Building something worthwhile is a marathon, not a sprint. (It won’t happen overnight and no one is going to hand you your big break. Just keep going every day and push forward — even on the days you want to throw in the towel.
As part of my interview series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Casey Barber of Dallas, Texas. She founded ROSE GOLD rosé out of a passion for Provence rosé that stemmed from memories of traveling to the south of France and shared glasses with friends and family. What started as a rosé to enjoy with her friends has turned into a lifestyle brand with distribution in thirteen states with over 11,000 cases sold.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us the story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Truly out of a love for all things food and wine but especially a love affair with Provence rosé that began almost twenty years ago in the south of France for me. A love that prompted me to create my own Provence rosé brand, ROSE GOLD rosé, three and a half years ago.
Can you share one of the major challenges you encountered when first leading the company? What lesson did you learn from that?
For me, the challenge of an industry I had zero background in — along with no experience in business or ever having been an entrepreneur — was a major mountain in front of me I had to scale. And I did it one step at a time. There was no map, no help, just figuring it all out as I went. There was no other choice — to figure out how to sell this wine or fail. I read everything I could get my hands on about how to start a small business, I have listened to tons of podcasts of female entrepreneurs over the course of the last three years, I have reached out to as many people that I could that were willing to try to give me advice or direction.
At the end of the day, it’s up to you to get it done. The lesson here is — you don’t have to do what your degree (or degrees) hanging on the wall says. You can reinvent yourself as many times as you want. It’s never too late to start over or start anew. I was a family nurse practitioner. Then I was a stay-at-home mom. Now I own my own business. It’s wild but you can do it if you really want to.
What are some of the factors that you believe led to your eventual success?
The word that comes to mind is tenacity. This word has been used to describe me multiple times during the course of founding ROSE GOLD and at first, I was not quite sure if that fit or even described me at all. But looking back at the wild ride this project has been I would now agree — having tenacity has been a factor in my success. I have heard “no” a lot of times but only a handful of them have made me pause for a day or two to question whether I should keep going. And the voice inside of me always told me to pick myself up and keep going — in a few instances drag myself to standing. You will not make it if you have thin skin or take rejection personally. You cannot let the noise, the haters, the ones who say you will never make it get inside your head. In no circumstance can you give up. You must dig deep and have tenacity.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became CEO”? Please share a story or example for each.
1. Building something worthwhile is a marathon, not a sprint. (It won’t happen overnight and no one is going to hand you your big break. Just keep going every day and push forward — even on the days you want to throw in the towel.
2. Being a great mom and building a great brand both will demand almost all of your time, energy, and resources — more than you ever thought possible. (Take care of yourself mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. You will need a village of people around you to execute it all.)
3. Time is your single most precious resource. (You always think you have more of it — with your kids, your friends, your family, and your business. Waking up early and having even one hour of extra productivity in the mornings can be a game-changer.)
4. Surround yourself with people smarter than you. (I am lucky and fortunate to have some incredibly bright dynamic people building this brand alongside me.)
5. Do not forget the passion inside of you. (The passion for what you are growing and the building will not only carry you but the people working alongside you. And keep creating believers out of everyone every day.)
What advice would you give to your colleagues to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Sweat every single day for a minimum of thirty minutes. The act of doing something for yourself, taking care of your body, and the endorphin release are all paramount to keeping your mind clear and able to handle everything else on your plate.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I would not be sitting here if it weren’t for Scott Everett, my angel investor. He came into my life at an integral time to help me grow and has been an excellent partner. Scott has great business advice and guidance. He has been an incredibly successful entrepreneur himself with S2 Capital and has a super-cool story of success despite the doors slammed on him.
What are some of the goals you still have and are working to accomplish, both personally and professionally?
I had all the potential as a daughter of a banker to have a healthy relationship with money and my finances yet somehow ever since I had my first checking account as a high schooler I managed to bury my head in the sand about money and how to deal with it, how to save it and how to make it work for me. I have had to force myself to become comfortable with budgets, saving, planning not only personally but professionally and I still find my initial reaction is to “let someone else handle it” instead of facing it myself. I have had to force myself out of my comfort zone and get my hands around my own personal finances and had no choice but to do so owning my own business. It’s been a huge period of growth for me that was absolutely necessary and I still continue to work on it daily.
What do you hope to leave as your lasting legacy?
I hope to leave my children and grandchildren (one day!) happy memories with their mom/grandmother of love, great stories, lots of laughs, and a solid appreciation for the closeness of family.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would enhance people’s lives in some way, what would it be? You never know what your idea can trigger!
I certainly didn’t start the female-owned business movement but I have definitely gotten on the bandwagon of supporting other female-owned businesses as often as possible. Currently, we outsource PR, social media, web design, graphic design, photography, event planning, and marketing all to different female-owned businesses here in Dallas. We have highlighted all of them on our social media page and it feels so good to be able to support one another through referrals and social media and giving one another business.
How can our readers follow you on social media? @drinkrosegold