Meet Elizabeth Flater | E-commerce Wine & Business Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Flater and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
After 14 years of teaching special education for the public schools, I had to take a step back after my third baby was born with some health issues.

As much as I love being a mom, I also love to work, and after 4 months at home with my youngest, I knew I needed to launch a business that allowed me to have the best of both worlds. I needed to be present for my kids, and help my baby navigate her tricky first year of life. The opportunity to rep wine for Scout & Cellar checked every box that I needed it to.

Extra income on my own schedule? Check.
Learning more about a passion? Check.
Community? Check.
Fun? Check.
Impact? Check.

I launched my business for myself and my family, but what it has become is the chance to mentor over 65 women that want something more for themselves and their families, too. I’ve helped my mentees save for life changing surgery, vacations or making Christmas special at their house. I launched my business for the flexibility it allowed, but I’ve stayed for the joy of empowering women to unlock their own inner entrepreneur.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Like nearly every other business the last two years, I had to pivot hard, beginning in March of 2020. I ran most aspects of my business up to that point through in-person events, and that all changed on a dime two years ago. I took a deep dive into marketing on Instagram, and relied on referrals to spread the word when in person events were no longer possible.

It turned out, 2020 was a magical year for wine delivery. My biggest challenge went from pivoting to virtual work, to scaling a business without a minute of childcare for my baby, 2 and 4 year olds. Making it through 2020 was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but I am proud of the way we made it through as a family, and how I was able to grow my business by 10x while juggling my three kids through the first year of a pandemic.

Going through that experience has made me a much better mentor to my team. I know what it’s like to juggle being a full time stay at home parent to three while also growing a business. It has also made me all the more passionate about our clean-crafted wine brand. Nobody has time to spend the day paying for the few glasses of wine they had the night before, so I will shout it from the rooftops that clean-crafted is where it’s at.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve been in northwest Denver for over a decade now, so I’m pretty biased for all the wonderful spots on this side of town. When visitors come, we have a few places they always ask to return to. Denver Biscuit Company for breakfast, Root Down for brunch or happy hour and Hops and Pie are our three spots we take people on repeat. Ash’Kara and The Spice Room have come into frequent rotation lately. The Tartarian on Tennyson, or Vin Rouge are favorite spots of ours to wind down the night for a night cap or a fabulous glass of wine.

Mt. Falcon or Lair o’ the Bear are where we like to take our midwest friends and family, and of course sneaking in a show at Red Rocks is always a highlight. If we make it to the mountains, we love the Wild Basin or Lily Lake hikes followed by breakfast at Meadow Mountain Cafe in Allenspark.

Meow Wolf has recently been added into the visitor rotation, and we also love taking friends to New Terrain or The Golden Mill for some Foothills views.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents raised me to have the audacity to have confidence in myself, and it’s THE reason why I could jump into entrepreneurship with zero experience and assume my success. I’m so grateful for that gift.

My husband Adam started a business in 2014, and I learned a lot in watching his journey. When I approached him about launching an e-commerce wine business, his “I fail to see the downside” approach was just the nudge I needed to start. He has been a huge supporter, and has helped normalize the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship for me.

Kelly Crabb has been an endless encouragement and incredible mentor. Linking arms with someone that shares my values and believes fiercely in me, has been a crucial key to my business thriving. And none of this would be worthwhile without my incredible team. They are what keep me going everyday.

Website: concordvintage.com

Instagram: elizabeth_flater

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-flater-75b028101/

Facebook: facebook.com/concordvintage

Image Credits
Photo by @dawn.andd.dusk Photography