Desire and guts.  Not being afraid to try something new and not afraid of failing, say The Saucy Sisters, regarding ingredients for success.  Barbara Nowak and Beverly Pittman are sisters, and they are the September Women of Focus for 2011.

“We’re just floozies for wine,” say The Saucy Sisters.  “There was a time, we’re not ashamed to say, when we couldn’t have told you the difference between a Meursault and a Merlot.  We weren’t very discriminating about what we drank.  Like millions of others before us, we guzzled Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill in college and still remember that sweet buzz.”

These sisters describe themselves as wine experts with a twist. They are best friends who paired their knowledge and enjoyment to create a radio show, a business hosting events and tours, three wine books, two restaurant guides, and one cooking reference book.  This November they are launching their new book The Saucy Sisters Guide to Wine – What Every Girl Should Know Before She UNSCREWS!.

“Growing up as sisters, we weren’t exactly pals,” say The Saucy Sisters.  “Our social circles didn’t intersect.  We had different interests and even went to different schools.  By choice.  Don’t get us wrong… we loved each other.  We’re blood.  We just didn’t want to spend a lot of time in each other’s company.”

Both sisters attended college following high school.  This was an expectation of their parents who sent them to college preparatory high schools.  They both worked in Washington, D.C. after college, and it was here they became friends.

“We can pinpoint the moment it happened.  One day we had, out of obligation or guilt or boredom, decided to go shopping together in Georgetown.  We spent several exhausting hours hunting for bargains.  (What were we thinking…in Georgetown?) Failing miserably, we decided we needed a break.  We headed straight to the bar at Clyde’s.  We sat down at the bar and both ordered a glass of Chablis.  In those days Chablis meant any cheap white wine they were serving. That at least, we had in common.  As we reviewed the day’s events and our nonexistent purchases, we began to realize how much fun we were having together.”

The Saucy Sisters did not start out working together nor were either of them in the wine industry.  Barbara and Beverly worked in male-dominated industries where pay disparity between men and women was wide.  Barbara was forced to use legal action to establish a salary on par with her male counterparts.

Beverly began her career living in Washington D.C. working with the CIA.  “I quickly found out that spies don’t drink wine.  But scotch?  Straight and often – unless on assignment.”

Barbara worked for a Washington lobby organization.  “I was taking influential media types out to 4-star restaurants for 3-martini lunches.  (Or was it 3-star restaurants for 4-martini lunches?)  Martinis were for expenses accounts.  At home it was value-priced, large format bottles of CK Mondavi Chablis.”

Both sisters eventually left Washington D.C. and worked in other states such as Texas before they landed in Los Angeles where they honed their wine drinking skills:  Rosé at the beach, Pinot Noir downtown, Chenin Blanc in Hollywood, Bubbly at the Marina, Chardonnay in the Valley, and Cab in Beverly Hills.

The Saucy Sisters next stop was Nashville due to a spouse’s career change.  “Certainly, there would be wine in Nashville.  When we first arrived in Music City, it was a desolate culinary outpost.  But the landscape was changing, and Nashville soon became a hotbed of restaurant activity. That’s when we recognized our calling.  We were meant to chronicle and encourage this feeding frenzy.  And what better way to get people’s attention than radio!”

Most of our challenges are self-created, say The Saucy Sisters.  “We tend to take on many diverse projects.  Even though we like the creativity, we sometimes find ourselves spread too thinly.  Fortunately, both of us like a little stress and tend to do well under pressure.  Having a partner really helps.  If one sister is down or struggling, the other is there to help and boost her spirits.  Plus, a glass of wine at the end of the day doesn’t hurt.”

“We admit it…we’ll unscrew for wine.  Who are we kidding?  We’ll pull the cork, pop the cork, tap the box, squeeze the bota…whatever it takes,” say The Saucy Sisters.

Along with a glass of wine, affirmations, visualization and the power of positive thinking are necessary components to creating your own business and maintaining focus.  It was important to The Saucy Sisters to prepare themselves for their new enterprises since they had no prior training in such ventures.  “Some things happen serendipitously, but we could never have taken advantage of them if we didn’t know where we were heading.”

Essential elements on the climb up the pink ladder include goals with deadlines, guts and relationships. “Networking is a must.  While it can be time-consuming, it’s crucial to promoting ourselves and our business.  We’ve come to understand (probably belatedly) that relationships are the foundation of business.  And it’s more than who you know.  It’s a give-and-take where individuals help each other succeed.”

One of the people who helped them succeed is Cheryl Riegel, a career coach.  “Last year after we stopped our radio show, we had lost our drive and focus on who we were and what we wanted to do in our future.  We started working with Cheryl and she immediately guided us back to who we are as a business and helped us develop a plan for immediate and long-term future.  This three-month journey was amazing.  We now have another book that will be published in October- November 2011, corporate speaking engagements, wine column for online publication, wine and food events – plus other new activities.”

Barbara chose Cheryl Riegel as someone she admires because “she embodies a well-rounded person.  She’s intellectually curious (in fact, brilliant) but can talk to anyone in any walk of life.  She’s serious about achieving her goals but can (and does often) laugh at herself.  She’s gracious and warm and diplomatic but can also participate in some bad-girl chitchat.”

Beverly chose Golda Meir, the fourth prime minister of Israel, as someone she admires most because “she was smart, tough and a great leader – and a genuinely nice person.”

Both sisters refer to each other as best or dream sisters and as someone they admire.

“When we were growing up, I hated to talk on the phone to people I didn’t know.  (Boy, have times changed!)  She would make those calls for me.  I also hated shopping.  (Again…times have changed.)  If I needed a special outfit, she would do the shopping, come back home with a variety of outfits to try on, and take back whatever I didn’t want.  Now, we both are regularly on the phone to strangers and do our shopping together,” says Barbara about Beverly.  “She’s beautiful, smart, creative and FUN!  And a true friend,” adds Beverly about Barbara.

Looking forward over the next several years, The Saucy Sisters see themselves hosting many corporate speaking engagements, writing several new books, and hosting a radio and/or television show.  “We’re always looking for ways to keep fresh – for ourselves and for our audiences.  And we’re always learning new information and skills.  We want to be prepared for unexpected opportunities.”

Be persistent.  Use any failures as learning opportunities.  Keep laughing and don’t take yourself too seriously.  Be yourself.  There’s no one else like you, say The Saucy Sisters.