When I started my wine career oh so many moons ago, I never thought it would get to this point.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not in any way, shape, or form saying that I am the “end all and be all” of the local beverage industry – far from it… but I think it’s safe to say that I can start defining what’s important to me and integrating it to what I do (more on that for another time).
For those stumbling upon this website for the first time, it’s been around since 2013 and was conceptualized literally over two shots of tequila and a pint of beer with zero expectations. All I wanted was to come up with accessible, friendly, fun (read: not snobby, highly intellectual, or exclusive) content for people who are beginning their beverage journey. I never knew it would gain the traction it did.
I have since gotten back into teaching (albeit in a significantly lesser capacity as I did with a previous institution – a conscious decision we made as a family), got into consulting for restaurants, and even hosting… which for one woman (who’s averse to tech and has personal struggles) is no small feat. I am only ever so grateful to our team (composed of my very protective family), contributors, and amazing partners.
With that in mind – and in line with recent unfortunate events – we have made the decision to organize (and sort of professionalize) our business by doing the following for each of its aspects:
- Writing, both to feature events/products on the 2shots site/social media accounts and external publications/websites – For partners we’ve engaged with before 2021, I got you. Please feel free to message me as usual. For those who we’ve only engaged with 2022 onwards, please email Paulette (I will post her email address at the end of today’s entry).
- Hosting – Please understand that we will start asking for booking fees starting 15 March 2023 to save dates and give deliverables. Similarly, please communicate with Paulette to inquire/book. Please understand that we are going to be more particular about contracts moving forward.
- Consulting and staff training – Those who we’ve engaged with before 2021 could proceed as usual. Those who would like to engage from 15 March 2023 onwards could also inquire through Paulette. Please understand that we would be charging booking fees.
- In General – We will discuss details of events/contracts/requirements/deliverables via email with those who have gotten our services from 2022 onwards to make sure we avoid any miscommunication. As mentioned, our team is composed of my family so please understand if negotiations for terms/contracts will be done through 1-3 of us. Please also understand that we will no longer be discussing details of events/contracts/requirements/deliverables via phone calls and/or text messaging.
We hope people understand the need for changes to be made. We could not believe our calendar is booked all the way through May (sorry Paulette)!
This doesn’t mean the fun stops, though. We just need to make sure I still have some semblance of a life and for me, my intellectual property, ideas, deliverables, etc. to be protected.
Anyway, our recent experiences made us have so much more respect for professional freelancers (which is the format of my business, really). I know we make it look easy, but we’re not paid for the couple of hours of work we do (plus a few more because I’m a perfectionist that way). We’re paid for the years of experience (give or take a few hard-earned, often pricey certifications) that allow us to do what we do for a “short amount of time”. Passion is great, but it doesn’t put food (or wine) on the table. 😉
Cheers!
You can reach Paulette via email: pveroy@gmail.com
