Side Hustle Pro

443: She Side Hustled Her Way To a Multi-Million Dollar Wine Business (Feat. Whitney Gates)

Dec 18, 2024

45:30

This week in the guest chair we have Whitney Gates, an experienced marketing leader turned entrepreneur as co-founder and CEO of Wondry Wine. Her diversified skill set is driven by over 13 years of experience in brand management, shopper marketing and sales across Fortune 200 companies.

Rejecting exclusivity, Wondry presents customers with a more approachable, stronger, semi-sweet wine. Drawing inspiration from her disabled uncle’s wine-making journey, Whitney’s hustled her way into becoming a multi-million dollar company in just a few years.

In this episode she shares:

How she went from making wine herself and doing door to door selling to launching Wondry online and expanding onto Target shelves
What it takes to stand out in a crowded market (and even get a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank)
The importance of understanding your customer and adjusting your pitch accordingly

Highlights include:

0:00 – Introduction to Whitney Gates

8:17 – Launching Wondry

11:20 – Defining Wondry’s category: wine vs. cocktail hybrid

15:00 – Investing in the business

18:40 – Door-to-door sales and proof of concept

31:00 – Whitney’s Shark Tank experience and partnering with Mark Cuban

34:00 – Becoming profitable and managing costs as you scale

41:00 – Tips for entrepreneurs

Check out episode 443 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Links mentioned in this episode

Wondry Wine Website: https://www.drinkwondry.com
Follow Wondry’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondrywine
Side Hustle Pro Website: https://www.sidehustlepro.co

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