Taste, Describe, and Identify the Wines

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Bob Trimble, Owner of The Wine Guy LLC, located in West Chester, PA, USA.

What's your business, and who are your customers?

I am an importer and distributor of fine wine & spirits, as well as a wine educator and entrepreneur. Customers are the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, people who would like to learn more about wine and Wine & spirit companies that might need some consulting on sales and brand building.

Tell us about yourself

It all started with a bartending job while I was still in college at a fine dining restaurant with an incredible wine list! From there, I worked for a number of wine & spirit companies. After 35+ years in the business, I decided to open my own business and finely work for myself! I wanted to use all the incredible experiences that I acquired over the years to focus on what I liked best about the business, which was educating and selling quality wines. My daily motivation is to help people enjoy and understand what makes the best wines and how they can learn to make wine-buying decisions on their own!

What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?

I believe my biggest accomplishment was actually taking the first scary step to start my own business and believing in myself that I could actually make this work!

What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?

I believe one of the hardest things to running your own business is all the hats you are required to wear, from a salesman to an accountant to an IT guy. It always looks great from the outside, but there are many requirements of a business owner that are not very enjoyable, but you do them so you can enjoy the freedom that comes with working for yourself and being able to create a job that you have a great passion for and are happy to get up every day and go to work!

What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?

Get a mentor who can save you a lot of time and frustration to figure things out, preferably in the same type of business, and also inspire you to keep going!
Try to start your business first as a side hustle, so it takes a bit of the pressure off, and the mistakes you'll make at the beginning won't sink you.
Once you finally commit to full-time, stay focused and just keep going, one small step at a time, and remember that it always looks darkest before dawn. Never stop believing in yourself!

Where can people find you and your business?

Website: https://www.phillywineguy.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bobtrimble/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobtrimblephillywineguy/

If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.

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