Amanda Thomson, Thomson & Scott Noughty Alcohol-Free Wine

Title: CEO and Founder of Thomson & Scott Noughty Alcohol-Free Wine

Location: Exmouth Market, London, UK

Years in the Industry: 

I was formerly a BBC broadcast journalist reporting on the arts out of London. During that time, I became a huge fan of Champagne and was lucky enough to be offered a glass or two at most of the events I covered. The desire to create my own business had always been at the back of my mind and the opportunity to create my own wine brand with something magical to me. We decided, my husband and I, almost overnight to take our young family and move to Paris for three years to give me the opportunity to study at the renowned Le Cordon Bleu culinary school that had just started offering a comprehensive wine and wine management diploma.

 With little in the way of French language skills but plenty of tenacity, I began by launching my first Brut Nature (no added sugar) Champagne followed by a top-quality low sugar organic prosecco not long after. But the premium alcohol-free wine space was something that until then, had really eluded the wine industry. So, I became a pioneer in creating the first premium alcohol-free sparkling whilst maintaining all the attributes that I so fervently cherished when I began building my business - being organic, vegan, low sugar and above all, absolutely delicious.

My Top Three Challenges to Wellness: 

1. There's no doubt that I'm someone who relies heavily on the constraints of time management to maintain some order to my day. I have always had a high energy approach to work and am most likely borderline ADHD which affects my approach to business and life in general. From an early age, the concept of work has always taken precedence over everything else.  At school I was always the first to finish but by default the first to start joking around in class.  Without good time management I have always struggled to avoid bouncing from one task to another and back all day long to the point of exhaustion. I don't think I've met many other entrepreneurs who don’t harbour some similar traits.

2. Fitness is a very important part of my daily routine. Without it I become tired and irritated.  Exercise gives me the opportunity to spend on myself, to stay focused on just that and find an outlet for the high reserves of energy I hold. It also gives me the chance to meditate on certain issues at work and at home. Being a business owner who is married with children going through school and college, the ability to remain physically fit is vital.

3. I was raised from birth on a plant-based diet which for someone who was born in the 70s is a rarity. My mother was, looking back, quite entrepreneurial in her approach to food and diet. I remember her driving a small van around our hometown north of London delivering bags of Muesli to customers. I guess in a way this is stuck in my subconscious and I'm now seeing that desire to deliver a healthy product to consumers may be a reflection of my mother’s will to make her small business a success all those years ago.  Maintaining a healthy diet is so important to me. I know I need considerable amounts of fuel to keep up with my brain’s demanding pace!  Without it I'm distracted, fractious and ultimately lose concentration and focus, which for someone responsible for staff and a global business, is not productive.

How I Keep It Together to Stay Well:

I have an incredible acupuncturist and natural medicine therapist who I've known for almost 25 years. He is a Polish man who studied for many years in Taiwan and China. His expertise and ability to listen and discuss issues that I may need to share is invaluable to me. I'm also one of those people who is lucky enough to benefit hugely from this form of therapy.  His skills as an acupuncturist have set me right on numerous occasions. He was even there for the birth of my second child and help me avoid going into hospital with complications. In a way I think the family treat him as one of our own as he's answered so many of our problems over the years.

Laughter Is a vital component to my life. Without it I think we would all be lost. I've realized that as I have aged, I rely much more now on comedy and laughter than I ever did when I was younger. It's almost like medicine to me.

One of the biggest issues facing us today I believe is the controlling power of technology. Our constant battle to balance screen time and real life is one that has become more and more serious, not only for us but for the younger generations growing up knowing nothing else other than to reach for a phone and start scrolling. I must constantly check myself to make sure that I don't fall into the trap of becoming a scroll zombie and remind myself that I'm surrounded by a real-life fascinating world every time I step out of the house.

What Inspires Me: 

Travel is one of the things that inspires me the most.  The world is an extraordinary place.  I've been lucky enough in my career to date to travel around the world from Australia and New Zealand to Mexico, China and across Europe and Africa.

My appetite for travel seems to grow year on year. It also enables me to constantly remind myself how fragile the planet is and how much damage we can do if we don't change the way in which we live and do business.  I'm proud to be B Corporation certified as a business, which enables us to put purpose alongside profit. My team works tirelessly to make sure that all of our packaging is recyclable and compostable and that we reduce energy consumption wherever we can.

The other aspect of my life from which I draw inspiration is from being next to really smart people.  Learning from people who are much wiser than me is done so in the hope that it’ll rub off.  I’m a Gemini so a master of small nuggets of information.  But listening and engaging with people who have an in-depth knowledge of their field of expertise is like listening to great music.  It sings.  It gives you the strength and energy to want to know more.  Never turn down the chance to sit next to someone smart at a networking event or dinner!

A Quote I Love:

“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.” - Coco Chanel.

Coco Chanel is renowned for many wise words to her staff and those in her industry across her 70 years in fashion – and typically French, she was always very forthright in her opinions.  But for me in particular as a female entrepreneur finding my way through such a male-dominated environment, I don’t think there’s a wiser piece of advice. 

You can connect with Amanda on Instagram @noughtyaf on Facebook @noughtyaf and online at www.noughtyaf.com