Community Highlights: Meet Kellie Martin of SommSchool

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kellie Martin

Hi Kellie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I can remember the first glass of wine I ever had.

Despite my best attempts with ear buds, eye masks, blankets, and travel pillows, sleeping on red-eye flights always eludes me. This day was no exception.

It was the summer after my freshman year in college, and I hopped on a red-eye bound for France. It would have been an understatement to say that I knew nothing about wine as I crossed the pond. I knew there was white and red, but that was about it.

Having landed tired and bleary eyed from a sleepless flight, I crammed by deflated and useless travel pillow into my carry on. My friend and I stumbled our way through the Charles de Gaulle airport and made it to a nearby café. I sat my achy body down relieved and ready to be swept off my feet by the renowned lover Paris.

Instead of butterflies though, anxiety filled my stomach as the waiter dropped what I assumed was an encyclopedia in front of me: the food menu.

Did I mention I don’t speak French?

Taking a deep breath, I flipped open the book open and attempted to decipher what meant chicken and what meant snails.

As if this wasn’t enough to handle on zero minutes of sleep, he then came back over and dropped off another volume of Britannica: the wine menu.

Now, I was totally under water. Not only did I not speak French, but I certainly didn’t know any of these wine terms in English much less a foreign language.

Completely lost, I’d decided I would just point to an item on each and hope for the best.

Just then, my friend piped up. “Want me to order the wine?”

“Sure,” I said, relieved I could just get back to trying to decipher which one was the chicken.

When the wine came to the table a few minutes later, it wasn’t anything like what I had been expecting. I was expecting something that was harsh and bitter that I was going to have to pretend to like. But this was different.

It was light and bright and sweet and delicious.

And while the glass itself was amazing, what made the experience was my friend.

She smiled and began to explain to me about why she ordered what she did. She taught me about different styles and regions and types of wine like the Sauternes in front of me.

She explained to me about people’s palates and preferences and about the journey that starts with one sip and leads to more and more worlds being opened to you with each new glass.

It was in this moment I realized wine could be so much more.

It could open up countries far away, history of long ago, and cultures yet to be experienced.

And all I needed was someone to show me the way.

SommSchool exists to show you the way to wine confidence. And the journey doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a soloprenuer is never without it’s challenges but overall it has been a smooth road. The biggest lesson has been to remain agile and adapt to new ideas as the market evolves.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Wine doesn’t have to be intimidating. And yet, a high level of wine education and the confidence that goes with it are sadly often reserved for people who work in the wine industry. This is why we started SommSchool and what sets us apart. We believe everyone should be invited to the table to confidently raise their glass whether through virtual wine classes from the comfort of your living room, curated corporate events, or wine retreats to Europe.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
Take time periodically to evaluate your offerings and make sure each one combines your expertise with your client’s desires in a way that fulfills both of you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sommschoolwine.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sommschool
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sommschoolconfidence
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sommschool/
• Other: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/sommschoolwine.com

Image Credits
Stephanie Marilee Tucker