Meet Toni Gilliard | CEO & Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Toni Gilliard and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Toni, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success/the success of the brand is discipline. I work on my business daily, even when we are not making money. I can truly say I am doing what I love. I research new markets and trends and also network to make connections. I tell as many people as possible about my brand and brand story. At times those connections are for venture capital funding, distribution in new markets, and/or entering new retail chains like Sam’s Club or Total Wine and More. Discipline is everything in business!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We definitely celebrate the HER in heritage and flavor. As a female-founded brand, it is important that we represent authenticity, heritage, culture, and flavor in a nonstereotypical way. Doing so has led to great press mentions with national platforms such as the Today Show, Essence Magazine, and Travel Noire to name a few. Our Rum Punch also won the Gold in the SF World Spirits Competition this year in the RTD category.

The road to spirits was not an easy one. My background is in law not liquor. I am self-taught and disciplined enough to ask for help and to research. It took me a year to find the right team to formulate my products the right way. I wanted the recipes to be as close as possible to what I made in my very own kitchen. The hardest part was funding the vision. I used my savings and refinanced my home initially. I then entered Cohorts and pitch competitions to raise funds to scale the business. I was not aware that minorities were very under-represented in the Venture Capital world. We receive less than 1% of funding in this space. Look at what’s happening legally with the Fearless Fund. There are folks out there who invested in dismantling that very fund designed to help women of color like me who historically have not had access to venture capital.

Lessons learned along the way have been great. One lesson learned is to ask for help and to tell people about my business. There are those who are so inspired by my journey that they have opened doors for me. There are so many people out there who support the brand and want to see us win! With every purchase, social media tag, shout-out, etc. we feel the love and we are so grateful.

We too want to see our brand on all the airline flight menus and in the duty-free shops. We also want to see the brand in all liquor stores and restaurants/bars. We also understand that slow and steady will win this race.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them on a boat ride around Charleston, SC to see the city from my eyes. We of course would pack the cooler with tipsy lady cocktails on our journey. I would for sure have my playlist ready to vibe out to Beres Hammond and a few other Soca artists who are my favs. After a day at sea, we would rest up and go to The Montague Room in North Charleston to listen to live music from local artists.

The next day we would do brunch downtown Charleston and spend the afternoon on the Gullah tour to show them a little history and culture, as this too is my heritage as a Gullah Geechie woman. I would then cook dinner at home and have fish fry as that too is rooted in my culture. My friends love it when I cook for them and mix cocktails.

The next morning, we would hit the IOP beach and have brunch at Acme the following day. I love this restaurant on the weekends for brunch and cocktails. The bartenders are the best and know me by name. It’s my very own Cheers.

We for sure would visit the IAAM museum and head back to my place to discuss the experience.

The rest of the time would be spent with family, catching up and connecting.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out my team who works so hard to help with raising capital for the brand. Jerry Petit-Frere and David Campbell are boots on the ground making solid connections. Without their help, funding this vision would not have been possible. I would also like to shout out my seed investors who believed in the vision and the brand. Lastly, my customers who spread the word on this liquid-to-lips journey. They not only are frequent buyers, but they make sure to tell everyone else to support us.

Website: tipsyladycocktails.com

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