We recently connected with Ken Schneider and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ken thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

When my daughter was on a recruiting trip to New Orleans my wife and I were taken by a friend to an automated self-serve wine bar called Wino.(wine institute of New Orleans). We had never seem anything like it. You can get wine by the ounce, 3 ounce or 5 ounce pours. This let us sample wines without making any real commitments to a glass or a full bottle, and we could sample very high end wines because we could pour ourselves a 1 ounce sample. We thought would a wonderful idea and how wonderful it would be if we had one here in our hometown of Charleston SC. That is how the idea was born.
Neither my wife or myself had any restaurant experience so we were lost on how to proceed. We knew the old additive “location location” and that was all. So we started our search for a location. During that search we did as much research as we could to find out what was needed in order to open and run a successful restaurant . This probably should have been the first step. The only things we knew was that we needed money, desire to serve customers and provide opportunities for workers.
I embarked on writing a business plan. This was not my first plan as I have several other businesses, but this one felt very different. I had known the success rate of a restaurant was significantly lower then most other businesses. I had also read an article by Bobby Flay which said most restaurants failed because the owners underestimated by 3x the amount of capital it would take and the amount of time as well before the restaurant could sustain itself without further investment. His article was pretty spot on . As my initial business plan proved, my numbers were clearly all wrong.
We found started a LLC, opened a bank account, found a location, signed a lease, hired an architect, found a contractor, ordered equipment, obtained permits and licenses and the race was underway.
Now came the real learning for me.
The cost of of construction, the delays in construction for numerous reasons, all cost me a lot more then anticipated.
I had to learn the inner workings of Charleston city hall in order to get things done. Things such as obtaining licenses, permits, fire inspections etc. This was all on the job training and when you own the company, it is typically expensive to learn.
So from our initial idea of opening a wine restaurant to the actual opening, took 16 months and approximately 2x more money then originally anticipated.

When we first opened, and having no prior restaurant experience except for being a frequent guest at numerous restaurants, I had to hire a experienced general manager. I recognized early on that he wasn’t what I needed or wanted. My vision was not theirs and he could not execute my vision. So our first 3 months we were open were a disaster. I knew that Uncork had great potential and with the right person, vision, hard work and money, we could become successful.
We had opened in June of 2018 and by December of 2018 we had an entire new staff, (many whom are still with me today) and we have been building and growing ever since.
As in any business, you have to be willing to make changes and adapt to the market and market conditions in order to survive. You need to have enough capital to outlast your estimates by 3 fold.

Ken, 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?

My name is Ken Schneider and I am a entrepreneur who loves to find a niche and then create something. I am 56 years old and I come from a group of investors where we believe in paying it forward. We have been successful so it is important to us to be able to offer opportunities to others. At this point in my career this is a very important variable in all business decisions.
I want both employees and customers to be able to enjoy their experiences with us.
Don’t get me wrong, profits are critical to any business, but I am more then happy to give up a portion of my share to help others. My relationships with my customers and employees are my most valuable asset. Providing a great customer experience along with a great environment to work for my employees is my #1 goal.
I feel when people enjoy where they are and what they are doing, all things become easier.

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

When I started my restaurant Uncork Charleston, I totally miscalculated capital needed before Uncork became profitable, I totally miscalculated the time it would take, I made the mistake of hiring the wrong general manager to run the place. We suffered through Covid, its closures and all other rough times surrounding it. We were severely damaged during the George Floyd protests and subsequent riots and looting. Add to this the great resignation where no one wanted to work. Despite all of this we have persevered, adapted and overcame . It would have been easier to simply give up and walk away, but through out all of this , I saw the potential that Uncork had and the impacts closing would have had on my employees.
You just have keep going. But only when there is a viable future.

Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?

My business partner who for the sake of this piece and his privacy, we will call him Corey. I met Corey in 1992. Corey is now in his mid 70’s and has a world of experience and knowledge.
He took me in under his wing when I was 27. He has treated me as a son. He is the voice of reason and clearly the most generous human I have ever met.
Corey is the person who taught me to pay it forward. I have watch him lead by example for the last 30 years.
His belief that to give a person an opportunity and to empower them is one of the greatest things you can give to another person.
Myself and my family are extremely grateful to have him in our lives. I will add that I believe that my employees feel the same way.
He has quoted Mark Twain to me many times. “you are never wrong doing the right thing”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.uncorkchs.com/
• Instagram: uncorkcharleston
• Facebook: Uncork Charleston
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/uncork-charleston-charleston

Image Credits
Kate Blohm