Page 11 - BusinessWest December 8, 2021

She has a 2,000-square-foot ware- house in Westfield, one she hopes — and expects — to outgrow in only a year or two, and plans to distribute the wines she brings there to restaurants, country clubs, liquor stores, concert arenas, “anywhere you can buy a glass of wine.”
At present, she carries 58 differ- ent SKUs, and she’s connected with another distributor who will give her another 100, all them small, boutique winemakers that have a story.
“These are small businesses, family- owned, multiple generations for many of them,” she said. “I want to stick with these family-owned small options that have a lot of historic value — and they have interesting stories; the further back the history of the vineyard goes, the more interesting the story is, and a lot of people who love wines also love the stories.”
As for Garcia’s story, it’s another one where the opportunity and inclination were there to propel her to her current status as business owner.
She said she has long understood that, in general, and within the His- panic community in particular, mental illness is something that isn’t talked about — or really understood. And
she has long desired to create a forum where such issues could be discussed and both information and inspira- tional stories could be presented. So when NEPM announced that it would no longer produce Presencia, she gave her notice and created Viviendo Sin Limites.
Its stated mission is to “motivate, inspire, educate, and inform in a dynamic environment through inter- views, blogs, conferences, sharing per- sonal experiences related to our emo- tions and well-being, and offer tools to have an open, lively, positive, creative, and joyful mind,” and the goal is to be one of the first talk shows in New Eng- land for the Latino community through social media such as Facebook, You- Tube, and Instagram.
As for the Latino Marketing Agency, it has already signed on a few clients to provide marketing and consulting ser- vices, she said, adding that she believes there is enormous potential for such a venture in this market — for both His- panic-owned businesses and compa- nies looking to market effectively to the region’s growing Hispanic community.
Dream Weavers
Summing up what she’s seeing, hearing — and doing herself, Hogan said that, because of the pandemic and issues springing from it, including those leading to all those resignations, many people are finding themselves at a crossroads.
And increasingly, they’re taking the road to entrepreneurship, one that certainly has its share of dangerous curves, speed bumps, hills, and dips. This road is not for the faint of heart, but in this climate, many people are finding they have what it takes to at
least start down that road and pursue a long-held dream.
That’s how it is for Beaudry, who spends a good amount of time telling stories like the one about the Sophie label from South Africa and countless others now in her warehouse and on area shelves.
As for her own story, it’s still being written, and like the many others
now generating some entrepreneurial energy, she’s finding each chapter to be everything she hoped it would be, and more. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
Many of the labels Susan Beaudry now distributes can be found at the Springfield Wine Exchange, founded
by Carlo Bonavita, left.
how can you help the most
vulnerable this holiday season?
The pandemic continues to have devastating effects on local hunger and poverty, especially on the poorest and most vulnerable in our community. This holiday season, take action and support your neighbors.
$50 or more help us feed a family of four a full holiday meal.
Feed-a-Family
1441 Main Street, Suite 147 Springfield, MA 01103 www.uwpv.org | 413.737.2691
FEATURE
DECEMBER 8, 2021 11
Staff Photo
BusinessWest