Small Fortune Podcast

Ep 75: A Short Course in Publicity with O.G. Julie Ann Kodmur

Today’s wine business has been shaped by pioneers like Jule Ann Kodmur, who worked on an early Sotheby’s wine auction, and then worked for many important distributors and wine companies. She started her own consulting firm in 1997. Julie Ann and host Carol Collison talk through the differences between working for a company and being self-employed, but most importantly Julie Ann shares many, many great ideas about how to get publicity for your company. From stodgy old media to today’s influencer media environment, Julie Ann has experienced it all on behalf of her clients.
http://julieannkodmur.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 74: Selling Paso Robles with Jenny Heinzen

Jenny Heinzen is the Broker and Principal of Vineyard Professional Real Estate in Paso Robles, CA. She is the leading seller of winery and vineyard properties in this market. Why would Carol Collison, a winery M&A advisor, invite a fellow professional on her podcast? It’s because Jenny and Carol aren’t really direct competitors. In this conversation you’ll hear the difference between the two practices (Broker v. Advisor) as it relates to issues such as acquiring clients, finding buyers, and managing a transaction process. Jenny provides an update on the Paso Robles vineyard and winery real estate market beginning around the 32-minute mark for those who want to skip the broker talk.
https://vineyardprorealestate.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 73: Niagara: The Hottest Wine Region in the World with Paul Speck

With American wines off Canadian shelves and tourists staying home and visiting local attractions, now is a great time to be a wine producer in Canada.  Hear what’s happening in this interview with Paul Speck, President of Henry of Pelham Estate Winery, the third largest wine company in Canada founded in 1984 on land that had been in the family since the 18th century. The company is based in the Niagara Peninsula, the large Ontario growing region and farms 300 acres. In addition to wine production, they also run Family Wine Merchants, which imports and distributes beer, wine, and spirits from throughout the world. Hear Paul’s tips on how to succeed as a family wine company, the history of the Canadian wine industry and how it is similar to American wine history and succeeding through listening to your customers and giving them what they want among other great ideas. Paul also talks about their best-selling varietal product, Baco Noir. The conversation wraps up with key concepts for starting and succeeding in the Canadian wine business (and everywhere else too.)
https://henryofpelham.com/
https://fwmcanada.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 72: How to Wind Down a Wine Business the Right Way

Back in mid-2024, Episode #25, Carol interviewed Megan Bell, owner of Margins Winery in Santa Cruz, California. Megan had been profiled in the SF Chronicle about the increasing challenges in the wine business. Two years later she was profiled again for having ended her wine company, and host Carol Collison asked her back to talk through her process of deciding to wind down the business, and the sacrifices she made to make sure she paid all her growers and her bankers. Carol and Megan discuss various issues and tendencies that make it difficult for entrepreneurs to make decisions like this: the tendency to ignore information that contradicts your decision, the “sunk cost fallacy”, as well as the role of investments - such as a tasting room lease and tenant improvements - that have the effect of increasing a company’s break-even point and reducing financial flexibility.  Carol emphasizes that the discipline and integrity that Megan demonstrated in her wind down of Margins winery reflects the best of American business ethics, and calls to all business managers to remember to “do what you say you’re going to do.” An ethos that has made American entrepreneurship the envy of the world.
https://www.agleaders.org/programs/about/
https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance/resource-partners/small-business-development-centers-sbdc
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 71: Far Niente Board Chair Carol Reber on How to Climb to the Top

Among many the keys to professional success in corporate environments that are discussed in this episode are: make what’s best for the business your “north star” (then your career will take care of itself); focus on the big picture (don’t get lost in the data); but also prioritize your efforts based on data.  Host Carol and her guest Carol also discuss challenges that women managers can face and ideas about how to overcome them. Learn what the role of a Board of Directors is (nose in, hands out) and the best ways that managers and board members can work together to advance the business they serve. Reber recommends that owners of businesses of any size find either informal or formal outside advisors to get advice and support when making important decisions. Please note: this is an edited version of a long conversation, some day in the future we may publish an “director’s cut” of the whole thing.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolreber/
https://farniente.com/
How to become a board member in six steps | McKinsey
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 70: Sell More Now with Enolytics' Cathy Huyghe

Cathy Huyghe began her career as a writer for Forbes Magazine, writing on the wine business and related business issues. In 2009 she and her co-founder launched a data analytics firm, Enolytics, which takes winery client sales data from all channels and returns actionable information about where and how the winery can improve its sales results. Recently they have incorporated “AI” technology (specifically machine learning) to augment the service, and she and host Carol Collison discuss the pros and cons of using AI. They also discuss a new initiative recently launched, in a joint venture with direct-to-consumer specialists WISE, that provides customers a new way to execute effectively on their DTC data. Cathy shares a new key to success in our 70th interview: get out there and meet people.
Enolytics 
Enolytics 101 
LinkedIn 
LinkedIn 
Instagram
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 69: Business Strategy with Sun Tzu and Stoller’s Gary Mortensen

Learn about how Gary Mortensen, President of Stoller Wine Group thinks about business strategy. Gary shares lots of great ideas about how to think creatively about your wine business and how to innovate. Hear what a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) is and how it can assist your strategic thinking. These concepts are as important to a small winery as a large one. As Gary says, “Big company, big problems. Small company, big problems.”
https://www.stollerfamilyestate.com
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 68: Fred Reno on Virginia: America’s Founding Wine Country

After finishing a long and successful career in the California wine industry, Fred Reno retired to Virginia, the original American winegrowing region. Vines were first planted there in 1619 under orders from the British crown. They were hoping to find an alternative to French wine in its then-colonies. The founding fathers were investors in the wine business too, in 1773. In this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Fred and host Carol Collison talk about the history of the Virginia wine business, including viticulture, growing regions and issues in sales and distribution. Fred shares details about his favorite Virginia grape, Norton. And he ends the interview with his keys to success in the wine business, what he calls “the two P’s”: Packaging and Price.
https://finewineconfidential.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 67: Rerelease: How Andy Hoxsey Invented Custom Crush

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/
Editor: John Kiernan, The Podhouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran

Ep 66: Finding a Niche in a Crowded Wine Market with Tank Garage’s Ed Feuchuk

While looking through LinkedIn comments on the platform, host Carol Collison came across a fascinating marketing campaign for a high-end wine product released on Black Friday: Tank Garage’s Black Market. She reached out to the winery’s General Manager to learn more. In this conversation you’ll hear what a wine company founded and managed by marketing professionals looks like. Tank Garage is a company that addresses the wine consumer who wants access to the company’s inventive, limited-run products. This strategy creates exclusivity and scarcity which keeps the winery’s customers interested and engaged.
https://www.tankgaragewinery.com/
https://www.tankgaragewinery.com/lubrication/black-market
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Editor: John Kiernan, The PodHouse Productions
www.thepodhouseproductions.com
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran