Contingent Workers: Nick

Nick Beck has the kind of entrepreneurial spirit you’ll find a lot of at Contingent Works. After being furloughed and then made redundant, Nick set up his own wine import and wholesale company, Cellar Venture. Many people would find the idea of opening a business during a global pandemic pretty daunting, but Cellar Ventures has thrived even in this environment 

At a Glance:

On the web: https://www.cellarventure.com/ 

Sounds: My Discover Weekly Spotify playlist (an eclectic mix of indie, electro, and soul)

Reading: Key to Happiness by Meik Wiking (although this is being neglected for my wine books while I study for my diploma)

I can’t work without: tea and biscuits!

Contingent Works You were furloughed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Tell us how that affected what you do. 

Nick Beck Being furloughed spurred me to start my own business. When it happened at the start of the pandemic, I decided to start my own e-commerce website that sells wine to friends and family in the local area. 

When I was made redundant in July, I decided to put more effort into it. As time progressed I realised that if I was going to continue with my business it should be in my field of expertise, and that’s not e-commerce, that's B2B sales in the wine industry. That was how Cellar Ventures was born.

CW What does your business Cellar Ventures do and how did it come about? 

NB Cellar Ventures is a wine import and wholesale company. When I decided I wanted to start importing wine into the UK on a wholesale basis, I went to one of my old customers that is involved in corporate gifting. They agreed to channel all their wine sales through me, which was fantastic news for my business as they sell huge amounts of Prosecco. I started working with the company in October 2020 and I sold about 17,000 bottles of Prosecco just to them from November until Christmas.

I work with family wine estates that have smaller production levels and produce more artisanal wines rather than mainstream, supermarket wines. All the companies I work with use sustainable growing methods and practices.

CW Was starting a business during a pandemic very stressful?

NB To be honest, it felt like the best thing to do at the time. I was applying for jobs, and even when a great role came up, there would be at least 200 to 300 applicants. You could be the most amazing candidate ever, but with that number of applications, you just might get missed. So, I thought the best thing at the time was to branch out and offer people a service that was in tune with the situation at the time. 

Obviously, it's been quite stressful, and it still is because we're not out of this pandemic, but it was the only real option. 

CW Have there been any COVID-specific things you've had to do or think about and is there any particular way that the pandemic has specifically affected what you're doing?

NB It's made it difficult from a sales perspective. I’d usually pop in and visit people and sell wines that way. I’ve not been able to get in front of people and talk to them about the product. The only tool I do have is to send out lots of samples.

CW How did you end up working from Contingent Works? Have you worked in co-working spaces before?

NB I used to have a membership at Soho House, but I gave that up as I wasn’t going into London anymore when I was furloughed. I have an office at home, but I have a lot of things being delivered, a lot of packaging and samples, and it’s not ideal to have that happening at home. That was what spurred me to look for an office. 

Then I found Contingent Works. My first thought was that I was surprised there was something like this in Bromley! But it was a good fit for what I’m doing and what I needed. 

CW What do you like about working from Contingent Works? 

NB Contingent Works has a relaxed atmosphere. It's also a very creative space and that's one of the things that really appealed to me. Other co-working spaces aren’t so well designed and they don’t have the same kind of feel.

There’s also the social aspect of Contingent Works; it’s great to be surrounded by other people doing different jobs and everyone is really nice and friendly. I’ll be running regular wine tastings when we’re allowed to host events again, which will be a great opportunity to socialise with other members and do some fun and unique activities that you won’t find in a normal office.