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p r a c t i c a l w i n e r y & v i n e ya r d M a r c H 2 0 1 4 69 b o o k e x c e r p t Wasco 661-758-4777 Paso Robles 805-237-8914 Modesto 209-523-8036 santa Rosa 707-542-5510 serving the Wine, table Grape and Raisin Industries a name rooted in quality customer relationships, a company dedicated to vine craftsmanship. For 25 years, that's been the winning formula for Vintage nurseries, north america's largest grapevine nursery. today, we're growing even stronger with some of the industry's youngest mother blocks, innovative production techniques and exemplary personal service that continues to emphasize our customer partnerships. come celebrate Vintage's expertise and excellence with us, and enjoy the value that we continue to cultivate, season after season. www.Vintagenurseries.com | 800-499-9019 | Vintage nurseries. Growing With You For 25 Years your staff is to decrease the likelihood of theft. The likelihood of theft by employ- ees is greater if you omit systems that monitor what goes out and what comes in. Think of this like President Reagan's statement about doing business with the Soviet Union: "Trust but verify." Finally, you must know everything about the operating systems of the win- ery so you can track what is working pro- cedurally and what is not working. Inefficiency costs money! During my career in law enforcement, I once received training for mediating cri- ses and resolving hostage situations. My training did not involve weapons or tac- tics, but rather techniques to verbally defuse situations before utilizing mea- sures of last resort. The main thrust of the training was to get the subject talking. The subject might be a suicidal person, a barricaded person or a hostage-taker; but in each case the approach was the same. The technique consisted of establishing dialogue by asking three questions: What do you want? How are you going to get it? Is what you're doing working? So, as the winery owner, what do you want? How are you going to get it? Is what you're doing working? To answer these questions you need a vision, a plan, a method of analyzing your performance, and a set of performance mea- sures. Once your vision, or business model, is clear, you can determine the size of staff you will need. I can't give you a magic num- ber for staffing because the twin evils of short-staffing and over-staffing are specific to your business plan and circumstance. I offer a list of questions that will serve as a guide. Some of your answers to these ques- tions may change as you learn more about yourself, your labor market and your cus- tomers, so don't be forever wedded to your previous decisions. Never feel guilty about "going back to school" to learn new things regardless of how many diplomas and licenses you've previously earned. On to the questions: 1) Are you, your spouse, or your children going to work in the business? If so, what jobs will each of you perform? How many hours will each of you work? What could go wrong, such as other obligations, trans- portation issues, school time, or parenting demands? Be realistic and honest. 2) Do you plan to enjoy a life outside of your business? Do you plan to take vaca- tions? Who will provide coverage if you are gone? How much time can you devote comfortably to the winery on a daily basis? Be sure to factor in commute time. 3) What operating hours will you adver- tise for the tasting room? Will these hours require two shifts of employees in order to avoid paying federally required overtime? 4) Will you offer on-premise food service, which will require a cook, server, and dishwasher? These positions should be in addition to the tasting room staff to avoid increased risk of a bad customer experi- ence. Does your building have a potential kitchen space that will permit installation of a mandatory outside exhaust hood and fan that vent to the outside? Do you want to be subject to regular health department inspections? 5) How much of the production will you be performing? Are you a brick-and-mor- tar winery, a virtual winery, or something in between? There is nothing wrong with any choice you make as long as you are honest about what can you do vs. what must be hired out. 6) Do you have enough staff to manage your winery when someone quits or is dismissed? Do you have your own ready- to-go training program for new staff? 7) Are you going to have a wine club program? To be successful, this program may require the full attention of an employee. PWV