Speaker 2 0:30

I'm Colleen Brooks. Happy to be here. Thank you. And my company is all aboard Virginia, and we serve pretty much anyone who is interested in charcuterie or winery tours in Virginia and. Ultimately what we'd like to offer is an experience that provides relaxation and just enjoying other people's company.

Speaker 0:56

Wonderful. I can't wait to learn more just about everything you guys do.

Speaker 2 0:59

Thank you.

Speaker 1:00

So Colleen, for listeners learning about All Aboard Virginia for the first time, can you share a little bit about your background and what led you to start this business?

Speaker 2 1:10

Yes. Well, I think I always had a dream of starting a business and I. As time went by, I kind of thought more and more about my love for Virginia, its history, um, its scenery and of course its wineries, but also sort of the local hospitality that's offered within these special small businesses throughout the state. And that combined with what I think, i'm good at and I love is sort of to help people feel special and to put a smile on people's face and help bring people together to enjoy moments. So those things kind of got me started in terms of the dream of starting a business. And my wonderful husband, Jim is a co-owner with me of the business. And we both had a love for the Virginia countryside that started with us at UVA years ago. And go who's, and we would go to a winery maybe once a year. Bring our own cheese and crackers and we just had a fun time fun afternoon. It was always so relaxing and beautiful. And after doing that for many years, we started to think, wow, this would be kind of fun to introduce sort of this magic of Virginia to other people. And that was sort of the genesis of the idea. And I had been working in the corporate world for years in sort of a senior leadership position in digital marketing. And I had gotten a lot of advice from great, amazing mentors throughout my career, and I always heard sort of, never be afraid to take a chance, especially if it's something you love. And that was kind of going through my mind. I was like, I think it feels like at the right moment. So taking my experience and my education and sort of this whole passion about the idea. We started off early last year in January to just start to build the license and the business and all the logistics. And that involved a lot. It was sort of, we had to establish ourselves as a, a food establishment and get. The Board of Health approval to operate in a commercial kitchen get a food safety certification. And then on the tour side of it, we had to get a license for hire to be able to transport tourists. And at the same time, we wanted some finer qualifications, so we became tourism ambassadors for Loudoun County. Which was kind of a fun thing to do.'Cause Loudoun is amazing. So, all of that kind of helped us as we went down the path. And we launched in late October of last year. So we've been at it for about five months.

Speaker 4:02

Wow.

Speaker 2 4:02

And, um, it's been quite an experience and so far, so good.

Speaker 4:08

What a beautiful journey.

Speaker 2 4:09

Thank you.

Speaker 4:10

I really love how you guys took it as something that you used to just really love and enjoy doing and you wanted to just share it with others.

Speaker 2 4:17

Right, exactly.

Speaker 4:18

I think that's awesome

Speaker 2 4:19

because I think we wanted to sort of create a space and a place for people to sort of walk away from the stress of every day and sort of clear their mind and enjoy the beauty of it. And. Sip some wine as well, but it, the experience is just more about just bringing yourself somewhere like a different world and having some time to relax.

Speaker 4:45

So just kinda getting that me time, family time. Exactly. Whatever it is you need to unwind. Exactly.

Speaker 2 4:50

Yeah.

Speaker 4:51

And the concept behind aboard Virginia is so unique because it blends curated winery tours with charcuterie in such a thoughtful way. How did that vision first come together and what gap did you feel it could fill in the market?

Speaker 2 5:07

Yeah. It's funny because as I was going through the process of getting certified, um, with the state of Virginia to even deliver charcuterie, um. First, I had the misconception that you could do that at home, but it's not permitted. I think some states maybe it is, but in Virginia, definitely not. And so it was kind of a lengthy process and I got to know the person in Virginia who handled the applications, and she said, you're the only one the only business in Virginia who's actually doing charcuterie with winery tours. So that made me pretty happy. And it's nice to be able to say that because I think the trend in Virginia especially with the explosive growth in the wineries has been more toward tourism and experience than just the wine or just going to get the wine. Uh, it's more about like, how can you develop this kind of. Destination so that people feel relaxed and enjoy all the beauty of it, as I was saying before. So I think charcuterie just seems to be a natural fit or a natural add-on to that experience. And like I said, personally we've been doing that a lot. A lot of these wineries their focus is on the wine and the vineyards, and that's a lot of work as it is. So to take on that kind of lengthy process of allowing food. And establishing yourself as a food establishment, that is a lengthy process. So many don't do that, understandably so that kind of leaves an opening for people like our business, um, to be able to bring their own and, um, people like it. It's an enjoyable, it sort of adds to the beauty of it all

Speaker 7:00

absolutely. It's definitely a niche and you kind of get the best of both worlds. Yeah. So there's nothing better than that.

Speaker 2 7:06

Yeah. Thank you.

Speaker 7:08

And one of the things that stands out about your story is how your previous experience in marketing has become such an asset in building this business. In what ways has that background helped you as you've grown all aboard Virginia from the ground up?

Speaker 2 7:22

Yeah, I think it's been a tremendous help and um, I mean, coming from the corporate world where everything is very structured and sort of enterprise scale, it's large. A lot of times you feel like. You see the fruits of your efforts, but you don't necessarily feel like, what does the customer feel, because you're kind of far removed in a lot of cases. And so in this case I've kind of had to wear all hats, marketing plus everything else, and I, and I am more hands on with the marketing. So it feels real and it feels so incredible to like, know. This is my goal, and you actually start to see your vision come to life as you're doing these things. If you're not marketing yourself effectively, it's not ever going to work. Um. I put a lot of effort into how to market and how to come across as a consistent warm and welcoming brand. And actually took a ton of time to really think about how we wanted to show up creatively. Um, and we were lucky enough to work with a, an amazing artist in California. We found her on Etsy. Her name is Hera with Carda Moon Papery. She's amazing, but she was on board with kind of a blank slate for us and asked for our ideas, and she just went to town on creating these illustrations that were incredible based upon some. Thoughts we had and it just developed from there. So we take a lot of pride in the illustrations that we now have on our website, on our business cards, on our, on our van, uh, the bus that we use. And we even have this little character we call F Frank who personifies our brand. Um, and you can find him like, almost like a Where's Waldo in the illustrations. And he's he's just a funny little. Somalia looking guy and and so. We named him Franc and the artist thought that was funny, um, because of the Cabernet Franc that's so famous in the state of Virginia. So

Speaker 9:33

you gotta keep an eye out for Frank, right?

Speaker 2 9:35

Yes, yes, exactly. So the marketing has been amazing aspect of the business and the social media side of the marketing is really the lifeline of our business. And when you're, when you're posting and you get. Four likes or six likes, and now we get 10 likes and like, whoa, you know, it's still small scale, but it's really grown over just a few months and we're starting to get, noticed on other handles and we're collaborating with other businesses and that really starts to propel the growth. But for social, it's like you're coming up with content plans, you're getting footage, you're. Editing the media or you're posting. And so it's, it's constant. It's all the time. So I'm, I might not be posting every day, but it's taking up a huge part of my day every day. So we've been kind of leaning a little bit on AI recently to sort of help distill down video and automate the creation of the posts. Obviously not the words in the creative that you wanna use, because I, that. The brand message is so important to me, but, but it's incredible what AI can do to help you to automate so that you're not actually having to hire resources that. At this point, we can't afford. Um, so it's, it's incredible how AI has helped us to propel the business.

Speaker 11:00

Yeah, it's definitely a wonderful tool and I think that that's a great piece of advice for all types of business owners as well.

Speaker 2 11:07

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 11:07

To just, um, kind of help the process keep moving, but still adding in, um, your personal message and your personal touch and conveying, conveying it the way that you want to.

Speaker 2 11:16

Yes.

Speaker 11:18

And starting any business comes with both challenges and rewarding moments. As you've gotten all aboard Virginia off the ground, what have been some of the most challenging parts of the journey so far?

Speaker 2 11:30

Yeah, I think it's all sort of part of the, when you, when you have this dream that you wanna do this, it seems so clear, and then. It starts to happen and you realize nothing is automatic. Like it takes a step by step approach and you have to sort of figure it out. And there've been a lot of days where I didn't know where to begin but you kind of just have to commit and say, I can do this. And a lot of times. One shoulder is saying, oh, I don't know if I'm ready for this. I don't know if I can tackle this. And the other side is like, you can do this. You got it. Keep going. Um, and you kind of have to brush that one off and listen to the other one. And, and then before you know it, it's behind you and then you're faced with the next thing. And so again, like not to over. Talk ai, but AI has sort of been my colleague in this because things that I didn't know where to, where I didn't know to begin it would guide me like, well, yeah, you just start with this and you do that, and suddenly it became like, okay I understand that if I had started this business six months ago or six months prior, or a year prior to when I did, I would not have had that advantage and I think I wouldn't be. Here right now talking, because it would've taken me months longer to talk to people about how do you tackle this or that. And there's a lot of things like setting up the business that you wouldn't just naturally know no matter how much experience you have, because you've never done that or have never needed to do that. And so once you do it, it's like, okay, got it. But. It seems a little like overwhelming at the beginning, and so it was mostly challenges that were logistical. But I think my passion for the business and the dream, uh, the vision, uh, helped me get through that because if I hadn't known, okay, this is where I wanna end up, I think it would've been really hard to, and you kind of get lost in. Wow, this process that I thought would take two days is gonna take 90 days. And like, what am I gonna do in between that time to like, keep things moving and, and you have to kind of just prop yourself up. Like, this is not the end of the world. We can do this. So I think it's mostly challenges like that. And then I think the social media, like I said, and standing up the website and online ordering I. I did digital marketing, so I understood website. I thought, oh, I'll be fine. Well, when you're actually building it yourself, it's a lot different, you know? So, all of that was a challenge, but when I look back on it, it's, it's pretty amazing what you're able to do when you set your mind to it. So

Speaker 14:15

yeah, all those things that really just help kind of bring your vision to life.

Speaker 2 14:19

Yes. Yeah.

Speaker 14:21

How cool.

Speaker 2 14:22

And now it's like, as I, as I get more familiar and I. I hear feedback from people. I realize like some things that I thought were really important at the beginning and even how I designed the website it doesn't seem as important now. Like now that I know people's perspectives on things and, and what matters. So it's a constant evolution, like, okay, you have to listen to people who are your customers because no matter what you, your gut tells you and you think. It's not always what the customer cares about. And so you kind of always have to reevaluate that. And even just like the vision for the business, like you always have to be willing to adjust, okay, is this part of the business really gonna succeed, or should I shift or should I think about it differently? And if you're stuck in what you wanna do it's never gonna work because you've gotta be thinking all the time, how can I make this better for. People because people's opinion and, and customer's feedback drives you forward.

Speaker 15:28

Absolutely, and I think you bring up a great point. You know, we are a learning, we are adjusting every single day, um, to ultimately get just the best service, the best quality service.

Speaker 2 15:38

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 15:39

Um, so I think that that's awesome. I think that's super normal too, you know?

Speaker 2 15:42

Yeah.

Speaker 15:43

And. On the other side of that, what have been some of the most rewarding moments that you, that have reminded you you're building something truly special?

Speaker 2 15:53

Yeah, I, well, I think when you say that, because like you, you have this gut feeling that this is the right thing to do, and you do market research to validate certain things, but there's only so much you can truly validate and you just have to try it and see, okay, is this gonna work or not? Because this is. A unique business, there's not a lot of research that could help you. So in this case, like my gut was telling me this is the right thing, and I think every time I hear even the smallest review or post about it I feel inspired. This is actually keeping me going because it actually feels like, okay, the idea was. For the most part. And this is a good thing, like we gotta keep going with this. So I think what, what's amazing to me is hearing like the impact or the feeling that people actually, they actually like and they, they respect like the amount of care and thoughtfulness and quality that goes into what we're delivering. And I think that's a consistent. Feedback we get in our reviews and that. Gives me a lot of pride. It like warms my heart and like fills my soul.'cause it, it helps me to keep going. And we had a pair of clients who own two gift shops near us in Arlington and Covet and the urban farmhouse. And from the very beginning they have been huge supporters. And so every time they have any kind of open house event. At their shops, they hire us to do the charcuterie and they're just constantly lifting us up in their social and so on. So, to have that kind of validation early in the stage that we were just like the first few weeks of our business opening was huge because not only did it help the business grow, but because their followers love them and then they follow us now too. It's just. This feeling of like confidence, like, I can do this and this is actually telling me that this is a good thing, it's a special and so that, that to me is just. It's invaluable.

Speaker 18:08

Absolutely. That's the best compliment you could ever receive. Yes. And was there a glowing review we might wanna read?

Speaker 2 18:14

Uh, yes. If you don't mind this. I think this gives a flavor for what we do and the impact of the, sort of the care that we try to put into. What we deliver. So this, this says five stars, absolutely exceptional wine tour experience with all aboard Virginia. We had the most incredible wine tour experience with all aboard. I've done many wine tours and been to hundreds of wineries all over the world. I threw very hard requirements at this team. We had two kids with us. We're huge foodies and we're extremely particular about wine, and they absolutely nailed. Every single detail, they were amazingly flexible, warm, and so easy to be with. The charcuterie board they created was honestly one of the best I've ever had. Every stop had thoughtful pairings, fantastic lunch options, tours, and pourings by owners and founders, and a perfect balance between great food and truly excellent wine. They had such a strong understanding of how to tailor everything to our preferences without ever making it feel complicated. They set everything up beautifully at each stop, cleaned up seamlessly, and made the entire day feel relaxed, elevated, and special. The experience felt both luxurious and effortless, which is the ultimate compliment. So I think what really kind of threw me over the moon with that is just the quality of the experience. The wineries that we selected, the food we provided, the care and thoughtfulness that. Those elements coming or sort of shining through mean everything to me because again, it helps to validate that we're creating something special.

Speaker 19:58

Absolutely. Oh, that was such a wonderful review, and I think it just beautifully captures all that hard work that you guys have put into it and. Reflects it tenfold.

Speaker 2 20:08

Thank you.

Speaker 20:09

And you've also mentioned those last minute charcuterie orders where people are so grateful and excited when you're able to come through for them.

Speaker 2 20:18

Yes.

Speaker 20:19

What do moments like that mean to you personally?

Speaker 2 20:22

Yeah, I think at the beginning I was saying something about how, what I think I'm good at is making people feel happy and special and like just putting a smile on their face. So, um. I think people call that being a pleaser. Um, and I feel good, like when I am, when somebody is desperate. And it sounds funny to be desperate for a charcuterie board, but sometimes people are in situations where they just need that help. And they're so grateful and it makes me so happy to be in this place where I'm offering a space for people to feel like, okay, everything's gonna be fine. And when they get it. They feel like, okay, this is, this is better than what I could have done or thrown together and I'm, and I'm making my guests happy. So it just gives me a great feeling and it motivates me to just keep going. So

Speaker 21:16

that is the best motivator one could have. Yeah,

Speaker 2 21:18

I know.

Speaker 21:20

You spoke about how much you enjoy working in a business centered around joyful occasions and just happy experiences. How has that shift changed the way you feel about your work day to day?

Speaker 2 21:33

Yeah. I, I, I, like I said, coming from the corporate world things were busy, hectic. Sometimes, people were short with you because they were so focused on getting something to the end. To the end zone. So I, there was good and there was bad of course in anything, but that whole environment has shifted to this sort of I'm sort of in charge of my own kind of destiny and I've made a path for myself where it's actually joyful occasions so people are happy to be calling about. A tour or a charcuterie board and happy that I'm able to do something like that for them. Um, so it's a completely different dynamic and it bolsters me. It makes me feel like so excited to be doing what I'm doing, that it almost doesn't feel like work. And I just feel like I'm putting people in a place where they can enjoy their moment with the people they love and it. It gives them happiness. So it's wonderful to be a part of that.

Speaker 22:46

Yeah,

Speaker 2 22:47

and and I think also like working with the other small businesses and being in that community of small businesses in particular like. Women owned businesses have been a huge motivator for me because they've been mostly responsible for my company's growth. I feel like I owe them, but it's, it's so amazing to me to be part of that community, and that was actually one of the big motivators for me to start the business because I always admired that the hard work, the grit, but also just the support and the community that exists. So being a part of that. Again, lifts me up. It lifts them up, and it's all in the name of the client, like we're all trying to deliver something better for the client. So it's a win for everyone.

Speaker 23:35

Yeah.

Speaker 2 23:35

And this month is actually International Women's Month, so I, I feel like it's great that we're recording it now because it, it's sort of a great time to recognize.

Speaker 23:47

Absolutely. It's super uplifting. And to be able to just have that community support that's truly wonderful. Mm-hmm. Yes. To, to kind of just have each other for guidance advice. Right. Um, and ultimately just, just creating these amazing experiences and memories that, that people can have.

Speaker 2 24:03

And I think along the same lines, the wineries in Virginia are incredible. Like, it's the fastest growing wine. I guess industry in the country. And it's, it's, um, incredible to talk with and to get to know the winery owners or the tasting room managers, uh, the wine makers. Um, they're so passionate about what they do. The impact that they have is pretty incredible. And I, I just feel honored to be working with them and to, to be able to bring people. To their places to experience it, so

Speaker 24:44

for sure. Absolutely. I feel like there's always something to learn from, um, you know. In different wineries, they have so much experience and knowledge about the wine. Mm-hmm. So to be able to hear that while you're enjoying it

Speaker 2 24:57

mm-hmm.

Speaker 24:58

Um, that's such a memorable experience. Who wouldn't wanna

Speaker 2 25:00

dive into that. And it's funny because some people don't know very much and then other people know a lot and sometimes in the same group you have that kind of span of experience and they have to kind of. Gauge that quickly. And then they have to kinda be able to speak at a level where everyone can understand and respect it. And it's not easy, you know, it's, but, but I love it. It's just you can see them come alive when they're talking about their craft and it's pretty incredible.

Speaker 25:29

Yeah.

Speaker 2 25:30

Yeah.

Speaker 25:30

A very personalized experience,

Speaker 2 25:32

definitely.

Speaker 25:33

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2 25:33

Definitely.

Speaker 25:35

And you have some exciting collaborations and promotions coming up. Can you share a little bit about what's ahead and what guests can look forward to?

Speaker 2 25:43

Yeah. Well, for the first time ever, we did a collaboration with, uh, this beloved wine bar in Arlington. So many people adore it. It's called Screw Top. And, um, a few weeks back we announced, um, a wine tour that was going to be beginning and ending at Screw Top. And so that afterward that people could continue their day. Have dinner and wine at screw top. Enjoy the rest of the evening. And in order to motivate people to register, we, we had gift cards. Screw top was kind enough to provide and we went out on social with it, collaborated with a social aspect and so on. And within four hours it was sold out. So we thought it was gonna take a lot longer to get people to sign up, so we were blown away. Um, so because it was successful and it was a win for, for Screw top, it was a win for us and a win for the client. We've decided to do two more of those events in June and in July. The first one's gonna be in late April, so, um. People should get ready because we're gonna be announcing that in the coming weeks. And then we similarly are doing a collaboration with the two gift shops. I mentioned Covet and the Urban Farmhouse, um, as a post Mother's Day event, and a nice gift for mom, um, on Mother's Day to say that the next weekend. They're gonna be treated to a little bit of shopping at the shops, and then we'll leave from the shops to go to a wine tour for the afternoon. And if anyone books, uh, anyone who books can take their mom for free and there'll probably be some other promotions. Um, or sort of perks for the day as well. So more to come. We're still planning that, but uh, we'll be announcing that soon. And then, um, for International Women's Month in March, uh, anytime someone places an order for charcuterie board or a tour, they can elect to nominate their favorite women-owned business and sort of explain why they love them and they'll get$20 off their next order. And that business will be highlighted, the favorite nominations that we see come in will be highlighted on our social media so that we can spread the word about those businesses. So,

Speaker 28:05

wow.

Speaker 2 28:06

Yeah, so we're continuing to work on other ideas. Um, it's still kind of early for us but collaboration with other small businesses is definitely key. Um, just so that we. We can get the benefit of expanding their, the reach through their channels as well. Um, but also just it's good business for us to figure out connections between our businesses and how we can, again, deliver better results for their clients.

Speaker 28:37

Absolutely. Wonderful. Thank you for explaining that. Yeah. Um, there's a lot of fun stuff down the pike,

Speaker 2 28:42

so. Yeah, I think so too. Yeah, we, we have to keep thinking about it because I think there's. There's just tons of opportunity. We just have to kind of think through it.

Speaker 28:52

Yeah, absolutely. Wonderful. And for listeners who would love to book a winery tour, order charcuterie or simply learn more about all Aboard Virginia, where can they find you and connect with your business?

Speaker 2 29:06

Yeah, we are. It's simple enough, all aboard VA on both Instagram and Facebook and the website. It's all aboard va.com. And so those are our major channels. Uh, we have a TikTok channel, that same, same handle name, but, um, we're still kind of getting that up and going. Um, but we are very quick to respond. So on the website, you can order online if you'd prefer, but we always have the option to call us or email us with your specific request. And we. Typically get back in just a couple of hours, but no more than a day, um, to answer any kind of questions. And if you have a custom request, we're happy to support that.

Speaker 29:54

Perfect.

Speaker 2 29:55

Yeah.

Speaker 29:55

Different ways to reach out and it seems super convenient and accessible and easy to get ahold of you guys.

Speaker 2 30:00

Yeah, hopefully that's,

Speaker 30:03

and as we wrap up, is there anything you'd like to add that I haven't touched on today?

Speaker 2 30:09

Um. I don't think so. I just I think from a, just from the experience that we offer within Virginia wine country, I think, like I mentioned a little bit about Virginia being this amazing growth engine for wine in recent years. At the beginning I guess it was really early two thousands that. They started to come to life, the vineyards started to come to life. A lot of the growth has been even just in the last five years, but up into the last 20 years, I guess, is where we've seen most of the growth. And now there's 300 wineries in Virginia and that's tripled since 2000. So you can kind of get a sense of like how much growth there's been. But I think what makes this area so incredible is that. You're 45 minutes away from DC area, so tourists coming in or people living in that area have a short drive to so many different wineries that are high quality and it's just a few minutes drive in between. So it can be a really delightful day to go to a couple or three wineries in a, in the afternoon easily. And it's just it's. It's sort of at this early stage of growth. So there's just a lot of opportunity. And Virginia is very thoughtful about creating experiences at the wineries and kind of creating this destination versus like California, where it's more. Focused on mass production. California produces like 85% of the wine for the US and internationally. And Virginia is mostly smaller boutique wineries. Most of them only sell their wine at the winery or in their wine clubs and so on. So it's a different kind of dynamic and I think our business capitalizing on. The tourism aspect as well as the charcuterie helps to enhance that experience.

Speaker 32:15

Absolutely.

Speaker 2 32:16

And I think the fact that they're smaller gives a much better experience.'cause a lot of times the people pouring the wine are affiliated with the winemaker or the owner and are very with the business. So

Speaker 32:29

yeah,

Speaker 2 32:29

it's special.

Speaker 32:30

Can I get that personal aspect of it?

Speaker 2 32:32

Yes.

Speaker 32:33

And like you said, we truly are just in the best location here in Virginia. Yes. For these beautiful wineries and vineyards.

Speaker 2 32:39

Yes.

Speaker 32:40

Thank you so much, Colleen, for joining me on the podcast today and sharing your story and your passion with us.

Speaker 2 32:47

Thank you.

Speaker 32:47

I wish you the very best in all that comes your way in the future.

Speaker 2 32:51

Thank you so much. I'm delighted to be here and I'm honored that you had us come in to talk, so thank you.