Founder Feature: Inspiro Tequila’s Mara Smith

Mara Smith felt the perfect tequila didn’t exist, but instead of settling for a sub-par product, she decided to create one that lived up to her standards.

We recently chatted with Mara about her decision to launch Inspiro Tequila, what sets the company apart from other tequila brands, what struggles she’s faced as a female entrepreneur and much more.

Check out the full interview below, and if you know of anyone you think we should feature next, send us a message!

What made you want to start your own business? What inspired your decision to launch Inspiro Tequila?

I started my career at one of the largest law firms in Chicago. After years in law, I moved to a Fortune 100 company where I worked in corporate strategy. My professional days came to a halt when I was put on emergency bedrest while pregnant with my twins. They were born prematurely and I needed to focus on them. For years I had been thinking about my next step and I always knew it would be starting my own company. As a tequila drinker, I recognized an opportunity to innovate in this industry. I became a fan of tequila years ago when I was looking for a drink that fit into my active and gluten-free lifestyle. I searched for a brand that was additive-free with a look, taste and aroma that appealed to me. That perfect tequila did not exist, so I decided to create it. Thus, Inspiro Tequila was born. In addition to creating an amazing tequila, I also wanted to bring another female perspective to a traditionally male-dominated industry by having women involved in every part of the process.  

What was the most difficult part of starting your own business and how did you overcome it?

The most difficult part of starting Inspiro Tequila was learning a totally new industry. I did not have a background in spirits and I really had to do my research to be taken seriously by the industry veterans. I just dove in and started educating myself. I read books about tequila production and I listened to webinars and podcasts on the topic. I also took an intensive online course offered by the CRT (the governing body in Mexico for tequila production) and I earned my certificate in the history and production of tequila.  

Describe your experience re-entering the workforce after having children and some of the challenges you were faced with.

There are a number of challenges in re-entering the workforce after being home for years. First, the reallocation of my time was hard for my family. They are used to relying on me to take care of everything household and child-related. It became impossible to launch a business while also taking care of everyone else’s needs. I had to start delegating. I’m not sure my children loved the extra responsibilities. My kids help make our menu for the week, grocery shop and prepare food. Luckily, I have two older children who could drive their little brother around also.

Another challenge is feeling like I had to account for the gap in my resume. I started off trying to prove myself as capable by focusing on my success prior to being home with my children. I realized that it is also important to convey the skills I acquired being the CEO of my house. Women tend to undervalue the immense skills that they hone as a stay-at-home parent. I take multitasking and efficiency to the next level, which are skills that are essential to having three children, including a set of twins. Also, I learned flexibility since we know that things never go according to plan when you have children. These are skills that are extremely useful to an entrepreneur that wears many hats and faces numerous challenges. I hope more women can see there are opportunities and they can reenter the workforce. There is a lot of untapped potential and talent out there.

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day starts with me waking up before the rest of my house. I use this time to work out while indulging in a Bravo TV show. Then I get ready, usually while listening to a podcast at double speed. I try to listen to as many podcasts as possible. Then I make sure my nine-year-old is ready for school, while also trying to make my matcha so that I can start caffeinating before we leave for school drop-off. After drop-off, I get right to work. I have a set up at my kitchen table and I go through emails first thing, working daily to keep my inbox down. I am usually on Zooms and phone calls all day until I pick up from school. After pick up, I feed everyone dinner and get my son set up with his activities. Then I get back to work. In the evenings I try to catch up on emails again and go over paperwork and responses to people. By 11:00 p.m., I’m usually pretty wiped out. I’ll try to read a book, usually about a founder, before going to bed.

What sets Inspiro Tequila apart from other tequila brands?

There are a lot of tequila brands, but there are not many brands that really focus on thoughtful female consumers like me. We started out by creating a bottle that is sleek and sophisticated and easy to hold and pour. It’s a bottle that I would proudly display in my home or gift to a friend. In addition, we wanted to create a Blanco tequila that was smooth enough to sip on its own. So instead of bottling immediately after distillation (like typical Blanco tequilas), we rest Inspiro Luna Blanco in oak barrels for a lunar quarter to create a refined, smooth and sippable Blanco tequila. Inspiro is also additive-free. Many of the tequila brands people like actually contain additives to enhance their flavor or color. I wanted to create a silky smooth tequila with vanilla, caramel and fruit notes, but without using any additives in the process. We are excited to be confirmed additive-free by Tequila Matchmaker. Lastly, we bring a female perspective to a crowded, but male-dominated industry, by being owned, operated and crafted by women.  

We love that women are involved in every aspect of creating Inspiro. What’s the reasoning behind this decision and how has it benefited your business? 

If I was truly going to bring a female voice to the industry, it was important to me to have women involved in every aspect of the company. The first step was to find a female master distiller to create our taste profiles. I read a book featuring all the women in the tequila industry, and I discovered the legendary Ana Maria Romero Mena. I learned that she identified more than 600 individual sensory notes found in tequila and mapped them onto a tequila aroma wheel that has been adopted by the industry. If anyone could build a unique flavor profile for Inspiro, it was her. I was so fortunate to bring her onto the Inspiro Tequila team. She is truly an artist and she has a meticulous process for creating tequila. In addition, I found women to help me in all aspects of the business from social media to operations to sales and merchandising. I also put together an incredible all-female advisory board for Inspiro Tequila. We are bringing a female perspective in every way we can. 

Tell us more about your involvement with the Purple Bicycle Project and why it’s important to you. 

With the Inspiro Purple Bicycle Project, we hope to inspire and empower women who have been told things like, “You don’t have any industry experience. You’ve been out of the workforce for too long. Starting your own company is risky and very few startups make it.” The Inspiro Purple Bicycle Project is here to financially support and mentor female founders enabling them to get started, manage the bumps along the way and move forward to follow their dreams. There are so many amazing women who have guided me on my journey to start Inspiro Tequila and I want to offer any advice, learnings or feedback I can to other women entrepreneurs.

What advice do you have for someone who is considering starting their own business but is hesitant or scared they will fail?

You can innovate in an industry — even as an outsider — if you are willing to put in the hard work and do the research. The more prepared you are the better. There are so many resources available to get up to speed fairly quickly — webinars, books, podcasts and newsletters. You also can’t do it alone. It’s really important to find a community that supports you. I have found amazing communities of women that collaborate and support each other. These networks of women have really been essential to getting Inspiro Tequila off the ground.

Running a business is stressful — even more so if you have kids to look after as well. How do you manage being an entrepreneur and mom? How do you create work-life balance?

I’m not sure I’m very good at balance. I am really good at being extremely focused on the task at hand. So if it’s doing something for my kids, then I’m totally focused on that, and when it’s work, I am focused on that. I don’t really think I’m very good at adding downtime for myself so I wouldn’t say I’m extremely balanced. I probably don’t sleep enough and I try to be very efficient with my time.  

If you had an extra five hours a day to do whatever you wanted, how would you spend the time?

Taking walks outside, playing board games with my children and sleeping (definitely need more sleep).

What’s your favorite way to enjoy Inspiro Tequila?

On the rocks with a little soda.

What five people — dead or alive — would you invite over for a cocktail party?

Ruth Bader Ginsberg. When I was younger and even going into law school, I dreamt of becoming a Supreme Court Justice. I studied Justice Ginsberg’s decisions in law school. I would love to learn about the decision-making process from her and how hard it is to get buy-in from the other Justices and how to not get swayed when you don’t agree. She is someone I emulate and who inspired me in law school. I totally agree with her quote that “women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”  

Someone alive would be Kirsten Green from Forerunner Ventures.  She is such an amazing pioneer for women in venture capital. She has invested in some of the most amazing CPG brands like Away, Warby Parker and The Yes — all brands that I am a huge fan of. I love seeing women make a significant impact in traditionally male-dominated industries.

Chelsea Handler too, because she is just hilarious. She would be very entertaining to have cocktails with.

I’m also a big Sting fan, so having him there to serenade us would be amazing.

Lastly, I would include my grandmother, who passed away two years ago. She is an inspiration to me and gave me my confidence.

If you were to create a commercial for Inspiro Tequila, who would you choose to star in it?

I would choose Julie Bowen.  I love that she is witty, intelligent and approachable.

What’s in store for the future of your business? Where do you see Inspiro Tequila one year from now?

I see Inspiro Tequila on retail shelves in a year. We can’t wait to be available at local retailers for our customers.