If you aren’t familiar with our community of Cause Entrepreneurs at ONEHOPE, we’re here to change that. With over 3,000 CE’s and counting, our ONEHOPE community is growing bigger by the day. So who are these incredible, hard-working, philanthropic community members and what do they do to make an impact? We’re excited for you to meet them, and learn all about what they do in our new blog series: Meet the Cause Entrepreneur. First up, we have Wendy who’s been with ONEHOPE for over 3 years! Get to know her below!
1. How were you first introduced to ONEHOPE?
I was a music and wine lover living in Napa while I was on maternity leave with my kids. I stumbled upon ONEHOPE at Bottle Rock Music Festival. I spent most of my time hanging out at the gorgeous ONEHOPE booth with my kids because it was right at the back of the main stage. While visiting the booth, I got to talk to some of the founders, take photos with glitter bottles in the selfie station, put ONEHOPE tattoos on my kids, and most importantly I was able to support the ASPCA with every glass of Pinot Noir I purchased that day. I fell in love with the branding and the people and decided to take a chance on a new career. It was the best adventure I’ve taken so far.
2. What made you want to become a Cause Entrepreneur?
As a mom of three toddlers it’s easy to lose yourself and your identity while watching kids all day. I wanted to be home with my kids but I also needed a night out every once in a while! ONEHOPE gave me the ability to step out and fundraise with my friends and local businesses and tell my husband that I was working, even though I was mostly just having fun. And in the middle of all the fun, I’ve created an income for my family and an identity for myself.
3. What is one thing we don’t know about you?
I moved to Las Vegas to be a “Bird Girl” at Mandalay Bay when I was 20 years old. I trained exotic parrots and flew them through the casino in a show I did daily.
4. How long have you been a Cause Entrepreneur?
I have been with ONEHOPE since 2015 and I am now a top level Senior Executive Director. My team grew organically over time and they are the reason I love this company even more than when I started.
5. How would you describe your wine knowledge before becoming a Cause Entrepreneur? How would you describe it now?
I was never a wine snob but always had a discerning palate. At the beginning, I never pretended to know all the answers, I always just asked people to give me grace because I was still learning. Now it’s hard for people to find a question that stumps me. I’ve gained so much knowledge from our amazing winemaking team and all of the new varietals I’ve been able to try over the years.
6. What does the term “cause entrepreneur” mean to you?
For me it means being free to make an income and an impact the way I want to and within the scheduling of my family. It means never missing soccer games and being present to help my kids with their homework. It also means donating money to charities that I never had the funds to donate to before, and giving companies an opportunity to work give-back into their business models through our corporate gifting program.
7. How would you describe the flexibility of being a CE?
The best part about a job like this is that you can be flexible with how you manage your time. I work out and I talk to my gym about hosting a wine party. I drop my kids off at school and I talk to the PTA president about doing a fundraiser. The Bachelorette premiere is coming up so I call my friends and see who wants to host a get-together. I work my business into my everyday life so I can keep the rest of my time free for my littles.
8. How do you balance being a mom with your ONEHOPE business? When do you find the time?
Time, what’s that? Mom’s don’t have that. In fact, we give that up the second we give birth, and now I have three of them. It’s not about having time or finding time – it’s about creating it. It’s about waking up and saying that you’re going to do at least one thing for yourself and your business today. So in order to create time that doesn’t exist I talk about ONEHOPE wherever I go and whatever I do. I took my baby to a Montessori-inspired local playground for his first birthday and while he played, I chatted with the owner about doing a “Mom’s Only Night”. She loved the idea and we booked an event… even better I made a new mom friend. I didn’t need to find time, I created it by doing my business while I lived my normal everyday life.
9. How has giving back impacted your life?
It’s truly an honor to do what we do and see the impact that we make. My team alone gave over $15k to local charities in the month of November. I’m consistently in awe of what happened when I decided to join ONEHOPE and the ripple that it created over time. What we are capable of as a team now completely humbles me as a person. I could have never in my wildest dreams imagined that one decision, me joining ONEHOPE, could lead to helping so many people and benefitting so many lives. It may sound sappy but it really is an overwhelmingly good feeling.
10. What is the most surprising aspect of being a CE?
What surprises me the most is that I wasn’t friends with everyone in the CE community before. How is that even possible? I would have never imagined that because I had great friends already and didn’t join to make new friends. But I kept meeting people along the way with the same vibe as me and I couldn’t not love and adore them. New people join everyday and it feels like I’m always meeting my new best friend because so often in this company the types of people who join all seem to have the same core values. Amazing women who work hard for their families and children, love to support others, find strength in community, and love a glass of wine at the end of day.
How You Can Become a Cause Entrepreneur
Want to find out more about how you can become a Cause Entrepreneur with ONEHOPE, be your own boss, and sell wine from home? If this sounds like an opportunity you’d be interested in, click the button below for more information!
Cheers,
The ONEHOPE Wine Team
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