Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Carruthers.
Jennifer, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Great Pour Decisions is, in short, my playground!
It all started this past winter. My mom and I always go on a Mother-Daughter Ski Trip and for the last few years (mostly due to the weak Canadian “Peso”, as my father calls it) we’ve been going to Whistler. Tradition has it that we buy matching hoodies every year. Well… one can only have so many Whistler hoodies so January 2019 was when my search began. I needed to find matching hoodies for mom ‘n I!
I found some that I liked but nothing that I LOVED. Then, I came across a quote that I liked: “I Ski Like A Girl, Try to Keep Up”. Winner! I just couldn’t find a shirt I liked… but I found a graphic design that I liked, so that was a start. I reached out to the graphic designer, a fierce female solopreneur named Diana who lived up the California Coast, to see if she could design something for me. Low and behold, the design she came up with was MAGIC 💗. I had to print it immediately!
I contacted a girlfriend who has all the answers. She told me I had to use Bella&Canvas clothing because they’re the best quality and the most comfy (#truth), and she also connected me to a local printer in Leucadia. A small mom ‘n pop shop called Shatto&Sons, the kind of place I love to support. Ryan Shatto shared the difference between “silkscreen” and “vinyl” for my design. Well, only THE BEST for Mom, so silkscreen it was! The only problem? I had to print a minimum of 40 Hoodies. Hmm… 🤔
I texted the design and a pic of the hoodie to a few girlfriends who ski to see if they might be interested in one. Enough gals were keen that I was like “Why not! Let’s do this!”. Then, we were off to the races (or the printer….)!
I’ll never forget when I put on that first hoodie. I was like “Holy shit, this is so comfy”, but I was also like “Wait, I’m doing something cool. Something that I’m proud of… and it’s 100% me!” It was something I’d never felt before and I loved whatever that feeling was…
I couldn’t wait to mail one to all the girls who said they wanted one. Something even cooler happened once the hoodies were out there: They wanted more! Once they wore the hoodies and their friends saw them in it (and felt how soft it was), they wanted one too. Then, I had to ask Diana for a Snowboarding design similar to the ski one, so as not to discriminate. I guess it snowballed from there (pun intended).
I also had to think of a company name! What better than this hashtag I started using after a big night out: #greatpourdecisions. Only instead of the usual IG post: “We make #greatpourdecisions”, accompanied by a facepalm emoji 🤦♀️ , we had a company name… TADA! I even trademarked it, resulting in quite possibly my lawyers’ favorite project, lol.
Next was the equivalent design from Diana for surfing, my other favourite activity. Diana nailed it again! Of course, had to start incorporating wine somehow so I printed “Make Great Pour Decisions” on a few things, still resulting in laughs pretty much everywhere I go 😆 . And I need tops to wear to yoga, under a blazer, t-shirts, etc. So, I started printing the designs on the styles that I wanted to wear… because, why not? I mean, this is my passion project so I get to do what I want, right?!
Also, with a name like Great Pour Decisions, the possibilities were endless. I started coming up with wine-related things like a Wine Key, Champagne Stopper and a Wine Bag. The twist? This being My Personal Playground means that they weren’t just any wine key/champagne stopper/bag, they were my absolute favourite in each category. A number of years ago I went to Napa with my BFF and we each bought this wine key from a fancy winery and it’s the one we both have used every day ever since… Well, I tracked that bad boy down and THAT is the wine key with my brand on it. The champagne stopper? Similar story: It’s the best and most sturdy stopper I’ve ever found AND I managed to find it in rose gold… Freakin’ ROSE GOLD!!! (stoppers are set to land in March 2020, FYI). Lastly my trusty wine bag. Well, if you know me, you’ve seen it. I bring it everywhere. Hell, I might have left one at your house (you’re welcome). It’s a heavy-duty canvas bag that holds two bottles and I bought like 20 of them a few years back as Christmas gifts. I kept five for myself because I knew I’d leave them places and never wanted to have zero (and for the record, I only have 1 of my original bags left so I made the right call!). This might have been the hardest to find, but my trusty merch contact tracked em down and… they’re awesome!
Anyhow, I think you get the idea as to how the biz started. Cool things are coming in 2020 too, including a number of collaborations and some new ways to support fellow female entrepreneurs! I’ll also be pursuing some more wine-related passion projects since wine is forever in my blood (literally & figuratively). The main theme with it all is a passion for what ignites something inside me that I never want to lose… stay tuned and thank you to all my supporters. You know who you are and I promise not to let you down!
Has it been a smooth road?
There are always challenges. Some bigger than others but nothing insurmountable.
A great quote from a good friend that I often repeated to myself was:
“It all works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out yet, it’s because it’s not over”.
I’m pretty sure I’ll be uttering those words for a long time… and they help!
I found surrounding myself with inspiring people helped. I joined a networking community called the Dames Collective. It was a great resource for everything and the women were inspiring. I highly recommend.
Also, I started investing in self-care and setting boundaries. I started making time for myself, going to acupuncture/reiki/soundbath, and learning to say no to commitments when before I would have always said yes.
I hope that helps!
We’d love to hear more about Great Pour Decisions.
Wine, connecting people and supporting things I care about have always been a passion of mine. I feel like Great Pour Decisions is a fun project bringing these three things together in a way.
Also (Sneak preview for SD Voyager only), I have something bigger in the works so stay tuned!
Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
It’s not a category you mentioned but joining the Dames Collective and hiring a business coach (The Heart & Hustle Co.) have helped me in a million different ways.
Books…
LOUD by Kelly Cochran
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
Anything written by Malcolm Gladwell
Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
Good to Great by James C. Collins
Podcasts are new to me but:
The La Jolla Local
Build a Badass Business
Corporate School Dropout
Girlboss Radio
Hidden Brain
99% Invisible
Pricing:
- The Best Wine Key – $38
- Most Comfortable Hoodie Ever – $68
- Canvas Wine Tote (2-bottle) – $22
Contact Info:
- Address: 1804 Garnet Ave, Suite #113
San Diego, CA 92109 - Phone: 619.818.3091
- Email: jennifer@greatpourdecisions.
com - Instagram: @great.pour.decisions
- Facebook: @greatpourdecisions
Image Credit:
All photos taken by Meg Marie Photography @meg_marie_photo
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