Small Fortune Podcast

Ep 20: Alex Sokol Blosser: How Becoming a B Corp Helps Wineries Thrive Responsibly

This is the first interview of an Oregon wine producer for the Small Fortune Podcast!  Carol loves Oregon!  Alex’s parents, Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol-Blosser were risk-taking entrepreneurs and among the pioneers of Willamette Valley’s development as an important American wine-growing region.  Alex and GWP partner Carol cover a wide range of topics, including B Corporations, second labels, bankers and more.  A very lively discussion with a gentleman who grew up in the adventurous lifestyle of wine entrepreneurship.  Or as he characterizes it, the circus.
Mentioned in this episode:
https://sokolblosser.com/
IPNC:  https://ipnc.org/
B Corporations: https://www.investopedia.com/b-corp-7488828
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 19: Professional Pitchman Dave Del Dotto Says Wine is Good for Your Health

Today’s interview is with Dave Del Dotto, founder and owner of four wineries in the Napa Valley under various “Del Dotto” monikers.  Dave is a natural salesman, having made his first fortune in real estate and infomercials.  Listen in to hear how a natural pitchman makes the case for drinking wine.  He and Carol discuss his success, including his approach to cultivating collector relationships and creating enduring experiences at his wineries.  The Kardashians, to Carol’s surprise, also make an appearance.  Although he has a very successful DTC program, Dave still sells a small portion of his production in wholesale channels. Food for thought.
Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.deldottovineyards.com/
https://www.peacocktv.com/watch-online/tv/keeping-up-with-the-kardashians/8311621267728768112/seasons/18/episodes/surprise-surprise-episode-5/ee8ea4c6-6a97-3532-a0b1-7e09c32aaa30
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 18: Sean Minor Wines is Taking Market Share and It’s Not An Accident

The remarkable thing to me (host Carol Collison) as a long-time advisor to business owners is how truly intentional and buttoned up Sean Minor is in his approach to entrepreneurship in the wine business.  He and his business partner and wife Nicole started their winery with a business plan based on identification of a very specific opportunity in the on-premise (restaurant) market and sailed through the terrible industry downturn in ’08 – ’10.  Although not covered in the conversation, of course being focused on-premise in 2020 was another story, however they’ve come through the pandemic and are growing through the last three quarters.  We talk about his approach to his start up, to changing the brand name several years into the business, to challenges he faced in financing growth, and now transitioning to the next generation.
 
Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.seanminorwines.com/
“Black Swan”: https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/economics/black-swan-event/
Negociant:  https://daily.sevenfifty.com/what-is-the-future-for-american-wine-negociants/
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 17: 4th Gen Napa Grower Andy Hoxsey Invented Today’s Custom Crush Services

Andy Hoxsey’s family came to the Napa Valley in the early 20th century and through successive generations have farmed and sold grapes, as well as taken significant entrepreneurial risks.  Andy tells the story of his (and the Pelissa family’s) acquisition of Napa Wine Company in 1993, with the expressed intention of creating the first high-touch custom crush business, certainly in the Napa Valley but quite possibly in the world.  Napa Wine Co was where such brands as Pahlmeyer, Colgin and the star consulting winemaker Helen Turley incubated their brands.  On the podcast, Andy shares some interesting stories from his long history in the wine business. 
https://www.napawineco.com/
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 16: Consulting Winemaker Jean Hoefliger Doesn’t Just Make Wine

Carol invited successful Napa Valley Consulting Winemaker Jean Hoefliger to the Small Fortune Podcast to learn about what the job entails.  And finds out it isn’t just winemaking!  Jean and the team at JH Wine Consulting provide comprehensive business services to their clients.  Why?  Because as Jean says in this conversation, quoting his friend Michel Rolland, “Even billionaires get tired of losing money”.
Mentioned in this episode:
https://www.jhwineconsulting.com/
https://www.axrnapavalley.com/
https://www.thedebatewine.com/
https://www.forceandgracewines.com/
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
 
 

Ep 15: BPM's Michelle Muth Ausburn on Professional Success in Finance & Accounting

In today's episode Carol interviews Michelle Muth Ausburn, partner in a major accounting firm, BPM, LLP.  As fellow women in senior finance positions in the wine industry, Carol and Michelle have a lively conversation about why pursuing a career in accounting was attractive to Michelle, what she values in her professional relationships, and an important lessons she learned from her entrepreneur father.  Through the conversation Michelle demonstrates the high level of discretion and ethics that characterize the top performers in the fields of finance and accounting. 
Mentioned in this episode:
BPM:  https://www.bpm.com/
GAAP:  (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) https://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gaap.asp
LIFO: (Last In, First Out Inventory Accounting) https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/last-in-first-out-lifo/
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners
https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
 

Ep 14: 50 Years as a North Coast Grape Grower: Fred Peterson Isn’t Worried About Climate Change

Fred Peterson is an American original and the most influential grape grower you may not have heard about.  From Mount Eden to Ridge Monte Bello, to Stagecoach and beyond, Fred has been involved with many iconic California vineyards. When he began his career in the wine industry in the 1970’s he worked with Riesling and Sylvaner in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Back then, the Napa Valley was planted primarily to Petite Sirah. Fred and Carol discuss the history of North Coast Grape growing, and Fred’s perspective on the future.  Instead of our traditional Small Fortune Intro, Carol’s business partner Mike Fisher, who went to UC Davis with Fred, makes an appearance.  In 1987 Fred founded Peterson Winery, based in Healdsburg, CA.  Today he and his son Jamie work together making classic Sonoma wines based on their “Zero Manipulation” approach from Fred’s Bradford Mountain vineyard and beyond.
https://www.petersonwinery.com/
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 13: Wine Sales Were Down 9% in 2023: Russ Weis on What You Can Do About It

Our interview with Russ Weis about his career as a senior manager in the wine industry (see Episode 12) took place on a day when an industry research firm (link below to their website) released data that showed a marked drop in winery shipments into the wholesale channel in 2023 (9% by value).  This has naturally grabbed everyone’s attention, and we didn’t have time to address it.  So, we recorded a second interview in which Russ shares many practical and also philosophical approaches to the challenge of managing wine sales in the wholesale markets.
Referenced in today’s episode:
https://www.bw166.com/blog/
https://wvmgmt.com/
Questions?  Comments?  smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 12: The Secret to Longevity in Management: An Interview with Russ Weis

Russ Weis is the President of Walsh Vineyards Management, a Napa-based farming services company. He joined Walsh after an 18-year run as President of Silverado Vineyards, and before that he worked for nearly ten years in senior management at Robert Mondavi Winery, during the go-go years of the ‘90’s.  Russ shares his experiences in the wine industry, beginning on his family farm in Madera County. He also answers Carol’s question:  what is the secret to longevity in senior management positions? Russ shares a concept he was taught early in his career which might be broadened to the more universal idea of “authenticity,” a way of thinking about how to choose the right company to work for, which has stood him in good stead and still does to this day.
Referenced in today's episode:
https://wvmgmt.com/
 Questions? Comments? Smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 11: The O.G. of Wine DTC: Paul Kalemkiarian of the Original Wine of the Month Club

“I am enthusiastic over humanity’s extraordinary and sometimes very timely ingenuity.  If you are in a shipwreck and all the boats are gone, a piano top buoyant enough to keep you afloat that comes along makes a fortuitous life preserver.  But this is not to say that the best way to design a life preserver is in the form of a piano top.  I think that we are clinging to a great many piano tops in accepting yesterday’s fortuitous contrivings as constituting the only means for solving a given problem.”  Richard Buckminster Fuller
Happy New Year Small Fortune Podcast Listeners!
In today’s episode, Carol talks to Paul Kalemkiarian, (until last year) the owner of the Original Wine of the Month Club.  Paul describes the arc of his DTC wine sales business from in-person recruitment methods in the ‘70’s ‘80’s and 90’s through the mail catalogue, e-mail, and now on-line methods of acquiring new customers.  As the platforms we currently use to mediate the connection between sellers and buyers become increasingly crowded, and as the platforms take more and more profits for themselves, it’s time to think anew.  There are some good “old” ideas that Paul describes that might just be worth another look here in 2024.
Paul is also a podcaster!  Carol highly recommends “Wine Talks with Paul K” – available at all podcast platforms (link below).  While you’re there, follow Small Fortune!  We’re on all podcast platforms too.
paul@womclub.com
https://www.winetalkspodcast.com/
Andy Steinman’s contact information for the wine DTC opportunity: asteinman@globalwinebank.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran