Ep 271 | Fawn Weaver

Written By Yasmin Nouri

From Homelessness to Billion-Dollar Empire: Unlock Your Confidence, Build Your Dream Life & Overcome Adversity

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In this week’s episode, we’re re-airing one of our top episodes from last year with Fawn Weaver. Fawn is a serial entrepreneur and NYTimes bestselling author, and when she learned about the story of Uncle Nearest Green — the slave who taught Jack Daniel how to distill whiskey — she decided to create a company that would bring his legacy to life.

After learning about Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel's interconnected history, Fawn followed the story down to Tennessee, which led her to purchase the 300-acre farm in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where Nearest taught Jack how to distill. She initially thought of honoring Nearest's story with a book or movie, but decided the best way to preserve his legacy was with a bottle of the best Tennessee whiskey she could make. With no background in distilling, she threw herself into an industry mostly dominated by white men and a few major corporations. Since they launched, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey has become the fastest growing whiskey brand in US history, and has over $100+ million in revenue.

In our conversation, Fawn discusses the importance of confidence in leadership and success, and what we can all do today to build more confidence in our lives. She shares her early life challenges, from homelessness to suicidal thoughts, and how she overcame the toughest of times and the biggest learnings she had along the way. Fawn talks about the serendipity around her launching her business and the biggest factors that have helped create the incredible growth they’ve seen, and so much more.

In this episode, we’ll talk to Fawn about:

  • How Fawn has cultivated her confidence in the darkest of times. [03:09]

  • Faith's role in Fawn's confidence. [04:58]

  • Practical approach to how Fawn overcomes any fear in her life. [06:23]

  • Handling bad days; giving herself space and having a pray-first approach in everything. [10:16]

  • Fawn's most impactful experience: Leaving home at 15, third homeless shelter [15:55]

  • Fawn's perspective on boundaries and outgrowing people. [26:24]

  • The pivotal moment when Fawn learned about Uncle Nearest and Jack Daniel's interconnected history and how it inspired her journey. [30:46]

  • Fawn's whiskey venture epiphany without prior experience. [39:50]

  • Having an all-women leadership team in a male-dominated spirits industry. [42:10]

  • Early brand awareness tactics and business growth factors. [46:52]

    * Fawn’s experience fundraising and how she managed the rejections early on. [50:41]

  • Finding the gem inside failure and how it builds confidence and strength. [57:07]

  • The importance of knowing your "Why” when it comes to starting a business. [59:07]

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Ep 270 | Michelle Shapiro