Today we’d like to introduce you to Lindsay Pomeroy.
Lindsay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My background was as an ESL teacher and it took me to live and teach English abroad to Italy. I loved the interaction with the students but teaching English grammar wasn’t very fun for me. When I moved to San Diego in 2002, my first job was selling wine over the phone. I didn’t like that at all, but we drank wine at 2pm everyday which was a real win in my world at the time! LOL. Then I found a job working at Wine Steals the first real wine bar of San Diego in 2004. People would ask me wine questions and I had no clue. I felt as though it would be morally responsible of me to actually have some clue when I’m suggesting things, so in 2005 I got my first real wine certification with the Society of Wine educators. Then the idea was inspired that there seemed to be demand for teaching people about wine. At the time no other company really taught wine classes to the public, so I thought it was a great niche market to fill. So, in 2006 Wine Smarties was born. It was difficult at first until in 2009 I added teaching the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) formal wine certification courses here. That was a game changer. I still today focus on providing this certification to the trade and enthusiasts here in San Diego. Along the way I upped with own wine certifications and finished the 2-year WSET Diploma program in 2013 then applied, was accepted and am currently finishing the Master of Wine (MW) certification right now. I am a stage 3 and am in the midst of revising my paper to submit this June on water monitoring technologies in the vineyard. So, that’s my update and story!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
No. Not at all. The struggles have been financially centric. Learning how to balance being a student myself and teaching has been difficult financially. I’ve taken on 3 jobs at one point to offset the income issue. Other struggles are the time to devote to my career and to my own studies, again making it a difficult road to walk. The Master of Wine program has also been extraordinarily difficult for me. It pulls you apart and exposes all your weaknesses so that you have to put yourself back together again financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually. There is no aspect of my life that has NOT been affected by this path I chose. The whole struggling vine thing for sure makes sense in my life. Of course, all of this work on myself will make me unstoppable, so in the end it’s a win!!
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Wine Smarties story. Tell us more about the business.
My company teaches wine classes and wine certification courses to the public and trade professionals. That’s my dealio. I also have done and currently do consulting work and am currently helping grow Somm’s List which is a very cool concept that is sort of like a Linked In for wine professionals. But I’ve also managed wine bars, worked retail, hotel wine programs, done the restaurant thing in the past, so I’ve experienced the gamut.
I specialize in wine courses for professional development. As a high-level student, myself I have absolute compassion and understanding for my students and am able to offer insightful and useful tips on how to prepare and learn about wine. I am told my teaching style, which is casual, playful, yet focused is a draw for students. I teach the WSET and French Wine scholar courses which are very intense. There isn’t anyone else in town teaching these courses, so that is certainly unique and I’m thankful for cornering the market on this.
I am most proud that I am still doing this after 12 years. It has been a very difficult journey for me, but I’m not a quitter! I am also so proud of my “Smarties Success Stories” aka students who have gone on to get huge success in their dream career of wine. I have students who have opened wine bars, restaurants, highly successful sales people, restaurant managers, etc. I’m very proud that I was a part of their journey and success. It makes it worth it!
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
This is a controversial conversation as I believe in karma…paying karmic debts, etc. Some people have an easier road and came in with better karma, some of us have a more challenging road with more stuff to clear as we progress in our journey of life. Of course, everyone has luck but I think it’s deeper than that. What is luck? I think some is self-created and some is just your karma. The key, I think, is learning how to detach and accept it all and trying NOT to judge it as good or bad. That’s the real trick for any Jedi to master
Pricing:
- Casual one-off classes range from $35 to $65 for the most part depending on the topic
- WSET and French wine Scholar courses start at $800 and go up to $1350
- Consulting varies and is based on a project or hourly rate.
Contact Info:
- Website: winesmarties.com
- Phone: 6199558884
- Email: lindsay@winesmarties.com
- Instagram: @winesmarties
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewinesmarties/?ref=settings
- Twitter: @winesmarties
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
