Breaking Barriers: Kavita Channe Is Unleashing Her Potential And Disrupting The Spirits Industry As A Wine Expert
She is a groundbreaking winepreneur and a person of great influence bringing people together through her award winning creation.
“I remember very vividly people saying that I “should” put the business on the back burner and focus on being a mom. I’m so glad I didn’t listen.”— Kavita Channe
MANHATTAN, NY, UNITED STATES, January 12, 2023/ EINPresswire.com / -- A true multi-talented, Kavita Channe is an entertainment dynamo known for her work as a TV host, producer, award winning winepreneur, Amazon Best-Selling author and philanthropist. In her long list of achievements, she also includes being a mother to Magical Micah and Mighty Maverick. Hailing from London with Indian ancestry, Channe moved to the U.S. at 5 years old and realized early on that she had a natural affinity for the camera.
Liana Zavo: Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Kavita Channe: Watching my father as a teenager create his own business, I always knew I would be an entrepreneur one day. After working in television for many years highlighting sports and entertainment, I took a well-deserved vacation to Europe and fell in love with rosé. And now here I am at the helm of Sip Channé.
LZ: Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
KC: There’s definitely a lack of funding for female entrepreneurs. At the same time when women are managing families, they could be less likely to take financial risk. I also feel that there should be more mentorship and peer groups to support woman that are in ownership roles. I recently went to a dinner hosted by Brown Brothers & Harriman that was all women entrepreneurs. Having that support, even now, makes the struggles of owning business more relatable when networking with other ladies going through or have gone through the same things as me.
LZ: What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about being a founder? Can you explain what you mean?
KC: The biggest myth that I want to dispel is people assuming that women with children can’t handle the responsibility of running a business. This myth really upsets me twofold. One being when I was in television I was very hesitant to even think about starting a family while sideline reporting and TV hosting for obvious reasons. I also get sad when I see colleagues and friends in television knowing that they want a family but also are hesitant for fear of losing their status with employers or fans. Secondly, when I launched my brand, Sip Channé, I had no plans to have kids at that time until I became pregnant. I remember very vividly people saying that I “should” put the business on the back burner and focus on being a mom. I’m so glad I didn’t listen.
LZ: Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
KC: Don’t try and do everything yourself. The first few years, I was trying conquer it all –networking, cold calling, doing tastings with potential customers, handling sales, the back end, social media, website, marketing, etc. and I got burnt out. The minute I starting bringing in the right team was the minute I was able to do what I do best and give them the ability to do what they do best as well. Now we are a team and growing much faster. Prepare for shipping issues. In this day and age, when items are shipped from anywhere –especially overseas - delays could potentially happen and cause you to lose a whole season of product. This was a huge challenge for us being that rosé is a seasonal drink in some places. Be prepared to always have a backup plan or two or three.
Whatever the amount of funding you think you will need to start your business, trust me, you’ll need more. This is a rite of passage of being an entrepreneur and business owner. You never truly know what you’ll need when you’re in the thick of it; no matter how much forecasting you’ve done. Pay attention to those close to you that actually buy your product and don’t ask for freebies. I’ve never been so shocked of how many free product requests come from those closest to me. Of course, I love to gift my new creation to those I love, however it really stuck out to me how many actually bought over requested. Most of you reading this are probably not an attorney or an accountant. With that being said, never skimp on outsourcing to professionals that know what they are doing. Invest in trusted legal, accountants, social media, web developers, marketers, and the list goes on. It’s a game-changer.
LZ: Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why?
KC: I wish could choose just one but I can’t. First, Gary V. who launched one of the first wine e-commerce businesses in America; growing that business from 3 million to 60 million. He’s also an immigrant, like me. I love how creative and open he is to possibilities. I really respect and appreciate everything he does for his businesses but mostly for others. Second, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia. These two are truly the world’s best dynamic duo. To have a mentor like Dany a female powerhouse and marketing genius and the guy who has record breaking sales in his one year launch of Teremana Tequila and is also one of the most genuine public personalities out there, to have them share any bits of advice on growing my business would be life changing. Can you imagine if I had all three at the same meal?! That would go down as one of the best moments in my life.
Liana Zavo
ZavoMedia PR Group
hello@zavomediapr.com