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Is there any hope for an online business world riddled with ugly, sleazy sales and design? The Secrets of Gorgeous Design unlocks the hidden formulas on how to marry beautiful design with conversion-based strategy to improve brands and scale businesses. Hosted by Cathy Olson of Love Inspired Inc.
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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.
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Lead Like a Lady with Gina L. Osborn - A Real Life Podcast features remarkable women who have risen to the top in male dominated industries. From aviation to construction, law enforcement to sports, they share their stories, inspire greatness and provide lessons learned to all the women (and men) coming up behind them. Host Gina L. Osborn is an Army Veteran and Retired FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
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Merritt Olson, a Pacific Northwest wine sales veteran, (at the ripe old age of not very old) has seen it all. She began her sales career by selling wine in tasting rooms and bars in the Walla Walla area while in college. She then moved to sales management for a wide range of Pacific Northwest wineries such as Charles Smith and Owen Roe, finally fin…
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Ann Reynolds started her compliance consulting company Wine Compliance Alliance 15 years ago. She and Carol talk about the entrepreneurial mindset, how to launch a consulting firm, and of course, compliance! One of the things that make the wine business so difficult is the complex regulatory environment for beverage alcohol production and sales. An…
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It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of artist, musician, wine business advisor and co-founder of Global Wine Partners, Vic Motto, at his home in Florida on September 1, 2024. In honor of Vic, we would like to revisit our first episode. Questions? Comments? smallfortunepodcast@gmail.com Sponsor: Global Wine Partners https://www.glo…
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Ep 29: The Market for Vineyards and Wineries in ‘24/’25 with Tony Correia and Carol Collison
29:03
Vineyard appraiser Tony Correia and M&A Advisor Carol Collison engage in a wide-ranging discussion on the economics of today’s wine industry: Who’s buying vineyards in California today and why, how the bankruptcy of Vintage Wine Estates is affecting the market for winery facilities and brands, and what today’s market implies for transaction volumes…
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There are lots of ways to be successful in the wine business, and lots of ways to fail. In this conversation with famed Napa winemaker Cathy Corison, you will hear about an artist’s approach to business success. Growth for the sake of it is not a value, indeed Cathy has kept the company the size it is (only 3,000 cases) so that she can have complet…
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If you give your time to volunteering for trade organizations like the Grape Growers or Vintners in your area, are you guaranteed to sell your winery? Karen Cakebread and Carol Collison talk about the professional benefits of this type of philanthropic work. Karen tells the story of how, after many years of networking, she sold her Ziata wine brand…
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As a wine and grape broker, Steve Fredricks, President of Turrentine Brokerage, has been at the center of the grape and wine supply chain for over thirty years. In this interview Carol and Steve discuss the dynamics of the wine supply cycle. On the current weak wine and grape market Steve says, “We’re farther along than people may feel but we still…
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Host Carol Collison reached out to Megan Bell - owner of the winery Margins - after reading a profile in the San Francisco Chronicle describing her difficult year to tell the story of the sales challenges the industry has faced in the past 12 months. Carol and Megan talk about how she has bootstrapped the financing of the business she founded, from…
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Chris Sarles joins Carol Collison for a wide-ranging conversation about the wine business, distributors, and how wineries can succeed in this important sales channel. The conversation is absolutely packed with ideas from how to be a successful executive; how distributors look at their winery partners (hint: if you’re a winery, you’re not the custom…
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Occasionally the Small Fortune Podcast can’t book an interview. Everyone’s so busy these days! So host Carol Collison invited friend and founder of the wine industry accounting firm Tim Allen to join her for a wide ranging conversation on topics such as the current industry environment, demand changes and down cycles, do we understand the new wine …
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In its short life the Small Fortune podcast has talked to a number of professionals who were “there at the beginning” of the modern American wine industry and today is a wonderful example: Fritz Hatton and Carol Collison talk about the history of the American wine auction, in which Fritz was a central player. Early in his successful career at Chris…
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Jonjie Lockman caught the wine bug in her 30’s and decided to bring her passion for business operations to the industry when she joined Intervine in 2011. Intervine provides wine as well as food and other beverage products to the airline industry. A member of the “Association of Business Process Management Professionals”, Jonjie has an incredible d…
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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,…
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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 appr…
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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 th…
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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 cust…
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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…
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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 impor…
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Ep 14: 50 Years as a North Coast Grape Grower: Fred Peterson Isn’t Worried About Climate Change
36:24
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 Mou…
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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…
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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…
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“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 …
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Jeremy Benson, founder of Benson Marketing Group, joins Carol to talk about what marketing can do for a winery or wine brand. He describes some campaigns for clients on small budgets, how marketing supports sales, and the need to integrate brand messaging throughout your business. He also shares his own story as an entrepreneur: why he chose to sta…
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Mark Freund was at First Republic Bank in May of 2023 when it succumbed to a banking panic that had taken down Silicon Valley Bank two months earlier. As important lenders to the wine industry, the failure of these two banks had an immediate impact on business activity. Fortunately, the contagion was quickly contained, SVB was acquired by First Cit…
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Every business owner or manager needs great attorney(s) on speed dial. Nick Donovan, Partner at GVM Law LLP in Napa, California joins Carol to discuss a number of legal issues including business formation, raising equity and more. He also shares his views on the keys to success as well as the risks in the wine industry. Finally, undaunted by the ch…
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Listen in to M&A advisor shop-talk, as Carol interviews Mario Zepponi, founder and principal of The Zepponi Group, a leading wine industry M&A advisory firm. Carol and Mario talk about current market trends, what their favorite deals looked like, challenges in the wine industry, and why winery owners wanting to sell their companies should hire loca…
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Roy Cecchetti sold his successful wine company to O’Neill Vintners in 2014 with the help of Global Wine Partners. In this interview, Roy comes out of retirement to talk to Carol about how he launched and grew his brand portfolio, which was selling several hundred thousand cases in the wholesale channel with only a skeleton crew (Roy + four salespeo…
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Tony Correia is the preeminent real estate appraiser in the California wine industry. Tony grew up in farming in the Fresno area and has worked in and around agriculture most of his career (except when he was a spy – we’ll cover that in another podcast). Carol and Tony talk about his career and profession, but also about how the Federal Reserve rat…
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Episode 4: Sam Bilbro & Carol Discuss the Federal Reserve and the Market for Italian Varietals
28:15
Sam Bilbro is a 4th generation winemaker and owner of the brand Idlewild which specializes in wines made from Piedmontese varieties grown in and around Northern Sonoma County. Carol and Sam talk about the business case for these niche wines, as well as his thinking behind his retail Italian wine and food shop. They also talk about the business less…
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Carol talks with Tim Allen, founder and managing partner of the Allen Wine Group. AWG provides consulting CFO and accounting services to the wine industry. Carol and Tim talk about the common mistakes that wine businesses make and how to manage them. Tim also shares stories about winery transactions he's been involved with - Rosenblum and Kuleto - …
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Our first conversation is with Vic Motto, founder of both MKF, a top wine industry CPA firm, and Global Wine Partners, where Carol and Jaclyn both work. Vic spent many years advising top companies in the industry from all over the world and with all types of business models, from Gallo to Screaming Eagle. Vic talks about a number of keys to success…
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Welcome to Small Fortune, a podcast about the business of wine. We discuss 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. The podcast is al…
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Let's talk about INVINCIBILITY. Chief Cathy Lanier refused to be defeated or overcome by past decisions. She went from being a teenage mom with a ninth grade education to becoming the first female Chief of Police of the DC Metropolitan Police. Now the Senior Vice President of Security for the NFL, another male dominated field, Chief Lanier teaches …
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Abigail Olson began her culinary career at age 15 when she was accepted into a vocational school food program. She graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America by age 19. By the ripe old age of 24, she became the first female Senior Sous Chef at the Michelin Three-Star restaurant Alinea in Chicago. In this episode, Abigail talks abo…
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Brooke Smith is the President of MHX, a trucking and logistics company where 90% of her customers are men. On this episode, we talk about perceptions, building strong teams and being intentional when choosing the people with whom we surround ourselves.توسط Gina L. Osborn
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Megan Ragsdale is the Chief Operating Officer for the Soapy Joes Car Wash Franchise. In this episode, we discuss the importance of establishing core values that drive the mission of an organization, authentic leadership and escaping the fear of failure.توسط Gina L. Osborn
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Vlada Bortnik is the Co-Founder and CEO of Marco Polo, a popular video communications app that is changing the way we stay in touch. In this episode, Vlada speaks about being a woman in tech, teaching girls at an early age to embrace Science, Technology, Engineering an Math and conquering the negative voices inside so we can reach our greatest pote…
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Nell Scovell, Writer/Director/Producer and Co-Author of Lean In with Sheryl Sanberg joins us to discuss lessons from the book and her experiences working in the male dominated world of comedy.توسط Gina L. Osborn
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Liz McKinley is the Founder and President of Pinnacle Petroleum, a $200 million company. She learned what it was like to be the only woman in the room when she was the first woman to be hired by Koch Industries at the commercial level back in the early 80’s. Liz started her own company in 1995 and rose to the top of the male dominated oil industry.…
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Retired Police Officer Terri Lincoln was the first female helicopter pilot in the history of the Los Angeles Police Department. While working as a secretary back in the 80’s, she heard a LAPD recruiting commercial mentioning the opportunity to become a helicopter pilot. Terri believed she could do it, so she did it. If you have a dream, this is the…
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FBI Special Agent in Charge Voviette Morgan is the highest ranking African American female Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. She investigated everything from white collar crime to international terrorism. In this episode, SAC Morgan shares her journey to the top of the male dominated field of law enforcement navigating privacy, …
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Kim Shepherd is a CEO, Entrepreneur, Author, Speaker and Consultant. Two decades before Covid 19 hit, Kim took her multi-million dollar company, Decision Toolbox, remote. In this episode, Kim highlights key leadership principles of leading a remote workplace and gives great advice to entrepreneurs who are trying to find their niche.…
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Patty Farmer is an Award Winning Marketing and Media Strategist, International Speaker, Radio Host, Magazine Publisher, Event Producer and Author. In this episode, Patty shares how to market yourself for success, monetize your talents, determine your worth and eliminate imposter syndrome.توسط Gina L. Osborn
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Molly Jolly is the highest-ranking woman in the Angels Baseball Franchise as the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration. She’s also the Board Chair for the Girl Scouts of Orange County. In this episode, Molly shares her journey to working in the wide world of sports. Having been involved in numerous high-stakes negotiations, Molly shar…
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Jerri Williams is a retired FBI Special Agent, Author, Podcast Host and Hollywood Consultant. Her podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review has nearly five million downloads. Jerri’s motto is “Don’t Retire, Rewire. She is living proof that you can accomplish your dreams in your Second Act. In this episode, Jerri shares her story of reinvention and prov…
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Susan DeGrassi is the Vice President of Administration and Cause at Antis Roofing and Waterproofing. She is also the consummate professional. Consider this a class in Business 101. During this episode, Susan talks about the basics for becoming a great leader and the importance of reputation and professionalism. She also discusses how she raised fou…
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Sandra Hutchens was the first (and only) female Sheriff in Orange County, California. She began her journey in the male dominated field of law enforcement as a secretary at the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. Sheriff Hutchens rose through the ranks to become the Division Chief for Homeland Security. In one of her last interviews, Sheriff Hutchens…
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Stephanie Yonekura is the former Acting United States Attorney for the Central District of California. She now leads the Global White Collar and Fraud Practice for Hogan Lovells. In this powerful episode, Stephanie shares her journey as an Asian American rising to the top in the male dominated field of law enforcement. She talks about the importanc…
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Betty Thomas is an Emmy Award Winning Actor and Director. She held her own with the likes of John Candy and Bill Murray in the Second City Improv Group. Betty directed superstars like Eddie Murphy and Howard Stern in feature films and made news shattering records as the first women to make over $200 million at the box office. In this episode, Betty…
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Brenda Robinson is the first African American female pilot in the United States Navy and to fly with American airlines. If that’s not enough, Brenda was inducted into the International Pioneer Hall of Fame. In this episode, Brenda shares her historic journey and the secret to combatting fear. She also says that you don’t have to have confidence to …
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