Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Ventrice.
Hi Renee, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story is currently in the chapter where I’ve achieved my lifelong dream of becoming a bestselling author. Its humble beginnings were as a military brat who grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska as number 5 out of 6 siblings. My father was enlisted in the Air Force and in the 70s, times were hard even though he was serving our country.
Growing up, my reality did not include going to college or being anything more than a mid-level worker for someone else. In fact, until I joined the military and went overseas in 1990, it never occurred to me that I could be anything of real impact in the world, not a doctor, president, or winner of beauty pageants- they simply weren’t attainable for little black girls in the America I grew up in.
Spending my twenties in Europe as a US Navy sailor gave me a new perspective on my potential; I realized that I could be almost anything I wanted to be, as long as I believed in myself and put in the work.
I learned lessons about leadership- just as many from the bad leaders as from the good- and how to create and nurture strong teams. Even though joining the service was one of the best decisions of my life, I entrepreneured my way out of the Navy in 1995 when it became clear that my ideas on how to make our cryptologic processes better were unwanted.
It was clear that being in the Navy was a chapter not a career. I eventually used that experience to chart my own path and become a trailblazer and advocate for other entrepreneurs.
I wandered through a variety of jobs on the way to discovering my true passion and purpose. From being a DJ and personal trainer to working in luxury travel and for a prominent regional magazine, I gathered workforce experience that showed me everything I didn’t want for my future: being paid to build the dreams of others instead of building my own.
I learned a very hard lesson about trusting others, while working for a local pet industry business, I built opportunities and revenue for them to become a national franchise. Because I naively trusted their word, I was robbed of promised equity. From that moment forward my motto became “in God we trust, all others sign contracts”!
Now they are a major franchise with over 65 locations nationwide, but instead of letting bitterness eat away at me, I delight in the fact that they see that nothing they have done can stop me from creating my own success.
I bet on myself and became a full-time entrepreneur in 2019, doubling down on a winery and brewery tour company I started with my husband in 2016, building it into an award-winning business that we sold for profit in 2023.
During that incredible ride, 2020 came along and brought another setback- covid shut us down during the quarantine. This slammed the door on my plans to franchise that business, but that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
My community-driven marketing strategy during our shutdown made such a loud impact on social media, that Meta for Business filmed a piece on me about resilience during the quarantine, how you start relevant in the face of the pandemic. It went viral with over 18 million views and set in motion my current career as a mentor and marketing strategist with my trademarked program, Bizlationships®️. It also opened doors for me with invitations to Capitol Hill to advocate for small and micro businesses in Virginia ensuring that our challenges are heard by government leaders.
But the wine industry wasn’t finished with me yet. More opportunities and a passion for wine continue to grow within me. I began hosting virtual and in-person events and became an event speaker, sharing wine POURsonalities®️ at the American Wine Society National Conference, speaking at the Wine and Culture Fest and Arival global tourism conferences.
Now, as a Sommelier with Sommsation and my signature Wineauxclock® brand, I have the opportunity to bring my inclusive, interactive style of wine edu-tainment to people who once considered wine beyond their reach. I leverage these platforms to serve up wine knowledge to all who crave it, regardless of race, age, or current level of wine experience.
I’ve been humbled by both failure and success as an entrepreneur. Until I retire, I’ll help others skip the mistakes I made along the way and show then how to make work a pleasure through building community around their brands.
I live a fulfilled life in Northern Virginia with my best friend and husband, Don, who I fell in love with while we were both stationed in Rota Spain in 1993, and our 27 year old son, Gino.
We’re wringing the most out of every life moment through luxury travel, quiet nights in with friends and family, and spending every moment we can with our 19 ½ year old Jack Russell, Beemer.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
( excerpt from my story above)
I learned a very hard lesson about trusting others, while working for a local pet industry business, I built opportunities and revenue for them to become a national franchise. Because I naively trusted their word, I was robbed of promised equity. From that moment forward my motto became “in God we trust, all others sign contracts”!
Now they are a major franchise with over 65 locations nationwide, but instead of letting bitterness eat away at me, I delight in the fact that they see that nothing they have done can stop me from creating my own success.
I bet on myself and became a full-time entrepreneur in 2019, doubling down on a winery and brewery tour company I started with my husband in 2016, building it into an award-winning business that we sold for profit in 2023.
During that incredible ride, 2020 came along and brought another setback- covid shut us down during the quarantine. This slammed the door closed on my plans to franchise that business, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Depending on who you ask, I am known as “that lady who monetized day drinking” or they say “ask Renee, she knows everyone and makes the best referrals.”
My business community, both online and in person, know that I am passionate about wine beyond the glass, and a fierce advocate for local and small business. I strive to destroy the default in both industries- defying sterotypes and opening eyes to greatness they miss out on by making assumptions.
What I’m increasingly becoming well known for is my #1 best seller, POUR Relationship Choices. The book is a collection of humorous stories that uncork the similarities between the wine and your glass and the people in your life.
It debuted at number one on Amazon in four categories on June 5th, 2025 and continues to hit number one in various categories. I think it’s becoming so closely associated with me because it’s part memoir and part wine edu-tainment. The book includes many people in my life, and stories that others can relate to because of their own similar experiences, exploring a never-ending curiosity about what makes wine so special beyond the glass.
I am currently writing the next book in the series and recording the POUR Relationship Choices audiobook, with the goal of launching a national book tour in 2027 that connects people to the lifecycle of wine and how it relates to both personal and professional experiences.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I don’t have a lot of happy childhood memories. I was bullied until Junior High, so spent much of my time alone and reading books, trying to escape others.
But one memory does stand out and still impacts my life to this day. When I was 14, I was hospitalized with serious hernia surgeries. In the family waiting area there were always jigsaw puzzles, and my father and I started doing them to pass the time while I recuperated.
Over the years it became our way of connecting, whether I was stationed overseas in Europe or living in another state.
We still do jigsaw puzzles together to this day, even though he lives in Nebraska and I live in Virginia. Sometimes we will buy the same puzzle and do them simultaneously. Or, we will finish a puzzle, box it up and send it to the other.
But it’s also a fabulous metaphor for what he taught me about life. That its path to success is not set in stone and there’s more than one way to take the journey.
It takes patience and is filled with challenges, sometimes doesn’t make any sense and feels like it’s never going to come together.
Yet, as you continue locking the pieces into the right spots, something beautiful forms, and who you are meant to be is suddenly right there in front of you.
His chapter in the book is called “The Puzzle and the Patriarch”, I highly recommend it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.reneeventrice.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/reneeventriceofficial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reneeventrice
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renee-ventrice
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@reneeventrice
- Substack: https://substack.com/@wineauxclock
- Other: https://www.amazon.com/Pour-Relationship-Choices-Every-Beyond-ebook/dp/B0FBXB18P9
Image Credits
Studio 151 Studios
Shannon Louise Photography
