Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

Before founding Just Enough Wines, I worked in big tech. From Google, to Uber, and to Lime, I spent many years in roles across Marketing, Product, and Operations; however, I constantly found myself unfulfilled. I knew I wasn’t following my passions, I was constantly the only female in the room, and I was tired of making money for someone else. 

It all hit me at the end of 2019 – I was on vacation in Spain, wine tasting, and was absolutely dreading going back to work. I was much more fascinated by the culture of wine, than I was the inner workings of a scooter, and I knew I needed to make a change. No one should spend the vast majority of their time doing something they don’t want to do. 

How did you come up with your business idea?

After I left Lime, I spent a few months searching for what fulfilled me. I landed on wine as I loved the ubiquitous nature of it – I loved that you could have it with your fancy dinners, but could also make it a part of your Netflix and chill routine. Within wine, I wanted to solve my own problem – either drinking too much wine, or not finishing the bottle and wasting it several days later; so I landed on a single format solution to wine.

Living in San Francisco, I naturally gravitated to canned drinks as a portable and convenient way to take with me as I explored local parks and beaches, but I struggled to find a canned wine that actually tasted… good. I couldn’t understand how there could be an incredible wine region an hour drive from me, but I couldn’t find a canned wine solution that held up to the quality of wine found in many traditional bottles. I set out to make a canned wine that escaped the poor quality expectation, allowing us all to drink the wine we desire whenever and wherever we want. 

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

Yes – so many people have helped support me on this journey, and I am eternally grateful. My family, my friends, my therapist, and all the people in the industry who took my call when I reached out to them!

One particular person who has really pushed me to start my own business and believe in myself is my partner Bradley. It’s somewhat ironic, but he is also currently one year into founding his business, Mylance. I was wine tasting with him a year ago, and complaining about going back to work, and he was the one who really advocated for me to pursue the life I wanted. He helped push me through my own imposter syndrome and be able to find the confidence in myself to start Just Enough Wines. I was worried we were going to be a two entrepreneur household starting businesses at the same time, and that would be incredibly difficult. But we have been able to learn through each other, and help grow our businesses together.

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

One of the biggest challenges I have faced throughout all aspects of my career is imposter syndrome. I have felt my accomplishments didn’t matter, and that I would be exposed as not being capable of doing the role I set out to do.

A lot of women I know face this similar challenge at a greater extent compared to their male counterparts. The wine industry is a typically male-dominated industry, and at times I found myself wondering if I could break into this industry, especially as a woman. Would I be able to stand up for myself and my company’s needs enough? While men do face imposter syndrome, they don’t have to worry about the added pressure of being a woman in a male-dominated field. 

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been detrimental for your success so far? And why?

I touched on this above, but I definitely think Imposter Syndrome has held me back in the past. I was worried about not being good enough, and that played out in my ability to ask for what I thought I deserved. I have worked extremely hard to push past those thoughts. 

I have also had to work on my patience since becoming a founder. I have always been aggressive in wanting to move the business forward, and I think it can often cloud the celebrations of how far we have come. Blindly looking at wanting to be better, getting the next sale, or the next follower, can lead to not celebrating the victories when they do happen. I have had to work hard to focus on the wins when we achieve them, and appreciate them so we can stay grounded and motivated on the business.

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

I get to wake up and work on what I want every single day. I proactively founded a company in the world I am passionate about, and I am so lucky to get to do this work every single day. If I can bring a little bit of joy to every single person that tries our wine, that makes me happy. 

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

When I first started Just Enough Wines, I had many conversations with people in the wine industry to get their advice. This industry is extremely antiquated, and many people I spoke with said that canned wine is never going to work. Wine drinkers only want to drink out of a bottle, and the perception of a can will never be overcome. These conversations were certainly discouraging and caused me to think twice about what I was doing. I am SO glad I pushed past those thoughts, and continued to believe in the work that I set out to do.

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

Just Enough Wines believes you don’t need to choose between quality and convenience, and is reinventing canned wine for the modern consumer. Founded by Jessica Hershfield and Kaitlyn Lo, both Stanford alums, Hershfield left her prestigious tech jobs at Google, Uber, and Lime to follow her passion and Lo transitioned away from the corporate world to pursue a business that inspires her. 

Based out of San Francisco, Just Enough Wines focuses on high quality, great-tasting wine in the convenience of the can. They have a 2019 Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and a 2018 Pinot Noir from Edna Valley in California. The wines are vintage and AVA specific, and are made with low intervention, sustainable techniques. 

They also recently launched Brut Bubbles – a dry sparkling wine being offered as a limited edition. This is truly the most premium wine being put into a can.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

Just do one thing each day – in the beginning stages of starting a company, the biggest challenge I faced was motivation. There would be days where I didn’t know what to do next, or where to even start on something. In those days, I told myself just to do one thing each day. Just take one step forward. Eventually, you get to a place where you gain traction, and you no longer have the time to do just one thing each day. 

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

We’re really focused on growth in 2021. We launched in late September and have done the majority of our business through Direct to Consumer to date. Our goals for 2021 are to expand more broadly into retail, and to expand to national distribution. 

In addition, I am excited about launching new products in 2021, including new varietals, and perhaps something a little special in late 2021.

Any final words to end this interview?

I took a leap, and escaped the “expected” of my reality. I would love for people to take a step back from their day to day expectations, and really think about why they are making the choices they are making. Are you expected to be in a certain job, or hold a certain title, or live a certain way? Does this make you happy? I would love for people to holistically think about the life they want to lead and take steps to make that happen. It won’t always be easy, but I truly believe there are ways to make it happen if you try.

Connect and partner with Just Enough Wines on Enterprise League

Feeling under-appreciated as an employee, a nonexistent work-life balance, financial struggles, getting out of bad relationships – these are the most common triggers that push women to become entrepreneurs. Tell us about your trigger?

Coming from a family that owned a small business, even as a young girl I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I have always had that drive and spirit. I worked in corporate America for 18 years where I gained the skillset to eventually lead to and allowed me to become an entrepreneur. 

The trigger for me to become an entrepreneur was the lack of work-life balance at my previous job in corporate America and the pressure to “be on” 24/7. It was a struggle as I wanted to have a successful career while also being available and present to my young kids.

As an entrepreneur and with 18 years of corporate America experience, I knew I could make both work – have a successful and passionate career but also prioritizing my family. At the foundation of the company, is a product we truly love – Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread. It is a marriage for me personally and professionally where my skillsets, passion for good food, and blending of our family’s heritage of Belgium and the U.S. all come together.

How did you come up with your business idea?

Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread was born from the love of great food. My family would travel to Europe quite often as my in-laws live there and I was shocked that chocolate was served at every meal. It was so delicious, and we would always bring chocolate spreads back to the U.S. since it was not available here. 

The idea originated on the back terrace of my in-laws in the South of France in 2014. My husband and I asked ourselves, “What if we launched our own brand and own product of chocolate spread to the U.S market?” So, I used my CPG background to do research to see if the idea made sense. And, three years later in 2017 we sold our very first jar of Lekkco Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread. 

Have you had support from someone, even if just encouragement? Who was that and how did it help you?

Absolutely, my husband has been my greatest supporter. We have always been equal partners in our marriage, and I think that is what makes this so unique – we equally encourage each other and he is a co-founder of the company. I also had so many friends and family members encouraging us, cheering us on and helping us. Professionally, my network of strong mentors was able to gut check or poke holes in ideas. We are very, very lucky to have such a great support system.

Female entrepreneurs are often underestimated and overlooked. Have you ever felt at a disadvantage?

As a female entrepreneur, I have not felt a disadvantage. I’ve seen a beautiful rise in supporting female entrepreneurs and small businesses. However, during my time in corporate America, I absolutely felt at a disadvantage. I felt that females in my workplace overall had higher expectations and lower pay than our male counterparts. I felt that this was especially true for working moms in my workplace where they seemed to be working three times as hard managing their careers, household, and families. This was one of the driving forces to also start my own company – to create a place of equality.  

Some say it’s hard work, others say it’s talent and resourcefulness that play a crucial role for success in entrepreneurship? Which traits have been instrumental for your success so far? And why?

Hard work, talent and resourceful are all critical pieces of entrepreneurial success, but another big piece for me has been the team you surround yourself with. When starting a business, you come with your idea and set of skills, but you need to match any vacancies with experts in those areas. We’ve done this at Lekkco where we have a fantastic management team that has each brought a unique skillset to the table. We are a small but mighty team, and you won’t find anyone that hustles harder than the Lekkco team! 

Patience and flexibly are also critical traits to success. You can write the perfect business plan but inevitably, situations pop-up that you did not plan for and you need to be patient and flexible to address those or adjust the plan.

What excites you the most about being an entrepreneur?

Going from ideation to execution where we bring to life the concept, the brand, sales, distribution, and marketing plan as well as building something from scratch has always excited me the most as an entrepreneur. 

Being an entrepreneur is like building a house – start with your foundation which is a solid business idea and team. Then, you start building the framework, walls, interior, etc. until you finish the house.

Share with us some of the worst business advice you’ve ever received?

The worst business advice I have received is simply, “This will never work; you should give up.” But I recognize that as fear. Being an entrepreneur is not the “safe” option – it is uncertain and can be unpredictable. Some people are just not cut out for that journey or would not take that risk.

You’ve got a high stake investment opportunity. Pitch your business in 150 words.

Addressing the white space in the spreadable category, Lekkco brings an all-natural, healthier alternative to chocolate spreads with its core four flavors that address a diverse consumer demographic while building the category.

What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs?

Do your homework on your product/industry. Make sure it is a viable product/service idea. Ask yourself what makes you a point of differentiation? Bring your skillset to the table and build your team with experts in their area. Have a business plan, allow for flexibility and pivot as needed. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Be prepared, it is a beautiful rollercoaster of a journey. Have patience, flexibility, and keep your eye on the horizon and end goal. Never stop hustling!

What are your goals for the upcoming year?

As we enter 2021, you have to look at what we know and what we don’t know. The world has become different since March 2020. People’s lives have changed, been re-prioritized and consumer behaviors are different. One thing for certain is that people need to eat and want to feel good. We believe chocolate makes people happier. We will continue to deliver our delicious chocolate spreads across the U.S. and drive our messaging of a healthier product while spreading the Lekkco love.