Entrepreneur and spirits industry executive Fawn Weaver has delivered a motivational message to followers, urging perseverance, self-belief, and resilience as the new year unfolds, particularly for entrepreneurs and creatives feeling discouraged early in 2026.
In an Instagram post shared just two weeks into the year, Weaver encouraged people to resist defeat and remain committed to their goals despite setbacks.
“The only one who can defeat you…is you,” she wrote, stating that progress depends on the ability to learn quickly from challenges and refuse to quit.
Accompanying the post was a short video recorded as Weaver headed to meetings with distributors, in which she addressed what she described as a growing sense of discouragement she has observed online.
Weaver noted that many people feel overwhelmed after missing personal or professional goals in previous years, but argued that setbacks are a common and necessary part of success.
“I get a lot of women and people of color in the spirits industry thanking me for breaking barriers,” Weaver said in the video. “And yeah, it’s true — I’ve broken more records than we can count at this point. But I need you to hear me clearly. I am not the first. I am only the first to not give up.”
Weaver, who has become a prominent figure in a historically gate-kept spirits industry, rejected the idea that success is primarily driven by luck, capital, or flawless planning.
Instead, she singles out perseverance as the defining difference between failure and achievement.
“There’s only one difference between those who succeed and those who fail,” she said. “It’s the ones who give up in the in-between — the ones who can’t see seasons of chaos as seasons of character building.”
Closing the video with a message of encouragement, Weaver reaffirmed her belief that endurance, rather than circumstance, determines long-term success.
“I’m not the first to do any of the things I’m doing,” she said. “I’m just the first not to quit when the times got tough.”
