“I’m in the Navy, and the Navy core values are honor, courage, commitment. The way I’ve seen WineShop at Home develop has been consistent with those values and it’s something I can fully support.”
-Andrew Nozik
When it comes to being a WineShop at Home consultant, there’s no question that the people who have spousal support seem to go further, faster. We sat down with one WineShop at Home spouse who’s been an incredible champion of his wife’s business and asked him to shed some light on his experience.
Andrew Nozik, husband to Senior Executive Director Diane Nozik, didn’t quite know what he was getting into ten years ago when Diane came home with an idea.
“I was actually too ignorant to have any apprehension about it,” he laughed, “We were newly married when she came home with this idea of joining WineShop at Home. I remember being like, ‘Sure! Go for it! Let’s see what happens.’”
Andrew explained that at the time, he knew Diane wasn’t happy in her other job. It didn’t help that the position required a long commute down a dangerous winding road, so the idea of her working mostly from home seemed like a relief.
“I remember the first time we had a wine tasting in our house. We invited some people to show up, Diane walked them through the wine tasting, and they loved it. The process of her getting out there and meeting people was interesting: one person leads to the next person leads to the next person. I always look forward to attending tastings when I get the chance.”
And that was the beginning of a business that supports their family in a huge way. These days, “when Diane goes out to lead tastings, I enjoy getting some special time with our kids. I don’t mind watching them when she works, because I know the payoff is so huge. I’m so proud of her tenacity.”
Sweet on Dolcetto
It’s no secret that WineShop’s famous Milano Cellars 2014 California Dolcetto is a best seller, and Andrew heartily agreed.
“[Dolcetto has] always been a favorite of mine from the very first bottle I opened maybe 8 years ago. There was a time when I actually ordered my own case, because I’d wanted it all to myself. Being around the wine life, you learn a lot about wine. You learn to appreciate the best.”
One thing that made it so easy for Andrew to support the business was the quality of WineShop’s products. “WineShop products are always really good. No doubt in my mind about the quality of their wine,” he said.
WineShop at Home: Built on Values, Community and Incentives
There probably isn’t a person in the world who wouldn’t value a most-expenses paid vacation, and Andrew is no exception! WineShop at Home routinely rewards slightly-better-than-average performances with incentive trips to wine locales around the world, and with a WineShop leader as his wife, Andrew has had the chance to enjoy several incentive trips.
“Almost every year now I get a new opportunity to go someplace. At first, it was [exciting because of] the places. Italy, Barcelona, Jamaica. Now I go because I love just being with the people and the one-on-one time with my wife. There’s nothing more fun that going to a resort and walking around and it’s like, ‘here’s a friend! Here’s a friend! I can talk to you!’”
He’s referring to the groups of consultants and their spouses who attend the trips together. “Diane and I have developed friendships that I think are going to last for years to come.”
Andrew wraps up the interview with a few words of wisdom to the spouses of future consultants:
“I’m in the Navy, and the Navy core values are honor, courage, commitment. The way I’ve seen WineShop develop has been consistent with those values and it’s something I can fully support.
“I highly encourage any spouse that is maybe a little bit hesitant to at least give it a try. The way they have it set up, there’s no real risk. If you try it and you don’t like it, then at least you know that it wasn’t for you. Until you’ve tried it, you’ll never know.”
Thanks, Andrew!