Somehow it snuck up on me that today is our 8 year Business-versary, and I couldn’t help but take a moment to reflect.
I am so grateful to the Erica of 8 years ago, who placed a bet on herself and started The Business Formerly Known as Erica Walter Writes. Without that risky maneuver (no backup plan, no side hustle, no regular income), there would be no Email Mavens, no PRESS SEND, no Mavens On Demand. We wouldn’t have helped hundreds of wineries generate more revenue with automated emails, a couple of talented Walla Walla University students wouldn’t have had internships, lifelong friendships wouldn’t have formed. There would be no Email Mavens YouTube channel pumping out free content to help wineries win the inbox. My kids wouldn’t have seen the Leelanau Peninsula. Incredibly talented women with dreams of having fulfilling careers and fulfilling home lives may have been stuck in lackluster workplaces instead of creating impact changing how wineries communicate with their customers.
I wouldn’t be the woman I am today without this business. The journey of entrepreneurship requires a certain toughness, whether inherent or forged in the fires of small business, and I have so much more of it today than I did in 2018. That toughness has equipped me in so many areas beyond the workplace. I’m a better communicator, a stronger leader, and a more balanced human being.
Businesses solve problems, and I LOVE solving the problem of winery email marketing, one 1v1 client, one project-based engagement, one new free YouTube episode, one course download at a time.
Businesses connect people, and I’m so blessed to have connected with so many people in this work – both clients and teammates but also peers, competitors, software providers, and vendors who are deeply committed to the success of our industry. I have friends, mentors, mentees, and new business besties in abundance thanks to the people God has put in my path through this business.
And businesses that succeed also require just a little bit of magic to work. I started this business with ZERO prayers, no trust in a power higher than my own smarts and determination, with a head full of ideas and a stubborn will to create something different for my industry and for my family.
THANK GOD GOD DIDN’T NEED TO BE INVITED TO WORK IN MY BUSINESS… HE JUST DID.
Over the last year and a half, I’ve rediscovered my faith and recommitted my life to Jesus. And my life includes this business.
Jesus’s first miracle was turning water into wine…
…at the behest of his mother.
Just like Email Mavens is on a mission to help every winery send marketing emails that sell that don’t suck, my personal mission is to help women, specifically mothers, live in a reality where building an empire and having a fulfilling home life are not mutually exclusive endeavors.
I just can’t believe that it’s an accident that I get to be part of the storytelling that goes into wine.
I can’t believe that it’s coincidence that this business has predominantly employed women seeking meaningful work without sacrificing school pickups and moments with their babies.
I’m on the lookout now for answers to prayers and divine intervention in the day-to-day, so it couldn’t possibly be random that on the 8 year anniversary of my entrepreneurial journey, I filmed a brand new offering that we believe will open doors for wineries to succeed beyond any other creation in our business to date.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the same teaching of Jesus about pouring new wine into old wineskins.
‘And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined.’ Mark 2:22
‘Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.’ Matthew 9:17
‘No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’ ‘’ Luke 5:38-39
For most of the last eight years, I believed Email Mavens succeeded because of hard work, good ideas, and because I refused to quit. #taurusvibes
And while all of those things played a role, I can see now that none of them tell the whole story.
The truth is that God was writing a story I wasn’t paying attention to yet.
He brought the right people at the right time, opened doors I couldn’t have opened myself, and provided inspiration when I thought I was figuring it out on my own.
I didn’t dedicate this business to Him when it started. I didn’t even invite Him into it. But He showed up anyway.
And now, eight years later, I’m finally making that invitation official.
This next chapter of Email Mavens belongs to Him.
That doesn’t mean we’re suddenly becoming a ministry disguised as a marketing company. We’re still obsessed with helping wineries sell more wine through better email marketing. We’re still committed to practical strategy, measurable results, and helping winery teams win back their time.
But it does mean that success will be measured differently. The best days of Email Mavens are ahead of us. More wineries served. More jobs created. More impact made. More opportunities to use this business as a force for good.
Vineyards throughout Scripture are used as symbols of God’s provision. Wine has always been connected to celebration. And Jesus chose a wedding feast for His first miracle.
We’re helping tell stories of hospitality, community, abundance, and joy. As we step into year nine, I’m praying for new wine. And I’m praying for the courage to become the kind of wineskin that can hold it.
Thank you for being part of the first eight years.
I can’t wait to show you what’s next.
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