On a Friday night, almost seven years ago, I was ready for a glass of wine.
My friend Julio had sent word that his new business “Grand Cata” was organizing its first official South American wine tasting event. I emailed a few friends, and we each made our way to a local liquor store for what sounded like a pretty fun affair: Chilean and Argentinian wines, including Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenere, and a fruity Malbec.
Upon arrival, I caught sight of Julio set up behind a show counter. Bottles of wine at the ready, Julio greeted me enthusiastically before slowly pouring my first choice, the Chilean Malbec from Torrevieja. A story from Julio accompanied every small sip as I made my way across the trio of featured selections.
Little did I know that a modest 2-hour wine tasting event would crescendo years later into the opening of Grand Cata’s first storefront business in Washington, DC. Julio and his business partner Pedro had upgraded from a happy hour gig to the grand opening of the business of their dreams.
“Join us for our Grand Opening celebration! After two months of filling our shelves, building our team, and getting to know our amazing community, we are ready to bring everyone together for our first Grand Fiestazo! We'll showcase wines from South America as well as Rujero's Bolivian Singani. Our friends at El Tamarindo will provide delicious comida. The night is open to all, so see you at the shop! ¡Salud!”
Having worked for five years at a community-based economic development organization, I knew a thing or two about the risks and rewards of starting your own business. So how risky did this feel to Julio? How was he talking with Pedro, one of his closest friends, about this moment? And how was he facing into the uncertainty of whether his business would succeed?
Find out tomorrow on Episode 4 of The Cusp. Subscribe to The Cusp on Apple Podcasts and Stitcher.
