Heather Dougherty, Red White and Rosé
Raising a Glass to Women in Business
Three years ago, Heather started Red White & Rosé, a company running fun informative wine events across the South East. Having spent ten years working in the travel industry, Heather developed her passion for wine as a hobby at evening classes. During a break in her career to have children, Heather retrained for a diploma in wines and spirits and, what started out as a couple of wine tasting events, progressed into the successful company that Red White & Rosé is today.
Heather recognises that skills she developed in her former career as an account director in the travel industry stood her in good stead to run her own company. “Previously, I did a lot of presenting, which together with my wine knowledge, forms the crux of my business,” she says. “Most people hate the thought of getting up in front of people, but as a result of my experience, I don’t mind public speaking at all.”
Heather runs events for businesses who are entertaining clients or rewarding employees, as well as for any number of groups who already have an interest in wine. She presents to groups of six up to ninety-six. As a mother, Heather runs events to fit around school holidays, so although the business is steadily growing, her events fall into a seasonal pattern. The recent economic downturn has also impacted on Heather’s business model. “When I first started Red White & Rosé, I focused my marketing on events for corporate customers. In the last quarter of 2008, the corporate side of the business slowed down and I realised that I would have to expand the company’s focus,” explains Heather.
“I introduced a wine education component to the business, which attracts both wine novices and more knowledgeable students alike. Over a number of evenings, each attendee builds up their wine knowledge and develops confidence in tasting, which is a great boost for me and the business,” says Heather.
Heather’s primary motivations for starting Red White & Rosé were to establish a career in a field in which she was passionate and to build a business to fit in with her family. When she compared the options of working for herself and working for someone else, there was a huge financial consideration in paying for childcare, so the natural choice was to start-up her own company that would allow her to achieve a work/life balance.
Having made the decision to start up Red White & Rosé, Heather turned to Business Link for advice and took part in a number of workshops, which offered guidance to people looking to start a business, along with mentoring and networking opportunities. “My greatest fear when starting my own company was the fear of failure,” admits Heather. “I was confident in my wine knowledge and presenting skills, but setting up on my own meant that I also took on responsibility for bookkeeping and sales & marketing, aspects of business which I had no prior expertise.”
“As I work alone, and only recruit temporary staff when executing an event, I relish networking opportunities with other women, not only for creating business contacts, but also for personal support,” says Heather. “Business friendships that I have built in this way are worthwhile as they act as surrogate colleagues, with which to share the highs and lows of running your own enterprise.”
Heather believes that there is a host of women, like her, thinking of embarking on a second career with much to offer the world of business. “There is a great untapped potential in women who have valuable skills and experience, but who are not currently in the labour market for a variety of reasons,” she says. “Economic downturn could mean that more women will start up their own businesses, perhaps out of necessity, resulting in a richer economy overall.”
