Today we’d like to introduce you to Ericka Blount.
Hi Ericka, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My favorite verse in the Bible is Proverbs 22:1; it reads, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” I was born and raised in Georgia and my last name is everything. In Georgia, I established myself and my brand as an entrepreneur, educator, community activist and more. A few years ago, I moved to Texas and came to realize I needed to rebuild my brand because no one was familiar with my passion. I had not established myself as I did in Atlanta. After moving here, I launched a delicate mental journey, establishing my passion using my name as a brand in Texas.
I have a multifaceted background. My mission is to help people and leave a legacy on this world that loves and heals. Currently, I serve as a counselor and youth advocate for underserved students with behavior challenges. Many of the students I encounter have a desire to become independent within a career choice. In this generation, poverty-stricken students have not been given the appropriate tools to completely understand the concept of being an entrepreneur, branding themselves in a positive light, while overcoming unfortunate circumstances. This inspired the idea of inaugurating an in-house entrepreneurial program for the students. Educating the importance of envisioning, to transform those ideas into reality by developing business philosophies to go from planning to sales.
Eventually, I found myself lengthening the resources intended for students to cultivate my business. I built a t-shirt brand to highlight/brand my name and sold large quantities to teachers and other educational institutions. At the time, I did not realize inspiring the students continually inspired me to progress as an entrepreneur. I became determined to continually grow and share my ideas with as many individuals as possible. While having dinner with a friend, who owns a winery, I shared an idea for expanding my brand. “Needs more information about the process of creating the wine business.”
The opportunity to start a wine business was a natural progression in terms of my knowledge of sales, and my desire to help others. The wine business has been extremely lucrative.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest barrier I faced and others will face is that wine is a white male-dominated industry. Even with what’s going on with the Black Lives Matter movement and other things, it’s been tough to get distribution. I had a distribution deal, but they dropped me, saying my wine sales were too slow. But we know that wasn’t true because I outsold the top wines in 90 to 100 days. I was outselling the top wines in the state, but they dropped me. So, if you don’t have distribution in certain states, you cannot sell. It’s hard for minority-owned wine brands to get distribution deals.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
So, just a couple of key pointers about my background. I’m a child of Clinton and Ruby Blount, who own a boys’ home and youth program located on 431 acres located in Georgia. It’s not just American minority children; some are from international countries. I have the privilege of growing up in a world where probably only 1 to 2% of people get an opportunity to be raised. I grew up with a love for helping serve underserved people and families. I was an avid basketball, softball, and volleyball player and ended up attending Savannah State University, an HBCU, on two full scholarships. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Biology and Chemistry and followed in my father’s footsteps with teaching.
I ended up going into the education field, which was convenient because I had a son at 21 years old. And so that took me into navigating through the educational system and serving people. I ended up coming out to Houston at the age of around about 40-41 years old. I have lived here for about four or five years.
My aunt, the angelic one of my family who helped to run the boys’ home back in Georgia, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer. The family crisis changed our world. She was trying to figure out a course to heal, and we needed to start putting a plan together just in case things did not “go our way” with her diagnosis. I ended up going into the let me cure role because of my biology and chemistry degrees. And because of my contacts within the medical industry, I was buying things from overseas before they were deemed okay and acceptable. At that time, I had a position at an alternative school in Houston, where I was the lead counselor responsible for laying out the social-emotional program for the school. It was the first alternative school that had such a program. During the day, I balanced my work life, but then I tried to balance my emotions at night. This was my family’s first deal with a long-term illness. The emotional baggage led me to start a program at the alternative school where I wanted to help the children eat better. I just wanted our people to be more aware of cancer, its effect on our bodies, and how it affects minorities. I was researching at night to find a cure, and I started an urban garden in school. I implemented the first urban garden and alternative program in the United States.
One of the guys working with me said, “Look, you’re flying back and forth from Georgia to Texas every weekend. It would help if you got a break. You look tired.” He begged me to go with him to a winery here in Texas, and of course, I don’t drink wine. He didn’t know that, but it was supposed to be a surprise. I told him I’ll go. We went to a winery, and as I looked, I said, dude, I don’t even drink. And he said, “Well, just come on in, but relax.”
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I subscribed to the Wine Enthusiast and I am inspired by Fawn Weaver.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.blountwinetherapy.com
- Instagram: blountwinetherapy
- Facebook: blountwinetherapy
Image Credits
info@paradigm-pg.com
Distinction Management Group
B&H Community Outreach Corp
