Cat Rosales (nee Allcock)
Describe your business and your role within it.
My husband and I are the proud owners of the Wine Tasting Shop in Balham, South West London. The Wine Tasting Shop has been in Balham for over 15 years- it is a wine bar and wine shop specialising in top quality wine producers from smaller or lesser-known producers. We took it over 3 years ago. As well as being a bar and shop, we run regular wine tasting events (Bring your baby wine tasting (BYOB) – every Tuesday afternoon, Thursday evening tastings and Saturday afternoon more informal tasting).
How did you get into this line of business?
I completed the Mountbatten Program in 2006/07 and since then have always wanted to own my own business. Following the program, I qualified as a corporate lawyer and then spent part of my career working as a civil servant. My husband, Rex, has always had a passion for wine and after covid decided to quit his role as a partner in a law firm and change career. Rex works with our wine buyers, and I look after the marketing/events/ops side of things.
How did you go about setting it up and getting established?
The Wine Tasting Shop was an established business; we were looking at different options and decided to contact our local wine shop/wine bar to see if they were interested in selling. We hit it off with the previous owners and the rest is history!
What else is in the pipeline?
We have plans to expand; a second (and perhaps third) site, our own brand wine and building up the e-commerce side of the business.
What has been the proudest moment in your working life thus far?
We were awarded a prestigious Decanter Award for Best Neighbourhood Wine Shop last year which was incredible.
What has been your biggest mistake/learning experience?
We have learnt not to try and do too much and put so much pressure on ourselves! The business will never be perfect – there is always room for improvement. Plan ahead and assume there will be delays/unexpected events along the way. We took on too many projects at once; updating our e-commerce site, renovations at the Balham store and increasing our product offerings alongside running the day to day business.
Who are your role models?
I love the story behind the Timpson’s business; they employ ex-offenders in the UK to give people a second chance. It is so important to have the right team around you and ensure that your staff are in the right roles.
Any words of advice/wisdom would you impart to others thinking of setting up their own business?
Owning your own business takes over your life – there is no getting away from it. Finding the right person to work with is key or having the right team around you to bounce ideas off.
Anything else you would like to add?
The Wine Tasting Shop is open 6 days a week, we have live music every Friday night and would love to welcome Mountbatten alumni!