DeepSummary
This is a transcript of a podcast episode featuring Fawn Weaver, a serial entrepreneur and New York Times bestselling author. Fawn shares her journey of creating Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, the fastest-growing whiskey brand in US history, after learning about the story of Uncle Nearest Green, the slave who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey. She discusses the importance of confidence in leadership and success, and how she overcame challenges like homelessness and suicidal thoughts earlier in life.
Fawn talks about the serendipitous moments that led her to purchase the 300-acre farm in Tennessee where Nearest taught Jack Daniel, and her decision to honor Nearest's legacy through a whiskey brand rather than a book or movie. Despite having no background in distilling and facing an industry dominated by white men and major corporations, Fawn shares how her conviction and determination helped her build a $100+ million revenue company.
The interview covers Fawn's daily rituals, tactics for pushing past fear and challenges, her experience fundraising, and the importance of knowing your 'why' when starting a business. Fawn emphasizes the role of faith, continuously learning from failures, and focusing on the bigger purpose as key factors in her success.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Confidence is learned through facing and overcoming challenges in life.
- Having faith and believing in a higher purpose can provide confidence and determination.
- It's important to focus on the 'why' or purpose behind starting a business, not just the 'what'.
- Finding one initial believer and investor can open up access to an entire network.
- Perseverance and not giving up in the face of adversity is crucial for success.
- Embracing failures and learning from them can build strength and confidence.
- Establishing boundaries and being willing to outgrow certain relationships is necessary for growth.
- Seizing serendipitous opportunities and being open to pivoting can lead to unexpected success.
Top Episodes Quotes
- โAnd so for the longest time, as people, as I began getting out there, more and more and they would tell my husband, your wife's a great marketer. She's more than that. But okay. And I would just because he knew I wasn't bothered by it, he was able to just do what he could do to support the company. What it allowed my team and me to do is to fly completely under the radar as we built a company in an industry in which no person of color has ever succeeded as a founder and CEO, ever.โ by Fawn Weaver
- โYou must begin with the why. If you begin with the what, you will fail. You must begin with the why. Why are you doing it? So, for me, I am going to cement the legacy of Nairs green. But that why has evolved. Once I learned there has never been a person of color to successfully found and own and run a spirit company, it became, I need to create the blueprint for the one who will come behind me, and I need to pull as I climb, and I need to show them that they can do this, no matter how challenging it is.โ by Fawn Weaver
Entities
Person
Company
Book
Product
Organization
Episode Information
Behind Her Empire
Yasmin Nouri
6/10/24
In this weekโs episode, weโre re-airing one of our top episodes from last year with Fawn Weaver. Fawn is a serial entrepreneur and NYTimes bestselling author, and when she learned about the story of Uncle Nearest Green โ the slave who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey โ she decided to create a company that would bring his legacy to life.
After learning about Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel's interconnected history, Fawn followed the story down to Tennessee, which led her to purchase the 300-acre farm in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Nearest taught Jack how to distill. She initially thought of honoring Nearest's story with a book or movie, but decided the best way to preserve his legacy was with a bottle of the best Tennessee whiskey she could make. With no background in distilling, she threw herself into an industry mostly dominated by white men and a few major corporations. Since they launched, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has become the fastest growing whiskey brand in US history, and has over $100+ million in revenue.
In our conversation, Fawn discusses the importance of confidence in leadership and success, and what we can all do today to build more confidence in our lives. She shares her early life challenges, from homelessness to suicidal thoughts, and how she overcame the toughest of times and the biggest learnings she had along the way. Fawn talks about the serendipity around her launching her business and the biggest factors that have helped create the incredible growth theyโve seen, and so much more.
In this episode, weโll talk to Fawn about:
* How Fawn has cultivated her confidence in the darkest of times. [03:09]
* Faith's role in Fawn's confidence. [04:58]
* Practical approach to how Fawn overcomes any fear in her life. [06:23]
* Handling bad days; giving herself space and having a pray-first approach in everything. [10:16]
* Fawn's most impactful experience: Leaving home at 15, third homeless shelter [15:55]
* Fawn's perspective on boundaries and outgrowing people. [26:24]
* The pivotal moment when Fawn learned about Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel's interconnected history and how it inspired her journey. [30:46]
* Fawn's whiskey venture epiphany without prior experience. [39:50]
* Having an all-women leadership team in a male-dominated spirits industry. [42:10]
* Early brand awareness tactics and business growth factors. [46:52]
* Fawnโs experience fundraising and how she managed the rejections early on. [50:41]
* Finding the gem inside failure and how it builds confidence and strength. [57:07]
* The importance of knowing your "Whyโ when it comes to starting a business. [59:07]
This episode is brought to you by beeya:ย
* Learn more about beeya's seed cycling bundle at https://beeyawellness.com/free to find out how to tackle hormonal imbalances.ย
* Get $10 off your order by using promo code BEHINDHEREMPIRE
Follow Yasmin:
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yasminknouri/
* Website: https://www.behindherempire.com/
Follow Fawn:
* Website: https://unclenearest.com/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unclenearest/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fawn.weaver/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.