always my mantra: be the last person standing.
I had a complicated childhood with an immigrant father and a single mother juggling jobs, which left me realising that I needed to make things happen for myself. Even when we had no money, I was always convinced I would make it in the world, having developed resilience and grit as a by-product of my upbringing as an only child.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Combining passion and work has become a key goal for many and I think, for me, that was always at the heart of my career path. Now I am well into my second career, moving from journalism to running a successful wine business, what I think is often overlooked in the conversation of work-life balance is finding a job or career where it rarely feels like work and more like your passion. I believe it’s vital to love what you do. No-one loves every aspect of their work. Believe me, I have many aspects of running a business I find hard. But I revel in the good moments and celebrate the victories, however small. To be successful these days, you have to be fully engaged if you want to win with your own business. Especially when it comes to brand building.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
Absolutely. My husband is an incredible role model and cheerleader who has always loved what he does in the film and TV world and has overseen our creative and comms with as much passion as he does in his own business. He’s a brilliant sounding board and always has my back.
The other is my business partner, Patrik Franzen who likes to operate quietly behind the scenes but is probably the most talented business person I have met, treading the line between being a serial entrepreneur and managing finance in a way I have never seen before in one person. Like my husband, he is loyal and focused and will jump on a business issue anytime he’s needed, whatever time of night and whatever he is doing.
It’s so important to have people you can count on and who really have your back as entrepreneurship is a lonely place.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://us.noughtyaf.com/
- Instagram: @noughtyaf
Image Credits
Thomas Rhode – So Studio
https://so-studio.productions/