Idiots Drink Wine Too

The time has come for us to reveal our secret weapon, how we found them, and why it has changed how we will approach start-ups forever.

We Know Nothing

One of the fundamental mistakes that many MANY entrepreneurs make is thinking that they can easily replicate their success in industries they know nothing about.  This happens in online lead gen all the time.  For example, a company that masters the art of getting idiots to fill out forms to refinance their mortgage online all the sudden thinks they can start getting other idiots to complete online forms for secondary education.  They fail, often badly.

Anyway, the point is that just being smart, lucky, dumb, brave or confident is not enough to succeed.  Yes, it’s possible to succeed, but the people who do what they are most passionate about and do what they know have a considerably higher chance of success then the rest.  Why?  Cause they have an inherent sixth sense towards what works PLUS the passion to make it work.  You can learn an industry, but that takes time, money and a ton of mistakes.  

Since we’re idiots, that’s the primary pain path we’ve taken.  We see a problem in an industry we know nothing about, think we aren’t idiots and can fix it, and go and try.  Sometimes it does work but more often then not we never make it to the starting gate.  For example, I spent months trying to create a log you can throw in your fireplace that would extinguish a fire so you don’t have to go to sleep with a fire in your fireplace.  Even trademarked the name (“Firedown” in case you’re wondering).  Guess what - not really chemically possible and causes a hell of a mess.

What If You Have The Passion But Not The Knowledge?

When I returned buzzed, yet again, from Napa a few months ago and confessed, yet again, to Bill my love for wine we realized that we should explore this industry.  It’s definitely old school, filled with archane compliance and shipping laws, an insane number of players, weird ass relationships and lots of pseudo winelebrities (yes I just coined that biatch).  Guess who had all the answers!  We rule!

So after almost two months of going full speed towards creating a Netflix for wine, direct to consumer shipping models, foursquare game system for wine, social wine apps, aggregate wine APIs, free shipping systems for wineries, etc etc etc and getting smacked down Rowdy Rowdy Piper (may he rest in peace) style, the steam was going fast from our sail.

One name, however, kept coming up.  ”Have you talked to Paul Maybray?”  ”You guys should really talk to Vintank, Paul Mabray would have some great feedback.”  

What The $%^# is a Vintank!?

Vintank touted themselves as a “think tank for wine.”  Having always wanted to be a think tank, JPL style, I was curious.  So I sent Paul an email detailing what I was thinking about.  Paul, you see, is this crazy wine insider who started Vintank after almost 18 years in the wine industry.  He is, simply stated, the expert on tech and wine having created the first eCommerce system for the industry.  He’s also crazy passionate about all things wine tech.

Paul called me back as he was about to get onto a plane to NY for some wine thing.  We set up a time to talk the next day where he explained to me all that is Vintank and what they do.  Typically, they work with some pretty damn big clients, like the COUNTRY (yes country) of France.  Not dipshits who like wine and start companies.

We had a good call and I leveled with him.  I told him we’ve never used “experts” before, were a bit weary, and thought they were too big for us.  He said they are open to anyone serious regardless of size.  So I asked him if he’s open to working on an hourly basis with two d-bags to explore, smack down and share all sorts of crazy ass ideas in the hopes of finding something.  The poor sap said sure.

Send In The Experts

I’m not going to go into the nitty gritty details (in this post) of everything that we’ve discussed.  What I can tell you is this - we are NEVER again going to go into an industry without hiring an expert or think tank.  Paul, his partner Evan, and all of Vintank are extraordinary.  They aint cheap but thus far it’s been worth it and we are planning on actually partnering with them on the business we hope to create. 

And let me tell you this my fine three readers (if there are four, I’m humbled) - what we are working on together will change the wine industry.   This aint a joke.  This aint fluff.  This is real.  If you are a wine buyer, winery, restaurant, wholesaler or retailer, you’re about to thank your fairy godmother that Vintank was kind enough to share this idea with two idiots that know how to create shit.  Cause this is going to make you happy.

Parting Advice To All

While this post is about Vintank, it’s more about start-ups, being cheap, and being idiots.  

1. All start-ups should try to create something they are passionate about and knowledgable about.  If it’s a new industry and you think you know cause you Googled a bunch of shit all night long, you’re an idiot.  Get help.
2. If you have the passion but lack industry experience, check your ego and hire help.  Do you dry clean your own clothes?  Do you wipe your own ass?  No.  You hire experts.  Business aint different.  It’s that simple.
3. Don’t be cheap.  Experts might cost a few dollars, but they can save you a ton of time and money while you’re getting started.  It’s worth it.  

One thing of note - try to find people, like Vintank, open to sharing ideas and partnerships.  There comes a time (we’re at it) where the relationship goes from “clients” to “partners.”  If you’re fortunate to find experts who share ideas with you they believe so strongly in that they say “screw the quick buck, this is going to be huge, we want in!” then go open a bottle of wine, make a toast, and drink.  Cause good times are ahead my friends.