We were lucky to catch up with Laura Black recently and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

In my dreams and discussions with family and friends, I wanted to create a wine bar that felt welcoming, comfortable and elegant. Not a place where people feel un-welcome or feel talked down to by some wine person. My wine bar should make all feel welcome and reinforce the idea that you should drink what you like. As a sommelier our first job is to be hospitable and treat people with kindness. Too often during my wine journey I ran across wine professionals who treated people who knew less than them about wine like they were stupid or inferior.

I worked in Corporate America for many years and had a good job. Then as big companies do, they restructured, and my position was eliminated. At the time it was a terrible thing to go through and shook my confidence. However, as I pondered what’s next, my mind kept coming back to this idea of the wine bar. I kept discussing it with my family and friends and they could see I was really serious about it. Bolstered by my family and friends support I began researching, drafting a business plan, and finding the perfect location. For me to decide to take the leap into business ownership was easy once I had done the hard part: writing the business plan, finding the space, researching, talking to mentors etc. I knew the road would not be easy, that I was in for some very tough and exhausting days.
But one thing I kept coming back to when I got scared I wasn’t good enough, smart enough, strong enough to pull this off was: “Why not me?” and “Will I regret this when I am older, that I wasn’t brave enough to chase my dream?” Both of those questions drove me to keep moving forward with my plans, take one day and roadblock at a time and just keep moving forward.

During construction we hit several snags and we were delayed several weeks past our initial timeline. I was so anxious to get into the space that every setback felt like a giant punch in the gut. Looking back, I know realize that everything happens for a reason and happens in God and the Universe’ timing. I had to learn to let go and trust it would all work out. That is one of the hardest things for me!

To me one of the best feelings is looking back on this process to open CLINK Wine Bar + Bites to see how far I have come and thinking about how excited I am for the future!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I think Food & Wine has always been in my blood! My Mom worked in the industry when I was a child, and I grew up hanging out in restaurants with Chefs and Servers. I learned so much from them and saw so many people with a passion for what they are doing. You don’t enter the restaurant industry to get rich. Many people that make it a career do it because they love it. It was amazing to see people with so much passion for what they were doing and learn more from them. Then my first job at 15 was in a restaurant! It was perfect for me! I love the feeling of taking care of people and the best way I can do that is with Food & Wine.

CLINK Wine Bar + Bites is a food and wine haven for locals and out of towners alike to meet, hang out and enjoy a great glass of wine, beer, or meal in our relaxed and comfortable atmosphere designed to feel like an extension of your home.

We invite you to stop in and enjoy one of 16 wines and 4 beers served on tap, as well as some rotating favorite wines from around the world available by the glass or bottle. Drop by or come stay for a while in our airy indoor dining or outdoor covered patio for some delightful “bites”, our tapas-style plates such as flat breads, charcuterie boards, salads, small and large plates as well as desserts available for dine-in or to-go ordering.

“Wine is about community. It is meant to be shared with family or friends while enjoying moments big and small. My job is to find you a great glass or bottle to enjoy that enriches your experience”.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

In order to get CLINK started, I had made the choice to try to do it all on my own without the use of partners/investors. I really wanted to try to live and die by my own sword so to speak and be able to call all the shots on my own. Definitely not an easy path to do, but it was what I felt was best for me and my situation. So, I utilized personal investment funds and also secured an SBA loan for my business. The lending process for an SBA loan is very difficult and takes quite a while, but it was a great option for me.

Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to have an investor/partner to help take some weight off my shoulders. When you take on investors/partners you can usually grow a bit faster than you can when it’s just you because you have more capital available to you. But I really wanted to be able to call the shots and see my vision through, so that meant bootstrapping and doing it on my own. I have worked 70+ hours a week since I was writing the business plan, to get CLINK going. That road on your own, can be lonely and hard but it is also so worth it! I just recently was able to hire a General Manager, and having that position is giving me some freedom to work on my business instead of so much time spent working in my business. I am excited to see what the future brings and where CLINK goes next!

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am a big reader and there are several books that I have helped me in my business immensely. A few of them are: Entrepreneurial Leap and Traction by Gino Wickman, Setting the Table by Danny Meyer, Shut Up and Listen by Tillman Fertitta.

In 2022 I was selected to be in the class for an organization called Biz Owners Ed. Biz Owners Ed is a non-profit, tax-exempt (under Section 501(c)(3)) organization, which provides an entrepreneurial program and community for business owners seeking a burst of knowledge, advice, and tools to take the next exponential leap forward in their businesses. Our mentoring team and guest speakers help successful entrepreneurs accelerate the growth of their businesses. It is a 10-week series of classes that helped me so much! Most of the speakers and presenters have built, scaled and even sold multi-million-dollar businesses. They give back to others by speaking and mentoring so that more entrepreneurs can grow and scale their businesses.

I suggest people check them out at: www.bizownersed.org. This organization has been hugely helpful to me and entrepreneur’s from all industry’s would benefit from attending their classes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.clinkwinebarandbites.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/clinkwinebar
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/clinkwinebarandbites

Image Credits
Dawn Michelle Photography