Taylor Thomas with Journey Through Finance and Kory Luebke with PrivateSomm ATL

Intro: Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX studios in Woodstock, Georgia. It’s time for Cherokee Business Radio. Now, here’s your host.

Stone Payton: Welcome to another exciting and informative edition of Cherokee Business Radio. Stone Payton here with you this morning, and today’s episode is brought to you in part by our Community Partner program, the Business RadioX Main Street Warriors Defending Capitalism, promoting small business, and supporting our local community. For more information, go to Mainstreet warriors.org and a special note of thanks to our title sponsor for the Cherokee chapter of Main Street Warriors Diesel David, Inc. please go check them out at diesel david.com. You guys are in for a real treat. First up on Cherokee Business Radio this morning. Please join me in welcoming to the broadcast with Journey Through Finance. Taylor Thomas, how are you?

Taylor Thomas: Good morning. I’m good. Stone how are you doing today?

Stone Payton: I am doing well. I’ve really been looking forward to having you in studio and having this conversation. I enjoyed our conversation on the on the zoom, but this is this is going to be so much more in depth and and fun. So I got a ton of questions. Taylor. We probably won’t get to them all, but maybe a great way to start would be if we could paint a little bit of a picture. Share with me and our listening audience. Mission. Purpose. What are you and your team really out there trying to do for folks?

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, so my business is Journey Through Finance, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s the journey to through your finances. It starts very much so with your mindset. Right. So how you think about money, how you approach money on a daily basis. And from there we are helping individuals learn how to manage their money in healthy ways so that they’re able to get through their day to day. Because even now, in today’s society, you know, things are crazy. So a lot of questions around money and how to budget and how to manage their money well. So we’re helping individuals with that, providing the education, providing coaching, as well as helping them learn how to invest in their future and where to put their money to. Everyone wants to put their money somewhere that’s going to grow and make it work for them. So we’re educating there and coaching on on that piece as well.

Stone Payton: It sounds like noble and rewarding work if you can get it. I got to know the back story. How in the world did you find yourself doing this kind of work for these kind of people? Yeah, of.

Taylor Thomas: Course. So I am a graduate of Tennessee State University, where I received my bachelor’s in business administration in accounting. I’ve always loved numbers. I always loved math. So the first thing is like, okay, you like numbers. So let’s go into accounting. So I went into accounting, graduated from college and did ten years in corporate America. But I always knew that something I just wanted more. I was like, this isn’t really fulfilling for me. I can do the work. And it became monotonous, you know, and it’s just I just needed something different. And I’ve always loved saving money. I always love making my own, you know, financial plans and budgeting and all of my own financial goals. And one day I read last year I read a book, The Black Girl’s Guide to Financial Freedom by Paris Woods. And as I was reading that book, everything that she mentioned in the book is something that I already knew and how I also manage my own money. But I knew that the world didn’t know. Like I knew like some of my friends probably didn’t know this same information. And it was at that moment it was just like, oh, I can do this. I can educate people on money and finances. I can coach people on how to manage their money well. So I’ve been doing this work now for a little over a year and it’s been so rewarding. I’ve helped people save $8,000 or pay off $8,000 worth of credit card debt. Wow. Pay off cars. Buy their first home. Let them build their confidence in asking their job for an increase in salary, a raise or promotion. So it’s been very rewarding. I’ve just loved the work that I’ve been doing.

Stone Payton: So a year in. What are you enjoying the most these days about? What is the most rewarding aspect of the job, do you think?

Taylor Thomas: Definitely getting on a call with a client and they’re very nervous, like, oh, I don’t know. I have all these questions. And then at the end of the conversation it was like, oh, well, that all makes sense. That all makes sense. I had a client last week and we were talking and she was just, I want to change jobs. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to shift from this industry to the next industry. And I told her, okay, well, just pull up one of the jobs that you don’t think you’re qualified for. Let’s read. Let’s read through it. So I was like, read it out loud, read it all out to me. And she started from the top of the page and she got to the bottom and she was like, oh, well, I think I might be qualified for this job. I think I might be able to get this job and add more money into my household so that I can pay off credit card debt so that I can build a savings fund so that I can learn how to invest for me and my children. So that’s the most rewarding part. Get on the phone with a client who’s very nervous, and at the end they’re like, oh, okay. It doesn’t sound that doesn’t sound so bad.

Stone Payton: So do you find that there are some patterns, some things that you see over and over, at least in the initial stages of trying to help out a client?

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, definitely. It’s definitely the mindset. Definitely the mindset. That’s a big piece for me in my in my business, um, helping them shift your mindset because everyone’s just like, I don’t want to talk about money. There’s a lot of shame about their money and their finances and how they manage their money on a daily basis. Um, so definitely shifting their mindset first, making them understand that it’s not just them. People feel very isolated in their financial situation, so making them feel a little more comfortable and let them know that they’re not alone. And there is a way out. And I think a lot of people just don’t think it’s a possibility to get out of their current financial situation. So allowing them to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is possible for them.

Stone Payton: So I’m trying to picture you working with a couple. Okay, I got to imagine that has a whole nother set of dynamics for sure. They probably maybe approach it differently, but there’s that communication and getting on the same. Yeah. Say more about that.

Taylor Thomas: Yeah. So with the couple it’s definitely they both raised in two different households by two different parents who brought in two different incomes, who had two different values and, um, set of goals for their own lives. So they came into a marriage with different backgrounds, right. So now you’re trying to get them on the same page so that they can achieve goals as a unit, right? So from there you have to ask them, okay. So what are your goals as a couple. You know you might have your own individual goals, but as a unit what do you guys want to do. And then from there trying to put in some steps, you know, to help them get to that goal for them.

Stone Payton: Yeah. All right. So let’s dive into the work a little bit. Okay. Yeah. How does the relationship start. And then what do you do, especially in the early stages, is just kind of get going down the right path.

Taylor Thomas: So the relationship starts mostly just someone hearing me teach or educate, do workshops, things of that nature. I was like, oh, I heard you mention about budgeting. Oh, I heard you mention high yield savings accounts. How do I get that? I heard you mention a Roth IRA. Why is that so important? And that’s kind of how the relationship begins. And from there, once they become a client again, I go through that mindset shift. Okay. How did you witness money in your childhood? Did you witness your parents struggle or argue about money? Was it always something in the household where, oh, we can’t afford that or we don’t have that money right now? I can’t purchase that for you. Like those little things are embedded in our subconscious. They’re called money scripts. There’s a psychologist that actually coined that term money scripts that are that follow us through our life. So by the time we become adults, we’ve already had these many scripts embedded in our subconscious that we don’t know are really there. So by the time we’re adults and needing to manage our money as well, all of those things from my childhood are still kind of haunting us, and we don’t think that we can push past those things. So once we get towards the through the money mindset shifting, we can then go through the review of your finances because a lot of people don’t know their numbers.

Taylor Thomas: I think that is so crazy. They don’t know how much money they’re bringing into the household. They don’t know how much they’re spending in bills. They don’t realize they have 12 subscriptions and they only use two. A lot of people don’t know those things, just they just go through day to day and just spending money. So going through a review of their finances, a complete assessment of their finances, and they see, oh, okay, I’m spending way too much money on Uber Eats every week. I can use that same amount of money to pay off a credit card bill to get me out of debt. I can use that same amount of money to put into a Roth IRA and build some type of retirement fund for me, you know? So there’s just so many things that you can do with your money, and money is a tool I think we’re so used to using money as just buying items and being a consumer in this country, and we’re not using the money to be an investor and to put ourselves in place for our future.

Stone Payton: It sounds like in a lot of situations, just right out of the box, you can help them identify what I would characterize as low hanging fruit. Yeah, it’s not like you have to make this big, huge change this week, right? Just kind of nibble at it and take a look at this and take a take a look at that.

Taylor Thomas: Yeah for sure for sure. It’s the small things that people don’t realize that makes a huge difference.

Stone Payton: I’ll bet. And I love it that you’re you’re setting the foundation with the mindset shift. That’s that’s the key that’s going to sustain the effort. Right. As opposed to this one magic strategy.

Taylor Thomas: Right. And everyone always wants the the quick shortcut to get to a destination. It’s like, well, in order to get there, like you said, you got to get the low hanging fruit first and then we can set a plan to get to where you’re trying to go.

Stone Payton: So do you find I know the answer to this is yes, but I’m going to get you to talk about it anyway. But I’ll just ask it that way. Do you find that there’s that you that you have to battle sometimes some incomplete information or misinformation about helping people and making money?

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, of course, of course. It’s a lot of asking those those deep questions. Right. So I can ask a question like, um, okay, so how did you again witness money in your, your childhood. Right. And then once they give me an answer, it’s like, okay, how do you see that show up in in your life today? And then they have to sit there and think about like, oh, no one’s ever asked me that question. Okay, let me let me figure out how to how to answer that to you. And then from there, it’s just a lot of digging. Right. And you’re listening for the answers that they don’t know that they’re giving you, that actually represents their current lifestyle and how they’re approaching their money.

Stone Payton: Yeah. Kory? Kory is going to be our next guest in the next segment, but I’m feeling wealthier already. How about you?

Kory Luebke: I’m right there with you.

Stone Payton: So you touched on it a moment ago. Uh, but the whole sales and marketing thing for you. It sounds like education is a big component of it. Say more about the teaching and the way you get new clients and bring them into your circle.

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, definitely. So I do a lot of community work where we do workshops within the the libraries of the city of Atlanta. And with that, you, you gain clients from there as well. I also have a YouTube channel where I give a lot of information on the education of how to get through that mindset shifting and how to go through the assessment of your finances and how to use that to leverage where you’re trying to go your your goals. Right. A lot of that is also goal setting. A lot of people oh yeah, I want to be a millionaire tomorrow. But okay, how are you going to get there? How can you get there with the mindset that you have today? So those kind of conversations is where people are like, oh, I need this help. I understand that I need a shift in my life, or I’m tired of dealing with my financial situation, and I know something needs to change, and the only way to do that is to get somebody to come help me. And I think she’s the person for me.

Stone Payton: Oh, neat. So I’ve bumped into the term, the phrase financial literacy and what it calls up for me. My folks were teachers. Okay. So I just wonder if we can’t get to these, to these kids when they’re kids and get them. There’s got to be a way, right?

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, well, Georgia became the 13th state to require financial literacy for high school juniors and seniors last year. So that’s a great thing. We’re we’re making strides. Right, right. Um, but definitely it can definitely start at the young at a young age. You can teach your kids at home how to save, how to manage money. Um, I’ve seen plenty of people on social media where they give their kids, you know, chores around the house, and then once they pay them the chores, they make them pay a dollar for rent. You know, it’s like, okay, let me teach you how to manage your money. Well, you know. Yeah, you get paid, but you also have to pay some things.

Stone Payton: My kids are grown and out, but I wish I’d had that strategy, I like that.

Taylor Thomas: Right. So teaching them young. Right. So that’s that’s a good way to start. But if you missed that opportunity because financial education isn’t in school system. Right. Or at least it wasn’t when I was in school. They’re starting to add it now. But you get that information from online these days. You know, you can go on social media and just type it in, and a video is going to pop up to teach you something. So that’s another reason why I got into this space, because it’s so easy to to just go about your day and not even think about your money. But if you just go and research and look for some information, you’ll see my face pop up and I can help you out.

Stone Payton: So let’s get a little bit tactical for a moment and let’s just, let’s say budgeting strategies, you know, particularly for people, it sounds like a lot of people don’t operate on a budget. I’m blessed in a lot of ways, not the least of which is my wife is very budget conscious. She’s she used to work at IBM. She’s got the spreadsheets. And, you know, if because if it was me, you know, I’d go buy something I had to do with hunting or fishing. And she goes, no, you know, you can have that in August.

Taylor Thomas: Right, right.

Stone Payton: If that’s something you really want. You know, she’s got it in these, uh, virtual envelopes. I’ll call them.

Taylor Thomas: Right. Yes, yes.

Stone Payton: But, yeah, just walk us through. Are there some budgeting strategies that are that you pretty much lean on and and share with them?

Taylor Thomas: Well, the first thing about a budget, everybody hears the word budget and gets scared. They’re like, oh, I don’t want to budget. That means I can’t spend my money.

Stone Payton: Back to mindset. Okay.

Taylor Thomas: It’s like, I don’t want to spend my money. I don’t want to do a budget because that means I’m restricted and I can’t have fun with my money. But that’s not necessarily true because the budget is yours and that’s your money. So you fit the budget to your lifestyle and you fit the budget to your goals. Right. So that’s the very first thing with the budget. Don’t think of it as like, oh, well, I can only spend my money on bills. It’s like, well, you create the budget and you make space in your budget room for things that you enjoy for entertainment. If you want to go to the movies, you make room for that in your budget. Um, so having that mindset that it’s not just restricting, it’s actually a framework of how you can manage your money for the next month, the next 2 to 3 months or whatever however you want to set up your budget. Another thing that I do with budgeting is, again, know your numbers. A lot of people just don’t know their numbers. Once you know your numbers, you know what you’re working with. You can see how much is coming in and how much is going out, and if an adjustment is needed. A lot of us pay insurance every year, and it keeps going up every year and don’t realize we’re paying $300 worth of insurance, of a car insurance, and we don’t take the hour and a half to call them and just change it. You know, that’s another thing they don’t want you to do. They don’t want you to call because you’re going to be on the phone forever. So they just keep raising your prices. But if you just take an hour out of your day, hour and a half out of your day just to call around, you could save $150 on car insurance, and that’s an extra hundred and $50 you have in your budget to use for something else.

Stone Payton: The the level of trust that you must have to endure with your clients. And pretty quickly is it. It’s incredible. There’s very little, if anything, that’s transactional about your work. And again, go back to mindset. When I hear the word financial, I’m thinking transactional, right? But man, for for an individual or a couple to or even business partners to open up and have that conversation with you, you must be an absolute master at cultivating that trust. How do you do that?

Taylor Thomas: Yeah, you have to definitely build a space of comfortability, because you have to be very vulnerable when you have to talk about your money, right? Yeah. And again, people don’t like to talk about it. That money is the one thing that we all use that no one talks about. Like we all use money. We all have our own struggles with money, but no one wants to talk about I’m having an issue right now, or I have debt that I want to pay off, and I don’t really know how to do it. No one talks about that. So it is a work to get the client comfortable. Um, that’s why asking those questions and digging a little deeper, because they’ll give you a surface level answer like, oh, yeah, I have credit card debt. How much is your credit card debt? Oh, it’s just $7,000. Okay. Well, what did you get for those 7000? For the $7,000? Oh, I got this, I got that. Okay, now, from there, I’ll dig in a little deeper. Like, what did that mean to you? What value did that? Did that provide to your life? So I had a client once, and she had this outstanding credit cards, and she was just feeling so ashamed about it. And I had to go through go through the transactions with her like, okay, what transactions are on your credit cards? She bought flights to California to go visit her. Her nephew and her mom. It’s like, okay, yeah, your credit card bills are high, but you bought a flight to go see your family, and I’m sure that’s valuable to you. You know, don’t feel so shameful about wanting to go spend time with your family. So definitely having to break down those barriers so they can feel a little more comfortable so they can get a little more vulnerable so they can get to some solutions for them.

Stone Payton: So I’m gonna switch gears on you for a moment. Okay.

Taylor Thomas: Let’s do so.

Stone Payton: I don’t know when you’d find the time. Sounds like you’re busy helping a lot of folks. Uh, passions outside the scope of your work and what we’ve been talking about. Almost anybody that taps into our work knows that I like to hunt, fish and travel. How about you? What are you nerd out about when you’re not doing this?

Taylor Thomas: I love to cook, I love cooking, Pinterest is my best friend. I get on Pinterest every day and find a new recipe to try. I’ve learned how to make bread from scratch, so that’s been fun. I learned how to make cheesecakes a couple of weeks ago. That was a lot of fun. So definitely cooking. I love to cook. Um, I’m a dancer. A retired dancer, I should say. So. I love to find a dance class every now and then and put on my dance shoes and go dance every now and then and then. I just love spending time with my friends and family. That’s probably the big things for me.

Stone Payton: So you know, we’re earned media. We never charge guests to appear on the show, but I think we’ll have you back. But I think maybe we will charge a cheesecake or something.

Taylor Thomas: I would love to do that.

Taylor Thomas: I would love to.

Stone Payton: So what’s next for you? You want to continue to grow the practice? Do you want to dive into a certain aspect of it? Is there a book in you? What what, what’s next and what can we do to help?

Taylor Thomas: It’s funny, a lot of people have told me to write an e-book, so I need to put that on the list somewhere to remind myself that people have been asking me for that, but definitely want to continue to grow the practice. I am at the top of the year going to launch a group coaching program. I’ve found that people are a little more comfortable once they hear that other people are going through the same struggles that they are. So a group coaching program to to teach, you know, the basic of financial education, the basics of personal finance. And it’s also going to allow them to, again, shift their mindset. They’re going to be able to open their very first high yield savings account. So not just saving in a traditional bank account where you’re just getting that penny every month. Because I know me, it bothers me every time I saw that penny. I wish someone told me about high yield savings account a long time ago. Why not get paid to save? So definitely want to help individuals that are part of that group coaching open their first high yield savings account and also teach them about investing in different ways, whether it’s life insurance, whether it’s their Roth IRA opening a brokerage account. There’s just a lot of information and a lot of terminology when it comes to finances. And money is very intimidating and I try to make it very digestible for the average person.

Stone Payton: Yeah. So I’d love to leave our listeners, if we could, with a couple of pro tips, a couple of things to be thinking about. Maybe some do or don’t or and look, gang, the best pro tip for you is reach out and connect with Taylor, have a conversation with her. But to to hold them over between now and then. Taylor let’s give them a little something to chew on.

Taylor Thomas: Okay, so a couple things that I would leave you guys with is very first, the next time you spend money, check in with yourself and ask yourself why. What is the what is the purpose for for spending the money? A lot of people spend emotionally. So see if it’s an emotional spending. Is it an emotional trigger? Are you upset? Are you happy? And then if you have to spend that money today, is there a financial need for yourself in that moment that you can use that same money to put towards a credit card debt or towards a savings goal? And then after that, I would do a great assessment of your finances. Know your numbers, know your numbers. That’s very important for sure. Yeah. And if you want to follow me, I am a financial coach. Taylor on Instagram, on YouTube. I am journey through finance on YouTube and just reach out to me. I’ll be happy to share all the information that I can.

Stone Payton: Well, Taylor, it has been an absolute delight having you in the studio. Keep up the good work. Thank you for your insight, your perspective. I think the work you’re doing is so important for so many.

Taylor Thomas: Yes. Thank you so much. I appreciate you having me here today.

Stone Payton: Hey, how about hanging out with us while we visit with our next guest?

Taylor Thomas: Of course.

Stone Payton: All right, next up on Cherokee Business Radio this morning, we have with us with PrivateSomm ATL, Kory. Now, Kory, a professional radio host would have asked you how to pronounce your last name before we went on air. I didn’t do it. Why don’t you give them your whole name.

Kory Luebke: For sure. So it’s Kory Luebke.

Stone Payton: Luebke. All right.

Kory Luebke: PrivateSomm ATL.

Stone Payton: Fantastic. So tell us a little bit about the work you’re doing. How are you trying to help folks?

Kory Luebke: Yeah. So, you know, I’m in the wine industry. Um, so one thing that everybody loves to drink wine, right? Everybody. I know it is an easy thing to find someone that likes to drink wine. Um, the the thing that I try to help people the most is how to enjoy those wines. Um, the most they possibly can. Whether it’s finding the right wine, um, finding a wine that has the right amount of age on it, um, that is the the overarching theme is how how can I help people enjoy their wine more, have good experience with wine? Um, because the people that don’t like wine, they’ve tried it, but they had a bad experience. Maybe they were 21 and they had something really cheap, and really they were like, oh, this is wine. This is terrible. And I, you know, there’s so much out there and I want to bring people in. And because it’s such an amazing beverage. It’s so much fun. And that’s kind of that is the again, the overarching theme of what I do, how to help people enjoy their wine more.

Stone Payton: Oh, I love it. So how did you get started in this world?

Kory Luebke: So I, um, I got started in the wine industry through Starbucks. So thank you. Starbucks. Um, I was a Starbucks store manager in Louisville, Kentucky. I worked with Marriott and I was in the hotel and my my Starbucks was on one side of the lobby. And every day I would see the fine dining Italian restaurant across the lobby. And, and I would always be like, you know, here I am at 530 in the morning. These are all people get to go in at 2:00 in the afternoon. They get to sleep in and they get to drink wine. And I’m dealing with people that are not happy until they have their cup of coffee. Um, I need to switch this. And so I, as I started kind of, um, running the Starbucks, I started reaching out to the food and beverage director at the hotel, trying to get into the the other side, get into the fine dining atmosphere. Um, one of the biggest things I saw that I was missing was I had zero wine knowledge. We were in Louisville, Kentucky. People don’t go there to drink wine.

Stone Payton: That’s bourbon country.

Kory Luebke: They want their bourbon.

Kory Luebke: But I wanted to start exploring and start learning. And I do credit Starbucks to this, because when you start learning about coffee, it opens up the world of beverages around the world, whether it’s coffee from different countries, how these different coffees are made. I started to kind of geek out over this, and then I was like, okay, well, the the ceiling for coffee, I felt like wasn’t I felt like I got to a point where I knew a lot about coffee and it didn’t take too long. So I was like, well, maybe bourbon’s more in depth. I started doing the same thing with bourbon, but I wanted to keep pushing. So I started getting into wine and the wine world is always changing. There’s always something new, exciting, interesting, different. And so that was like, okay, this is it. This is the this is the beverage that I want to dedicate my life to. Wow. Um, and start learning about. And so I dove in head first. Um, ended up in Atlanta working with a restaurant in Atlanta. Um, and became a sommelier here in Atlanta.

Stone Payton: I’ll say that word again, because if we don’t accomplish anything else here today, I am going to learn how to pronounce that word.

Kory Luebke: So, sommelier. Um. It is. You will hear it pronounced. I don’t know, five, six, seven, eight different ways. Um, so because of that, us in the industry, we decided that somm is a better.

Stone Payton: Thank you.

Kory Luebke: It’s a better easy. Everybody says that, right?

Stone Payton: Have you met my somm Kory?

Kory Luebke: I like it. Exactly. That’s perfect.

Kory Luebke: So, I mean, think about it. PrivateSomm ATL. If it was Private sommelier ATL, I’d no one would ever call me. So I got into becoming a sommelier at one of the restaurants in Atlanta. Through that, got connected to Augusta National Golf Club, became a sommelier at Augusta National Golf Club.

Stone Payton: You know, I’ve heard of them. Wow. Talk about a pedigree.

Kory Luebke: And it was, um, you know, sadly, as is the mystique of Augusta National Golf Club, that’s about all we can talk about that.

Stone Payton: Got it. I understood.

Kory Luebke: But, learned a lot. Um, it was such an educational, enlightening experience. Um, and that kind of pushed me to where I’m at today. Moving back to Atlanta, leaving Augusta. Um, all of that was accredited to. I’ve got two beautiful children, and the wine industry happens at night. Um, and I wanted to spend time with my kids, and so I had to make a transition.

Stone Payton: So I’m trying to envision that conversation. You come home, you’ve got this great job. I mean, just a cool job, honey. I am going to cut that tether and go out and do this thing on my own. What was that conversation like?

Kory Luebke: So that was an interesting conversation because, um, so she she was from, um, from California, but moved to to Atlanta when she was young, so brought her to Augusta when she was like, this is a small little town. What is this? And but she was pregnant and I had a job, so I was like, so you’re pregnant? About a month away from giving birth to our daughter. Uh, let’s start a company.

Stone Payton: Oh, yeah. Sure, baby.

Kory Luebke: No stress. Oh, and let’s move. So, um, you know, I appreciate my wife.

Stone Payton: Oh, let’s give her a shout out. Shout out to what’s her name?

Kory Luebke: Michelle.

Stone Payton: Michelle, shout out to you, babe. Oh my goodness. All right, so a day in the life of Kory. Like, what will you do this week or next Related to this for sure.

Kory Luebke: So so the company is I like to describe it as a high level wine concierge service. So there’s a whole lot out there, whether it’s working with private clients and their sellers. Um, in regards to that, what I do is I help people say they’ve got 500 bottles, say they’ve got 5000 bottles, 15,000. Doesn’t matter. Um, you get to a point where you’re buying wine and you forget about what you bought. Um, it goes back into the back of the cellar and then it dies out. Because wine, you know, the idea is that wine ages, and that’s that’s a good philosophy. But only about one, two, 3% of the world’s wine is actually intended to age. Um, a lot of it is. A lot of it is made to be consumed young. Um, a lot of it is kind of mass produced, but these high level fine wines. They also have a lifespan, um, depending on the vintage, depending on the location where you know. Is it a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley? Is it a Pinot noir from Burgundy in France? They all have a different lifespan. And so it’s helping people because at the end of the day, you’ve bought a thousand bottles of wine. Um, you’re busy doing your your job, your career, your everything else that you’ve got going on. You don’t have time to sit down and study. What was this vintage like in this tiny little region of the world? And that’s where I come in and I tell you, okay, this wine needs to be consumed in eight years. This wine needs to be. You should drink this right now. Drink this one next year. And I kind of roadmap their wines because the kind of it’s an investment in a sense.

Kory Luebke: It’s a lot of money that goes into having a wine cellar going and having these wines. And the thing I hate the most is if you spend, say you bought a bottle of wine that was $500 and you were like, I need to age this because everybody’s telling me to age this. And then you age it. But you age it too long and you open it. It’s not good anymore. There goes $500. I’d rather you enjoy that and not miss out on that opportunity. So that’s what I do with private clients. I work with restaurants as well. I’m helping a restaurant in Memphis, Tennessee right now build their program. Um, because from a restaurant standpoint, wine is a make or break. Um, alcohol sales in general for restaurants, especially to operate in the evening. That is such a life, a lifeline for that restaurant. Um, so making sure it’s managed correctly, making sure everything is priced correctly, making sure you are bringing wines in that it’s not you want to, you know, you want to bring wines in that are unique. It’s not like, oh, I can go get this at Kroger as well, right? Like, where’s the where’s the uniqueness to that. So it’s consulting with restaurants, consulting with private clients and doing dinners. And those are the most fun. I get to go all over the country, do private dinners. Um. Oh, wow. Open wine for people. And it’s taken me anywhere from North Carolina, Florida, Alaska. Um, I did a dinner in Alaska in September, which was so much fun. It was a little cold, but that’s okay.

Stone Payton: So yeah. Tell us, what is a private dinner experience like when you’ve got Kory on board with you?

Kory Luebke: So, you know, it’s it is ultimately it’s however the client wants to see it. Do they want something that’s more educational where we are diving into a group of say it’s six wines and I work with a couple private chefs. I did a dinner and this is a great example. I did a dinner in Huntsville, Alabama, and the chef and I came over from from here in Atlanta, and we created this beautiful menu, paired it with, I think there were eight wines and each course, different wine, different pairing. And it was really educational. It was an opportunity for me to talk about a region of the world, the wines that come from that region, the different vintages, how these wines are, are showing, how they’re kind of playing with the different foods. Um, to kind of that whole wine and food pairing is so integral to history. You know, you look at all of these places that that make amazing wine. They all make amazing food as well. And they have unique dishes that come from these places. And so that’s something we like to bring people in. So there’s dinners like that, but there’s also dinners where, you know, what if it’s a really important, um, client meeting. Um, and it’s a good opportunity for someone to say that, you know, they own a company and they’re meeting with a high profile client. They don’t want to go out to dinner and be bothered, to be interrupted all the time, and I can come in and do a dinner for them. And it’s like no one’s ever there. And they get to have that meeting and really focus on that client.

Stone Payton: Yeah.

Kory Luebke: So it’s kind of a few different ways we can do dinners.

Stone Payton: Oh, it sounds marvelous.

Stone Payton: And we’re not videoing this. This is audio. But I got to tell you guys who are listening. Taylor is on the edge of her seat, hanging on every word. And it occurred to me, if you’ll listen to Taylor, one day you’ll be able to work with Kory. Yeah.

Stone Payton: That’s a good team.

Stone Payton: Sales and marketing for you. How do you get the new clients? Is it all referral? Is there some marketing aspect to your world at all?

Kory Luebke: So, you know, that’s a that’s a that’s an interesting question. Um, because when I started the company last year, I had no idea. I was like, I don’t know how this is going to happen. I’m just going to throw myself out there. Um, you know, dinners are the best marketing. Um, I get one client that wants to do a dinner. Um, that’s how this whole restaurant in Memphis happened. It was a client brought me to do a dinner. He brought eight friends. And four of those friends are now clients of mine. I did the dinner with the chef that I’m now working with, building this restaurant and wine list. So, though that is the the biggest thing about marketing, what’s unique about this, um, this industry and wine itself and being a luxury item, people like, um, exclusivity. And so I would rather word of mouth advertising. I would rather in person I can, you know, my business cards don’t. They don’t have a whole lot of information. It’s got my name on the back. It’s got my logo on the front and my cell phone number. And that’s about it, because my philosophy with that was, if someone has my business cards because I shook their hand and I had a conversation with them and they know exactly what this means.

Stone Payton: Right, right. So you mentioned earlier in the conversation that the wine business is always changing. Talk about changes, trends. What are you seeing out there? Yeah.

Kory Luebke: So, you know, there was a long time where wine, especially here in the US, was, um, you either drink high alcohol Cabernet sauvignons or big, rich, buttery Chardonnays. That’s all you drink. And that’s changing. Um, you are getting wines that are more, um, the acidity level is higher on it. They’re crisper. They’re refreshing. Um, we should have done this in the afternoon so we could drink some wine.

Stone Payton: You are both coming back? That’s for sure.

Kory Luebke: Um, but we’re seeing. So we’re seeing a lot of, you know, people want wines that are lower in alcohol. Um huh. They want wines that, you know, there’s a lot of there’s a lot going on with the world and the focus on on health, um, and wines that maybe they’re a little bit lighter. Um, a little bit easier to drink. You have two glasses, you feel fine versus you have one glass of a 16% alcohol massive red from California. And it’s tough. And so we’re seeing we’re seeing a lot of trends and we’re seeing red wines coming out of regions that are known for making white wine. Um, interesting. And so if you think about that and you think about the climate and some of these whites that do better in these cooler climates, um, then someone makes a red wine from that. It’s, you know, the, the, the red wines that have lower alcohol are cooler climate, red wines, lower alcohol, lower sugar content. Um, and so we’re seeing that a lot. Um, and we’re seeing unique varietals, not your standard normal things. Maybe it’s a grape that’s normally grown in Italy and they’re trying it out in California, not necessarily trying it out. They’ve been doing it for a long time, but they’re really pushing it now. And you’re seeing expressions of varietals that aren’t normally associated with a specific region starting to become interesting players in the game. And I would say those are kind of the really big trends in the industry right now is seeing people kind of push the envelope a little bit, be unique. And then also the push for organic and biodynamic natural winemaking is something that’s kind of forefront of of everybody’s minds.

Stone Payton: So can red and white start from the same grape?

Kory Luebke: Can it? You know, a lot of it comes down to, um, what they decide. Well, so okay, so I think the best answer to that question would be, um, like Pinot noir.

Stone Payton: Okay.

Kory Luebke: Pinot noir. It’s a red, red wine. Um, it gets the, you know, your red wines get their color from, um, interaction with the skins during the winemaking process. Um, that’s why they get the color that they get. Um, the juice is all clear for the most part. There’s a couple varietals. There’s some in southern France that have, um, kind of this purple juice that, um. Yeah, but they’re very unique. Um, but for the most part, juice is clear, so it’s not like they’re gonna, um, it’s not like they have a Chardonnay grape, and they’re, they’re deciding if they want to make a white or red. That’s a white wine. And it’s going to stay a white wine. Um, but there’s some things that they can do. You’ll see some people making, um, like a white Pinot noir. It’s more of like a rosé tint to it. It’s a little pink. Um, and there’s kind of. It’s not really. It’s unavoidable at that point. Um, but for the most part, you know, I would say you have your grape varietals that make your white wines, your grape varietals that make your red wines, and then those kind of stick to that for the most part.

Stone Payton: I’m sure this answer changes from time to time, but what are some wines that you personally enjoy?

Kory Luebke: You know, someone asked me that question. They said like, what is your favorite thing to drink? And I was I don’t I have no discrimination against a bottle of wine like I don’t, um, you know, I like I like wines that are made with, with passion and quality. Um, I like, like anybody the story behind the wine. And that’s what. That’s what sells the wine. Um, because at the end of the day, I could. I could set ten glasses in front of you and not tell you anything about it. And it’s kind of just it’s not really all that exciting. But when we start talking about the people behind it, the passion behind it, um, the anything from people that were maybe in corporate America that went to they’re like, we’re done with this. We want to go make some wine or people that flee persecution and start making wine. Um, leaving countries like, um, Lebanon and making wine. The Dao and Paso Robles, that’s kind of their story. Um, and there’s so much so when it comes to like, what I, what I like to drink. Um, and this is such a it’s such a terrible answer, but really, I, I am not necessarily like, I’ll drink white wine, I’ll drink red wine, I’ll drink Riesling, I’ll drink Chardonnay, rosé, Pinot noir, Cabernet. Um, but if I had to, if I had to have a bottle of wine right now, um. And I could pick anything, um, Burgundy, France, um, whites and reds. But Pinot noir from Burgundy, the reds, they’re my favorite thing to drink. Probably.

Stone Payton: So if I’m a client of yours and I’m kind of on the hunt for either a specific wine or a specific type of taste or experience, is that do I go to you and is that you’ll hunt it down, or is there some, you know, the guy that can go get it or.

Kory Luebke: So yeah, there’s lots of lots of avenues to that. Um, but yes, I that’s one, one service I provide to my clients is um, it doesn’t matter how rare the bottle of wine is, and it doesn’t matter the cost. If there’s a specific bottle of wine that they’re looking for, I will find it. Um, and whether it’s contacts that I have in in different states that can, um, you know, the shipping of, of wine and alcohol is always a unique. It is interesting.

Stone Payton: It is. We ran into that with trying to get some to some family

Kory Luebke: Yeah. It’s it’s not easy. Um, so, you know, a lot of times I have to work with some of my contacts out in California because they’re allowed to ship. Um, uh, Texas is allowed to ship. So I’ve got contacts in Texas. Um, but then I’ve also got contacts here locally, and I’ve got a lot of local clients that, um, that use me to, to to find the right wines. Um, you know, because because that’s something I think that I always encourage people is there’s a lot of wine professionals. First of all, you got to find one you can trust. Yeah. Um, a lot of places just try to push and just try to push you into something, and they’re not really listening. Um, you know, budget. We’ll talk about budget. If you say your budget’s 50 bucks for a bottle of wine and someone’s trying to sell you $80 a bottle of wine, they’re really listening to you, you know? Know. And then if they’re not listening to you, they don’t have your best interest. Then how do you trust that the wine that they’re telling you is amazing is really going to be amazing? Um, they’re just trying to make a sale. So what I would like to do is if someone says their budget is $50 and say they like Napa Cabernet, And I tell them, well, what if we go to a different region and we take that $50? I’m going to find you a wine that you’re going to like based on what you’re telling me, but you’re going to get so much more value for that $50. We find something different, and that’s where the trust and who it is you’re, you’re dealing with to get these wines is so important. And that’s where it’s relationships. It’s establishing trust and it’s building those relationships.

Stone Payton: Absolutely. So what’s next for you near term 1218 months out? Are you going to try to build out a team, or are you just going to dive deep into really providing that that core experience, or have you thought that through yet?

Kory Luebke: For sure. Um, you know, I think that that is the next year, potentially year, two years, um, is building this this the way that it needs to be built? Um, and right now, um, I have a absolutely fantastic wife that’s a support system for me and allows me to push and do this. Yeah. And, um, the hiring process is going to happen. Um, and it’s going to happen down the road. It might be in 2 or 3 years. Mhm. Um, and I view it as just like I was saying about trust is it’s got to be the right person and it’s got to be the person that shares that same passion for wine that I do, but also, um, has hospitality as their, their, their blood and they are going to treat their clients, um, the way that they need to be treated. I there was an opportunity that I had for a client of mine was trying to sell a lot of his wine, and I had an opportunity to connect him with a buyer. And, um, they were they again, following all the, the legal and right processes. And a company was going to buy some of his wine and and it was at the end of the day, it was a lot of wine, it was a lot of money, and I had an opportunity to make a great commission. But I saw what they offered him and I gave him a call and I told him I was like, this is a terrible idea.

Stone Payton: Oh, wow.

Kory Luebke: Don’t do it. And, um, and he knew and he understood. He was like, so you’re passing up the opportunity to make some money, and not just a little bit, but because you don’t believe in this opportunity, you don’t believe this is a good option for me to sell. So I need people like that on my team that are going to, at the end of the day, do what’s best for the client.

Stone Payton: Wow.

Stone Payton: I absolutely love that. Uh, pro tips. And you can aim it at, you know, a guy like me that’s got 20 bottles of wine or, you know, you’re, uh. What do you call that in the marketing world? Uh, tailored to the avatar, like the I, you know, the the profile. But let’s leave people with a couple pro tips.

Kory Luebke: Yeah. Um, I think number one is buy wine from someone that you can have a conversation with. Um, there’s a lot of great wine shops in most cities across this country. Um, in Atlanta. I mean, I can think of numerous. And you go into these shops, and I think the perception sometimes is that these wines are going to be a lot more expensive than if you go grab a bottle from your local, local grocery store. Um, but that’s not that’s not always the case. And, um, yeah, they have those options, but they also have the options that might be right into what you’re looking to spend. Um, so go to a place like that and it might be an extra stop after you get your groceries or whatever, but I promise that it will be worth it, and you’ll build a relationship, and they will start to get to know you and your taste preferences, and they can make recommendations for things. Um, so that’s number one. And number two is all of all of the Preconceived notions about wine and the fanciness of wine. Um. Just drink it. You know.

Kory Luebke: Sitting in a restaurant, or I was sitting in a barbecue place. Okay. It was. It was fun. Little barbecue spot. And who drinks wine at barbecue? Except me. And so I was bringing this bottle of wine, and someone was like, I don’t I don’t, I don’t know, like, you’re a som. I’m nervous to taste in front of you. I was like, don’t taste it. Just drink it. Like, I know what it tastes like. You don’t have to describe it to me. Just enjoy it and that’s it. Just enjoy wine. Because it’s. It really is all about the people you’re drinking with, the experience you’re having. And just don’t make it more complicated than, ah, than it already is.

Stone Payton: I am so glad I asked. Good stuff. Is there a website? What are some good coordinates to lead so people can tap into?

Kory Luebke: So, uh, private som etl com som for som Instagram and and online. Um. Best way to find me um, reach out, ask questions. I love talking wine, I love it. It’s such it’s a passion of mine. Um, and it’s not. You know, I’m so blessed and fortunate that what I get to do for a living is something that I just absolutely love to.

Stone Payton: I can tell I can see it in your eyes. I know everybody can hear it in your voice. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Man. This has been a real.

Kory Luebke: Thank you for having me.

Stone Payton: Yes, sir. Thank you both. This has been a fantastic way to invest a Tuesday morning. All right, until next time. This is Stone Payton for our guest today. And everyone here at the Business RadioX family saying we’ll see you again on Cherokee Business Radio.