Founder Becca has created a fun, interactive and engaging way of sharing and selling her carefully selected wines by tapping into the secondary thoughts that occur when looking for a good wine such as food pairings and occasions, and our favourite feature on the site... the Hattie's Shuffle of course!
We wanted to share the inspiration behind Becca’s venture into business, the driving force behind her brand, her advice for budding entrepreneurs, and of course, a few of her favourite things...
What was the a-ha moment that inspired you to create your own business?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career to work at some great companies and do jobs that I have loved. But in more recent years, I found that there was something missing, I was looking for a new challenge but I couldn’t seem to work out what it was! I’d always toyed with the idea of having my own business but I had never had the confidence to believe I could actually do it, always finding reasons not to do it. Finally I ran out of reasons and it was my partner (who started his own business 10 years ago) who helped convince me to have the self-belief to go for it and it’s been the best decision I ever made!
Why did you choose the name ‘Hattie’s Wines’ ?
I wanted the business to have a personal feel to it and have a real name, but I didn’t want to use my name. Hattie’s Wines was not created to promote me, it started as I felt there was a real need for something different, fun and engaging in the world of wine. There’s also a bit of fun to be had with it in terms of hats, and possibly even some kind of “mad Hattie’s” events in the future!
What was the ethos behind the branding and 'Hattie'?
Hattie is not just the name of the company, she is the persona behind it. On the website it says:
“Hattie is the woman we all want to be; she's the best part of ourselves plus the best bits of all our friends and people we know……. I like to think that wine should make women feel a bit like Hattie – knowledgeable, sophisticated and in control but having fun at the same time.”
Too much of what exists in the wine world is very technical, stuffy and serious so I wanted to put a bit of real life enjoyment back in! Hopefully the branding and the look & feel of the website reflect this.
What has been your biggest challenge to date? And how did you overcome it?
There have been lots of very specific difficulties such as massive technical problems delaying the launch of the website, but the biggest single challenge for me was, and still is, how to go about actually doing all the parts that are involved in running a business. Cashflow and financial planning (er?), social media (I had sent about 7 tweets before I started Hattie’s), writing website copy and emails to customers, planning events…… the list goes on!
I had an idea and a vision of what I wanted it to become but I not a clue on how to get there! It’s amazing what you learn on the way, and the most invaluable and awe-inspiring thing for me continues to be the number of people who want to help and get involved. Friends, former colleagues and new contacts have skills that I don’t and are so generous with their time and advice. If you surround yourself with positive people and you’re prepared to ask for help, you won’t go far wrong. That, and ignoring the negative doom-mongers!
Have there been any moments when you just wanted to pack it all in?
Yes, frequently! Especially as it’s only me making the decisions. There are days when I just want to hide in a cave by the beach with no phone, WIFI or laptop. But, all that being said, and even in the darkest moments, I would still rather be doing Hattie’s than anything else. It has become a part of me in a way that no other job ever was. Don’t get me wrong, getting up in the morning isn’t any easier (I somehow thought that when I had my own business, I would bound out of bed everyday!) but at the end of each day, when you collapse exhausted into bed, you feel like you have achieved so much more.
If you weren't spreading the vino love with Hattie’s, what would you be doing?
This is difficult, I haven’t thought about it! Work-wise, I guess I’d be buying wine for someone else (which is no bad gig). I couldn't imagine a life outside of wine! If I wasn't working and money was no object, I’d take my friends on a pilgrimage of all the great wine regions of the world, and I would learn to cook on the way!
What keeps you striving forward in business?
On the good days, the belief that what you’re doing is going to be brilliantly successful. On the bad days, the fear of failure!
A few of your favourites…
Way to relax?
Glass of great wine, obviously! Ideally with a book, in the sunshine.
Aid to well-being?
Er, wine, of course. Aside from that, rooibos tea and as much sleep as possible!
Fitness activity?
Swimming, again, ideally outside in a warm climate!
Wine?
Too impossible to choose! There are so many brilliant wines. All I can say is that I don’t drink wines I don’t like or that I don’t think are very good. It’s a cliché, but life really is too short.
Food?
Mushrooms!! I could have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Song?
Let’s Hear It For The Boy by Deniece Williams, from Footloose!
Hero?
Nelson Mandela
Quote?
I have loads of quotes I love, most of them wine related. But I think my favourite is one more akin to my other hobby:
And finally... what piece of advice would you give to entrepreneurs to inspire them to give their dreams a go?
- I might be showing my age a little here, but I’d say take the Doctor Pepper view of life – "what’s the worst that could happen?!" If the worst isn't something disastrous like losing your home, i.e. if you have the financial ability to do it, then just go for it!
- There will always be a million reasons not to try, but write down or talk about the reasons to do it instead, and don’t listen to the gremlins in your head that say you’re not good enough, or don’t have the right experience or contacts.
- Having enough self-belief was and is still one of my biggest challenges. Get your friends and family on board from the start so they can support you. If there are any regrets, it’s always better to regret what you have done and not what you didn't do.
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I love to enjoy a glass of wine (especially with my mum & sister!) but I also get very agitated if I'm not trying new things too, life is for living after all! However, as much as I want to venture into trying a bottle of something new, I find the prospect quite overwhelming as I stand in the supermarket aisle, and almost always go for a trusty old favourite. Not anymore.
A really great feature of the site is that all of the wines in the Hattie’s range have been independently reviewed by three different writers, all of them wine lovers, consumers and great writers who want to share their love of the Hattie’s Wines, including creator of the Knackered Mothers' Wine Club, and new wine expert on The Alan Titchmarsh Show Helen McGinn.
However we don't always have the time to invest in researching the little, but lovely things in life, so Hattie's Wines have cleverly made it easier than ever to find a new potential favourite by doing the Hattie's Shuffle which presents you a selection of wines you may like after using a few simple filters to input your likes and dislikes.
Do the shuffle for yourself and find out all about Hattie’s Wines here. Stay in touch with the team on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest too as they inspire you each day with new wine favourites, delicious recipes and fun hat-wearing competitions!
Katie x
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