Here we go again.  Another year has begun and we all are looking forward to brighter days.  So what are you doing to make today better than yesterday?  Yes, it is up to you to make change happen.  If you really think the government or anyone else for that matter is going to save the day, you need to wake up and do a reality check.  In other words, quit making excuses and start doing something to improve your situation.

I believe that as our society has grown, it has become easier to get lost in the crowd.  Many people have chosen to leave their responsibility for being a productive, caring human being to “the man”.  Unfortunately, “the man” doesn’t really care about you and your dreams and will always put its self- interest first.

So, what to do?  First, step off that wheel you’re on and take some time to reflect on what you’re trying to accomplish.  It’s okay to have dreams, but it’s even better to have a plan that you will follow to make them a reality.  All of the greatest accomplishments, whether personal or in business started with one person having an idea.  What is your idea?

Next, move your idea forward.  You do this by surrounding yourself with people who believe what you believe.  Share your ideas with them and keep moving forward.  Don’t worry, there will be plenty of unexpected forks in the road along the way.  You need to accept that your “plan” needs to be flexible so you can quickly adapt.  Holding on to your “perfect idea/plan” can cause your fast sailing boat to quickly stop as you drop the anchor.  Being able to trim your sails with the changing wind will allow you to gain momentum and keep moving toward the realization of your dream.

Until next time….may your fresh start to a new year release the independent doer within you.

How will you do in 2012?  I think the key to your business’s success is pretty simple.  It all comes down to execution.

For many, this is easier said than done.  You’re either  going to dig deep inside and turn the switch from pilot light to ON or you will move through 2012 with a lot of talk about what you need to do.

Step 1:  Ignite the pilot light

Step 2:  Turn the switch to on

Step 3:  Prepare for lift off

Step 4:  Set your sights on immediate short-term success

Step 5:  Move quickly to get your first win

Step 6:  Celebrate each victory with your team

Step 7:  Implement your next strategy

Step 8:  Repeat steps 4-7!

With each success, you will find the fire building within.  Capitalize on this momentum.  Plan on less talking about “it” and more doing “it” as you walk down the path you desire.

Until next time…soar to new heights with your flame aglow and leave the hot air behind.

The vineyard manager showed them what grapes to pick.  It was now their turn.  Away they went snipping and clipping away.  Grape bunches were quickly filling their plastic bins.  The full-time vineyard crews were quickly moving past the newbies and although I didn’t understand their comments I could tell by their tone that they knew these folks couldn’t keep up with them and would surely collapse under the heat of the rising sun.

Oh boy, everyone was having such a good time.  The team spirit was flying high and  even when the vineyard foreman pointed out grapes being missed, they would quickly correct their mistakes.  That’s the fun part – being able to walk in someone else’s shoes for the moment.  It allows you to learn something new but at the same time provides a greater appreciation for what is really involved.

For the hospitality team, they walked away with a few new blisters and a great story to share with their guests arriving later that day.  But even greater is the fact that each employee recognized that they are part of a team that requires everyone to be at their best to achieve success.

Until next time…try walking in another’s shoes sometime and discover how important they are to you.

What about you?  What do you want to do?  Will your time be filled with travel, helping in the community or just not having a schedule?  All of the above sounds like a start but what else?  Obviously, I am not ready to retire because I am still worried about having a list to check off.

Recently we had a family vacation in Maui.  My kids are young adults which made this vacation even more special.  This year we enjoyed a true vacation as the kids volunteered to cook dinner and clean-up.  Many an evening I sat on our lanai sipping a beverage while watching the sunset with no schedule on hand – it was a nice vision for retirement.   But how realistic is that?

So here I sit wondering if retirement will be all that it is cracked up to be.  I think before I get to that day I am going to take it for a test drive.

Until next time…how do you see your sunset years?

What direction are you sailing?  The wine industry is showing positive signs that the storm has passed and a bright future is just beyond the horizon.  However, I don’t think the industry can fall into a false sense of security that it is going to be the good old days again.  I have heard a lot of chatter that the customer has changed.  They are looking for a deal or not purchasing.  I think there is something else at play.

The day of order-taking is over!  The perception of value lies in the impression that you give your guest and nowhere else.  What can you do to improve their impression?  Based upon the typical tasting room experience, there is plenty to be done.

I recently visited two tasting rooms one afternon in the Napa Valley.  The first was a famous destination where I was part of a private tasting.  The grounds were beautiful!  The tasting? Well it was so so.  The wines were pretty good, but I was looking for more…not wine, but an experience.  So, down the road I went.

My next stop was at a small family-owned winery.  The grounds were nothing special.  The tasting room consisted of a folding table with the barrel room just beyond the wall.  The tasting…awesome!  Why?  An employee who loved his job and the family he worked for!  It showed in everything he did.  The surprise for me was to see the owner/vintner in the tasting room the entire time I was there.  He met the guests and chatted with them.  Here was someone who knew how to separate his winery from so many others.  It wasn’t an over the top facility…just the opposite.  The wines…incredible.  But most of all, it was people who loved building relationships with others.

As the wine industry continues to move forward, I hope that many will step up and improve their guest experience.  It truly is the value consumers are looking for.  Just remember that each person coming in contact with your winery is a guest first!  Customer second! Wine Club member third! Ambassador for life!

Until next time…which way will you sail?

Why is it that young pups believe the next big customer lies just around the corner?  What’s not to love about this optimism?  For in it exists the creative drive often needed to reach people. 

I just read a report that said social media had no impact on retail sales.  Does this mean we should all abandon SM?  Of course not.  SM is still very young and there is a lot to be learned.  I would argue that SM is a unique platform for connecting with people.  More importantly, it is a place for those who share a common interest to stay connected with you.  Strengthening your relationship with existing customers is going to be more profitable than trying to lure the next guest to your website to purchase wine. 

We have all seen the impact television can have on influencing consumers with one-way communication.  Imagine the impact your winery can have when a dialog is formed.  This is where I believe the real power of SM lies for the small business.  Learning how to keep this channel open and active with interesting conversations will be the challenge.  What do you think?

Until next time…make sure you know what you’re hunting.

Growing up as a kid my family referred to me as “Mr. Neg”.  I didn’t see the glass as half-full but really questioned whether the glass would be there for future use.  Boy, what a joy it was to hang out with me.  Many years have passed since then and I have gained a greater appreciation of how my perspective impacts those around me. 

Now you might be thinking, “Gee Craig, what a revelation. What took you so long?”  and I respond yep, you’re right!  Recognizing your short comings is one thing, changing is another.  So here is my point:

Each of us leaves an impression with those that we interact with.  We have a choice to create a positive or negative impact.  The ripple effect will continue throughout the day for not only you but those you communicate with. 

I now choose to have my interactions with others to be a positive experience.  I admit this can be a real challenge for Mr. Neg but I have seen the impact and know it’s worth the effort.

Until next time…what is your perspective?

Growing your business is what you’re supposed to do, right?  Talk to any business leader or member of academia — they will tell you that without growth you will eventually die.  Sure, if your business never grew and your expenses continued to rise you would eventually lose money.  But what about right NOW?

With the economy starting to move forward, most companies are happy to see any sign of growth.  But how do we define growth?  Typically we look at sales year over year.  Since we hit the bottom in 2009, any kind of growth feels good.  But maybe we shouldn’t be so excited about comparing 2010 to 2009.  Maybe we should be comparing our current sales with 2006 or 2007 to see how much progress we have truly made.

How can growth be a bad thing?  Sales growth, without a clear picture of the impact it can have on cash flows can be devastating to a business.  Most businesses are already cash-strapped. They have tapped into both their rainy day fund and their lines of credit just to stay afloat during this recession.  As sales begin to grow, so will their required investment in inventory and accounts receivable.  These two assets are often misunderstood when it comes to cash flow.

Let’s start with accounts receivable.  AR represents what your customers owe you for the products or services you have sold them.  As your sales grow, so will your accounts receivable.  With this growth comes a delay in cash received.  Even if your customers pay you on time, this incremental growth may squeeze your bank account.  As a general rule your AR should grow at the same rate as your credit sales.  If the rate of growth in AR exceeds your credit sales growth, your collection times are growing. This can have a serious negative impact on cash.

Inventory is a black hole when it comes to cash.  Whether you’re a retailer or a manufacturer, when it comes to inventory, you are walking a tightrope. You must balance your need to have enough inventory on-hand to meet sales demand against the high cost of carrying excess inventory.  Ideally, you need a way to predict what demand will be.  Any slowdown in sales could result in excess inventory (i.e. cash) sitting on your shelf while your day to day expenses (cash out) continue.

Now is the time to have a good cash forecast in place.  You need to understand the squeeze your growth is going to put on your already weak cash and credit position.  One wrong move could spell disaster, just when you thought you were on the road to success.

Until next time…understanding where you’re going can reduce the detours along the way.

It was sunrise the day after Christmas when I captured the picture above from my son’s kitchen window.  How appropriate that the morning began with a fresh layer of snow.  There is something peaceful about seeing the snow drape the trees. For me, there is no better way to close out 2010. 

With 2011 just getting underway, I can’t think of a better time to clear the slate and have a fresh start.  This past year has been challenging for the wine industry but there are many positive signs that the economy is moving forward. 

I expect to see Napa Valley 2010 wine sales up at least 10% over 2009 but we have a long way to go before we are back to the highs of 2007.  Wineries will continue to focus on depleting older vintages as they try to get back to a normal release schedule.  With the short harvest in 2008 I expect that many wineries will be able to get back on track by 2012. 

Challenges still abound in the California market as wine sales continue to struggle to grow.  Like past recessions, California is usually the last to enter the slow down and the last to recover.  With the looming state budget deficit and double digit unemployment it may take 3 to 5 years for our economic engine to fire on all cylinders. 

Strategies should be focused on boosting your presence in local markets to help support your distributor.  The more you can do to help educate the restaurant staff about your wines, the better.  The market is crowded with a lot of great choices so getting your wine at the top of a server’s mind is going to take some effort.

Renewed focus on your direct to consumer sales will continue to be an important strategy.  As your customers regain confidence and increase their wine purchases, you want to make sure they remember you.  Keep your contact with them fresh all year long.  It’s time to be creative and to push your hospitality to the next level. 

For those folks visiting your winery for the first time what will be their impression?  We often forget that many people are visiting the Napa Valley for the first time.  Make sure your hospitality team is fresh and go out of their way to help serve your guests.  Even if a sale doesn’t happen on that first visit your team is planting impression seeds that have the potential to bear fruit down the road.

Until next time…let this month be your chance for a fresh start to a properous 2011.

Wow, what a climb!  Do you ever feel like there are just too many steps before you? On my recent business trip to the East coast I spent a day in Lynchburg, VA to visit family.  While out and about as a tourist I came across these 132 steps.  They serve as a memorial for local veterans dating back to WWI.  As I ascended the  steps and read each of the memorials I began to reflect on all of those who have given up so much, often their lives, so that I might have freedom.  I don’t want to sound cheesy but I have amazing opportunities thanks to these folks. 

So, what do all of these steps have to do with you?  Let’s see, freedom to… choose, decide, speak, vote and learn from our mistakes.  How have you managed with this responsibility?  If you’re like me, you probably haven’t given it much thought.  It’s a way of life, isn’t it?  The current recession seems to have shocked us awake — it isn’t business as usual.  Although our freedom has not been impacted,  our way of life has.  There are positive signs that the economy is moving forward but at a very slow pace.  I think it will take many years before we are running like a well-oiled machine.  Which brings me  to the point of this blog.

Reaching the top may require you to ascend many steps.  Do you have the patience to trudge ahead?  Will you follow the same path that got you there before?  Is there a better way to get there?  Do you want to arrive at the same place or is there something better awaiting those who venture off the beaten path?  My hope for you is that you take the time to focus your attention on answering these questions for yourself. 

Until next time…if you don’t like the race you’re running maybe it is time to rethink how you’re going to reach the finish line.