Most of the winemakers I know started making wine in their garage or basement. Some inherited the family business which was also started in a basement or barn. All have the hearts of a true entrepreneur as they forge on to develop great wines.
Hobbyists beware of the words “you should sell this stuff.” BAM! The entrepreneur inside turns its creative mind to large quantity production and cool labels. But if they ever want to get it in your hands they have to do much more than create and bottle the wine.
While researching the newest winery in the region I met Lance and Valerie owners of Black Walnut Winery. I should add that they do have partners in crime (wine), Jack and Karen. These four are the classic wine enthusiasts turned hobbyists turned entrepreneur and soon to be leaders recognized for their award winning wines. I can not describe how much I enjoyed their wines and YES, their story.
[read Rob Kallessa's article bacause I could not have written it better: http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20091006/SPARK0302/910070304/1129/rss06]
http://www.blackwalnutwinery.com/about.html
For the purpose of this article, I continue…
You see, we all have something great within us that we want to share. In each story there is a pivotal moment when they sought advice and expertise of other entrepreneurs they consider leaders. The spirit that drove them to ask for advice also encouraged them to act. About that time they totally become paralyzed.
One winemaker I know said he got great advice and did do what he needed to trademark and begin selling the wine. When he finally had everything in place he freaked out! When the license to sell was in his hands reality hit; his dream had come true. Up ‘till then he was so busy following instructions and DOING.
I don’t know that we always see the shift from artist to entrepreneur when its happening. We experience the challenges and feel the anxiety about a particular task – but only after we allowed the internal leader to take charge. Its being a leader that helps us to get the do done.
So my fellow artisans I encourage you now to look back at what happened in your life just before you started DOING – that was your first defining moment. That is when you unleashed the leader in you. My bet is 50% of you were laughing over a glass of wine when it happened.
Am I right? Comment!
Jake Tuschinski, owner of Divinitatis Consulting, is a certified life and leadership coach, speaker, and published author. Her areas of expertise include communication skills, leadership, success motivation, meeting management, and work-life balance.
She is also a wine enthusiast with a passion for Leadership as a Human Experience. "All of our experiences relate to who we are or want to be as leaders. The discover and understanding for those experiences can be fun."
She works with fortune 500 companies, small businesses, non-profit organizations, and individuals around the world. She is the recipient of various speaking awards in America and Europe.
An entrepreneur herself, she knows what it means to have a big vision, courage, and the energy it takes to accomplish it.