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Jen Pelka has built her career around one principle: always work with the best. From staging at Danielle restaurant with a single Crate & Barrel knife to founding The Riddler champagne bars and creating Une Femme wines, her trajectory reflects audacious vision paired with operational discipline.
In this conversation, Jen discusses the period when COVID forced her to close The Riddler, her house burned down in wildfires, and she lost her father, and how she transformed that compounding loss into strategic fuel for building what she believes will be the best canned wine company in America. She shares her "first, best, or only" positioning framework, the mechanics of setting SMART goals that enable bold asks, and why she's determined to prove that a woman-led wine brand can achieve a banner-level exit.
This episode offers tactical insights on leadership, the operational value of strategic clarity, and why resilience functions as a decision rather than a disposition.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 - 02:30 - Introduction and episode preview
02:30 - 08:45 - Background: Philosophy major to hospitality entrepreneur
08:45 - 19:45 - The Danielle kitchen story
19:45 - 25:15 - Philosophy of working with the best
25:15 - 38:45 - The dark period: COVID, fire, and loss
38:45 - 42:00 - Entrepreneurship as resilience
42:00 - 47:30 - Wine industry challenges and scaling
47:30 - 53:30 - "First, best, or only" philosophy
53:30 - 58:30 - Leadership and team building
58:30 - 01:07:00 - Difficult leadership decisions
01:07:00 - 01:14:00 - Evolution of women-focused branding
01:14:00 - 01:16:30 - Future visions
01:16:30 - 01:19:00 - Co-founding with family
01:19:00 - 01:19:55 - Rapid fire questions
01:19:55 - 01:20:00 - Contact information and wrap-up
Follow Hannah, Jacob & Jen:
Connect with Hannah & Jacob:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hospitablyroy/
Website: https://www.thisisroy.com/
Connect with Jen:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferpelka/
Website: https://unefemmewines.com/
By ROYJen Pelka has built her career around one principle: always work with the best. From staging at Danielle restaurant with a single Crate & Barrel knife to founding The Riddler champagne bars and creating Une Femme wines, her trajectory reflects audacious vision paired with operational discipline.
In this conversation, Jen discusses the period when COVID forced her to close The Riddler, her house burned down in wildfires, and she lost her father, and how she transformed that compounding loss into strategic fuel for building what she believes will be the best canned wine company in America. She shares her "first, best, or only" positioning framework, the mechanics of setting SMART goals that enable bold asks, and why she's determined to prove that a woman-led wine brand can achieve a banner-level exit.
This episode offers tactical insights on leadership, the operational value of strategic clarity, and why resilience functions as a decision rather than a disposition.
Episode Timestamps:
00:00 - 02:30 - Introduction and episode preview
02:30 - 08:45 - Background: Philosophy major to hospitality entrepreneur
08:45 - 19:45 - The Danielle kitchen story
19:45 - 25:15 - Philosophy of working with the best
25:15 - 38:45 - The dark period: COVID, fire, and loss
38:45 - 42:00 - Entrepreneurship as resilience
42:00 - 47:30 - Wine industry challenges and scaling
47:30 - 53:30 - "First, best, or only" philosophy
53:30 - 58:30 - Leadership and team building
58:30 - 01:07:00 - Difficult leadership decisions
01:07:00 - 01:14:00 - Evolution of women-focused branding
01:14:00 - 01:16:30 - Future visions
01:16:30 - 01:19:00 - Co-founding with family
01:19:00 - 01:19:55 - Rapid fire questions
01:19:55 - 01:20:00 - Contact information and wrap-up
Follow Hannah, Jacob & Jen:
Connect with Hannah & Jacob:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hospitablyroy/
Website: https://www.thisisroy.com/
Connect with Jen:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenniferpelka/
Website: https://unefemmewines.com/