Underrated Additional Income Opportunities for Wineries, Tasting Rooms, and Vineyards

With all of the market uncertainty this year, growing a winery or wine business in an ambiguous business environment can be tough. The number one tool businesses have at their disposal in growing their business and preventing collapse is managing cash flow. There are two (well really three, but we will get to that one in a later post…) ways to mange cash flow: Increase Income or Control Expenses. Here we’ll talk about the former, and identify several underutilized strategies and tools to grow gross revenue for a winery, vineyard, tasting room, or wine based business.

Not every strategy here is going to work for every business. Every business has certain assets in its purview that lend themselves to optimizing different strategies. The objective is to identify which strategies your business can implement that complement your current income streams, while also maximize your existing customer base.

Increasing income is simply what it is, increase the amount of gross revenue coming in every month into the business’s income account. This can be expressed in multiple ways such as getting more wine club members or increase the number of sales every day in the tasting room.

Underrated Additional Income Opportunities for Wineries, Tasting Rooms, and Vineyards

Strategy #1: Optimize your Wine Club

The easiest way to generate more revenue is always from your current customers and people coming into the tasting room everyday. If you don’t know your your conversion rate into the club and online, then make sure to check out a previous post on analytics. Sometimes simply asking wine club members if they’d like to add any wines to their shipment when they come in to pick up or by offering a free taste of a new release in their shipment can spark their curiosity about other offerings and create opportunities for them to access special wines.

Additionally, with the right incentives, your wine club offer will attract the wine club member and increase you in-tasting room conversion rate.

Strategy #2: Offer additional products and services in your tasting room

Sometimes businesses can get carried away with this one and have too much product for sale at checkout or in the tasting room, so as a general rule of thumb, if you have more merchandise for sale in your tasting room than wine, you’re probably doing it wrong. That being said, a modest amount of branded merchandise such as hats, shirts, vests, glassware and locally sourced products from some of your partners in the area can give your sales just the right amount of bump to boost revenue by 5-10%.

Always do things that are on brand when looking at merchandise and spend a good amount of time researching the right products. Source products that you believe in and weave that into your story line.

If you have a relationship with local farmers and beekeepers, offer things like locally made honey, jams, olive oil or nuts, if you think your avatar will be supportive of locally sourced products.

A lot of wine tasters are surprised by their wine tasting experience when they taste from proper glassware made from Reidel or Zweissel. Offering branded take home glassware as apart of your tasting experience or to new club members creates an opportunity to raise the value of each of those offerings and generate more revenue.

Strategy #3: Create a Rental House or Add Accommodations to your Vineyard

This strategy can be a little harder to execute but has been done numerous times by big brand wineries that have strong brand presence and wanted to add to their member experience. Take the Justin Vineyards offering of lodging and villas. They have multiple lodging options ranging from hotel rooms to your own villa or chateau on property. This create a wonderful sales funnel where people can come and not only stay on a beautiful property, but then join the wine club, buy wine, and spend additional money on other services on property.

Justin Vineyards Tasting Room and Lodging in Paso Robles, CA. On property is also a Michelin Star restaurant where guests and club members can dine at. From Instagram.

This strategy can be a little harder to pull off and will most likely take more work, but reaping the benefits is the great reward. Not only can you generate additional income on a monthly basis, you can add value to your property, generate a host of tax benefits, and offer more options to your club members to come and visit.

Strategy #4: Offer Premium Tours, Tastings, and Experiences

Building off the last strategy, premium experiences and tours can elevate your brand, create higher margins and profits, and bring in a higher caliber consumer to your tasting experience. This is something that does not take as much work to create, but can immediately generate new offerings to current and new clients.

• Side by side

• Food and Wine

• Library Wines and Verticals

• Estate Tours

Strategy #5: Offer services to other wineries and wine businesses

Are you a winemaker that knows how to work with specific varietals that not a lot of winemakers in your area work with? Do you have additional space on your crushpad or in your tanks this year? Can you make a case of shiners that someone else can sell? Collaboration goes a long way in the wine industry, and being able to help out another brand that is in an earlier business stage than your own can be rewarding. Finding ways to serve other wine businesses in your area will always provide value and it’ll come back to you one way or another.

Can you offer cellar space to other startup wineries in your area?

How to Implement these Income Strategies into your Business

In the end, only some of these strategies and others will be applicable to any given business. You need to assess which ones will best line up with your avatar, and current offerings of tastings and wine club experiences.

Some of these strategies will also require more capital upfront, but hopefully will be worth the investment once your consumers begin selecting your new offerings.

A great way to see if one of these strategies will work before investing a lot of capital or time into training staff is to just run tests to see if people are interested in the new offerings by creating the offering on your website or asking in person tasters if they would like the new experience or merchandise. This is a great way to lower risk and get customer feedback on your new offerings at the same time. Often if you just listen to your customers, they’ll tell you your next great income strategy.

Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram and Linkedin.

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

5 Key Analytics for Wineries Seeking Growth this year

After coming off of a flat year last year, a lot of wineries and businesses focused on selling wine will be looking at ways to increase sales in the new year. In line with that goal, I wanted to put together some key metrics I’ve found that really give a snapshot of the business which I’ve used to help diagnose why a winery or wine business is not profitable and not growing.

These metrics are only a snapshot in time and will never truly tell the full picture or directly point to why a winery is not profitable. But by wholistically looking at each of these metrics, you can assess different areas of the business that need to change to improve the business, or you’ll simply be doing the same things over and over again expecting different results, aka the definition of insanity.

After consulting with multiple wineries and wine businesses over the last several years, I’ve also found that the biggest challenge to winery growth is a proactive, engaged, and adaptable business owner/partners or executive team that truly wants to do the work to grow the business.

Simply by taking action and assessing your business on these five metrics, you’re already taking the necessary steps to get your business headed in the right direction this year, so here we go:

5 Key Analytics for Wineries Seeking Growth in 2024

Analytics #1: Monthly Cash Flow

The number one metric to judge the health of a business is monthly cash flow. If you can’t sit down and calculate your monthly cash flow, your business is either too complicated, you don’t have your bookkeeping set up right, or you don’t have clarity on where all of your cash goes every month. Cash is king when growing a business. Its a risk mitigation tool and growth accelerant. Monthly cash flow will tell you if your business if profitable in the long run or not and whether it is a viable business model, or if something needs to change such as increase income or cutting expenses.

Now that we got that out of the way, let’s look at analytics that can predict income side balance sheets.

Analytic #2: Wine Club Growth and Churn Rate

As we analyze our income sheet, the size of the wine club is one of our greatest assets, because it is a subscription that productions predictable, sustainable income on a consistent business. Not every winery or wine business has a wine club or is it the largest piece of the business for all wineries, but for wineries that are focused on growing their direct to consumer sales, it is a great metric.

As you analyze your wine club, two key metrics should stand out to you. How many new members you net every month, meaning taking the number of wine club members you gain in a month and subtracting out the number of wine club members you lose which will give you a net score of (+) or (-) x number of wine club members a month. As you look at this number it should tell you a few things, such as if you are gaining a lot of members every month, but losing nearly the same amount every month, that should tell you your wine club conversion system is great, but there may be something off with customer loyalty or service in your club which is causing people to leave.

The reason why this metric is so great, once we have our churn rate we can calculate out over the next year how many wine club members we expect to have at the start of the next business cycle, allowing us to forecast and budget for the year.

Analytic #3: Wine Club Conversion Rate

Now that we understand the health of our wine club better, let’s look at wine club conversion rate. As its been established for direct to consumer focused wineries that wine club growth is key, the wine club conversion rate both online and in the tasting room is the next key metric.

Wine club conversion rate allows your to analyze why people join and why they don’t join your business’s wine club.

This is a key piece of data because if we can’t get people into the wine club, we won’t grow, and it may point to a larger issue in the business such as an unfriendly employee who annoys customers or untrained staff who simply don’t know how to sell your wine club to patrons.

Analytic #4: Total Monthly Wine Orders and Tastings

Another great metric to watch is Total Monthly wine orders and tastings. This metrics is great for measuring foot traffic and seeing if the number of people coming in every month is actually going up, not down. It is also important to compare alongside the other metrics above, because this number can be misleading and not give you a full picture of things like your wine club or profitability.

Once you know your monthly wine orders, you want to calculate the value of each of those orders, which is next.

Analytic #5: Average Wine Order Value

To calculate your average wine order value, simply divide the total value of gross sales that month by the number of orders. This is should give you a rough number that can tell you the value of a customer that walks into the door every day. This number is important because we want to measure how much wine we are able to sell to each individual customer and know what they are worth to us. It also allows us to watch and monitor our sales process, because is this number starts to go down, then we need to work on sales training with staff or find out why customers are spending less.

Analytics that didn’t make the list:

Marketing Insights and Data

Is marketing important in growing a business? Absolutely. Do vanity metrics like instagram follows and photo likes equate to sales? Absolutely not.

I love marketing, and love working with businesses on their marketing, but in my experience I have found that if a business has a profitability problem, its usually not because of bad marketing or low marketing analytics

There usually is another reason why the business isn’t growing.

Gross Revenue

As they say, “Revenue is Vanity, Profit is Sanity.” Gross revenue is good to watch to see how the business is growing on the income side, but as a business grows its gross revenue, typically expenses also increase to support the new income streams, such as payroll and professional services. Which is why you should look at gross revenue right next to monthly cash flow to make sure you are actually scaling your business and not giving up all of your hard earned wine sales income to random and uneccesary expense lines.

Number of Employees

Have you ever met that business owner that loves to brag about how many employees they have? I think creating jobs for others is one of life’s greatest joys, but if you can’t sustain that payroll, why hire that additional employee in the first place? As Mike Michalowicz states in his accountant-shattering book Profit First, pay yourself first, then take care of all of your expenses. And if you don’t have any money left over to pay payroll, you have a problem, that is probably related to one of the analytics up above.

How to Implement these Analytics into your Business

These analytics are a great guide and way to diagnose your wine business in this year. But they shouldn’t replace sound financial advice from a financial expert or Chief Financial Officer. As you look at these analytics, make sure to ask yourself the biggest question with regards to each of the numbers, “WHY?"

Why is our sales number low? Why is the wine club growing and our monthly cash flow not growing?

Analyzing our business allows us to be strategic and identify potential risks and opportunities to grow our brand and deliver amazing wines to more wine lovers every year.

Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram and Linkedin.

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

Leveraging Data Analytics: The Key to Elevating Winery Business in California

In the idyllic landscapes of California's wine country, the art of winemaking has flourished for centuries. However, in today's fast-paced and competitive market, wineries need more than just traditional craftsmanship to thrive.

The number one place I see small businesses fail is they don’t use good data to make good decisions. A lot of small business owners have this misconception that “data” is about technology, and social media reach, and having all these algorithms that crunch these huge data sets and spit out models that have no practicality in the real world.

“Old School” business owners believe that data giving up the old way of doing business, which is simply being people oriented.

I think a lot of business owners would be surprised to find how well data lines up with the “right” way of doing business and focusing on people. Data is simply the way to track and capture what is actually going on day to day with your business. The better our data is, the better we can forecast and project what kind of investments we need to make with capital in our business and what the actual ROI should be from that investment.

Identifying what kind of data you need to make the decisions you make in your business is well worth the time and effort investment.

Data analytics has emerged as a game-changer for businesses across industries, and the wine industry is no exception. In this blog post, we will explore how wineries in California can harness the power of data to make better business decisions, elevate their operations, and ultimately craft exceptional wines that captivate the modern consumer.

The Rise of Data Analytics in the Wine Industry

In recent years, the wine industry has witnessed a significant shift towards data-driven decision-making. As technology advances and consumer behaviors evolve, collecting and analyzing data has become imperative for wineries to stay ahead of the curve. Embracing data analytics not only allows wineries to understand their customers better but also enables them to optimize their production processes, identify market trends, and enhance overall business performance.

Collecting Data: The Foundation of Informed Decisions

The journey towards data-driven decision-making begins with effective data collection. Wineries can leverage various sources to gather valuable data, such as customer information from online purchases and wine club memberships, website traffic, social media interactions, and even weather patterns that impact grape cultivation. By consolidating these datasets, wineries can obtain comprehensive insights into their operations and customer preferences.

Unearthing Consumer Trends

Understanding consumer preferences is crucial for wineries seeking to create wines that resonate with their target audience. Data analytics helps identify popular wine styles, preferred price ranges, and emerging consumer trends. By analyzing customer feedback and purchase patterns, wineries can tailor their offerings to align with market demands, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Precision in Production

Data-driven insights can revolutionize the winemaking process itself. By analyzing historical data on grape yields, weather conditions, and soil compositions, wineries can optimize planting, harvesting, and irrigation schedules. This precision in production ensures that grapes are cultivated at their peak, resulting in wines that showcase the full potential of their terroir.

Inventory Management and Supply Chain Optimization

Data analytics can also be applied to manage inventory efficiently and streamline the supply chain. By monitoring sales data and demand patterns, wineries can adjust their production volumes to avoid excess inventory or stockouts. Moreover, data-driven supply chain optimization minimizes costs, reduces lead times, and improves overall operational efficiency.

Enhancing Marketing Strategies

Effective marketing plays a pivotal role in establishing a winery's brand identity and expanding its reach. Data analytics empowers wineries to develop personalized marketing campaigns based on customer preferences, demographics, and behavior. This targeted approach leads to higher conversion rates and a more significant return on investment for marketing efforts.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with Data

CRM systems integrated with data analytics allow wineries to build stronger, long-lasting relationships with their customers. By tracking customer interactions, purchase history, and engagement levels, wineries can provide personalized experiences and targeted offers, fostering customer loyalty and advocacy.

Predictive Analytics for Business Forecasting

Predictive analytics helps wineries anticipate market trends, demand fluctuations, and even potential challenges. By leveraging historical data and external factors, wineries can create accurate sales forecasts and plan production and distribution accordingly, optimizing resource allocation and mitigating risks.

Competitive Intelligence

Staying ahead in the wine industry requires an understanding of competitors and market dynamics. Data analytics enables wineries to monitor their rivals' performance, pricing strategies, and marketing efforts. Armed with these insights, wineries can identify gaps in the market, capitalize on opportunities, and make informed strategic decisions.

Ensuring Data Security and Privacy

While harnessing the power of data, wineries must prioritize data security and customer privacy. Implementing robust data security measures and complying with relevant data protection regulations is vital to maintaining consumer trust and safeguarding sensitive information.

Concluding Thoughts on Data

In conclusion, data analytics has transformed the way wineries operate and make decisions. You’ll never be able to get a perfect model, as they say there are no perfect models, but all models are useful. Having good data allows for conversations about revenue, financial projections, and risk so that business owners can make better decisions around new product lines, hiring and firing, and capital expenditures. Data can be the fancy python setup, scraping every social media post, it could also be a simple pivot chart in excel tracking number of customers who walk through the door by day of the week. Data empowers wineries to craft exceptional wines that resonate with their audience. As the wine industry continues to evolve, the integration of data analytics will remain a cornerstone of success for wineries in California, shaping a prosperous and thriving future for the industry. Cheers to data-driven excellence!

Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram and Linkedin.

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

"Unlocking Productivity: The Power of Super Focus and Strategic Leverage"

I get asked so many times by a lot of people, "How do you do it all?" "How do you manage your time?"

Sometimes I don't know how I do it, but I have learned a few skill sets that allow me to be highly productive.

The first skill I call "Super Focus." Many people sit down at their desk to work on something for hours, or so they think.

In reality, they often sit down, write a little, think a bit, get up for a drink, talk to someone, sit back down, and maybe doodle. While these activities are fine, if you want to be productive, you need to learn the art of super focus.

I can accomplish in 20 minutes what might take someone else 3 hours because I understand three key things:

1. I have already spent considerable time thinking about the task, considering my words, and envisioning the story or effect I want to achieve. Now it's time to execute and implement.

2. I know that perfection is not necessary. I prefer to work quickly and accept that sometimes I may need to abandon certain tasks. I would rather complete the 20% of tasks that will generate 80% of the results and take the risk of leaving the remaining 80% knowing that I can eventually finish them or they may become irrelevant as I focus on other things.

3. I simply sit down and work. I eliminate distractions, rarely listen to music, and dive into writing and working, figuring out the best way to complete the task.

What cannot be underestimated in the realm of super focus is the importance of preparing yourself for your work session. Ensure you have had enough sleep, be aware of your mental state, and be in a creative mood. Sometimes it makes more sense to wait until you are ready to tackle a task, a strategy known as procrastination. This approach prevents wasting countless hours sitting in front of a computer, hoping for divine inspiration. Instead, your focus and motivation increase as the deadline approaches.

The second point is leverage. Currently, many people are discussing leverage in various contexts, such as scaling a business or making strategic investments.

For me, leverage means finding ways to achieve the most with the least amount of effort. However, it is important to remember that not every problem can be solved through leverage. Just like with a loan, if you over-leverage yourself, you may lose touch with reality or the returns you anticipate may turn out to be of subpar quality, not providing the desired effect.

Lastly, it's crucial to consider whether a task needs to be done at all, either now or ever. In hindsight, I believe that successful individuals focus on the tasks that truly matter over time. They learn to say no or simply avoid tasks that do not align with their priorities.

Overall, mastering super focus, leveraging opportunities wisely, and discerning what truly needs attention are key factors in achieving success and productivity.

Let’s Connect!

Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

Wine Business Podcasts you should be listening to right now

Podcasts have become a popular way for people to stay informed and entertained, and the wine industry is no exception. There are many podcasts out there that cater to wine enthusiasts, professionals, and business owners. In this blog post, we will explore wine business podcasts you should be listening to.

The Grape Nation

The Grape Nation is hosted by wine professional Sam Benrubi and covers all aspects of the wine industry. Each episode features interviews with winemakers, sommeliers, and other industry professionals. The podcast also covers wine-related news and trends, as well as tips for tasting and pairing wine.

Link to the show HERE

Wine for Normal People

Wine for Normal People is hosted by certified sommelier Elizabeth Schneider and focuses on making wine accessible to everyone. The podcast covers a wide range of topics related to wine, from grape varieties and winemaking techniques to tasting and pairing. The podcast is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about wine in a fun and approachable way.

Link to the show HERE

I'll Drink to That!

I'll Drink to That! is hosted by wine industry veteran Levi Dalton and features interviews with winemakers, sommeliers, and other industry professionals. The podcast covers a wide range of topics, from winemaking techniques to the history of wine regions around the world. This podcast is a great resource for anyone looking to deepen their knowledge of the wine industry.

Link to the show HERE

XChateau

The Xchateau podcast features interviews with some of the most knowledgeable and respected people in the wine industry, including winemakers, sommeliers, and other industry professionals. These experts provide unique insights and analysis on a wide range of topics, including winemaking techniques, wine regions, and emerging trends. The Xchateau podcast has a strong focus on the business and strategy side of the wine industry. The podcast explores topics such as sales, marketing, and distribution, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. This focus makes the podcast particularly valuable for wine professionals who want to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the business side of the industry.

Link to the show HERE

The Guildsomm Podcast

The SommGuild podcast is a great resource for wine professionals looking to expand their knowledge and expertise. The SommGuild podcast has a strong focus on sommelier education, with many episodes covering topics such as wine tasting, wine service, and wine pairing. The podcast provides a valuable resource for sommeliers who want to improve their skills and knowledge. In addition to wine education and industry insights, the SommGuild podcast also provides valuable career advice for wine professionals. Listeners can learn about career paths in the wine industry, as well as tips for advancing their careers and building successful businesses.

Link to the show HERE

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there are many wine business podcasts out there that cater to a wide range of interests and expertise levels. Whether you're a wine enthusiast or a professional in the wine industry, there is a podcast out there for you. The above list is a great starting point to explore some of the top wine business podcasts available today.

Let’s Connect
Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

Why you need an executive coach for your winery business

Running a winery is a complex business, and it takes more than just passion and expertise in winemaking to succeed. Wineries are also businesses that require a strong strategy, leadership, and management skills. One way to ensure success is by hiring an executive coach. In this blog post, we will explore why a winery should hire an executive coach and how it can help the business thrive.

Develop a Strong Business Strategy

A strong business strategy is essential for any winery to succeed. An executive coach can help the winery owner develop a clear and effective strategy to achieve their goals. They can also help the owner identify new opportunities and develop a plan to capitalize on them.

Improve Leadership and Management Skills

Leadership and management skills are essential for running any business, including a winery. An executive coach can help the winery owner improve their leadership skills, including communication, delegation, and decision-making. They can also help the owner develop a management style that works best for them and their team.

Enhance Team Performance

A successful winery relies on the performance of its team members. An executive coach can work with the owner to develop strategies to enhance team performance, including setting clear expectations and providing regular feedback. They can also help the owner build a culture of accountability and collaboration within the team.

Navigate Challenges and Changes

The wine industry is constantly evolving, and wineries must be able to adapt to changes and navigate challenges. An executive coach can provide guidance and support during challenging times, helping the owner make informed decisions and stay focused on their goals.

Increase Self-Awareness

Self-awareness is an essential trait for any leader. An executive coach can help the winery owner develop self-awareness, including identifying their strengths and weaknesses. This awareness can help the owner make better decisions and lead their team more effectively.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, hiring an executive coach can be a valuable investment for a winery. It can help the owner develop a strong business strategy, improve leadership and management skills, enhance team performance, navigate challenges and changes, and increase self-awareness. If you are a winery owner looking to take your business to the next level, consider working with an executive coach.

Let’s Connect
Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

10 Strategies to improve your winery's direct to consumer sales program

Improving marketing for a winery's direct to consumer sales program is essential for driving revenue and growing the business. There are several strategies that wineries can implement to increase the effectiveness of their marketing efforts and boost direct to consumer sales.

1. Develop a clear brand identity: A strong brand identity is essential for building trust and loyalty with customers. Wineries should develop a clear and consistent brand message that communicates the unique qualities of their wines and the values of their business. This includes developing a logo, color scheme, and tagline that represents the winery's brand.

2. Utilize social media: Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter are powerful tools for reaching new customers and building relationships with existing ones. Wineries should create social media profiles and post regular updates about new wines, events, and special promotions. Additionally, wineries can use social media to showcase the behind the scenes of their business, such as the vineyards, winemaking process, and the people who make it happen.

3. Create engaging content: In addition to social media, wineries can also use content marketing to connect with customers and build their brand. This includes creating blog posts, videos, and other forms of content that educate and inform customers about the winery and its wines. Wineries can also use email marketing to reach out to customers directly and keep them updated on new wines, events, and special promotions.

4. Optimize your website: A well-designed and user-friendly website is essential for any direct to consumer sales program. Wineries should make sure that their website is easy to navigate, mobile-friendly, and optimized for search engines. This includes using keywords in the website's content and meta tags, as well as ensuring that the site is fast and easy to load.

5. Leverage customer data: Wineries should track and analyze customer data to better understand their target market and tailor their marketing efforts accordingly. This includes tracking customer purchase history, demographics, and preferences to target specific segments of the market. Wineries can also use customer data to personalize their marketing efforts and create more effective campaigns.

6. Invest in events and experiences: Events and experiences are a great way for wineries to connect with customers and build brand awareness. This includes hosting wine tastings, winery tours, and other events that give customers an opportunity to learn more about the winery and its wines. Wineries can also create unique experiences such as wine pairing dinners, vineyard hikes, and more.

7. Partner with other local businesses: Wineries can also increase their marketing efforts by partnering with other local businesses. This includes working with restaurants, hotels, and other tourism-related businesses to promote the winery and its wines. Wineries can also partner with local retailers to sell their wines in-store.

8. Utilize Influencer marketing: Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for reaching new customers and building brand awareness. Wineries can work with social media influencers in the food, wine, and lifestyle spaces to showcase their wines and educate audiences on the winery and its products.

9. Invest in paid advertising: Paid advertising, such as Google AdWords or Facebook ads, can be an effective way for wineries to reach new customers and increase direct to consumer sales. Wineries can use paid advertising to target specific segments of the market and drive traffic to their website.

10. Create a loyalty program: A loyalty program is a great way to reward customers for their repeat business and encourage them to purchase more. Wineries can create a loyalty program that rewards customers with discounts, free bottles of wine, or other incentives for making repeat purchases.

Let’s Connect

1. Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

   • Connect with Kris on Instagram

   • Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

   • Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

   • Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

10 Things for Wineries to focus on during the path to profitability

Making a winery profitable is a challenging task that requires a combination of careful planning, hard work, and a bit of luck. However, by following a few key principles, wineries can increase their chances of success and achieve long-term profitability.

1. Develop a clear business plan: A clear and well-defined business plan is essential for any winery looking to achieve profitability. This includes identifying the target market, outlining the winery's competitive advantage, and developing a marketing and sales strategy. Additionally, wineries should also create a detailed financial plan that outlines projected revenue and expenses, as well as a plan for financing the business.

2. Focus on quality: Quality is the foundation of any profitable winery. Wineries should focus on producing high-quality wines that stand out from the competition. This includes investing in the best grapes, equipment, and winemaking techniques, as well as hiring experienced winemakers and viticulturists. Additionally, wineries should also focus on consistency, ensuring that their wines consistently meet the same high standards from vintage to vintage.

3. Diversify your product offerings: Diversifying your product offerings is a great way for wineries to increase revenue and achieve profitability. This includes offering a range of wine styles and price points, as well as developing other products such as wine accessories, gift boxes, and even non-alcoholic products like olive oil or jams.

4. Develop a strong direct-to-consumer sales program: Direct-to-consumer sales are crucial for any winery looking to achieve profitability. Wineries should develop a strong direct-to-consumer sales program that includes a variety of marketing and sales channels, such as tastings, tours, online sales, and wine club memberships. Additionally, wineries should also focus on building relationships with customers, using customer data to personalize their marketing efforts and create more effective campaigns.

5. Optimize your distribution strategy: Optimizing your distribution strategy is essential for achieving profitability. Wineries should focus on building relationships with key distributors and retailers, and targeting the most profitable markets. Additionally, wineries should also explore alternative distribution channels, such as online sales or direct shipping to customers.

6. Invest in marketing and advertising: Marketing and advertising are essential for building brand awareness and driving sales. Wineries should invest in a variety of marketing and advertising channels, such as social media, email marketing, and paid advertising. Additionally, wineries should also focus on building relationships with influencers and media outlets to gain exposure and increase brand awareness.

7. Control costs: Controlling costs is crucial for achieving profitability. Wineries should focus on reducing overhead costs, such as labor, utilities, and equipment costs. Additionally, wineries should also explore ways to increase efficiency, such as automating processes and streamlining operations.

8. Create a loyal customer base: Building a loyal customer base is essential for achieving profitability. Wineries should focus on creating a positive customer experience, whether it be through hosting events, creating unique experiences or offering a loyalty program. Additionally, wineries should also focus on building relationships with customers, using customer data to personalize their marketing efforts and create more effective campaigns.

9. Invest in technology: Investing in technology is crucial for achieving profitability. Wineries should invest in software and systems that can increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the overall customer experience. This includes using software for accounting, inventory management, and sales tracking, as well as using digital tools for marketing, such as social media and email marketing.

10. Continuously evaluate and adapt: Achieving profitability is a continuous process that requires constant evaluation and adaptation. Wineries should regularly evaluate their performance, identify areas for improvement, and implement new strategies to adapt to changes in the market.

Final Thoughts

In the end, growing a winery is just like any business. Focus on building the customer journey and experience. Know your financials and cut costs where possible. Concentrate your efforts on what is working and what is selling, and put your business in a position to take advantage of marketing and advertising opportunities when they present themselves.

Let’s Connect

Ready to take the next step for your wine or hospitality brand?

• Connect with Kris on Instagram

• Listen to the Podcast on Apple iTunes and Spotify.

• Download Kris’s Wine Brand Power Hour Checklist, A checklist for brands who want to grow their business and generate more traffic to their business, get new club members, and sell more wine.

• Ready to work with Kris on making your Wine Brand profitable? Apply Today

Wine with Kris: Friday May 29th 5pm PST/8pm EST Featuring Jessie's Grove Winery from Lodi

First off, I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge memorial day today, and thinking of all of those Americans who have paid the ultimate price. I am extremely grateful for the country we live in, and the freedoms we have to pursue things we care about, like wine. 🇺🇸 

I also have some BIG NEWS. This Friday, May 29th at 5pm PST/8pm EST, we will have Greg Burns from Jessie's Grove Winery live on Zoom with everyone for Wine with Kris!! 🎉 

I connected with Greg and his team a few weeks back, and absolutely fell in love with his winery and his ancient zines that produce some of the best grapes in Lodi, CA. But I don't want to steal any of his thunder, so if you've been on the fence about attending a Wine with Kris, this is the one to not miss!

I recognize that things have started to open up a little bit across the country, but I have thoroughly enjoyed the weekly community we have built virtually every Friday, so expect them to continue! I would appreciate any feedback to how I can make Wine with Kris better and improve your experience, feel free to respond to this email or drop a line anytime with any feedback you may have!

As always, this virtual happy hour is open to everyone, and you're welcome to bring your drink of choice (Wine (Chardonnay or any other you care to bring), Whiskey, Beer, or Red Bull!)

Why this week is going to the best Wine with Kris yet:

• Have a one on one conversation with winegrower and winemaker, Greg Burns!

• Experience three AMAZING WINES (🤫 I got to taste these wines a few weeks ago, and they are over the top)

• Connect with some awesome and authentic new people, seriously blown away by the diversity every week!

• Listen to some great tunes, we just might be able to convince Greg to play one of his personal playlists this week 😉

• A weekly gift for our Trivia Winner!

The Wines

2014 Jessie's Grove Royal Tee Ancient Vine Zinfandel
Hailing from vines over 125 years old, this Zinfandel is full bodied, has great color and gives aromas of blackberry and cherry. A great, well balanced wine that will make any Zin fan happy.

2016 Jessie's Grove Ancient Vine Carignane
Carignane is a lesser known grape from Spain, but does extremely well here in Lodi, and Greg and his team have done a great job of making this unique wine.

2018 Cinsault
Originally from France, the vines these grapes come from to make this wine have HUGE secret that I'm going to save for Friday that Greg will clue you in on, so you'll have to show up to hear the secret!

TRY THESE WINES WITH GREG AND I ON FRIDAY
The team at Jessie's Grove Winery is doing a special offer for everyone who attends Wine with Kris, they have put together three bundles so you can taste each of these wines, or just one or two on Friday with us during the call and get to hear expert tasting notes and recommended pairings:

Bundle #1: https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/product/Happy-Hour-Wine-Trivia-Bundle

Get all three wines and taste each of them with us, or open one bottle to taste with us Friday night, and save the other two for a special occaison!

Bundle #2: https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/product/Happy-Hour-Wine-Trivia-Bundle--2?pageID=81C054E7-A53E-50B4-7695-58A21FDE03A9&sortBy=DisplayOrder&maxRows=10&
Get the Cairgnane and Royal Tee Zinfandel, let me tell you, this is an awesome deal.

Bundle #3: https://www.jessiesgrovewinery.com/product/Happy-Hour-Wine-Trivia-Bundle--3
Get the Cinsault, and Royal Tee Zinfandel for JUST $40.

As a special thank you for supporting local wineries during this time, Jessie's Grove is offering an ADDITIONAL 10% OFF WITH CODE "TRIVIANIGHT" for all of you!

Signup for Happy hour here!!!

Can't wait to see you there!

Kris

P.S. Can I ask you a favor??

Do you know anyone who needs to connect with some new friends right now?

Looking for great wines to drink and fun wine events to attend, follow my Instagram! If you’re in the wine industry and want to partner with me, feel free to shot me an email!

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

If you need to download Zoom to your phone or computer, you can find it here:
https://zoom.us/download

New Wine Deal Announcement Great Mother's Day Gift!

Disclaimer: Affiliate links contained in this blog post, and if you make a purchase I may receive compensation from your purchase.

California Wine Club is currently celebrating their 30th Anniversary, and to celebrate, they are running a great deal right now. Click the link below for the full details, and use Code “1990” at checkout for 30% (Crazy right?!) off your first delivery!

With Mother’s Day Right around the corner, a wine club membership would make the perfect gift for mom!

Check out their wines here:

Anniversary Sale: Celebrate The California Wine Club's 30th Anniversary by Saving 30% on Your First Delivery when You Join with Code 1990 until 6/30. Does not apply to gifts or case club series

Resources

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Virtual Wine Tasting and Wine Trivia with Kris Round 2 (Copy)

Hey there! How’s quarantine treating your right now??

Wine Trivia Last week was a little extra special, we a had a special guest, Joe Exotic!!

In all seriousness, we had a blast, and had fun with my friend Chris Luecke serenading us with Joe Exotic hits. If you have a zoom call coming up, and want to add some fun to it, Chris does this for charity and will add a little comic releif during these times. You can read more about him here.

I just wanted to share some gratitude from the past couple weeks.

For the past two Friday nights I’ve had people show up to my virtual happy hour, Wine Tasting w/Kris, and it’s been such a great way to feel connected to others right now, especially since I live by myself (ok, ok, I have a pet rock).

In all seriousness, it’s been great to kick back on Friday night after a long week of online classes, see friends and new faces, and then get to share my passion for wine with others.

This week will be no different.

Friday night we’ll be pouring the @robertmondavips :

2018 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Monterey County Chardonnay Aged in Bourbon Barrels 🥂.

All the tropical notes hit your nose and palate with this aged chardonnay, with the bourbon barrels really bringing out the vanilla, toasted coconut and pineapple.

2018 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Monterey County Cabernet Sauvignon Aged in Bourbon Barrel as well.

Complex and well aged, this Cabernet gives you notes you’d expect from a Caramel latte and a slice of berry pie.

I chose both of these wines as they are not only fun because they are aged in bourbon barrels and full of complex flavors, they are also very well priced at well under $15 a bottle, and are available at most grocery and wine stores!.

I’ll be doing Wine Trivia with Kris Round 3 this Friday, May 1st at 5pm PST/8pm EST on Zoom 💻 🎉!

Put your wine knowledge to the test, and experience a new music vibe as we switch genres this week, to go with our bourbon barrel wine theme.

Hope to see you there! 🥂

Signup for Happy hour here!!!

Looking for great wines to drink and fun wine events to attend, follow my Instagram! If you’re in the wine industry and want to partner with me, feel free to shot me an email!

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Virtual Wine Tasting and Wine Trivia with Kris Round 2

Weekend Report #icymi :

First wine trivia night was a success!

We had a great time sharing our bottles, and just connecting with other humans.

While some of the wine questions may have been a little bit above the wine “novice” level, everyone enjoyed the 90s dance hits that were slinging from my spotify playlist.

Since everyone had a blast, I’ll be doing Wine Trivia with Kris Round two this Friday, April 24th at 5pm PST/8pm EST on zoom.

And now that we have some veterans from the first round, I invite everyone to come give a new set of questions a whirl!

(And while I don’t believe in giving out easy questions, the next round will have a different focus with some more “mainstream” questions #yallwin)

So pencil in Wine Trivia with Kris on your calendar for Friday night and make an appearance!

Here’s to hoping Wine Trivia with Kris makes the @zoom_Video_communications @sociallifemagazine which they haven’t made yet, but they’ll realize they should soon #paparazzi .

Looking for a calendar that showcases this event and other great wine events like it?

Checkout @thevirtualtasting room for all latest wine events across the internets!

This week for Wine Trivia I wanted to take an opportunity to showcase two great wineries that are both family owned and started by the same family: @imagerywinery and @benzigerimagery.

For this week's virtual happy hour, we will be doing a quick tasting of two wines:

2017 Benziger Cabernet Sauvignon

2017 Imagery Sauvignon Blanc

Both of these wines are right at or under ~$15 at most grocery stores and wine stores like @traderjoes @totalwine and others!

Both of these wineries craft unique wines, and have their own unique characteristics which we will dig into on the zoom call.

So check these wines out, go pick them up before tomorrow and taste them together with me before jumping into trivia!

Can't wait to see you there tomorrow night at 5pm PST/8pm EST on Zoom.

You can find the link in my bio to signup for a reminder and to get the link.

P.S. Winning team/solo this week will get a FREE bottle of Imagery Pinot Noir!!

May the odds be ever in your favor!

Signup for Happy hour here!!!

Looking for great wines to drink and fun wine events to attend, follow my Instagram! If you’re in the wine industry and want to partner with me, feel free to shot me an email!

Great COVID19 Wine Gift Idea

This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.

Looking for a nice gift for anyone stuck at home right now? Look no further than the California Wine Club!

With several options, it makes the perfect gift for someone who can’t go out and search for their own wines right now.

Wine Club Of The Month Signature Series - 2 Bottles Per Month - Red Only

The Point of Resistance

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We all know what it is; we've been there many times before, often several times in the same day.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The point of resistance is that fleeting moment where the task at hand will either get done or it won't.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It's that point where the task has already been started, but is not quite finished.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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It's the point where if overcome, the task will get done.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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While we can often seen the point of resistance on the horizon, it's often quite a lot closer than it appears.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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We all have a point of resistance in our lives right now.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Multiple points of resistance exist in some of our lives, that we meet at different times in our day.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Points of resistance are different for everybody; some are big and harder to overcome than others.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Some need just hard, physical work to get through.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Others can be overcome through a simple mindset shift, or thinking outside the box.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I don't know what it will take for you to overcome your points of resistance.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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But I can say enjoying that moment, taking step forward into it, and really relishing being there, celebrating you've not only come this far, but are able to recognize the obstacle, all of these help.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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Get focused.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Bring your awareness into the moment,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Feel the resistance that's building up.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Laugh in the face of the resistance because you know you've been here so many times before, and every single time, it's just a little bit different than the last.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Then resolve to conquer it.

Tame it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Overwhelm it, defeat it, conquer it.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Then look up, because the next one is coming.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The question is, will you overcome the point of resistance, or will you let it overcome you?

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Virtual Happy Hour!

Hey all you cool cats and kittens! (Couldn't help myself...)

I hope everyone is staying safe in these times, and if you're looking for some new Friday night plans, I will be doing a fun little "virtual happy hour" tomorrow night, at 5pm PST/8pm EST!

There will be a chance for everyone to meet someone new, discuss some wines and show us what you're enjoying these days, then we'll jump into some trivia!

And if all that wasn't enough, I'll be giving away a gift card to one of my favorite wineries, Dry Creek Vineyard for the top finishers (single household teams allowed)!

Hopefully, I can regale you with my corny jokes, punctilious
trivia, and bad looks!

The call will be on zoom, which you can download here: https://zoom.us/download

Can't wait to see you there!

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

Rolf Potts: Vagabonding

“Vagabonding is an attitude—a friendly interest in people, places, and things that makes a person an explorer in the truest, most vivid sense of the word. Vagabonding is not a lifestyle, nor is it a trend. It’s just an uncommon way of looking at life—a value adjustment from which action naturally follows. And, as much as anything, vagabonding is about time—our only real commodity—and how we choose to use it.”― Rolf Potts, Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel || Point Clear, AL ||

While we can't travel right now, we can take on an attitude of openness that comes from traveling, and keep our minds open to the new things that still are coming are way right now, despite our best efforts to not see them.

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

A Little Altitude, A Lot of Perspective

Sometimes you need a little altitude to get some perspective.

Went for a nice trail run (more like trail walk with over 1800 feet of vertical) off of Highway 1 on Friday which did so much for my mind, my body, and my spirit.

We can't let isolation, or the current situation bring us down.

After looking at some of the photos I got, this one really spoke to me, and how you can faintly make out the trail ahead, and tipping the hat to the mountains to come.

There will still be many trials and tribulations (and hopefully trails) ahead, but I'm especially hopeful on a day like today that the path will continue to be carved out of the side of mountains that we all climb together.

Happy Easter, for He is risen!

RESOURCES

Book a Free Strategy Call with Kris or shoot him an email!

Learn more about how you can Travel with Kris

Join my community, THE WIN CLUB, and finally WIN!

Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.