Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Hailey Culmone . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Hailey thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Oddly enough my idea to offer in home wine tastings was born during the most uncertain time in many people’s lives, Covid. After the restaurant where I working temporarily closed for obvious reasons, I used my new found free time to create my own wine business. This business was Covid friendly, and centered around a the beloved beverage of many, wine. The idea was simple, go to people’s homes (invited of course), bring wine, and teach them about it. I had worked in restaurants for 16 years, but like many the pandemic reshaped my wine career, propelling it in a direction I didn’t know was possible. I made a website, business cards, an instagram focused on wine, and most importantly networked. I reached out to all the regular guests from my years of working in restaurants to see if they would allow me to curate a wine tasting in their homes. I messaged event spaces on Instagram asking if they could work me into their program. I emailed companies offering wine tastings for their company party. At this point, I had been working as wine professional for 3 years. I passed my level one introductory exam through the Court of Master Sommeliers in November 2019 and have been studying for my certified exam ever since. After a few months of continuous networking and posting on instagram about the service I offer. Going into this, I had no idea if my business would take off, if people were interested, or if there was even a demand for this type of thing. I had discovered my passion for teaching on accident a few years prior, but in conjunction with my wine education. It wasn’t until the global pandemic that it dawned on me I could combine the two and offer an unforgettable experience for people without them leaving their homes. Like any normal person, I doubted myself along the way- would this idea actually become a sustainable business? Could I make a living off it? I knew that in order to find out I would have to dedicate all my energy into it, and that’s exactly what I did. Flash forward almost 3 years later, and I am booked with wine tastings every weekend. It turned out, like most good stories that believing in yourself and dedicated all your energy to what you love to do will pay off eventually.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I offer private in home wine tastings. These wine tastings are always centered around a theme, for example “Spanish Wines” or “Understanding Italian Wines”. I like to give my customers the opportunity to choose a theme from my list or come up with their own. At the end of the day, I want to bring wines they will enjoy drinking, so I always ask questions for context. No matter the wine theme, we always taste 4 different wines. The evening begins with a welcome drink that I choose, as well as a meat and cheese board that I make for everyone to enjoy. After meeting everyone, and grabbing some snacks we being the tasting which usually lasts about 2 hours, but can be extended or limited based on your guests preferences. Everyone receives materials with detailed information about the wines we are tasting, in addition to maps, and tasting wheels. I have hosted groups from 4 people all the way to 35 people. The pricing structure is $75 per person, and again includes a welcome drink, four FULL glasses of wine, meat and cheese, printed materials, and about 2 hours of instruction.
In addition to covering the wines we taste, I cover some basic Wine 101. For example, how is wine made, what makes one wine different from one another, differences among different grapes and winemaking regions, and the elements that make each wine unique. The tasting is meant to be informal and fun, my goal is to make wine approachable and exciting to learn about so that everyone leaves feeling confident choosing and buying wine. I want to remove the intimidation layer around wine, and help people discover what they do and do not like, and ultimately quip them with the ability to find wines they will love.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Talk to everyone! You never know who someone is or who they know. Even if it’s not someone in your industry, they might surprise you or make you rethink an element of your business you didn’t know needed rethinking. Networking has been the most effective element in growing my business. The more people you meet, the more exposure you get, and the more people you reach. I say yes to as many opportunities as I possibly can, even if it’s a fundraiser just to get my name out there. The power of people is so strong and if you meet everyone in and out of your community, the universe will return the energy.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Growing up I always heard the same thing – go to college, get a degree, and get a job. Boom, that easy right? Like many, I was victim to this cookie cutter ideology for long time. They don’t tell you to take risks in school, or ask what you’re passionate about. It’s how much money do you want to make, how many college are you applying too. At 18 you are expected to choose a career, to choose a school, and inevitably chose a life path. I learned quickly after graduating with my Bachelors in Psychology that I was going to veer of path before starting grad school. I took a gap year and lived in South America for 6 months, you probably already guessed but after returning home I never continued onto grad school. Living outside of my comfort zone, outside of the cookie cutter mold, exposed to different languages, cultures, and ways of thinking I began to see a new path unraveling for me. I didn’t know exactly what I was going to do at the time, but I knew I was going to take the risk and find out. All this to say, I had to unlearn what society and my teachers had taught me. I had to decide that I believed in what I was doing, that I was dedicated to finding something that fulfilled me, even if it meant taking a pay cut, or friends and family questioning why all of a sudden you changed career paths. It’s never too late, and the greater risk just means the better reward.
Contact Info:
- Website: haileyculmone.com
- Instagram: @somm.where