00:10Hi guys. Hi Ingrid. How's it going? It's fantastic. Where are we? This looks really cool. We are at
00:18Butter Art Fair in Inglewood, California and it is magical and I can't wait to take you guys inside.
00:24Well, take us. Show us around. Let's go. A fun fact, iBest Wines is a partner, an official wine partner
00:31for Butter Art Fair and I brought you a little gift. You have a gift? My art. You can't come
00:38to an art fair and not have my art, iBest Wines, so this is for you. Oh wow, thanks. This
00:42is amazing. You're welcome. So I can only imagine it was a little bit challenging starting your own business and
00:48starting iBest Wines. What was that process like for you?
00:50Ooh, starting iBest Wines. The process was anchored in courage and faith. Okay. So after 20 years of being in
00:56a wine and spirits industry, I decided to bet on myself. I always had this dream in my head and
01:01my heart. And two years ago, I launched iBest Wines and I'm super proud.
01:06And one of the key ingredients to how I approached iBest Wines was making sure that the five black women
01:13that I tapped to help build the brand with me have equity in the business. And so very similar to
01:19Butter Art Fair, where these artists are getting 100% of their sales.
01:23So we have wine, we have art. You describe yourself as a multi-hyphenate. Like, how does that come together?
01:28You know what? I've been going all day. I need a little snack.
01:30You want a snack?
01:31I absolutely want a snack.
01:33Okay, come on.
01:33This looks amazing. Thank you.
01:34Yes, I'm a cookie girl. So multi-hyphenate. I'm not only a wine negotiant, I'm the creative director for iBest
01:41Wines.
01:42I participate in a lot of patronage work adjacent to the art community. I have dreams and aspirations to one
01:50day curate my own art show or art fair.
01:53And so it really means someone that isn't allowing themselves to be put in a box. I am not just
01:58the founder of iBest Wines. I am many things.
02:01Speaking of that, what's a typical day like for you?
02:03I'm going for 16, 17 hours and a lot of phone calls, a lot of commercial meetings, goals, objectives that
02:12we're trying to meet as a startup business.
02:14But it also is a lot of connection point to the art community.
02:19You know, we do tons of partnerships with artists and galleries.
02:25We've had our wine port and museums.
02:27So it's a lot of also finding the right opportunities to have our brand, my art, connected to.
02:34We have art. We have wine. We have cookies. I think we have more art, too. Can you show us
02:38some more?
02:38We have more art. Come on. I want to show you.
02:40And there is an artist, when we turn this corner, that you're going to see that I love.
02:45April Bay. She is one of my faves.
02:48Look at this work. Look at this work. Do you see this?
02:51It looks amazing.
02:52So amazing. And again, Butter Art Fair is all about prioritizing the artist first.
02:58So 100 percent of the sales from butter goes back to the artist.
03:02And so to me, that is such a beautiful winning recipe for this community, this art community.
03:09Right. And oftentimes that hasn't always been the case.
03:12Speaking of that, sometimes starting out can be very challenging.
03:15What's one challenge that you face starting out with your business and how did you overcome?
03:18Yeah. You know, I think for many women founders, one of the biggest challenges is raising capital.
03:25And so programs that have grants and opportunities to really support women founders is something that I really encourage entrepreneurs
03:34to look into.
03:35So I would say the first thing is really having the capital you need to get started and to keep
03:40going and to scale.
03:41What's this painting behind us? It's got some fur there.
03:45April Bay. More April Bay. Do you guys see this?
03:48She is truly one of, in my opinion, the more prolific artists of our time.
03:54I've had the pleasure of seeing her work not only here, but at art fairs around the United States.
04:00And I'm just really happy for her.
04:02And I think she exemplifies everything that Butter Art Fair is trying to do here in Inglewood, California.
04:10And you exemplify empowerment.
04:11So as a black woman, how are you empowering yourself and other black women through your business?
04:16Yeah. So, you know, listen, I think it's hugely important for those of us who are on this entrepreneurial journey
04:22to share our journey as much as possible.
04:24So I do tons of mentoring for young women who are just kind of trying to find their way.
04:30I also have a group of women that work with me.
04:33Again, I mentioned they all have equity in their brand.
04:35And that was hugely important to me because, you know, you should own what you build.
04:40Ibis Wines is minded in community.
04:43It's minded in equity.
04:44And it's minded in wealth building.
04:47Well, speaking of wealth building and helping others, it seems like you have a very, very busy life.
04:52But do you have time for self-care?
04:53I, you know, prioritize rest.
04:56I start my day with intentional walks, you know, meditative walks.
05:01I'm really big on just getting in time with nature.
05:06So going out to see a sunset to end my day and to also just, I think, pace, right?
05:12Pace is a sign of maturity.
05:13And I think for entrepreneurs, we're always on the go.
05:16So reminding ourselves that part of that secret ingredient to being truly successful is to also make sure that you're
05:23taking care of yourself and you're prioritizing rest.
05:26Speaking of reminders, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs out there?
05:29All great things take time.
05:31So my big advice is don't rush the process.
05:34You got to fall in love with the process.
05:37And all great things take time.
05:39Well, thank you so much for taking the time, Ingrid.
05:41I'm so glad y'all came to Butter Art Fair.
05:43And now it's time for some Famous Amos and my art, some Ibis Wines.
05:48Well, don't worry, sis.
05:48We got you.
05:49Let's do it.
