Small Fortune Podcast
Our podcast is about the wine business, how difficult it is to be successful and why. It’s also about the strategies that various participants in the industry have used to overcome the challenges inherent in making and selling wine. And it is simply about telling the stories of the wine business.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
Tuesday Aug 19, 2025
BMO Managing Director Mario Zepponi, a leading Merger and Acquisitions advisor and podcast host Carol Collison, also an M&A Advisor, recap the deal market in the two years since Mario was last on the podcast (Ep: 7, October ’23.) Topics of discussion include how the decline in consumer wine demand has affected transactions, changes in the buyer set, valuations, what types of transactions may be seen in the future and more.
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Aug 05, 2025
Tuesday Aug 05, 2025
In this episode, fellow Berkeley Haas School MBAs and podcasters (!) Carol Collison and Mike Chaput discuss Mike’s journey to establishing his successful, high-growth IT services company, Endsight. Mike outlines concepts in technology, including how agentic AI might be used by wineries to increase DTC sales and operational efficiency. The conversation also includes the experience and lessons Mike learned through an early bankruptcy that led to his current business success. Some key management ideas Mike outlines include how vision, values and motives work to create a company culture that leads to growth.
https://www.endsight.net/
https://www.endsight.net/development/webinar
https://www.endsight.net/sec/cybersecurity/office/hours
https://www.youtube.com/@thechaputperspective
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Tuesday Jul 22, 2025
Randi Bural is a Senior VP at AgWest Farm Credit based in the Willamette Valley, Oregon. The Farm Credit system is an enterprise founded over 100 years ago by the Federal government to support American agriculture. Because of their mandate they are not going to exit the wine industry, unlike some commercial lenders during tough times. Carol and Randi discuss a variety of topics in current wine finance including how lenders manage lending relationships when a borrower faces financial difficulties, strategies that borrowers are taking to get through the current industry downturn, exiting the wine business and more.
https://www.agwestfc.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
Tuesday Jul 08, 2025
The Small Fortune Podcast is about entrepreneurship, the wine business, and the ecosystem of companies that support it. Today’s interview covers them all. Concepts about start-ups such as “minimally viable product.” How wineries should think about sales channels and distribution. And how LibDib works for wineries as an e-commerce distribution platform. This podcast is a banger if you’re into entrepreneurship, the wine business, or both.
https://libdib.com/
https://www.xchateau.com/always-have-distribution-w-cheryl-durzy-libdib/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Tuesday Jun 24, 2025
Scott Bozzo is an expert Farm Manager who advises his clients on which vineyards to buy and then helps them run the operation. Listen and learn how to do due diligence regarding water resources and rights when considering a vineyard acquisition. An entrepreneur and principal owner of Macotera Ag Group, Scott shares what his considerations were in deciding to start his own firm – great ideas for those listeners thinking about making the leap into self-employment themselves. He also provides meaningful advice on how buyers should think about a vineyard acquisition.
https://www.macaggroup.com/
https://calasfmra.com/events/
https://calasfmra.com/ag-land-trends/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Tuesday Jun 10, 2025
Today’s guest Pauline Lhote grew up on a farm in the Champagne region and at the ripe old age of 14 decided she wanted to make sparkling wine. Her ambition, hard work and singular focus propelled her to become the Head Winemaker at Domaine Chandon, a pioneering French-owned California sparkling wine house. Carol and Pauline have a wide-ranging discussion about sparkling wine production and its challenges, being women professionals, the differences between the California and French wine businesses, and much more. As usual, the interview ends with Pauline’s insights on professional success in the wine business.
https://www.chandon.com/
https://www.chandon.com/en-US/visit-us/wineryexperiences.html
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday May 27, 2025
Tuesday May 27, 2025
On our 50th episode (!!) host Carol Collison talks with Cyril Penn, Editor of “Wine Business Monthly” magazine. Listen and learn about: how Cyril got his start as a journalist; all the different ways this successful trade publishing enterprise serves the wine industry; and the company’s newest data products. And after 20 years of watching the wine industry, Cyril shares his best advice on how to be successful in the business.
https://www.winebusiness.com/
https://www.winebusiness.com/classifieds/winejobs/
https://comptracker.winebusiness.com/app/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday May 13, 2025
Tuesday May 13, 2025
As Ken Freeman says, “the harder I work, the luckier I get.” Still, the Freemans have had a charmed path to building their successful estate winery. From finding a famous tenant yielding cash flow positive business in year one, to picking their favorite wine – Pinot Noir – as the focus of their winery three years before the movie Sideways made the varietal the hot property it still is today, the Freemans have capitalized on their good fortune to create a successful business, Freeman Vineyard and Winery. Carol, Ken, and Akiko discuss many topics, including the secrets to a successful husband and wife business partnership, and how to enter the Japanese market.
https://www.freemanwinery.com/#en
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Tuesday Apr 29, 2025
Pete Przybylinski, Executive Vice President, and Chief Sales Officer of The Duckhorn Portfolio discusses the many lessons he learned about wine sales and sales management during his thirty years at the company. Among the many useful ideas for sales professionals, Pete discusses:
Managing inventory shortages through allocations and letting production drive sales in the early years.
Building out a brand portfolio and a sales network in the broad market.
Managing through the various financial and demand shocks of the last 20 years.
The development of Decoy and the expansion into national accounts.
Managing the current sales environment.
How to manage a sales team.
This conversation covers an immense amount about management and wine sales. There’s something in it for everyone.
https://www.duckhornportfolio.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
Tuesday Apr 15, 2025
What makes wine so different from all other adult beverage is the art. Listen as Arminee Chahbazian, a talented painter and sculpture who also sells French oak wine barrels for Tonnellerie Bel Aire describes both her artistic work and how it resonates with her representation of this important component in fine wine production. Another lesson here for folks who might not consider the lucrative sales profession, so important to all of the business world: if a fine artist can do it, so can you.
http://www.arminee.com/
https://www.tonnellerie-bel-air.fr/en/
https://sanfranciscoartfair.com/
Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com
Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.globalwinebank.com/
Music: Nate Collison
Logo Photography: John Corcoran