CREATIVES: Entrepreneur to Watch – Kyla Cox of Atlanta, GA

Kyla Cox, founder and CEO, of Savor Wine Boutique is the kind of entrepreneur we love. She wears her passion on her sleeve or at the very least in her cup that runneth over! After years in the corporate world including a stint at Macy’s where she managed and executed celebrity appearances, cooking demos, fashion shows, product launches, store openings and marketing campaigns for more than 80 department stores across the country, Kyla branched out on her own with her focus on food and wine.

She launched Grape Crush Productions creating events and experiences to bring awareness to local food purveyors and wine bars and restaurants in the Atlanta area. Savor Wine Boutique is her latest effort to share her passion for wine. We met Kyla there during a test run for a pop up shop where she paired wines with our friend, Shameeka Ayers’ Miss Pinkie’s Seafood Casserole. She’s as bubbly as her favorite prosecco and we can’t wait for you to get to know her too. This champion of artisanal wines is coming on board the C-Team to write for us monthly and share her wine knowledge and passion.

We asked Kyla to share some of her entrepreneurial spirit here–

Inspiration:

Traveling, cooking, reading, my two precocious pups Lucy and Jazzy

Theme Song:

Red, Red Wine by UB40 (LOL)

Fave book or author:

Anything and everything by Jodi Picoult! Her work is so powerful, thought-provoking and gut-wrenching, sometimes I have to take a break and literally walk away from the book for a few days, other times I voraciously read the entire novel in one day.

When I just want a fun, light read my go-to girl is Janet Evanovich.

Favorite charity:

The Atlanta Community Food Bank is one of the charities that I strive to support throughout the year. Whether it’s volunteering to sort and pack food for deliveries, or organizing food drives and special events on their behalf, I am proud to be a small part of the service they provide in our community. They procure more than 45 million pounds of food and groceries each year and distributes it to more than 600 nonprofit partner agencies serving families and individuals in 29 metro Atlanta and north Georgia counties. 20 percent of the people living in Georgia are food insecure, meaning that they don’t always know where they will find their next meal. This is unacceptable; no one in America should ever go hungry.

#1 skill/attribute needed to be an entrepreneur:

Tenacity. Never give up, but have a plan and set goals for yourself.

For me, my business plan is a living document, not something that sits on a shelf or in a file cabinet and collects dust. I’m constantly reviewing and evaluating my concept, goals and action plans to stay on course or re-direct when needed.

Role model:

There as so many people I’ve met in life and throughout my career who are important to me in many ways. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for women who have climbed the corporate ladder, launched their own companies against all odds, and especially the small network of women who are running the show (and making amazing products) in the male dominated wine industry. However, my mother was my first role model and is still my best support system. She gave up her a career to be a stay at home mom, but instilled in her children the notion of hard work, leaving a positive mark in the world, finding your passion, dreaming big and going for “it.”

Favorite social media:

Facebook and Twitter are still my faves. There’s nothing like that instant “like” or “retweet” after you’ve made a post for immediate gratification.

Facebook: SavorWineBoutique

Twitter: SavorWine

Instagram: SavorWine

Favorite quote:

Wine is bottled poetry. ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

Interesting tidbit about you or your business:

I drink wine for a living!

Our carefully curated selection of approximately 125 labels at Savor Wine Boutique came from sampling more than 1000 wines in a very short period of time. Every bottle of wine on the floor has my personal stamp of approval and because we focus on artisan wines (small batches by independent producers) at affordable prices, our assortment is always changing.

In addition to great prices, education is an important part of our concept. We love to introduce obscure varietals and lesser known wine regions to the public. When a customer leaves the store we want them to not only have a great bottle of wine to enjoy, but to also learn a little about the soil and toil that produced it. We also do our best to support the environment and healthy lifestyles. We have a growing selection of eco-friendly wines- organic, sustainable, fair trade, biodynamic and even vegan wines. Our weekly “try before you buy” wine tastings are an excellent way to learn more about wine in a relaxed environment.

Savor Wine Boutique

1963 Hosea L Williams Dr NE R103, Atlanta, GA 30317

The Southern Coterie is a social network (tscoterie.wpengine.com) with events (thesoutherncsummit.com) that connect influencers, entrepreneurs and marketing professionals with an affinity for the South- the Makers and Doers.

Enjoy this series where we introduce you to Southern creatives we find inspiring-

• Nan Myers, Jay Ducote and Jane Pope Cooper
• TJ Callaway, Natalie Evans and Javacia Bowser
• Marquin Campbell
• Putt Weatherbee
• Jamie Meares
• Molly Jane Gravitt
• Ursula Reynolds
• Claire Bruce
• Ashley Schoenith
• Hillary Crittendon and Laura Martin
• Sarah Almond
• Louise Van Winkle Breen, Carrie Van Winkle Greener & Chenault Van Winkle James
• Tracy Blanchard
• Katherine Frankstone

CHERI HARDEN LEAVY

Co-Founder of The Southern Coterie

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