Meet Nicole Ward | Owner & Chief Designer

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

Hi Nicole, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and didn’t quite fit in with the 9-5 desk job world. I spent the early part of my career working in restaurants and managing beverage programs, which to me was fun. My passion was in wine and I have multiple certifications and transitioned to working in outside sales, which requires you to be a self-starter as well as have strong organizational skills.

By 2017, I was an independent contractor for multiple wine companies and also became engaged. I knew it was time to slow down a bit and focus on creating my own brand. Once the wedding planning started, I really saw a gap in cute Bachelorette merchandise and there wasn’t anything unique or that I would wear. Everything looked the same. Same colors, same designs, nothing seemed to have a story. I started thinking of different designs that I would want to wear – because not all of us Brides-to-be are “girly girls.” I came up with a few designs with the help of a few artist friends and officially launched Wine Expressions in 2019.

I quickly fell in love with graphic design and started to create more and more logos for my e-commerce shop. During the COVID lockdown of 2020, I was really able to sink into my passion for design and also learned how to print my own products. Fast forward to now, I am designing and printing 100% of everything myself. It was also very important to me that I only work with sustainable wholesalers and that nothing was produced in China. I am super proud to say that since 2019, I have only had 1 return from a customer.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I was the kid growing up who had a lot of artist friends and I was always jealous that I couldn’t draw or paint. As much as I tried, I was terrible at it. I’ve always been creative in other ways though and launching Wine Expressions brought out the digital space to work in. I really enjoy graphic design. I’m self-taught and none of my creations is expert level, but I do have a sense of style and love blending retro into what inspires me. I draw most of my inspiration from the California lifestyle – wine, surfing, the ocean, the mountains, healthy living, and gardening.

Any startup company is going to have its challenges – you can’t possibly know what is going to take off or not, as well as finding people you can trust. So, yes, I had a few costly bumps in the road when I first started because I was outsourcing some projects. A silver lining from 2020 is that I had the time to learn about everything I was outsourcing.

I’m really proud of everything I have learned and that I am 100% in charge of my business. I want the world to know that they are getting high-quality products with hand-printed designs. My business has also expanded to offering custom designs for the wholesale and individual markets, as well as various small business services. Logo design, website maintenance, and social media management are a few of my skills to offer.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My husband and I moved to Cardiff during the pandemic from south county – we always loved coming here to surf and see friends. We are thrilled to have everything open again and Encinitas in general has some of my favorite spots in San Diego. San Elijo is our favorite stretch of beaches and I love taking friends to Swami’s to soak in the surf culture over a sunset.

I enjoy happy hour at The Waverly for cocktails, Regal Seagull for a pint, and Valentina for dinner and wine. I do love to cook, so we entertain at home a lot. Mastering the Neopolitan pizza dough was another goal of mine. For shopping, I am obsessed with orchids so I take anyone who has an interest to Cal Pacific Orchids in Leucadia. It’s like a museum and I can never walk out empty-handed! Grounded in the Lumberyard on the 101 is an awesome shop for little home furnishings and toiletries.

In south county, I try to take friends and family to Callie. It truly is one of the best restaurants in town and with an ever-evolving wine list. San Diego has finally turned a corner in wine and that’s why you see so many more restaurants offering better selections. Everyone in San Diego seems to have their favorite for Mexican food, mine happens to be El Comal in North Park. It really has the feeling like you are in Mexico and the food is spectacular – more on the spicy side.

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 wouldn’t be where I am with Wine Expressions if it wasn’t for my husband, Dave. He encouraged me from day one to embrace my entrepreneurial skills. He owns his own business as well, so he understands that sometimes your brain wakes you up at 3 AM with ideas to put to work! He also supported me with every business decision I made and was a mentor as well in areas that were new to me. As a sole business owner, I am in charge of EVERYTHING. He has a strong background in social media marketing, which at the time, was new to me. I learned all the ins and outs as well as video editing tools and how to combat some of the downsides of running a business online.

My close friends and parents have also been super supportive. I surround myself with honest people, so they’re going to tell me directly what they think. That helps after staring at a new graphic design for hours and not seeing what could make it better…haha!

Website: https://wine-expressions.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wineexpressions/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WineExpressions17

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/wineexpressions/