Today we’d like to introduce you to Ariana Chedraui.
Hi Ariana, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Like many, I was working full-time at a start-up company that had nothing to do with what I studied in college. I was working a job that helped make ends meet while hoping that something I was more passionate about came around. By 2018, I was hearing more and more about how young individuals were exploring passive income and how these entrepreneurs were making the shift to e-commerce to supplement their income. They made their own creative products and I wanted to learn more with hopes of making a similar lifestyle part of my life. I decided to pursue a passive-income route by creating a unique product involved in something I was passionate learning more about – wine! I love the idea of creating a product so I searched for something that did not yet exist, which became Vino Cards – A Wine Tasting Experience Through Flashcards. I began to see the immense growth opportunity and by 2019, I launched a Kickstarter that helped fund my first production run of Vino Cards and had it selling successfully on Amazon.
Soon after, I was inspired to focus 100% of my attention to my business to grow it more, so I quit my 9-5 job to pursue Vino Cards full-time. Today, I’ve expanded to sharing my entrepreneurial journey on YouTube in hopes they are inspired to pursue their dream life as I have with mine. I also have a separate wine-tasting YouTube channel to teach beginners about wine. Today, I am looking to expand into retail! Vino Cards is the perfect way to easily learn about wines, so you can become a wine expert and host your own wine events with friends and family. With Vino Cards, you will get to lead this new wine-tasting experience and share the joy of wine with the guidance of 50 flashcards containing essential information you need to know about wine. Vino Cards is split into 12 different categories including the Noble Whites, Noble Reds and regionally from France, Italy, South America, and all over the world. Each flashcard is labeled from 1-50 and by tasting them in that order, not only will you learn all about wine, but you will also get an around the world tasting experience.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Throughout this journey, it certainly has its ups and downs and by no means a smooth road! I’m the sole employee of my business, which means the majority of my energy is spent doing every facet of owning a company, even the parts that are not my strengths. With no prior experience in the business world, I looked to mentors to guide me through the launch process. It helped so much, especially with avoiding some costly mistakes such as misprints, inventory storage costs and shipping from abroad! Luckily, the internet also provides immense information on any sort of topic, from design ideas, manufacturing, inventory planning and Amazon, where I ultimately launched Vino Cards. One of the biggest challenges in the beginning was funding. With a little amount of start-up money, I shared my concept on Kickstarter which proved to be an amazing opportunity to see interest in the product and raise money to fund my first production run! Following the 30 days of my Kickstarter, I began manufacturing oversees and it took much longer than anticipated. In order to ensure I had the product ready for customers who supported the Kickstarter, there was day-in and day-out communication with the manufacturer and had to spend extra money on air shipping to get the products in on time. Air shipping is 3x more expensive than shipping by sea. The journey is a long and tedious one, everything from coming up with an idea to launching it online, but with some patience and feedback from people you trust, it’ll come to be and the achievement is oh so satisfying!
We’ve been impressed with Vino Cards, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Today, I am four years into owning my business and I’m loving it! I work solely on managing my website and social media to bring attention to my product Vino Cards! It sells primarily on Amazon so it’s easy and quick shipping for anyone interested! This year and the next, I am working on getting it into small local shops in the Los Angeles area. I love the culture surrounding wine drinking, it can be so fun to learn about different wine-making styles and the beautiful wine regions around the world. The idea of being surrounded by friends or family, celebrating life, exploring something new and learning how different foods complement wines sounded like my ultimate happy place. At first, it was intimidating for me as a novice wine drinker to dive into such a massive world that sommeliers and expert drinkers take pride in. Then to have the intention of learning it all without previous education in wine to break it down in flashcard form was a massive challenge for me. I want to help others learn about wine too without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed about wine-tasting notes in general. Over the course of just a few years, I’ve had people say that they found new wines they never knew they’d like by using my flashcards and that they were able to share it with loved ones. I think this is what I’m most proud of. It helped me realize what a great product this can be to bring people together and try something new. I want to make wine-tasting fun, enjoyable and show others that it can be simple to learn essential information that can lead to a long-term appreciation for wine. More importantly, to gain that wine appreciation with your loved ones. It’s an accessible and affordable product as well, making it the perfect product to have at home plus great gifts for birthdays and holidays!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I’d love to hear from the community and share notes on wine tasting! I’m always open to hearing someone’s experience with wine, what they love and maybe don’t love about wine culture. An open dialogue is welcomed and you can reach me at [email protected]. For any wonderful creatives out there that would like to collaborate, that email is also the best way to reach me. I sell Vino Cards directly on Amazon, just type in ‘Vino Cards’ into the search bar and it’ll pop right up or visit www.vinocards.com. I appreciate all the support and love for my product, it’s a passion product of mine and to see people use them to get together with friends or family and to explore new wines brings me so much joy! Stay up to date with the Vino Cards world on Instagram @vino_cards!
Pricing:
- 34.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.vinocards.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vino_cards/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbTkToPjqJdIEBlEKOMlVYg
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/c/ArianaChedraui/videos
