Rocky Mountain Oenophile LLC

Okay, April, where did you go? I don't know about anyone else, but for me the month of April seemed to fly by! How is it already May? April brought some great weather to Colorado though, from fresh snow at the ski resorts for quintessential Colorado spring skiing, to nearly 80-degree temps along the Front Range. April also brought me a trip to Walt Disney World to bask in the Florida sunshine and recharge a bit...and it brought a new business!

Life has been chaotic, and to be frank (and probably a little controversial) I'm missing the slower more intentional pace of the last few years, (just minus the obvious). I've been feeling an incredible amount of burnout in my 8-5 job, and that's led to a lot of reflection. I'm realizing that life is too short not to appreciate ourselves, and to not put ourselves first. In my 17+ years of professional experience I've learned that no corporation or company is going to value you more than you. So, I've been living more intentionally lately by putting myself first, saying "yes" more, and living life to fullest. So why then, do we wait until we're burned out to create boundaries, practice self-care, reconnect, or recharge our personal batteries? Why do wait until the point of desperation to follow our dreams and realize our values? Why do we wait to explore new career opportunities? These are the question I've been pondering since we rang in 2022, and it's led me to a series of life changes and new opportunities.

First - I’ve formally turned Rocky Mountain Oenophile into a business! I am officially the proud #bossbabe of Rocky Mountain Oenophile LLC, a wine education and creative content creation company. I'm leaning into my background in writing and editing by offering copywriting and creative content services alongside wine education, private virtual and in-person tastings, and wine event curation. My degrees are in writing and education so this is the perfect opportunity to combine my strengths and passions. Starting my own business has been on my goal list for two years and I just never prioritized it (read: prioritized myself), so I took a page from my 2022 reflections did just that - I turned Rocky Mountain Oenophile into my business. I'm thrilled!

Second – I’m saying "yes" and "no" to more opportunities. That statement is confusing, I know. What I mean is, I'm being really intentional with what social media brand collaborations I say "yes" to, and which ones I say "no" to. I will never say "yes" to a product that doesn't bring me value, respect my time (read: compensation & respect in communication), and that doesn't align with my wine message (quality wines vs mass market). Rest assured, the wine collaborations you see on Rocky Mountain Oenophile will always be genuine and honest! This means I'm saying no to collaboration opportunities that don't compensate me, that don't align with my wine values, or that aren't something I would personally use or consume – keeping it transparent! I know my growth potential could be better if I said "yes" to more collaborations, but that would be inauthentic. I know I would get way more views if I made more reels and followed trends, but I don't find value or fulfillment in that. What you see is what you get! Social media can be so fake sometimes, and I know I struggle with remembering how much of it is “smoke and mirrors,” so it’s important to me as a person and as a company to genuine and honest and not contribute to the overarching problems of social media and social media marketing.

Now that we’re in May though, I have some fun content planned and travels planned, a few sponsored wines I’ll be sharing, and some travel tips. May is going to be busy, exciting, and fun – let’s do this!

Cheers,

The Rocky Mountain Oenophile