Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sandra Gomes Rocha. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Sandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?
I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My father built businesses in two different countries, and his father had his own small shop in the village in Portugal where he lived. I saw the sacrifices my father made putting in 14+ hours a day into his businesses, and all the heavy lifting my mother did to keep every aspects of our lives normal and moving forward. I was always keenly aware of how difficult things were at times, but I understood they were building something for themselves.
I’ve been fortunate enough to get my MBA and work for some of the world’s biggest corporations. I’ve been an employee for decades with the comfort of knowing that the success or failure of the companies I’ve worked for wasn’t placed squarely on my shoulders. Being a cog in the wheel has its benefits. However, the drawback is knowing that regardless of how hard I worked or how many hours I put into the job, I had zero control over my future and someone in a corporate office could one day decide I’m no longer needed. I realized I didn’t want to leave my future self at the hands of a large entity that didn’t see me as more than a name and number on a piece of paper.
Having my own business has been one of the hardest, best, things I’ve had to do. The stress and doubt that creep in late at night are very real, but what’s also real is the work that we’re doing to to grow the business to something that’s recognizable to the outside world. While it’s infinitely harder to build a business from scratch, I am happier this way. I get out of the business what I put in, and I know that every sacrifice and every decision is for us and serves our best interests. No corporate entity will ever have a say in my business, my future, or in the value of my effort – and that is some powerful stuff.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
In 2015 Wine Spectator called Portugal the next frontier in the wine world, and being Portuguese myself, I was excited at the prospect of having a little bit of my culture being represented in the US outside of the small communities on the East Coast where I grew up. I quickly realized that there was very little Portuguese wine in California, so in 2017 I incorporated Diniz Cellars, a Portuguese wine importer and distributor, and we brought in our first mixed pallet of red and white wines in 2018.
We wanted to represent a new generation of winemakers and producers who focus on highlighting the authenticity of their regions with an eye on sustainability. Portugal has a long history of making wine, and its star has been steadily rising with the international community. With so many SoCal tourists visiting the likes of Lisbon and Porto, wine lovers were coming back home looking for these authentic flavors but were unable to find them in their favorite stores. Diniz Cellars is working to change that landscape.
Consumers today are looking for more authentic experiences, they care about how their products are made and where they come from. Our portfolio consists of not only certified organic and vegan wines, but also products that are made under the Integrated Production Management System, which indicates that no harsh pesticides, herbicides or chemicals are used in the production of wine, olive oil or honey. As a Portuguese woman who is passionate about sharing her culture with others, getting the opportunity to do so through wine is what sets me apart from other wine companies. These are my people, this is my land, and our wines are an extension of me and my heritage.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
In the early days when I was putting the components of my business together I knew I needed a partner, but I wasn’t sure what or who I needed. My then fiancé, a commercial banker, was my sounding board at the time and he helped a great deal when it came to strategy and financing. One day he approached me with a business proposition – he wanted to be my business partner. He is as passionate about running a company as I am, and if we were going to be partners in life, we could also be partners in wine. His expertise in the finance world, and his knowledge of how lenders lend working capital for growing businesses, was far more valuable than anything else I could fathom.
They say you shouldn’t go into business with family, but my husband keeps me grounded, is an expert at having difficult conversations, and is a great co-captain when the waters get a little choppy.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
When I was launching Diniz Cellars a lot of people criticized my decision to launch a wine company before working at a traditional importer or distributor. After all, I had limited experience working in the field, so why not learn from those who were already doing it? While I didn’t want to re-invent the wheel, I didn’t want to pick up bad habits, or learn to work in a way that wouldn’t be authentic to who we wanted to be. Ultimately, I didn’t want to learn lessons I felt I would have to later unlearn. I trusted my ability to provide a personalized and unique customer experience by putting my best foot forward every single time. I didn’t want to be influenced by what others were doing, or how others were operating. After all, how could I be different if I was coming into the business with old ideas everyone else was using?
Contact Info:
- Website: DinizCellars.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinizcellars/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DinizCellars
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-gomes-diniz-cellars/
Image Credits
Tom Bertolotti – photographer