Start with what you love
“I’ve had a love affair with rum for a really long time, and I’m enamored with the history of rum distilling in this country. Rum was the first spirit [Americans] distilled, and it was so important to the formation of the United States. ‘The Noble Experiment’ was the nickname for prohibition. I had this dream and vision to bring rum distilling back to New York — eventually that dream got too loud to ignore. I believe in exposing the power and deliciousness of the spirit.”
Only answer to yourself
“I’m inherently entrepreneurial. I’ve always wanted to have my own business and work for myself. I found out really early in my career that I didn’t want to work for anybody else and I didn’t like to take orders from anyone. It’s very liberating to be running your own show. It’s also difficult and challenging, but I had a real vision that I couldn’t stop thinking about, so I needed to make it a reality.”
Don’t overthink, just do
“I didn’t think too much about my decision. It was equal parts blind ambition, foolishness, and excitement. Once I was inspired, I had blinders on. I told my family six months before I left my job that I was leaving a six-figure salary, a beautiful apartment, and a huge career trajectory to pour my life’s savings and go into debt to build a distillery in Brooklyn. This was by far the biggest risk I’ve ever taken in my entire life. By the time I left my job, I went knocking on my parents’ door to move in with them. They were very welcoming and supportive, and they have been ever since. It was a long time getting out, but I don’t live with them anymore.”
On crossing gender lines
“I think that being a female distiller gets me attention, but there are actually a lot of women in this industry that people don’t know about. I like to use the attention to share with the world that there are a lot of other females involved with the industry. Historically, of course, it’s been an all-boys club. I have two employees, and both of them are women. I didn’t set out thinking, I’m going to have an all-female distillery. They were the best available talent. We drive forklifts and do ‘stereotypically masculine activities.’ [But,] there should never be any lines. [And, if there are,] you should always be crossing them.”
Don’t let anxiety paralyze you
“There is no ‘day-to-day.’ I was at the distillery in the morning, I’m at a photo shoot now, I’m running back to the distillery after, I have a meeting with a journalist later, and tonight I have four meetings in bars and restaurants to sell. Tomorrow, we’ll be bottling about 1,200 bottles and at night going out for account visits. There’s no standard day for me. Anxiety can easily paralyze you, so you have to keep moving forward. Take it day by day. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but once you take a deep breath and prioritize, you’ll get through everything you need to do.”
What makes me feel my best
“My own personality is what makes me feel confident. Be secure with who you are and your role in this particular life. As long as you’re comfortable in your own skin and with your own achievements, it should make you feel bold.”