September 18, 2023 • 9 mins
In this insightful episode, we kick off the week by introducing you to the remarkable Fawn Weaver, the owner of Uncle Nearest Whiskey, an entrepreneur on a mission to uncover history, change the spirits industry, and empower others. Fawn shares her journey into the world of whiskey and entrepreneurship, touching on the unique challenges faced by aspiring business owners. She delves into the importance of wholehearted commitment when seeking investment for your venture and the pitfalls of relying on safety nets. Get ready to be inspired and gain valuable insights from a true trailblazer in the spirits industry.
Host IG:@itstanyatime
Guest IG: @fawn.weaver
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
When they ask me, what's that one piece of advice
that I would give, and that is to not believe
that failure exists, because is not failure unless you give
up before you succeed. So I could look at my
first PR business and say that failed, but that's not true.
I've built this entire company on PR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech, business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiast, and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week, we talk with guests
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(00:42):
how they are making their money move. If you're someone
who's looking to make your money move, you're in the
right place, So open up your notes app and lock
us in, because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to mind you to check us out at gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:05):
me on all things social at It's Tanya, time to
stay locked in to new episodes. Hey, Honeymovers, this week
our guest is a true pioneer in every sense. She
shattered barriers and paved the way for chain. She holds
the distinction of being the first black woman to own, operate,
and lead a major spirits brand and is the visionary
(01:27):
behind an all female executive team.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
A CEO of.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
The Uncle Mair's Premium Whiskey, She's brought to life a
legacy that transcends time and.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Of course lifts our spirits. But her impact doesn't stop there.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Beyond businesses, she is dedicated philanthropists, striving to make a
meaningful difference in communities far and wide. Moneymovers, Let's give
a warm welcome to a trailblazer, a visionary, and a powerhouse,
the inspirational Fawn Weaver. Hi, Fawn, Welcome to the.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Podcast, Hipanya, Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I am so excited for this conversation, not only because
I love your whiskey and I ask for it everywhere
from airports to bars across the country. I'm just such
a fan of what you were doing and how you've
established this incredible business, and I want to start off
by asking you to sort of walk us through your
(02:20):
journey as an entrepreneur. This is not your first rodeo.
You have a long history and trajectory. And I love
to tell these stories because oftentimes people are all about, oh, this.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Overnight sensation, that was easy.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I can do it too, and as empowering as it is,
I really love for our money movers to hear the
true story behind how you got to where you are.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Absolutely, first of all, thank you for supporting us everywhere
you go, because I think a lot of people don't
realize how important that is. They're looking for sort of
the big thing that they need to do to be
able to help, and they don't understand if they do
the little thing and someone else goes into a restaurant
behind them and ask for epneered and that's little thing,
(03:00):
that all these little things become the big thing. And
I think that that's sort of the story of my
career and my life and my success, is that so
many people are so focused on the big.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Thing that they miss all the little steps that lead
up to it. My first company I started when I
was eighteen. I'm about to turn forty seven, so almost twenty. Well,
twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Years ago really, and it was a PR and special
events for the pr D A bit. It stays with
me even to today, and so I tell people a
lot when they ask me, what's that one piece of
advice that I would give, and that is to not
believe that failure exists, because is not failure unless you
(03:46):
give up before you succeed. So I can look at
my first PR business and say that failed, but that's
not true.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I've built this entire company on PR and so it
wasn't a failure. It was a lot earning that I
carried forward.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And the idea that you just continue to everything that
you do, you just go for it. I'm a big
fan of fail harder and all that really means is
always be striving for something that's bigger than what you
can see yourself doing.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
It is Oh, I love this key.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
When we stay in that safe zone, you have never
you have never met a person of great success that
stayed in the safety zone.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We just don't operate there.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We literally operate on the edge, all of us.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's these things that I love because oftentimes, you know,
people will go to social media and they'll see a
tiny little meme that's like if your dreams don't scare you,
they're not big enough, and they flip past that. But
when you really sit in this wisdom, and oftentimes I've
talked to so many successful people, there's so much wisdom
in those strong little sentences. Yeah, you know your big thing,
(04:58):
your big successes are the s of all these little things.
And I really appreciate you saying that. You know you
have these businesses and you could it's also a little
bit of mindset. You could look back and say, well
it failed, I'm not still doing it. Right, it brings
you to where you are today eight years later.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So dropping gems right. Yeah, there just there's stepping stones
every single one.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I there is someone who was trying trying to do
an interview with me and they wanted me to share
a mistake that I had made that I truly truly regret.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And then to share all the things that came with it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And I said, I don't have an answer for you
because I don't regret any mistake because every single mistake
I've made it taught me something that allowed me to
that Really it's you know, if I look at all
of the things that led to this it's a whole
bunch of quote unquote failures and mistakes that I utilized
(05:57):
as stepping stones and never looked back.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I never ever look back, and I.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Don't look at challenges as a lot of people get
so stuck in their mind especially entrepreneurs, God bless us,
get so stuck in their minds when there is a challenge,
and they'll run away from it. And black and brown entrepreneurs,
we're notorious for that. As soon as the money gets
(06:22):
really really tight, we'll just say, Okay, I'm going to
go back to you know, whatever this safety net job is.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And I tell it's always right.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And I tell people all the time, if you're looking
for investment dollars and you still have a backup plan,
you're not gonna get those investment dollars for me if
you still.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Have a job. Fun See that again, that means that
you have a fallback.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Why would I put my money behind someone who isn't
who has not taken the full risk.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I took the full risk. That's why I can.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Invest in your company, the whole risk, knowing that there
is no plan feed, there is no oh if this
doesn't work, I'm going to do this and that's a
huge thing because you know what if we get into
you know, your investment history and stuff. I think oftentimes
in our community and too, people are like, well, I
don't get it. I don't understand. You know, I have
to bootstrap to get here. But you have to be
(07:13):
really intentional about when you're going for venture capital and
what it means when you're asking for other people's money.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And I want you to be all the way in
listen as an investor. Plan B distracts from planing.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
So if there's any element in Plan B, like any
element of a Plan.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
B, there's zero chance to get zero.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I want to know that I love him to do
what Tito did, which was literally couch surf for seven years,
to max out every single credit card, to give away
more vodka than you can imagine in order to make
sure his bottles were in the well. And you're talking
about a time frame in which no bank would give
him money, no spirit companies would invest in him. And
(08:00):
so everyone looks at Tito's now and goes, oh, my gosh,
it's worth thirty billion dollars, YadA YadA, yeah, and they
make it seem like it's an overnight success.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But it's one. It's been twenty five.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Years, and two over ten of those years he spent
completely broken.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I'm going to say something, y'all, and we'll come back because.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
I want to.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
I want to definitely hone in on your journey. But
what's really interesting is like, not only are you dropping
gems about your own success, you know intimate details about
other people in your industry that have been super successful.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
And that already to me.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I want you guys to understand, like, in order to
be successful, and you know, part of it is studying
your competitors, understanding other things that other people have done.
I did know that about Tito's but I know that
you knew in order to be successful. You're like, I
got to see what the roadmap is for other people
did it and recognizing like sleeping on a couch is
not sexy. Entrepreneurship is not always sexy. It's never easy,
(08:55):
but you gotta do what you gotta do to get
to the end of the line. Yeah, thanks for listening
to today episode. If we helped you make your money move,
please share it with your community. Subscribe and leave us
a review on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on
social media. At Greenwood and visit us at Gogreenwood dot
com for more financial tips and remember, money Movers. If
(09:16):
this were easy, everyone would do it. So take the
lessons you've learned from this episode and apply it to
your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio podcast powered by
Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc. For more podcasts
on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts from. Make sure to tune in Monday,
(09:38):
Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the Money Moves podcast
powered by Greenwood, so that you too can have the
keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve. Until next time,
When they ask me, what's that one piece of advice
that I would give, and that is to not believe
that failure exists, because is not failure unless you give
up before you succeed. So I could look at my
first PR business and say that failed, but that's not true.
I've built this entire company on PR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Money Moves powered by Greenwood, a finance
podcast dedicated to dropping all the knowledge and gems from
the world's leading celebrities, entrepreneurs and experts, and tech, business
and more. I'm your host, angel investor, technology enthusiast, and
media personality Tanya Sam. Each week, we talk with guests
who are making significant strides in their fields and learn
(00:42):
how they are making their money move. If you're someone
who's looking to make your money move, you're in the
right place, So open up your notes app and lock
us in, because this podcast will give you the keys
to the kingdom of financial stability, wealth and abundance you
so rightly deserve. Before we start the episode, I'd like
to mind you to check us out at gogreenwood dot
com and follow us on social media at Greenwood and
(01:05):
me on all things social at It's Tanya, time to
stay locked in to new episodes. Hey, Honeymovers, this week
our guest is a true pioneer in every sense. She
shattered barriers and paved the way for chain. She holds
the distinction of being the first black woman to own, operate,
and lead a major spirits brand and is the visionary
(01:27):
behind an all female executive team.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
A CEO of.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
The Uncle Mair's Premium Whiskey, She's brought to life a
legacy that transcends time and.
Speaker 3 (01:36):
Of course lifts our spirits. But her impact doesn't stop there.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Beyond businesses, she is dedicated philanthropists, striving to make a
meaningful difference in communities far and wide. Moneymovers, Let's give
a warm welcome to a trailblazer, a visionary, and a powerhouse,
the inspirational Fawn Weaver. Hi, Fawn, Welcome to the.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Podcast, Hipanya, Thank you, thank you for having me.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
I am so excited for this conversation, not only because
I love your whiskey and I ask for it everywhere
from airports to bars across the country. I'm just such
a fan of what you were doing and how you've
established this incredible business, and I want to start off
by asking you to sort of walk us through your
(02:20):
journey as an entrepreneur. This is not your first rodeo.
You have a long history and trajectory. And I love
to tell these stories because oftentimes people are all about, oh, this.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Overnight sensation, that was easy.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I can do it too, and as empowering as it is,
I really love for our money movers to hear the
true story behind how you got to where you are.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
Absolutely, first of all, thank you for supporting us everywhere
you go, because I think a lot of people don't
realize how important that is. They're looking for sort of
the big thing that they need to do to be
able to help, and they don't understand if they do
the little thing and someone else goes into a restaurant
behind them and ask for epneered and that's little thing,
(03:00):
that all these little things become the big thing. And
I think that that's sort of the story of my
career and my life and my success, is that so
many people are so focused on the big.
Speaker 3 (03:12):
Thing that they miss all the little steps that lead
up to it. My first company I started when I
was eighteen. I'm about to turn forty seven, so almost twenty. Well,
twenty eight.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
Years ago really, and it was a PR and special
events for the pr D A bit. It stays with
me even to today, and so I tell people a
lot when they ask me, what's that one piece of
advice that I would give, and that is to not
believe that failure exists, because is not failure unless you
(03:46):
give up before you succeed. So I can look at
my first PR business and say that failed, but that's
not true.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
I've built this entire company on PR and so it
wasn't a failure. It was a lot earning that I
carried forward.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And the idea that you just continue to everything that
you do, you just go for it. I'm a big
fan of fail harder and all that really means is
always be striving for something that's bigger than what you
can see yourself doing.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
It is Oh, I love this key.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
When we stay in that safe zone, you have never
you have never met a person of great success that
stayed in the safety zone.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
We just don't operate there.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
We literally operate on the edge, all of us.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It's these things that I love because oftentimes, you know,
people will go to social media and they'll see a
tiny little meme that's like if your dreams don't scare you,
they're not big enough, and they flip past that. But
when you really sit in this wisdom, and oftentimes I've
talked to so many successful people, there's so much wisdom
in those strong little sentences. Yeah, you know your big thing,
(04:58):
your big successes are the s of all these little things.
And I really appreciate you saying that. You know you
have these businesses and you could it's also a little
bit of mindset. You could look back and say, well
it failed, I'm not still doing it. Right, it brings
you to where you are today eight years later.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
So dropping gems right. Yeah, there just there's stepping stones
every single one.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
I there is someone who was trying trying to do
an interview with me and they wanted me to share
a mistake that I had made that I truly truly regret.
Speaker 3 (05:30):
And then to share all the things that came with it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
And I said, I don't have an answer for you
because I don't regret any mistake because every single mistake
I've made it taught me something that allowed me to
that Really it's you know, if I look at all
of the things that led to this it's a whole
bunch of quote unquote failures and mistakes that I utilized
(05:57):
as stepping stones and never looked back.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
I never ever look back, and I.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
Don't look at challenges as a lot of people get
so stuck in their mind especially entrepreneurs, God bless us,
get so stuck in their minds when there is a challenge,
and they'll run away from it. And black and brown entrepreneurs,
we're notorious for that. As soon as the money gets
(06:22):
really really tight, we'll just say, Okay, I'm going to
go back to you know, whatever this safety net job is.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
And I tell it's always right.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
And I tell people all the time, if you're looking
for investment dollars and you still have a backup plan,
you're not gonna get those investment dollars for me if
you still.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Have a job. Fun See that again, that means that
you have a fallback.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
Why would I put my money behind someone who isn't
who has not taken the full risk.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
I took the full risk. That's why I can.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Invest in your company, the whole risk, knowing that there
is no plan feed, there is no oh if this
doesn't work, I'm going to do this and that's a
huge thing because you know what if we get into
you know, your investment history and stuff. I think oftentimes
in our community and too, people are like, well, I
don't get it. I don't understand. You know, I have
to bootstrap to get here. But you have to be
(07:13):
really intentional about when you're going for venture capital and
what it means when you're asking for other people's money.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
And I want you to be all the way in
listen as an investor. Plan B distracts from planing.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
So if there's any element in Plan B, like any
element of a Plan.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
B, there's zero chance to get zero.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
I want to know that I love him to do
what Tito did, which was literally couch surf for seven years,
to max out every single credit card, to give away
more vodka than you can imagine in order to make
sure his bottles were in the well. And you're talking
about a time frame in which no bank would give
him money, no spirit companies would invest in him. And
(08:00):
so everyone looks at Tito's now and goes, oh, my gosh,
it's worth thirty billion dollars, YadA YadA, yeah, and they
make it seem like it's an overnight success.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
But it's one. It's been twenty five.
Speaker 1 (08:10):
Years, and two over ten of those years he spent
completely broken.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
I'm going to say something, y'all, and we'll come back because.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
I want to.
Speaker 2 (08:18):
I want to definitely hone in on your journey. But
what's really interesting is like, not only are you dropping
gems about your own success, you know intimate details about
other people in your industry that have been super successful.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
And that already to me.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
I want you guys to understand, like, in order to
be successful, and you know, part of it is studying
your competitors, understanding other things that other people have done.
I did know that about Tito's but I know that
you knew in order to be successful. You're like, I
got to see what the roadmap is for other people
did it and recognizing like sleeping on a couch is
not sexy. Entrepreneurship is not always sexy. It's never easy,
(08:55):
but you gotta do what you gotta do to get
to the end of the line. Yeah, thanks for listening
to today episode. If we helped you make your money move,
please share it with your community. Subscribe and leave us
a review on iHeartRadio and Apple Podcasts. Follow us on
social media. At Greenwood and visit us at Gogreenwood dot
com for more financial tips and remember, money Movers. If
(09:16):
this were easy, everyone would do it. So take the
lessons you've learned from this episode and apply it to
your life. Money Moves is an iHeartRadio podcast powered by
Greenwood Executive produced by Sunwise Media, Inc. For more podcasts
on iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you get your podcasts from. Make sure to tune in Monday,
(09:38):
Wednesday and Friday and subscribe to the Money Moves podcast
powered by Greenwood, so that you too can have the
keys to financial freedom you so rightly deserve. Until next time,
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